An Ordinary Mom's Musings

“My Favorite Things” has been on hiatus due to life in general. Most of my posts are written months in advance and get shuffled around as I determine specific ones are more time sensitive than others. The “My Favorite Things” series is an exception to that. These are posts that I write spur of the moment. But I really like them. So they will continue though perhaps not weekly. Perhaps not scheduled. Perhaps as a post surprise. 

This week I’m focusing on books. One of my most favorite things which if you have been reading this blog for long, you will know. So on to what I have been reading. 

What I’ve Read

Voracious Readers

I’ll let you in on a little secret. I review books so I can get them for free. . .  I use a company called Voracious Readers. They had me mark genres that I am interested in reading, and they send me emails as books in those categories become available. I read the synopsis and see if it’s a good fit for me, and if it is, click on the button in the email and they arrange for the author to send me a digital copy of the book.

For both the author and I, it’s a win, win. When I’m done with the book, I post a review on GoodReads and Amazon which helps the author get visibility. I get access to a free book. (Any authors out there who would like me to review your book,  I also accept, and prefer hard copies, and would be happy to take the time to read and review your book.) This is where several of the books I have been reading lately have come from.

The Enigma Source by Charles V Breakfield and Roxanne E Burkey

This book fed my inner love of mystery, intrigue, and action. It’s actually the 10th in the series but that wasn’t something I was aware of when I started the book as it came from Voracious Readers. In spite of jumping into the middle of a series, this book stood on its own well.

Cyberwarfare, cryptocurrency (both of which I know little about but I didn’t feel lost), was at the center of this book. Yet it also reflects back on World War II and the struggle to find out how to get an Enigma machine and how to crack the code. The name of the book “Enigma Source” comes from this part of the book. At the center of all the action is a group of family and friends who just want to make the world a better place and stop the bad people. This was one I really enjoyed and would like to read the other books in the series.

Anhedonia by Stevie Rae Causey

This book is also one of a series, but unlike the book above, this is the first one. The latest in the series just published. I don’t read a lot of fantasy. I’ve always been a bit of a realist and that has carried over into my reading. However, I really did enjoy this book and would recommend it, particularly to young teens and preteens. Some of the themes the book explores are: coming of age, being different from others and how to deal with that, and being uprooted and placed in an environment she knows nothing about.    Full disclosure, the author is a friend of mine.

Brain On Fire: My Month Of Madness by Susannah Cahalan

This book I almost didn’t read. I saw the movie and didn’t really care for it. But knowing that the books are usually better than the movie and having picked it up at one of the “Little Free Libraries” that are popping up all over, I finally sat down and read it while on vacation recently.

This book was hard for me personally to read. As a mother of a child who has medical issues, some of which we do not have a name for or a solution, and having friends in the same situation, this one was a bit trauma triggering for me. 

This is a true story about a woman who suddenly got sick. The doctors didn’t know what was causing it. All the medical tests kept coming back negative and she kept getting worse. She was accused of it all being psychological. These are things that patients all over the U.S. deal with ALL THE TIME. Medicine has only progressed so far and there are many unknown factors. Tests frequently come back negative or inconclusive for anything and after that has happened so many times patients are told they have a psychological illness and while that could be true, it isn’t necessarily the case.

This is this woman and her family’s fight for treatment, diagnosis, and dignity. It’s a compelling read.

Currently Reading

Unbroken: A World War II Survival Story of Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

I found it interesting that I had just finished reading (actually, listening to) Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown which tells the story of the rowing team from the University of Washington and how they won gold in the 1936 Olympics in Germany. This book also starts out talking about the same Olympics but with a runner named Lois Zamperini. It then moves into his time in WWII on board a bomber, his time on a raft at sea after crashing, and I’m now into the part where he is a POW of the Japanese.

Two things I have learned as  I have delved into this book- 60% of all airmen casualties during the war were caused not by enemy bullets or bombs, but rather by accidents. That number was astounding and sickening to me as many of them could have been avoided.

Yet another thing from the book that has struck me so far is the discussion about how human dignity is necessary to the body’s physical survival. Without it, it is just as likely to kill you as not having water or food. With it, the body has been known to withstand longer than what should be humanly possible. I don’t think “enjoyed” is quite the right word for this book. I am learning a lot about human resilience, nature, and life. I’m glad I’m reading it and looking forward to the rest of it.

You can always check out what other books I am reading and what I thought of them at GoodReads.