A perfect guide to women's health written by a female OB/GYN. For any woman who has had to stare down a male doctor and try to explain a symptom or pain only to feel like you weren't being listened to or there were no answers - welcome to Sharon Malone MD's waiting room. From early in the race to the final lap she deals with known and little known issues plus shares further questions to ask, the good/bad of treatment and a plan for the future. Case studies, bullet points and a very readable writing style help you get answers or at the very least help you to know you aren't alone. 4 stars
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There once was a wonderful woman named Pippa who loved puzzles and gathered puzzle makers from far and wide to create and puzzle together in a big house. While everyone was happy there was one piece missing until a baby boy was left on the doorstep for Pippa and the others to raise as their own. Years go by and Pippa passes away leaving the baby, now a young adult, no closer to knowing who his birth parents are. Pippa leaves clues for Clayton to travel to London to solve the puzzle of his birth and have the adventure of his life along the way.
Told in alternating chapters between present day Clayton and Pippa's life years ago this is a warm and fuzzy look at what it means to be a family and love in its many forms. The reader gets the opportunity to join in solving the clues too! For fans of unusual family groups and stores with a strong sense of community with a twist like THE CARTOGRAPHERS, THE WISHING GAME and THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY. 4 stars Manchuria is under siege and occupied by Romans who use bullets and opium to kill and conquer. Ruying and her sister Meiya along with their grandmother are just trying to survive but it is not going well. Meiya is an opium addict, their grandmother is frail and Ruying's magic is death which she needs to hide from everyone. A Roman prince discovers Ruying's power and uses her sister's addiction to make a deal with Ruying. He needs her to assassinate someone at the top of the food chain in assurance that her family will live. In the tradition of "enemies now allies" - they are very attracted to each other. I enjoyed the storyline and Asian fantasy influence but felt early on that the story got mired down with reminders of Roman suppression and Ruying's hatred of them. The cost of her unusual magic, trust issues, attraction to the enemy and constant action carry the novel. 3 1/2 stars
A sweet story about the power of love, loss, friendship and community. Two neighbors butt heads over an overgrown common space. Winston is a curmudgeon who likes keeping to himself until Bernice moves in next door dealing with her new role as a recently divorced part time parent to her young son. They are at odds until a package of photos and anonymous notes of unknown people and a garden spark an interest in giving new life to the common garden space they share. It will take a great deal of understanding and the unrelenting good nature of a little boy to bring the garden into shape, their friendship to blossom and their community to thrive. For fans of A MAN CALLED OVE and her debut book THE READING LIST. 4 stars It is impossible for a librarian, bookseller or any kind of book lover to read this and not nod your head in an approving manner. These are stories from real people who find great joy in reading and sharing that love with others. Would we all choose books over sleep? books over screens? Do we all stay awake at night pondering over the right choice for a tricky customer and finding the one book that will flip a non-reader ? Heck yes! A delightful feel good book gathered by the man whose books most choose first. This unique story is so hard to jam into just one genre - a bit fantasy, a bit adventure, a bit coming of age and a search for self in a magical library. As a child Aubry won't give up a wooden puzzle ball and is cursed with a life spent on the run. If she stays more than a few days in any one place she will bleed out. With only a bit of money, her wits and a good deal of luck she travels the world many times over always traveling along a new path. Years go by and Aubry now an older woman tired and fed up, finds an exhausting underground library where alone she is able to magically stay reading her way through. Douglas Westerbeke knows of what he writes since he is a librarian and has used those research skills and considerable imagination to concoct this fantastic story of loss and longing while having adventures enough to fill several volumes . Fans of AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS , THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE and the solitary life of the caretaker in PIRANESI will adore Aubry and will fight a losing battle of reading each adventure slow and will instead be unable to put the book down. There is plenty to discuss for book clubs. 4 1/2 stars
The master storyteller has pulled a collection of gems together that differ from one another as does a diamond and turquoise but each is character heavy and told in his unmistakable style. Full of flawed characters, immediately human, whether it is a man caught in a Ukrainian revolution trying to survive or a woman testing her independence in the Golden Age of Hollywood. I truly enjoyed jumping from one life to another but the cherry on top of the cupcake was the continuing story of a character from RULES OF CIVILITY. Haven't we all wanted a trip to not end and wondered what would happen if you just stayed on the train, plane or missed the stop on the highway? The destination is Hollywood in 1938 where the shiny glamour meets the tarnished underbelly with both good and bad people caught in the middle. A true gem of short stories and novella that will appeal to his many fans and the perfect way to get a taste of his genius. 5 stars
What if you found yourself able to go back and explore the path in life you almost took? Frankie's untimely demise offers her an unusual "It's a Wonderful Life" moment where she can go back and see what her life would be like with some of the ex boyfriends or no partner or where some of those career paths could have led her. Would she be happier with no money but living on the beach or way too much money but losing herself and friends in the process. The writing is witty, the humor keeps it light (if you can do that while speaking of the hereafter) and we all love a "what if " scenario. Fans of OONA OUT OF ORDER or THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY will find much to love here. I listened to the audio and enjoyed the accents. 4 stars A beautifully crafted love letter to nature by way of Lydia Millet's personal experiences in the natural world. Millet dissects our fascination and deep rooted relationship with animals from childhood picture books using animals with human characteristics to teach to adults shaping the animal world for our own benefit for food, companionship or test case. She has a gentle yet firm way of pointing out our many faults with near perfect precision making the reader feel simultaneously both guilty and fascinated by human behavior. As humans we have systematically eliminated so many species and continue to ruin our own chances for survival while revering nature and animal life. Joyous and a warning to perhaps cherish more of what we have before it is gone this will appeal to fans of her fiction as well as memoir/ nature essayists like H IS FOR HAWK. 4 stars THE HUSBANDS by Holly Gramazio
Lauren comes home from a night out to meet her husband at the door except she doesn't have a husband. This begins an array of potential mates that come and go as soon as they travel up to the attic where a new man descends. This debut starts off at a crazy pace as Lauren changes husbands as often as outfits some only staying a few minutes. Lauren herself stays the same as do her friends and her house. I expected a big revelation at the end and it was a bit hard to keep up with all the different husbands but this is clearly a unique fable and one that follows "be careful what you wish for" and "a bird in the hand is better than a flock in your attic". Clearly a British look at finding the perfect mate because every dilemma is made better with a cup of tea. 3 1/2 stars |
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