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By: AUCK 065
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2025-06-25 10:12:33 |
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A fascinating book and well worth reading. Most of us had not done Chemistry at school but that was no barrier. We enjoyed it. |
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By: CHCH 064
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2025-05-05 12:28:58 |
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The notes were excellent. People were divided in their response. Some did not engage, while others enjoyed reading it. The note writer's comparison with Bill Bryson was valid. |
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By: HOKITIK 001
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2025-04-28 09:56:18 |
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Kean writes in such an engaging style that we (almost) all enjoyed the book and learned a lot about the gases in the atmosphere, and what amazing strides humanity has made by using them. |
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By: PAIHIA 001
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2023-11-25 13:30:11 |
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Don't judge a book by its cover!! A few were not going to read it and then a few of us started and were enjoying it so encouraged everyone to read it, and most of us really enjoyed it. The human stories behind the science draw you in, they and the science are absolutely fascinating, and there is plenty of humour too. |
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By: HUNTLY 001
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2023-11-09 10:16:19 |
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A character-building read! They said they "didn't hate it". |
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By: DANNE 001
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2022-12-01 12:55:18 |
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We all thought this book was a fascinating insight into something we all take for granted. The human stories are memorable. |
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By: GORE 001
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2022-10-03 12:58:52 |
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What a challenging book! But all members agreed the information included was both interesting and powerful. We were all irritated by the format of the book - needing to turn to the back to read more about points being presented. Why was the information not included in the body of the text - an editorial mistake |
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By: RICH 010
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2021-12-10 14:26:50 |
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We all really enjoyed the book - as an ex-science teacher, I really enjoyed reading the back-stories about the scientists who pioneered this work. We found the historical content and the author's humour to be extremely engaging, and we all felt we had learned something amazing about a world we normally just take for granted. |
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By: NELS 028
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2021-10-22 14:23:12 |
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Interesting and very readable book. Often funny and full of little bits of history. |
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By: WHANG 009
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2021-06-11 10:21:18 |
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Wide appeal. Some resistance to the wealth of information. Rated from 1-5. |
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By: CHCH 240
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2021-05-28 13:44:52 |
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Most found it hard to read but those who persevered found it interesting and learned from it. It explained so much and in today's Covid environment, just a little scary. Would appeal to a teenage school/science audience with use of grammar and language - so cleverly written. As an all-female group, many thought their husbands would enjoy it, or those who studied physics or maths. Question whether it is suitable as a Book Group book |
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By: LOWER 018
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2021-04-21 10:04:56 |
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Only a couple of us had the 'scientific' understanding to really comprehend this book, but most of us enjoyed the lively, anecdotal style. Very good notes, and a lively discussion. |
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By: PALMN 002
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2020-08-19 12:41:38 |
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"I knew that rocks and continents have a history, but not that the atmosphere has a history." The biographical stories were the favourite aspect. |
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By: WELL 094
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2020-07-29 11:21:51 |
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Hit the spot with some, but not all! |
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By: AUCK 116
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2020-05-27 13:38:28 |
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A couple were unable to get the book, a couple thought oh no! The rest found it fascinating. Not sure all of us understood the science and equations, but we enjoyed the history of discovery, and the very quirky people and their stubbornness not to give up. All found the chapter on the results of nuclear explosions quite horrific. |
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By: TWIZ 003
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2020-04-29 14:11:33 |
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Not everyone had time to read it, but those that did enjoyed the book. |
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By: TWIZ 003
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2020-03-18 14:19:26 |
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Not everyone had time to read it, but those that did enjoyed the book. |
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By: CHCH 474
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2020-02-14 12:18:31 |
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We really enjoyed this book! Very informative, entertaining and accessible. There was much to discuss at our meeting! Thank you. |
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By: WAIKA 001
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2019-12-18 12:27:53 |
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A very interesting book. We thought it was well-written. For those of us with a practical background it was well constructed and very thought provoking. Recommended to others as the topic of gases in our air is most important. |
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By: WHAKA 008
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2019-12-12 12:15:23 |
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We found the in depth science beyond our understanding, but enjoyed the well told stories of the scientists, and how they went about experimenting with gases. We feel we learned a lot about air that we didn't know previously. |
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By: WELL 007
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2019-10-15 14:16:56 |
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Discussion went particularly well. Variety of opinions - especially from those with a science (chemistry) background. Others enjoyed the human element - the development of our environment. Well-written, informative and we were pleased we had read it. |
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