Book Review--Sleep No More

 Book Review

Sleep No More 

written by Jayne Ann Krentz

Here is the newest delivery of contemporary mystery, paranormal, romance entertainment from Jayne Ann Krentz!

I have read many (if not most) of Krentz' books over the past decades.  I find them enjoyable, interesting, and able to capture my attention. She writes characters that are sympathetic and relatable and adds just enough intrigue and mystery to keep me reading.  She writes under names for her historical and futuristic series (Amanda Quick and Jayne Castle, respectively) and will incorporate her characters and themes throughout all of them so that the reader, should they choose, can experience the ripples of characters' actions throughout generations.

Ms. Krentz has written many mainstream titles as well as several series including the paranormal. This is the first in a new trilogy of related characters that encounter the paranormal which adds an element of the undiscovered to the story. In this book, the two main characters are both on quests to discover what caused each of them to have experienced a period of transient global amnesia which caused them to lose memory of a whole night and which triggered their otherwise tame paranormal senses into sensory overload. These quests bring them together to form a partnership to investigate the occurence.

The side characters are fun to interact with and move the plot along in a satisfying manner.  As this is the first in the newest trilogy, there was some resolution but also a preview into the larger game being played that will involve more people in the future. Reading Krentz is an enjoyable afternoon or weekend endeavor; curl up with a good book and a dog (or other pet of your choice) and you will have a guaranteed good time.

Book Review--Bookish People

Book Review

Bookish People

Written by Susan Coll

Narrated by Alexa Morden 

This is book is harder to review because it exposes my personal bias. And I have to admit to it.

I prefer plot-driven stories.  I like action.  I like things to move along towards an inevitable end (and if it's not a happy ending, the book might find its way launched across the room).  Bonus points if there's fantasy and/or mystery components.  That's why I like fiction--it can take me to another world.  For my personal enjoyment in reading, it is escapism.

I read Bookish People.  It is character-driven. Not in my usual repertoire.

I admit.  It was slow.  But that's because it's intended to be.  When we are going through our lives, some days zoom by but some linger.  When I am going through a challenging season in life, time can almost seem to stand still.  And that oddly warped perception is what Coll captures in her story.  She takes a snapshot of the intertwined lives of normal people and walks the reader through their good days and bad days, their thoughts and emotions, their reactions to their situations and the people they come into contact with. You can feel the inevitable march towards a collision of lives but it doesn't feel ominous or threatening; it is a slow anticipation of what is to come.

This slow-burn leading up to final event was reminiscent of when I watched Napoleon Dynamite.  A lot of "where are we going with this?" culminating in a fantastically adorable scene and a lot of re-visting of the cute occurrences that led up to the finale.

I appreciated this meander outside of my normal parameters and urge readers to consider stepping outside of their comfort zone.

Did I mention there's a tortoise?!

Book Review--The Year of Less

 Book Review

The Year of Less: How I stopped shopping, gave away my belongings, and discovered life is worth more than anything you can buy in a store

Written by Cait Flanders

Narrated by Cait Flanders

I don't aspire to absolute minimalism in my life.  I feel there is value in being surrounding by things that I visually and physically enjoy and that some extraneous things in life bring aesthetic beauty to my existence.  That being said, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.  And, as I told my kids as they were growing up and we clashed about cleaning and organizing, 

"The more you have, the more you have to take care of."

        --Lisa Collins, fairly unsentimental mother of three

I am a chronic streamliner.  Which means I am always looking out for more efficient ways to do things; processes that will make common chores routine and easy to make habitual.  This frequently shows itself in desiring new organizational systems that will compete with clutter. Unfortunately, I am also a member of a consumerist society where marketing abounds touting the newest, brightest, and best things to make my life easier.  This is a constant battle between getting and having, needing and not needing, wanting and not wanting. I think this comic from the immortal Calvin and Hobbes is painfully accurate.

I remind myself again and again to be honest with myself about my 'wants' versus my 'needs'.  That doesn't mean I can't ever get things that I want and don't necessarily need but I try to be conscious of my motivations.

When I ran across the title of Cait Flanders' book The Year of Less: How I stopped shopping, gave away my belongings, and discovered life is worth more than anything you can buy in a store as I was browsing Hoopla* for my next read, I was intrigued and checked it out.

I was anticipating a helpful guide on how to stop spending as much money, de-clutter my house, and tips on focusing extra time on what matters in life.  I was not prepared for a confessional memoir from a addictive personality that detailed more about life trauma than the 'how to' help myself.  As I am admittedly unsentimental of a more pragmatic nature, I do not relish immersing myself in a stranger's agonizing emotional upheaval.  Friends and family, I will always make time for but I do not need to adopt the distress of a random parvenue. And for most of the book, all I could think of was the author would have a more enjoyable life if she invested in therapy to bring self-awareness much sooner.

Flanders is the author behind Blonde on a Budget, a personal financial journey blog.  I had never read any of her previous journeys through alcoholism, credit card debt, and weight loss so I was unprepared for the raw reality of someone detailing their trauma in what seems to me a public therapy forum. There are nuggets of practical tips sprinkled throughout the journal of adversity and, finally, a short but helpful guide in the epilogue.  However, it was not a journey I enjoyed.

