I enjoyed reading this book. It is a good mixture of stories, theories, facts, and trivia related to the periodic table (but much more interesting than that might sound). The author strikes a good balance between explaining the chemistry and telling related stories in an entertaining way. Along the way, he covers the "human side" of the scientists who made key discoveries related to the periodic table; how science is affected by both commerce and politics, even office politics within labs; the elements in our bodies, the Earth, and the universe; how man has used elements throughout the years; and much more.

I learned a lot, and was proud that some of the theories the author explained were still vaguely familiar to me from my high school chemistry class. If you do read this book, I'd approach it as a collection of short stories/anecdotes, rather than a book with an overarching narrative, though you might expect that based on the title. If you have the time and the interest, it's worth the read.