The Compass of Pleasure

The Compass of Pleasure (2011) by David J. Linden. This book certainly sounds enticing -- after all, the subtitle is "How Our Brains Make Fatty Foods, Orgasm, Exercise, Marijuana, Generosity, Vodka, Learning and Gambling Feel So Good." Who wouldn't want to read about pleasure, food, orgasm, marijuana, vodka, gambling? But Linden is, first and foremost, a scientist; and the "How Our Brains" part of the title turns out to be the main focus of the book. He goes into brain structures and brain chemistry in some detail. Although he tries to keep it light and not too deep, I found myself skimming page upon page of discussion about why our brains deliver the chemicals they do to the parts of the brain they do and, frankly, I found it boring. There are light moments but mostly this book is a pretty heavy scientific slog. Grade: B