Jam packed full of entertaining and yet mysteriously true facts about the universe we live in, The Milky Way Smells of Rum and Raspberries is a must for anyone's book shelf. There's lots to be learnt from it as well as footnotes of added humour. The layout and writing style makes this book accessible, even with its facts of complex discoveries. It opens up the universe like never before in a weird, interesting way with what is demonstrated and explained through facts and notions.

This was an interesting book. Exactly what I expected from the title and just the right level. It would make a good gift or something for a friend.

Absolutely LOVED this.
A really interesting funny book on all things space. Not particularly in depth but discusses some really interesting aspects and has lots of fun facts.
My only gripe was the constant footnotes , I felt that there was too many and it would have been better in the text than having to refer multiple times on a page to the footnote, especially as I read on a kindle.
But highly recommend and will probably reread.

This is an interesting book which tries hard to be fun and quirky in its lighthearted tone, but ultimately the content of the book can be quite hard to understand - it's astrophysics, so, obviously there's only so much it can be simplified for the casual reader. What it does demonstrate is that the universe is a weird and wonderful place and I enjoyed exploring it for a few hours.

I think space looks exactly like it smells of rum and tastes of raspberries. How perfect! I was however disappointed to read that the universe is BEIGE. Beige? Ugh. What about the beautiful colour palettes of deep purple, pink and blue colour scheme you always see in photos? But no, it’s beige. Lame.


I’ve always had a fascination with space despite that the thought of actually going to space terrifies me to very core. But I’m happy to sit safely on my couch with a cup of tea and read about it instead. This book is technical without being boring and I love the little quips and footnotes to break things up and make them lighter. There are some pretty big science-y words in there however Jillian Scudder is good about breaking it down and uses analogies and humour so it’s more understandable. I love a book that’s both educational and funny. Well done, Jillian. I learned a lot.

This is a fun read that strives to break down complex Space concepts into easily understandable and relatable reading.

You'll pick up interesting facts and learn quirky information about The Milky Way. It's great for any Space enthusiast!

*Thank you to O'connor Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC copy of this title.*

Obviously I chose this book because of the name, it really drew me in.
I'm so glad I did!
The Milky Way Smells of Rum and Raspberries is a brilliant, surprisingly hilarious non-fiction full of cosmic facts and theories, from best guesses as to Saturn got its rings, what planets are full of diamonds, which moons have rivers and lakes, to just how hostile Venus is to robots

Go read this book now

Trying to explain complex science to a mass audience is actually a complex science in its own right. Making it too trivial risks losing those who have some general knowledge in the subject, while making it too complicated risks losing even fairly hard science readers. I’m in the latter camp, university research level biologist, so I’m happy to confirm that it didn’t lose me. Overall, it is quite a well balance book, probably OK for GCSE level upwards, and it does provide a welter of useful and fun facts. Stylistically it is closer to a lecture or textbook than to a dip in to find trivia book. I will certainly point people in its direction.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

I loved this book, the way it was written and the humour!

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

I must be dumber than I thought because all the other reviews I've read of this book say how easily they understood it, how well-explained it was to the layman but everything in this book just went over my head. If you'e so inclined to science and the universe, it's great but I'm just not smart enough.

Attracted by the title this book delivers the weird and wonderful aspects of our universe in easy to digest chunks. I love science but physics was always my nemesis.
Astrophysicist Jillian Scudder makes her material understandable, seasons facts with humour and engenders a desire to find out more – in fact I loved it so much I have bought for my teenage sons both of whom love all things space.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for access to this ARC as always much appreciated. All views are my own

The Milky Way Smells of Rum and Raspberries is a brilliant, surprisingly hilarious non-fiction full of cosmic facts and theories, from best guesses as to Saturn got its rings, what planets are full of diamonds, which moons have rivers and lakes, to just how hostile Venus is to robots (very. So very). Astrophysicist Dr Jillian Scudder presents big concepts broken down as simply as possible without being condescending, while simultaneously being incredibly witty (the footnotes are a treat). This is a really fun book that would make a great gift for someone who loves space or learning facts – it’s out in the U.K./Ireland now and will be published in the US in February.

[social media links to come]

An enjoyable writing style paired with some fascinating topics. I found myself smiling at several points, the right balance of humour and information - I’d quite like to attend a lecture myself!

Informative and lighthearted, this book is a series of short chapters on interesting and unusual facts about the universe. Relatively accessible and written with a clear sense of delight at just how wonderfully weird the universe is, it's difficult not to be excited and fascinated by each chapter.

The cover of this book and title implies to me that this is a "fun" book about the Milky Way.

But for me, it was too maths-heavy and the writing was too technical for me, though I did learn that as long as the number crunch is near to what they want then practically anything goes!!

I received this book from Netgalley in return for a honest review.

This was so easy to read. I thought it might be difficult to understand ,although it did address difficult concepts, it was so written it was fun and informative. My family have learnt a lot from this book.

This is a fun, accessible introduction to the universe. The author has taken a massive, complex topic and made it seem simple, which is certainly a skill. You might call it a beginner's guide to space; I think it's a great starting point for anyone interested in learning more about what lies beyond the Solar System.

Pretty mind blowing stuff but written in a really accessible format.
The actual science is highly complex but this is written in a way that it isn’t dumbed down in patronising fashion, nor is it out of reach to the general reader. I do like I have learned a great deal but I have also been thoroughly entertained with tongue in cheek and unusual facts (see title for example) which captured my interest well.
I have always been fascinated by space so this was a perfect book for me and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. It’s one of those subjects that the more you know, the more you realise you (and the rest of the human race) don’t know about it and I think this vastness and the unknown is part of the appeal. I’m sure this will inspire lots of people to further their knowledge even more. Very well written and enjoyable, thank you.

I have to say that I was drawn to this book by the intriguing title...

Although I have a scientific background (life sciences), my brain usually runs screaming from any attempt to understand the mysteries of the universe!

The author is an astrophysicist, but does a great job of explaining some of the mysteries of the universe with a light-hearted twist. This is a great book for anyone with my sort of brain! The chapters are fairly short and the language is not complex - it's enjoyable to read, and you can dip in and out of it.

This doesn't often happen with me, but I am going to read this again!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

I admit it. I have no idea what rum smells like. The title of this book was still made my brain skip around for a while though! "The Milky Way Smells of Rum and Raspberries" was a totally engrossing, entertaining, and informative read. Jillian Scudder proves, without doubt, that science can be funny as well as fun. Anyone with even a vague interest in astrophysics will get a lot out of this book.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.