My Planet
Finding Humor in the Oddest Places
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My Planet
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Narrated by:
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Angela Dawe
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By:
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Mary Roach
About this listen
Follow New York Times best-selling author Mary Roach - but be careful not to trip - as she weaves through personal anecdotes and everyday musings riddled with her uncanny wit and amazingly analytical eye. These essays, which found a well-deserved home within the pages of Reader's Digest as the column "My Planet," detail the inner workings of hypochondriacs, hoarders, and compulsive cheapskates. (Did we mention neurotic interior designers and professional list makers?) For Roach, humor is hidden in the most unlikely places, which means that nothing is off limits. Whether she is dwelling on her age or talking about the pros and cons of a bedroom night light - "A married couple can best be defined as a unit of people whose sleep habits are carefully engineered to keep each other awake" - Roach finds a lesson, a slice of sarcasm, or a dash of something special that makes each day comical and absolutely priceless.
In keeping with our mission - curating the best listens in the land - Reader's Digest editors neatly packaged these timeless (and hilarious) Roach essays together for the first time.
©2013 The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.People who viewed this also viewed...
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Spook
- Science Tackles the Afterlife
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- Narrated by: Bernadette Quigley
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 1,384
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Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 1,122
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Story4 out of 5 stars 1,119
In an attempt to find out, Mary Roach brings her tireless curiosity to bear on an array of contemporary and historical soul-searchers: scientists, schemers, engineers, mediums, all trying to prove (or disprove) that life goes on after we die. She begins the journey in rural India with a reincarnation researcher and ends up in a University of Virginia operating room where cardiologists have installed equipment near the ceiling to study out-of-body near-death experiences.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Read this book, but don't listen to it!
- By Christine on 11-21-09
By: Mary Roach
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Gulp
- Adventures on the Alimentary Canal
- By: Mary Roach
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 3,944
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,484
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Story4 out of 5 stars 3,489
Best-selling author Mary Roach returns with a new adventure to the invisible realm we carry around inside. Roach takes us down the hatch on an unforgettable tour. The alimentary canal is classic Mary Roach terrain: The questions explored in Gulp are as taboo, in their way, as the cadavers in Stiff and every bit as surreal as the universe of zero gravity explored in Packing for Mars. Why is crunchy food so appealing? Why is it so hard to find words for flavors and smells? Why doesn’t the stomach digest itself? How much can you eat before your stomach bursts?
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3 out of 5 stars
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Funtastic Voyage
- By Mel on 04-05-13
By: Mary Roach
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Bonk
- The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex
- By: Mary Roach
- Narrated by: Sandra Burr
- Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 3,106
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 2,274
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Story4 out of 5 stars 2,276
The study of sexual physiology has been a paying career or a diverting sideline for scientists as far-ranging as Leonardo da Vinci and James Watson. The research has taken place behind the closed doors of laboratories, brothels, MRI centers, pig farms, sex-toy R&D labs, and Alfred Kinsey's attic.
Mary Roach, "The funniest science writer in the country", devoted the past two years to stepping behind those doors. In Bonk, Roach shows us how and why sexual arousal and orgasm can be so hard to achieve and what science is doing to slowly make the bedroom a more satisfying place.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Absolutely Wonderful!
- By Gurmukh on 07-05-08
By: Mary Roach
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Grunt
- The Curious Science of Humans at War
- By: Mary Roach
- Narrated by: Abby Elvidge
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 2,315
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 2,079
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Story4 out of 5 stars 2,075
Grunt tackles the science behind some of a soldier's most challenging adversaries - panic, exhaustion, heat, noise - and introduces us to the scientists who seek to conquer them. Mary Roach dodges hostile fire with the U.S. Marine Corps Paintball Team as part of a study on hearing loss and survivability in combat. She visits the fashion design studio of U.S. Army Natick Labs and learns why a zipper is a problem for a sniper.
