Viral BS by Dr. Seema Yasmin

Medical rumors are everywhere. Once they get started it can be nearly impossible to stop them. Just look at the anti-vax movement: it all began with one crooked doctor falsifying test results that claimed vaccines cause autism. This is false.

In Viral BS by Dr. Seema Yasmin, we examine dozens of myths like this, along with a few truths. Diet soda's connection to Alzheimer's disease; football and it's connection to brain damage; the elevated risks of pregnancy in the US; medical test subjects in Nazi concentration camps as well as by American doctors in the US; and chemtrails.

We believe all sorts of things can harm us that really can't while ignoring lots of things that actually  matter. With short chapters and concise answers to some of our most curious medical questions, this book was an enjoyable trip into medical trivia that will make you well-equipped to pull out a fun "did you know" at your next boring work get-together or to change the subject around your racist uncle. 

If you get all excited when someone says the words "Fun Fact!", this is just the book for you.

 

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

Oh, the things we don't know about our marriage partner until it is too late. In Samantha Downing's My Lovely Wife, a happily married couple have a highly unusual (one hopes) past time- murder. Told from the perspective of the husband, we watch as they plan and execute (pun intended) the kidnapping and murders of two women. Because they get off on it! These are not good people.

And yet, from the outside they seem perfectly lovely. The wife is a successful real estate agent and the husband teaches tennis to wealthy clients at the local country club. They have two teenage children who seem relatively well-adjusted. This is a normal family, but maybe that's what makes it all the more frightening.

This book was... okay. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. I don't usually love dark thrillers where everyone is just varying degrees of flawed. I don't need perfect characters, but in this there weren't any likable ones either. It was a little like Gone Girl in that way. Because I needed to finish this quickly for book club, I pushed on much more than I probably would have otherwise. I never felt like I couldn't wait to get back to it, but that isn't what I've heard from my friends. They stayed up late reading, unable to stop until they got to the end. Maybe I'm right. Maybe they are. Who knows, but I'd love to hear what you think!

 

 

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

"Protect her."

That is Hannah's husband's final message to her in The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. He means his daughter, but from what could she possibly need protection? Where has he gone? These questions have no answers unless Hannah is brave enough to go out and find them herself. Guided only by the fuzzy childhood memories of a sullen teenager, Hannah and Bailey begin their search. What they find will require the greatest of sacrifices.

Despite cheesy chapter titles and the voice of a teenager that doesn't really sound like a teenager, this book was good. The action and the questions were interesting enough that I kept turning pages. Hannah is a likable character, but perhaps not well-developed enough. I couldn't even remember her name until I looked it up to do this review. There were also loose ends at the close of the story that I felt could have been more neatly tied up. Otherwise, this was a quick read that didn't require too much, making it a great vacation read.

 

Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis

In Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis, we meet Emmie, a thirty-year-old woman who is in love with her best friend, Lucas. They met at age sixteen when Emmie released a balloon with a note inside. When Lucas found it and responded to her email address, a great friendship was formed. Emmie has hoped that someday they will be more than friends, but she hasn't told him how she feels and it looks like she has missed her chance. Lucas has just informed her that he is getting married. Heartbroken, she soldiers on, determined to do whatever is necessary to ensure his happiness.

Filled with darling characters, and a few others who could really use a punch in the nose, this book was very sweet. Emmie has had a hard life and with Lucas she gets to peek into what an ideal family might look like. He is her best friend, but his parents are almost like parents to her as well. She also has two wonderful friends at work and she discovers more of a connection with someone she has taken for granted for a long time.

This book is about relationships and found families. And I adored it.

 

What I've Heard- You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey

When I read You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar, I knew the audio version would be ah-mazing. If you've seen The Amber Ruffin Show you also know that Amber is hilarious and anything with her voice is going to be better.

Y'all. I was. Not. Wrong.

The stories in this book are, as the subtitle says, absolutely crazy. And horrible. And so mean, but somehow Amber and Lacey make them funny, too. I guess that's the real sign of comedic genius and there is plenty of it here. Please listen to this book. Or read it. Or do both simultaneously.

