Book: The year of magical thinking, Joan Didion

Heavy.

A very heavy read. Definitely not what I had thought it was about. 

It is a book about grief. Joan Didion describes the angst of her daughter being in ICU as a result of flu that turned into pneumonia and septicemia. One evening  after visiting her in hospital, while she is preparing supper for her husband, he dies of a massive heart attack. 

The book is about how she deals with this loss. I must admit that I was a bit troubled by the title of the book and the content,  so much so, that I Googled magical thinking and learned the following:

magical thinking, the belief that one's ideas, thoughts, actions, words, or use of symbols can influence the course of events in the material world. Magical thinking presumes a causal link between one's inner, personal experience and the external physical world."magical thinking | psychology | Britannica"

 https://www.britannica.com/science/magical-thinking

This is so true especially when dealing with death and grief. Quite fascinating. 

3/5

Book: The Rosie Effect, Graeme Simsion

Thoroughly enjoyed this book! It’s the follow up on ‘The Rosie Project’. It’s written in a very similar style to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon, but from an adult perspective. A very easy read. 

Don Tillman is highly intelligent, but doesn’t realise that he may possibly be on the spectrum. In his first book, The Rosie Project, he is on a mission to find a wife and develops a questionnaire to find the ideal partner (Rosie fails this questionnaire from question one).

I enjoyed the follow up book, The Rosie Effect even more! Absolutely thrilled to find out that there is a third book in this series, The Rosie Result.  

5/5

Audiobook: The Real Silent Witnesses, Wensley Clarkson

Read by Ben Onwukwe

The true story of forensic science from those who solve crimes without witnesses

Absolutely loved this audiobook, apart from the fact that Ben Onwukwe has an incredible voice, it was fascinating to learn more about the intricacies of forensic science, e.g. how easily DNA is spread and, possibly the perfect murder! Cold cases and serial killers.

I have not watched an episode of Silent Witness, which has been airing since 1996! Keen to track it down, am sure it's a series that I will enjoy watching. 

4/5

Book: The Heart's Invisible Furies, John Boyne

This is a ‘Sip & Swop” book. A couple of us that run together also enjoys reading, so we have formed a ‘book club’ where we get together, bring a book we loved reading, enjoy a glass of wine and then swop out books. It is forcing me to read books that are out of my comfort zone; my ‘go to’ books are generally biographies and business related books.

This is a beautifully written Irish story of a boy with a very difficult upbringing coming to terms with his sexuality.

It’s a heavy book.

I am not entirely convinced that the conversations Cyril Avery (main character) was having at age seven felt plausible.

I only really started enjoying it towards the end. As the book develops, so does Cyril’s sense of humour. As much as I didn’t absolutely love this book, I did actually shed a tear here and there.

2/5

Book: Running like a Girl, Alexandra Heminsley

Thoroughly enjoyed this read. Having recently joined a running group to improve my running pace, one of my fellow runners gifted this book to us. 

It is lovely to follow Alexandra's journey of not being a runner at all, to becoming a marathon runner.

It has such good tips and tricks from selecting shoes, to keeping your head up. She also includes things like make up and false eye lashes. Although, I have never been big on make-up, it is very unlikely to change now :) mind you, maybe that's the trick I need to get faster :D

4/5

Audiobook: This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor, Adam Kay

 

Wonderfully entertaining, really enjoyed listening to Adam Kay share his experiences as a Doctor in the UK. He has a marvellous wit!

Audiobook: Flat Broke with Two Goats: A Memoir, Jennifer McGaha

It's an ok read. After the exhilarating Bad Blood by John Carreyrou this was very 'meh'.