Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

In Sticky, physicist Laurie Winkless brings the amazing world of surface science to the popular science market for the first time. Atoms and molecules like to stick together--take friction, for example. This force keeps our cars on the road, trains on the tracks and our feet on the ground; similarly, anything moving through water or air encounters drag, a force caused by the viscous nature of fluids. In other words, there's a lot of stickiness going on, all the time. But what do we actually know about the physics of stickiness? What's really going on? How has nature evolved to make use of it, and what technological advances has it enabled the human race to create?

Using her characteristic fun and relaxed tone, Laurie Winkless introduces readers to the glues, adhesives and textures that rule and improve stickiness to give plants and animals an advantage, as well as uncovering the physics behind our sense of touch. Sticky also shows how our understanding of slipperiness opened the door to high-speed flight and space travel, and asks why friction and other surface interactions can cause machinery to literally grind to a halt.

This is fundamentally a materials science book, but it touches on topics as broad as medicine, robotics and geology. And, as we'll discover, there are still many great mysteries. By exploring the tiniest of interactions, Laurie Winkless shows how civilization owes a great deal to our knowledge of the science of stickiness.

Despite the shallow cover and title, this is a very serious book. However, it's not exactly related strictly to stickiness, as it is a book about surfaces and friction between them; more exactly, about tribology, a word which I only now learned about.

The topics vary wildly, and up until 35% it seemed like the written version of How it's made, a documentary I love. We learn about paints, from ancient times till nowadays, how Superglue was discovered by mistake, the history of Post-It Notes, and what exactly Teflon is and what are its properties.

The part about Geckos was insanely interesting. Its hierarchical adhesive system is fantastic; with a weight between 200 and 400 g, in theory, it could support a mass of 133 kg. Such a small and complex being!

We also get insights on swimming suits, especially those used in international competition - who would have thought about the science and development behind?

Tires in F1 are not forgotten, also how was possible for an aircraft to speed past the sound barrier despite the enourmous forces exerted by the air.

Earthquakes, how tectonic plates slide, ice and its properties, skating, how glaciers slide into the water, how fingerprints behave in contact to other surfaces - all are here. The only thing I didn't enjoy was that the author divagated too much on these later topics, lots of pages filled with info dump.

But overall, it's a very good book, spiced up here and there with bits of trivia, both funny and interesting. If all would have written like the first third, it would have been a 5 stars reading, hands down.

I enjoyed the tone of this book. It was like being in a science class with a likeable enthusiastic teacher. However, the content was too technical for me and not easy to understand as far as 'popular science' books go. The variety of examples was interesting - gecko's feet, race car tyres, Teflon, earthquakes, ice, paint. I have to conclude that someone with a scientific background would appreciate the book a lot more. I also feel that it will quickly date as the contemporary research will not be so new in a few years and the YouTube videos the author recommends might go offline. I'm not able to give as full a review as I usually would for a book as I didn't understand a lot of it. I'd recommend if you have a scientific brain and not looking for a casual read.