Aleta's Book Report

by Colin Dickey This was a fun and interesting book to read. I really enjoyed the historical aspect and the stories of the "unusual" ways these characters "memorialized" their heroes. Being a lover of music, I really enjoyed the post-death adventures of Haydn and Beethoven, and as a student and teacher of anatomy, it just goes to follow that I enjoyed the "research" part of this story. I immediate shared this book and it is now on the circuit, being enjoyed by many.

by Steve Berry Steve Berry hooked me with the Romanov Prophesy, and did not let me down on this story. It is another in the Cotton Malone series, dealing with the mysteries from Napoleon's adventures in Egypt. Ironically, I am also reading Mirage, a factual writing about Napoleon's time in Egypt (which ties in with the Katherine Neville book "The Eight"). I love the way Berry weaves in histories and myths into his writings. He rounds out a book like few other authors.

by James Rollins Wow - if you want a good roller-coaster ride in a book, this is IT. Rollins has presented a great story centered in Louisiana, and has incorporated good genetic tales. My mother read this book in one sitting (on my Kindle) and just gushed about it. I cannot tell you the premise or describe the story without ruining it for another reader, but I do highly recommend this book. Fun Science Fiction with a thriller twist.

by Simon Winchester I looked at my last posting and realized it has been a ridiculously long time since my last book. I have been reading - I promise! Winchester's book (another "I heard it on NPR" read), while a slow read, was very informative. He tells us not only about the events during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, but also about events leading up to that date. The thing that really grabbed me was the comment about the seismic activity prior to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake being the greatest in recorded history. This statement got to me as, while I was reading this book, we seem to be having another cycle of great seismic activity in the world. Read and learn.

by Norman Doidge visit his website Kelly Lambert recommended this book while she spoke at the DKG Southeast Regional Conference, and I downloaded it to my Kindle that day. I have learned so much about the brain repairing itself from this book! It is amazing what the brain can do in its "plasticity." HAving suffered some brain function loss after a "tick fever," I have experienced some use of new and improved brain areas. I am really glad to be able to learn student names again, but my calendar skills still need help - me, who was like Rainman with a calendar and math! I had to read the first chapter to my A&P 2 students. This chapter was about a woman who had NO sense of balance. Her "scientists" used her tongue! to send balance information to her brain! I have met many great people through this book. Dr. Edward Taub developed constrain-induced therapy to help stroke victim regain use of affected limbs. Barbara Arrowsmith Young (who cured hers...

by Kelly Lambert visit her website I am a crochet-er and have been for years, so when I heard a woman talking about how the hand-mind connection was a treatment for depression (on NPR's To the Best of Our Knowledge last fall), I perked up. She discussed how our society has worked so hard to automate things, when we actually need to do hand work to keep a healthy mind. Okay, that was my first exposure! I attended the Delta Kappa Gamma Southeast Regional Conference this summer in Little Rock - and there she was, talking about depression and the need for people to work with their hands. Kelly discussed her book and the effort-driven rewards system. She explained that making things for others made us feel good. Well, maybe I have always known that! I hardly sit down without a project in my hands! Her book is a joy to read, and can really help each of us deal with down times and maybe understand those who live in depression daily. I have decided that I will read this book to my ...

by Michael Pollan Pollan makes several statements in this book which should hit us all pretty hard. One rule to eating "right" would be "don't buy anything in the grocery store your great-grandmother would not recognize." His point is that the processing of food is what has led to a "western diet" and the ills associated with that diet. Nutrition science has stripped natural foods of the good stuff and replaced with synthetic, poor mimics of those nutrients. He mentions that usually the only area of a grocery store we should visit would be the area around the "edges." Think about that - I find that in the last few years, that is where I do 90% of my food shopping. This is a slow read, but it is full of "a-ha" moments. I will report more on this later.