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.

Life is Simple is an amazing book about the history of scientific discoveries through the lenses of Occam’s Razor, a rule which states that, in layman’s terms, the simplest explanation that correctly describes the phenomenon is usually the best one. The author takes us on a journey through time and walks us through the most important scientific discoveries: from the acceptance of heliocentrism to quantum mechanics, natural selection and DNA. It’s is a dense read, but yet it’s extremely informative and simply fun to read. The amount of research that went into writing this summary of the history of science is impressive, to say the least.

One of my favourite chapters was the last one, in which the author talked about Cosmological Natural Selection, a theory that states that black holes ultimately create new universes with mutations as compared to its parents. The new universes that aren’t good in creating matter and black holes die without reproducing, so it’s basically natural selection principle but applied to the whole cosmos. Mind blowing! A big part of this book deals with theology (which I personally didn’t enjoy as much as the rest of the book), but you can’t separate early science from that. Still, I felt like I learned so much about a topic that I had very little knowledge of.

Highly recommend this book to anyone who is passionate about science.

This books offers a short history of science through the lens of Occam's Razor that states that simplicity is, most of the time, the best solution. As the books tells it, scientists tended to add more complexity as the years passed. Thanks to Occam's idea of simplicity new breakthroughs came to pass. It's an interesting read for anyone passionate about science.

This is a fascinating look at the history of science through the lens of Occam's Razor. For centuries, even millennia, thinkers responded to new information by adding complexity. But as Occam's belief in simplicity spread through the scientific community, new breakthroughs were made that allowed for the rise of our current technological society. Easy to read and understand, this book is a treat for science buffs.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.