Disclosure: Some of these books I was sent in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.As a book reviewer I find I need to schedule time to read the books. I am not a fast reader. I insist on novels being physical books. I can only do digital books for craft books and picture books. Otherwise the reviews won't get written because I won't get through them. As I thought about what to share today I decided to share with you what I am currently reading. Some of these books are for future reviews and some are for myself. The first book I will share is one I was told by my gynecologist to read because I turned 50 this summer and am starting menopause. The truth is I wish I read this about five years ago!! If you are in your 40s you want to get a copy of this book because the changes start happening well before you realize it. The book is The Wisdom of Menopause by Dr. Christiane Northrup.
From the Publisher:Dr. Christiane Northrup’s #1 New York Times bestseller The Wisdom of Menopause has inspired more than a million women with a dramatically new vision of midlife—and will continue to do so for generations to come. As Dr. Northrup has championed, the “change” is not simply a collection of physical symptoms to be “fixed,” but a mind-body revolution that brings the greatest opportunity for growth since adolescence. The choices a woman makes now—from the quality of her relationships to the quality of her diet—have the power to secure vibrant health and well-being for the rest of her life.
Now completely revised, this groundbreaking classic draws on the current research and medical advances in women’s health, and includes
• a new section on sex after 50—and how, if need be, you can rejuvenate your sex life
• updated mammogram guidelines—and how thermography improves breast health
• the latest on the glycemic index, optimal blood sugar levels, and ways to prevent diabetes
• dietary guidelines revealing that hidden sugar—not dietary fat—is the main culprit in heart disease, cancer, and obesity
• all you need to know about perimenopause and why it’s critical to your well-being
• a vital program for ensuring pelvic health during and after menopause
• strategies to combat osteoporosis and strengthen bones for life
With this trusted resource, Dr. Christiane Northrup shows that women can make menopause a time of personal empowerment—emerging wiser, healthier, and stronger in both mind and body than ever before.
From Me:
I need to make more time to read this one. I was hooked on it when I read the first page. It resonated with me and what has been going on in my own life/body. I definitely suggest it for anyone in their 40s or more.
The next book that I'm reading is for personal reasons. It is The Wedding Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini. It is the next book from where I left off in the Elm Creek Quilt series. The New York Times bestselling Elm Creek Quilts series continues, with a novel that celebrates one of America's most romantic and enduring traditions.
Sarah McClure arrived at Elm Creek Manor as a newlywed, never suspecting that her quilting lessons with master quilter Sylvia Bergstrom Compson would inspire the successful and enduring business Elm Creek Quilts, whose members have nurtured a circle of friendship spanning generations.
The Wedding Quilt opens as the wedding day of Sarah's daughter Caroline approaches. As Sarah has learned, a union celebrates not only the betrothed couple's passage into wedlock, but also the contributions of those who have made the bride and groom the unique people they are. Thus Sarah's thoughts are filled with brides of Elm Creek Manor past and present-the traditions they honored, the legacies they bequeathed, and the wedding quilts that contain their stories in every stitch.
A wedding quilt is a powerful metaphor: of sisterhood, of community, of hope for the future. The blocks in Caroline's wedding quilt will display the signatures of beloved guests. As the Elm Creek Quilters circulate amid the festive preparations with pens and fabric in hand, memories of the Manor-and of the women who have lived there, in happiness and in sorrow-spill forth, rendering a vivid pastiche of family, friendship, and love in all its varieties.
From Me:
I'm loving how this book is full of memories from the earlier books in the series. It honestly feels like I'm catching up with old friends.
A middle grade memoir from a living literary legend, giving readers a new perspective on the origins of Gary Paulsen's famed survival stories.
His name is synonymous with high-stakes wilderness survival stories. Now, beloved author Gary Paulsen portrays a series of life-altering moments from his turbulent childhood as his own original survival story. If not for his summer escape from a shockingly neglectful Chicago upbringing to a North Woods homestead at age five, there never would have been a Hatchet. Without the encouragement of the librarian who handed him his first book at age thirteen, he may never have become a reader. And without his desperate teenage enlistment in the Army, he would not have discovered his true calling as a storyteller.
A moving and enthralling story of grit and growing up, Gone to the Woods is perfect for newcomers to the voice and lifelong fans alike, from the acclaimed author at his rawest and realest.
From Me:
I am enjoying reading this book. It is so interesting to hear the details of his life. It is well written and pulls the reader in. I'm about a third of the way through it and the truth is when I start reading it I have trouble putting it down. I just haven't had enough time to read it. I hope you will check it out and stay tuned for my full review.
My final book is the book I'm hoping to share on Monday for our final Black History Month post. It is The Awakening of Malcolm X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Tiffany D. Jackson. The Awakening of Malcolm X is a powerful narrative account of the activist's adolescent years in jail, written by his daughter Ilyasah Shabazz along with 2019 Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe award-winning author, Tiffany D. Jackson.
No one can be at peace until he has his freedom.
In Charlestown Prison, Malcolm Little struggles with the weight of his past. Plagued by nightmares, Malcolm drifts through days, unsure of his future. Slowly, he befriends other prisoners and writes to his family. He reads all the books in the prison library, joins the debate team and the Nation of Islam. Malcolm grapples with race, politics, religion, and justice in the 1940s. And as his time in jail comes to an end, he begins to awaken -- emerging from prison more than just Malcolm Little: Now, he is Malcolm X.
Here is an intimate look at Malcolm X's young adult years. While this book chronologically follows X: A Novel, it can be read as a stand-alone historical novel that invites larger discussions on black power, prison reform, and civil rights.
From Me:
Again I'm enjoying it. When I pick it up I have trouble putting it down. Steve noticed it and asked to read it after me. I was shocked. He hardly reads novels and doesn't pay that much attention to Black history. I am hoping to get this one finished for my last Black History Month post for this year! Tune in Monday to get my full review of it!
