Review: Alien Earths: The New Science of Planet Hunting in the Cosmos by Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger

Alien Earths: The New Science of Planet Hunting in the Cosmos by Lisa Kaltenegger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided both an audio and print ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

Cassandra Campbell is a fabulous narrator, and is one of my favorites.  This is my first experience with her narrating a non-fiction audiobook.  I'm used to her voicing several different characters within a sci-fi or fantasy book, however she takes great care in ensuring the scientific words are pronounced clearly and correctly and if there is a non-English name or phrase it is also pronounced correctly.  

This was a great non-fiction book for anyone interested in science of discovering new planets and the investigation of space.  The author does a great job of mixing science, personal, experience, and pop culture in to the book without getting overly scientific.  She uses real world examples from her own teaching experience and research and references movies and books that readers may be familiar to explain her points about how scientists go about trying to determine if there might be life on other planets.  I felt like it was written as if she was having a conversation with you about her favorite topic which made if very approachable and easy to consume.  I've read other books on the topic and it can get very technical and overwhelming very quickly depending on how the science is presented.  You can tell the author loves her work and tries to make it fun and wants everyone to see the majesty in the cosmos as she does.  

I appreciated that the author took the time to write about her life and accomplishments.  She notes that it was not always easy being a woman in STEM, but because she had supportive parents and mentors she has had an impressive career.  This book would be the perfect gift for an aspiring young lady taking an interest in a STEM career.  

I would have appreciated pictures of some of the things Dr. Kaltenegger was referencing at times or links to Hubble images, as I was following along in the ebook.  The cover is fantastic, and I hope the final version that comes out in a few weeks does have images, but the ARC does not.  

Overall this is a great, easy to digest look at scientific approach to looking for habitable planets and potential life in the universe.  

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