All of that being said, I know many people who find value, solidarity, and healing in walking through someone else's life and trials.  It can bring a sense of belonging and the idea that they are not alone in their struggles.  This is a book that will appeal to those readers (and you know who you are).  But in reading as in life and organizing/decluttering, knowing yourself is the best path to contentment.

*Hoopla is an excellent source for audiobooks, ebooks, movies, and music. Check with your local public library for free access to this amazing service!

Book Review--Vitamania

 Book Review

Vitamania: Our Obsessive Quest for Nutritional Perfection

by Catherine Price

Narrated by Erin Bennett

Are you getting enough Vitamin C?  Do you need St. John's Wort for depression? Are you making sure you take a daily multivitamin? Curcumin for inflammation? What about your fish oil for your Omega 3s?

The list could go on... and on... and on...

There are tens of thousands of supplements on the market and the supplement industry makes billions of dollars every year selling products advertised to increase health, wellness, and longevity.  But the hard thing to swallow (besides some nasty tasting potions) is that we know so little about vitamins and minerals and how they function within our bodies.

Price addresses this in her book Vitamania, discussing the surprisingly recent discoveries of vitamins and nutrient deficiency diseases.  The human body is so complex that the more we learn about how it functions, the more questions we have and the more convoluted the answers become as scientists forge a path through the data. Scurvy is cured by Vitamin C. Vitamin C also helps with wound healing but rubbing it on your skin will not provide that function; it comes from its assistance in making collagen within the body.  And while the debate still rages over taking Vitamin C to combat a cold; taking megadoses only leads to wasting money as the excess is excreted in your urine without being used at all. This happens because it is a water soluble vitamin, meaning extra amounts are flushed out of your system with hydration.  Other vitamins are fat soluble, meaning they add up in your system and are stored with in fatty tissues which makes them easier to overdose on as they are not processed and used as readily as water soluble ones. Question: do you know which is which?

If the mystery surrounding the function of vitamins within your body isn't enough to make you pause and think, consider the vocabulary that lumps our 13 vitamins into a category that often includes minerals.  And is utilized in marketing platforms under the umbrella of supplements.  And supplements can mean an incredibly wide variety of chemicals, plant derived matter, and even placebos.

Price goes on to delve into the murky waters of vitamin, mineral, and supplement regulation.  Of which there is so little oversight into quality control that it frightens me to think of the what I may have ingested with any company's "proprietary blend".  Legislation has been a back and forth battle with the consumer caught in the middle.  While our medicines undergo rigorous testing, quality control checks, and monitoring, a survey of supplements might have you discovering that the capsule of all-natural sexual health medicine you are taking actually contains half a pill of Viagra.  Or that your St. John's wort works against your antidepressant medicine canceling out the benefits of both and potentially interacting with many other prescription medications.

Additionally, no warnings or interactions are required to be on labels.  Most often what you will find is a statement along the lines of "This product is not intended to diagnose or treat any illness" but no further safety information to go along with the grand claims of the potential (but not proven) benefits. There are court cases going back decades fighting over the rights of the supplement companies to market their products with impunity versus the cases of individuals whose lives were destroyed or ended by misleading claims and little knowledge of side effects or interactions.

Price takes this very controversial topic with a very shady history and breaks it down into its component parts to learn more about individual aspects as well as the subject as a whole.

If you do or have thought of taking a supplement, even one recommended by a doctor, this is an excellent book to read to learn about what and who to ask to take hold of your wellness.  Knowledge is power and knowledge is health.

Note*: I read this by audiobook and the narrator, Erin Bennett, was wonderful.  She has as mellifluous voice that is soothing without being soporific meaning she has a lovely voice that won't put you to sleep so you can enjoy the content of the book.

Book Review--Glass and Steele

 Book Review

Glass and Steele Series

# 1 The Watchmaker's Daughter

#2 The Mapmaker's Apprentice

#3 The Apothecary's Poison

by C.J. Archer

Narrated by: Emma Powell; Marian Hussey

The Watchmaker's Daughter claims the position of the first book I finished in 2023.  Reading a book I enjoyed is a great way to start off the new year but the discovery was made a few days prior with The Librarian of Crooked Lane.

I have two books on hold with Libby (argh, waiting is hard!) so I switched apps and scrolled through my Hoopla recommendations to see what they suggested.  It's pretty much obligatory for me to stop and read the summary of any book about a library or librarian and Crooked Lane seemed to be right up my alley.  Books, libraries, a hint of magic, and the promise of romance.  It did not disappoint.  I also enjoyed the narrator, Marian Hussey, and it always impresses me how a reader can make or break an audiobook. 

Alas and alack, the Librarian of Crooked Lane is so new, the next book in the series does not come out until March of this year! But since I enjoyed the book so much, there was nothing for it but to begin the original series.

This is set in Victorian England, the same setting as many of my favorite historical romance novels from back in the day, with a slight twist.  Magic is real. But often so subtle that the  magicians themselves don't always realize they have it.  Add in a sympathetic hero, a cast of friends and relatives that make you smile and groan at the same time, and a mystery to solve and you've got a nice time in store as you settle back and enjoy the adventures and slow burn of the two main characters.

*If you are interested in access to free e-books and audiobooks--visit your local library to find out what they have to offer!