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3 out of 5 stars
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I Usually Love Mary Roach, But--
- By Gillian on 12-07-16
By: Mary Roach
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Packing for Mars
- The Curious Science of Life in the Void
- By: Mary Roach
- Narrated by: Sandra Burr
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 4,555
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,489
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 3,482
Space is a world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. Space exploration is in some ways an exploration of what it means to be human. How much can a person give up? How much weirdness can they take? What happens to you when you can’t walk for a year? Have sex? Smell flowers? What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk? Is it possible for the human body to survive a bailout at 17,000 miles per hour?
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4 out of 5 stars
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Everything You Always Wanted to Know - and More
- By Roy on 09-22-10
By: Mary Roach
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Fuzz
- When Nature Breaks the Law
- By: Mary Roach
- Narrated by: Mary Roach
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,526
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,284
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,275
What’s to be done about a jaywalking moose? A bear caught breaking and entering? A murderous tree? Three hundred years ago, animals that broke the law would be assigned legal representation and put on trial. These days, as New York Times best-selling author Mary Roach discovers, the answers are best found not in jurisprudence but in science: the curious science of human-wildlife conflict, a discipline at the crossroads of human behavior and wildlife biology.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The footnotes
- By Alex on 09-24-21
By: Mary Roach
-
Spook
- Science Tackles the Afterlife
- By: Mary Roach
- Narrated by: Bernadette Quigley
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 1,384
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 1,122
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 1,119
In an attempt to find out, Mary Roach brings her tireless curiosity to bear on an array of contemporary and historical soul-searchers: scientists, schemers, engineers, mediums, all trying to prove (or disprove) that life goes on after we die. She begins the journey in rural India with a reincarnation researcher and ends up in a University of Virginia operating room where cardiologists have installed equipment near the ceiling to study out-of-body near-death experiences.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Read this book, but don't listen to it!
- By Christine on 11-21-09
By: Mary Roach
-
Gulp
- Adventures on the Alimentary Canal
- By: Mary Roach
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 3,944
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,484
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 3,489
Best-selling author Mary Roach returns with a new adventure to the invisible realm we carry around inside. Roach takes us down the hatch on an unforgettable tour. The alimentary canal is classic Mary Roach terrain: The questions explored in Gulp are as taboo, in their way, as the cadavers in Stiff and every bit as surreal as the universe of zero gravity explored in Packing for Mars. Why is crunchy food so appealing? Why is it so hard to find words for flavors and smells? Why doesn’t the stomach digest itself? How much can you eat before your stomach bursts?
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Funtastic Voyage
- By Mel on 04-05-13
By: Mary Roach
-
Bonk
- The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex
- By: Mary Roach
- Narrated by: Sandra Burr
- Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 3,106
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 2,274
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 2,276
The study of sexual physiology has been a paying career or a diverting sideline for scientists as far-ranging as Leonardo da Vinci and James Watson. The research has taken place behind the closed doors of laboratories, brothels, MRI centers, pig farms, sex-toy R&D labs, and Alfred Kinsey's attic.
Mary Roach, "The funniest science writer in the country", devoted the past two years to stepping behind those doors. In Bonk, Roach shows us how and why sexual arousal and orgasm can be so hard to achieve and what science is doing to slowly make the bedroom a more satisfying place.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Absolutely Wonderful!
- By Gurmukh on 07-05-08
By: Mary Roach
-
Grunt
- The Curious Science of Humans at War
- By: Mary Roach
- Narrated by: Abby Elvidge
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 2,315
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 2,079
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 2,075
Grunt tackles the science behind some of a soldier's most challenging adversaries - panic, exhaustion, heat, noise - and introduces us to the scientists who seek to conquer them. Mary Roach dodges hostile fire with the U.S. Marine Corps Paintball Team as part of a study on hearing loss and survivability in combat. She visits the fashion design studio of U.S. Army Natick Labs and learns why a zipper is a problem for a sniper.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
I Usually Love Mary Roach, But--
- By Gillian on 12-07-16
By: Mary Roach
-
Packing for Mars
- The Curious Science of Life in the Void
- By: Mary Roach
- Narrated by: Sandra Burr
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 4,555
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,489
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 3,482
Space is a world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. Space exploration is in some ways an exploration of what it means to be human. How much can a person give up? How much weirdness can they take? What happens to you when you can’t walk for a year? Have sex? Smell flowers? What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk? Is it possible for the human body to survive a bailout at 17,000 miles per hour?
