Review: Recursion

Recursion by Blake Crouch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Recursion by Blake Crouch goes by fast but is not light reading.  If you could go back and vividly relive a memory, would you?  What if you could go back to that memory and relive your life from that point?  Would you still do it?  People often think that sounds like a grand idea, but Recursion explores the consequences.  Recursion works on the premise that time is not linear.  It is a lot to wrap your brain around.  But if this kind of stuff interests you, than you know it is also not entirely a fictional idea either.  The concepts of false memories as explored in Recursion have already been done to mice.  We just haven't figured out how to make it work for people yet.  After reading Recursion, I think maybe we should quit while we are ahead. 


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Review: Goth: A History

Goth: A History by Lol Tolhurst
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Goth: A History by Lol Tolhurst from Hachette Books via NetGalley.

Goth: A History is not a definitive, comprehensive history of Goth music or even Goth culture.  Instead, it is a history of Goth music as told through the lens of someone who was there from its beginnings.  As a founding member of the band that would later go on to be known as The Cure, Lol Tolhurst had a front row seat.  I started listening to The Cure in high school when we still called it new wave music. Goth, as a label, would come later.  The idea was still the same.  I think what Lol does best is explain how misunderstood Goths can be because people judge them on their vampire-esque appearance.  And while many Goths do adhere to a certain aesthetic, you don't have to dress in black to love Goth music.  In fact, not all Goth music is dark and broody either.  At the end of the day, those who have enjoyed Goth in any of its iterations, music, literature, art, or movies, will enjoy taking a stroll down memory lane and learning how it all began and how it evolved into what we know now.         

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Review: Good Grief: On Loving Pets, Here and Hereafter

Good Grief: On Loving Pets, Here and Hereafter by E.B. Bartels
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Having recently lost my oldest cat, Charli, I wasn't sure I was ready to embark on a book about pet grief. Sometimes life throws a book at you when you need it the most. Good Grief: On Loving Pets, Here and Hereafter by E.B. Bartels was that book for me. Did I cry through every page? Yep. Do I regret it? Nope.

Like E.B., I have had a wide array of animal companions and have grieved the loss of every single one. Growing up, I had my unofficial pet cemetery under a beautiful flowering bush in our yard. When my first dog, Penny, died, my dad made her a lovely velvet-lined coffin. This was before you could get your animal's ashes returned to you, so cremation wasn't an option to have her with us. But, I don't just grieve my pets. If it has fur, fins, feathers, or scales and has crossed my path in some way, I will sob upon its passing. E.B. gets that. Animal people are my people. I loved reading the stories of the ways people have honored their beloved companions. I also loved that E.B. explicitly addresses the dilemma of whether or not to get another pet after a loss. It isn't replacing. In many ways, it is honoring their memory.

Whether you have ever grieved a pet or are currently grieving one, you may find solace in knowing you aren't alone and whatever you are feeling or however you want to deal with it is okay. If you are looking for someone who understands you, read this book.

Bonus points for all the animals mentioned in the book and the beautiful illustrations. Their stories were so moving.

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Review: Perimenopause Power: Navigating your hormones on the journey to menopause

Perimenopause Power: Navigating your hormones on the journey to menopause by Maisie Hill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you were born with a uterus, Perimenopause Power: Navigating your hormones on the journey to menopause by Maisie Hill is a great introduction to why your body is suddenly betraying you as your approach middle age.  This book really breaks down everything aspect of the menstrual cycle, how they change, and why it is important to understanding the symptoms you may be experiencing.  It also includes a number of non-prescription methods of dealing with symptoms.  It is written in an accessible style and doesn't come across as a reference book.

A couple of caveats.  Maisie Hill is based in the United Kingdom.  She references things available there that may not be available in other countries.  She does try to mention some alternative brands that may be more universally available.  Something that might be cheap or free in the UK is not necessarily so in the US so do your research!  Also, she is a big proponent of using hormones to treat perimenopause but not necessarily through contraceptives.  She lays out her case for why it is safer than you think.  However, many doctors will still caution you about long term use, especially if you have mild symptoms.  Bottom line: find a health professional you trust and work with them based on your unique circumstances to find solutions that work for you.  

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Review: Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide

Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes is a romping good time reference guide to getting away with employer-focused murder or deletion as they prefer to call it.  Do you have a supervisor who is the definition of evil incarnate?  Would the world be better off without them, but you just aren't sure you have the chops to delete someone without getting caught?  McMasters has you covered.  For the first (and maybe last) time ever, they are letting everyone in on the knowledge normally reserved for students of the secretive, exclusive, and elusive academy.   In this epistolary reference guide with practical tips, we are also treated to three case studies showing various approaches to the issue at hand.  McMasters doesn't just specialize in employers though.  A McMasters education can prepare you for almost any scenario.  Never heard of McMasters?  Then, I would watch my back if I were you.

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Review: What Fresh Hell Is This?: Perimenopause, Menopause, Other Indignities, and You

What Fresh Hell Is This?: Perimenopause, Menopause, Other Indignities, and You by Heather Corinna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you were born with uterus or will experience menopause at some point in your life, you owe it to yourself to get educated.  What Fresh Hell is This? Perimenopause, Menopause, Other Indignities, and You by Heather Corinna is great is you are pissed off (especially at the patriarchy) and/or maybe don't fit into a neat box of the type of person who would experience menopause.  I am fortunate to have found a doctor who understands perimenopause but many don't.  You might not ever realize that it is what you are going through until you've been suffering for a very long time.  The problem is many of the signs of perimenopause overlap with, well, everything else.  This book can help you start to identify what might be perimenopause or menopause versus everything else.  It is also going to offer you some basic options for dealing with the myriad of things being thrust upon you.  

What I found most helpful about this book is Heather is angry.  Were you born with a uterus and find that you suddenly have RAGE ALL THE TIME?  Did you think it is because we are living in a dumpster trash fire world?  It might be, or it might be perimenopause.  Heather gets you.  

Think you are too young to read a book about menopause?  Think again because it will creep up on you before you know it.

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