Bonk!

If you're looking for a great summer read that will attract a great deal of attention on the subway, I can recommend this wonderful book:

Ms Roach previously wrote about the unknown (and very interesting) lives of human cadavers in her book "Stiff," and about scientific and pseudoscientific research into the afterlife in "Spook." Now, she takes on science's efforts to understand and - hopefully - improve the human sexual experience.

Mary Roach writes with humor and flair - the introductory chapter to this book is titled "Foreplay," and chapter titles include "Dating the Penis-Camera," "The Taiwanese Fix and the Penile Pricking Ring," and "The Upsuck Chronicles" (not what you think - it deals with the study of animal sex to improve human sex. Hint...it doesn't help much).

You'll learn that the artificial inseminators of Danish pigs use a "teaser boar" to get the sows ready for their coming experience, and learn the steps involved in the artificial insemination of pigs (Denmark's National Committee for Pig Production has published a "Five-Point Stimulation Plan for pig farmers, complete with instructional DVD and color posters to tack on barn walls"). There must be easier ways to make a living.

You'll also get a first hand look at sex inside an MRI tube, a horrifying look at surgery to correct problems with the male member, and - along the way - a fascinating mixture of information that's hysterically funny and genuinely interesting. And Ms Roach concludes her book with a unique toast to all the misunderstood researchers who have bravely examined human sexuality: "Hats and pants off to you all!"

The last book I recommended to you was "The Library at Night," by Alberto Manguel...a very different sort of read. If you're the sort of person who enjoys this blog, I think you'll enjoy "Bonk" as well as Manguel's book, which is ... uh ... intimate in a different way.

Happy bonking!

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo