There are two kinds of science books that I've read lately. They tend to be catalogs: a single idea repeated in a series of variations from chapter to chapter, or they tell a narrative story about an adventure of discovery. I usually prefer the second kind, because the excitement of what will happen next moves the story along and keeps me reading.
A good book of the first kind, however, catalogs something awesome and amazing. And Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to all Creation does that very well indeed. Olivia Judson, an evolutionary biologist, reviews all the insane variety of reproductive strategies the animal kingdom has to offer. And it's wild. If you can imagine it, there's an animal that does it. Banana slugs are among the weirder creatures, in fact. Not to mention species where the male is 100 times smaller than the female, and for years was mistaken for a parasite or an organ.
The book generally takes the style of an advice column, telling spiders and squids that their bizzare sex lives are in fact normal. The finale is a description of a pan-creation Jerry Springer show, which is even more engaging than the rest of the very enjoyable book.
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