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Everything You Always Wanted to Know - and More
- By Roy on 09-22-10
By: Mary Roach
-
Fuzz
- When Nature Breaks the Law
- By: Mary Roach
- Narrated by: Mary Roach
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,526
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,284
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,275
What’s to be done about a jaywalking moose? A bear caught breaking and entering? A murderous tree? Three hundred years ago, animals that broke the law would be assigned legal representation and put on trial. These days, as New York Times best-selling author Mary Roach discovers, the answers are best found not in jurisprudence but in science: the curious science of human-wildlife conflict, a discipline at the crossroads of human behavior and wildlife biology.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The footnotes
- By Alex on 09-24-21
By: Mary Roach
What listeners say about My Planet
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Holly
- 08-11-15
Short & Witty
The book is a collection of columns originally printed in Reader's Digest. The subjects vary but are mostly a reflection on daily activities, family relationships, and observations of human interaction. Her wording is clever and phrasing often has a twist or three.
Unfortunately, the narrator's performance doesn't meet the same standard sounding too immature for the material and not conveying the obvious humour in the text.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- M. Van Buijtene
- 08-02-16
Laughed out loud!
I did have to get used to the voice but the material is so sharp and funny!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lizzard8803
- 03-05-25
I love Mary Roach
This would have been funnier with a different reader, say, Mary Roach. At first I thought the narrator was shouting at me. Later I realized the narrator used the same robot voice with the same inflection on every sentence. Her voice works well on the bit on being on hold with a helpful non-person assistant.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ann
- 11-30-13
Bad narrator
How did the narrator detract from the book?
Felt the need to emphasize the last word of every SENTENCE. No matter what word it WAS. Couldn't bear it for more than 45 min. Love Mary Roach, but I think I'll get this one in print.
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33 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Victoria Russell
- 03-24-18
My planet
The book had some humorous moments. I did not like the voice and tone of the reader for this book. It was a little on the annoying side for me. Others may not feel that way. I really loved the author's book "Gulp". It was quite funny, material I could use for teaching science.😜
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- AB
- 08-11-15
GLAD I IGNORED THE BAD REVIEW FOR THE NARRATOR.
If you could sum up My Planet in three words, what would they be?
Loved this book Sooooooo much. The narrator was just fine as (IMHO) she captured the scrappy 'stand up comic' type of delivery that helped relate the story. This is one of my favorite books... I love irreverent first and foremost.
What about Angela Dawe’s performance did you like?
She gave it a wise cracking scrappy appeal. I loved it.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- HBKreger
- 07-31-15
Read the print version
I love Mary Roach. She is so funny and clever. The stories are great often with laugh out loud bits.
Unfortunately Angela Dawe's narration is, for the most part, just too much. I feel like she is yelling at me. There is a overly emphatic tone to each and every word--with the exception of Chapter 4 where she does a great job mimicking the voice style of an automated call.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Micky Robinson
- 02-13-20
Mary Roach's world is so funny.
I loved this. was listening in my car and almost had to pull several times because I was laughing so hard
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Shanna
- 09-19-18
greatly enjoyed this book
I greatly enjoyed this book. Roach is funny and imaginative.abd it's fast going. I was surprised when bbq it was done.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- cmac
- 05-06-15
Amusing and good
Mary Roach continues to impress, while the narrator seemed to be yelling the words at me. Overall really quite good!
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7 people found this helpful