Whatever works for you, but don't wait another day.

 

What I've Heard- The Four Agreements

I read The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz so many years ago that it isn't even in my Goodreads account. I loved it and it was time for a re-read. I have a copy of the book- it's quite small at only 138 pages- but I thought it might be nice to listen to the audio version. It's only a couple of hours long and it is wonderful. The only thing that bugged me was that I could not place the voice of the narrator, Peter Coyote. Turns out he's this handsome devil:

You may recognize him as the head scientist in ET or as the Dad in A Walk to Remember or more recently for our family, as the head of NTAC in The 4400. I knew his voice. I could almost picture him. It was making me crazy that I couldn't figure out who he was. Luckily, IMDB came to the rescue. And let me assure you that he's not just a pretty face. His voice is like velvet reading this inspiring book.

The Four Agreements is about self-improvement and learning the lesson that we can make our own heaven on earth by living by these four principles:

I've included this handy dandy graphic because I thought it was so pretty. These aren't complicated concepts. "Always do your best" seems almost as basic as possible, but Ruiz has a way of making the reader (or listener) realize how vital they are to our well-being. You will be challenged. You will have to stretch to make these work. And you will likely have to start and restart. I know I will, but I believe in the wisdom of these words. I would recommend this book to everyone. It hardly takes any time at all and it could just change your whole perspective.

 

What I've Heard- Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?

I really enjoyed reading Caitlin Doughty's Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, so I quickly put a library hold on her audiobook Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? Caitlin reads it herself, which I love, and it is a question-answer format produced solely from the questions she receives from children because we all know kids will ask anything. And boy are there some doozies in this book. It is, in equal measures, fascinating and gruesome. Caitlin doesn't tiptoe around the realities of death and I really kind of love her for it. 

Since I listened to this mostly while riding my bike, I wasn't able to take notes and copy down my favorite quotes, but I will say that I laughed out loud on numerous occasions, as well as audibly squealing, "Ewww...gross!" more than once or twice. I totally recommend adding this one to your list, and if your kids are brave and you aren't too squeemish, it would be an awesome audiobook for your next family road trip. Lots of fun conversations! 

What I've Heard- Everybody Fights

If you know who the Holderness Family are, it is nearly certain that you love them. They first came to fame with their Christmas Jammies video and have spent the last decade adding much needed humor to the world of the internets. They seem to have a great family and the perfect marriage so I really love that the book they've chosen to write and release out into the ether is entitled Everybody Fights. Of course they seem madly in love all the time- no one would want to publish videos of their arguments about replacing the toilet paper roll or putting away wet towels. And yet, they have made themselves vulnerable enough to show the world that they have struggles like anyone else, that everybody fights, even them.

Marriage maintenance is important and learning to communicate well enough to be able to argue productively is a huge part of that. Kim and Penn have seen a marriage coach for years and in this book they share many of the things they have learned that have helped them. I listened to the audio version and I highly recommend it because so much of their personalities come through and it makes it so much more impactful. And also fun. They are a fun couple and this is one marriage book you'll actually enjoy.

 

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

In The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner, we meet Caroline, a woman whose marriage has just self-destructed and who has decided to take her anniversary trip to London alone. When she arrives, she feels the long-buried stirrings of her obsession with history reviving. One small found object leads her on a quest for information about an apothecary from two centuries earlier. As the reader, we have the advantage of meeting Nella, the apothecary from the 1791. Told in alternating chapters between Caroline in the present day, Nella, and also a young woman seeking Nella's help, we watch as their stories fold in upon one another.

This was an interesting read with lovely characters. There were a few that I wish we were able to get to know a little better, but over all they were well-written. The story idea was good, but I felt like it could have had more... meat. This book has been highly promoted and has received a lot of good reviews, but it didn't deliver quite what I was hoping. When it arrived, I was surprised that it seemed a bit thin and after reading it, I feel like it could have used another hundred pages or so. The story could have been much better fleshed out; it could have used more details about the apothecary and her poisons that she uses to help women. I liked this book, but I was a little disappointed.