Elevation.  Finished 8-3-19, 3/5, fiction, pub. 2018

Unabridged audio read by Stephen King. 3 hours 46 minutes

Although Scott Carey doesn’t look any different, he’s been steadily losing weight. There are a couple of other odd things, too. He weighs the same in his clothes and out of them, no matter how heavy they are. Scott doesn’t want to be poked and prodded. He mostly just wants someone else to know, and he trusts Doctor Bob Ellis.

In the small town of Castle Rock, the setting of many of King’s most iconic stories, Scott is engaged in a low grade—but escalating—battle with the lesbians next door whose dog regularly drops his business on Scott’s lawn. One of the women is friendly; the other, cold as ice. Both are trying to launch a new restaurant, but the people of Castle Rock want no part of a gay married couple, and the place is in trouble. When Scott finally understands the prejudices they face—including his own—he tries to help. Unlikely alliances, the annual foot race, and the mystery of Scott’s affliction bring out the best in people who have indulged the worst in themselves and others.   from Goodreads

I was engaged in this feel good story, but the failure at the end for true resolution left me feeling ambivalent about it.  I have no idea how this was named Best Horror in the Goodreads poll last year.  I suppose people saw the name Stephen King and nominated and voted accordingly, but there was not one sentence of horror in this one.  Just an interesting idea, some good people, and hope that everyone can get along.

 Eat Dirt. Finished 8-2-19, 4.5/5, health, 327 pages, pub. 2016

To keep us in good health, our gut relies on maintaining a symbiotic relationship with trillions of microorganisms that live in our digestive tract. When our digestive system is out of whack, serious health problems can manifest and our intestinal walls can develop microscopic holes, allowing undigested food particles, bacteria, and toxins to seep into the bloodstream. This condition is known as leaky gut syndrome.

In Eat Dirt, Dr. Josh Axe explains that what we regard as modern “improvements” to our food supply—including refrigeration, sanitation, and modified grains—have damaged our intestinal health. In fact, the same organisms in soil that allow plants and animals to flourish are the ones we need for gut health. In Eat Dirt, Dr. Axe explains that it’s essential to get a little “dirty” in our daily lives in order to support our gut bacteria and prevent leaky gut syndrome. Dr. Axe offers simple ways to get these needed microbes, from incorporating local honey and bee pollen into your diet to forgoing hand sanitizers and even ingesting a little probiotic-rich soil.  from Goodreads

Leaky Gut (also known as increased intestinal permeability, is a digestive condition in which bacteria and toxins are able to “leak” through the intestinal wall) is not a new term to me.  Any autism mom who has investigated causes or treatments will have invariably come in contact with the condition.  This book does a great job of explaining what it is and how you can help heal.  Again, much of this was familiar, but he did a nice job of laying it out and organizing the steps you can take to improve your health.

The way in which we live and eat does great damage to our guts and in turn, our brains.  While Dr. Axe focuses on the food and supplement aspect he also addresses the other culprits harming our bodies.  He educates on essential oils (something I’ve never felt comfortable delving into), but more importantly, provides recipes on how you can make your own home and personal cleaning products relatively easily.  If that sounds like too much he also give tips on what to look out for when purchasing everything from shampoo to laundry detergent.

The 5 steps to healing your gut? Remove, reseed, restore, release, reseal.  The food recommendations are not easy, but having spent so many years reading on this I feel like his recommendations can be game changers for some people and he provides an organized plan of getting it done.

More people suffer from leaky gut than most realize.  As a matter of fact, most people suffer from leaky gut without even realizing it.  If you have any kind of autoimmune issue I would recommend taking a look at this.  And why not eat a little dirt? 🙂

Sound Bites. Finished 8-3-19, 43 pages, pub. 2014

Aaron is a boy with Aspergers, no longer a diagnosis on its own but now just part of the autism spectrum.  He is local and I was delighted to find his book for sale at our local grocery store.  The book was written by Aaron in his journal at the encouragement of his parents.  Aaron mentioned that he wished there was a life guidebook and his father told him he should be the one to write it.  So he did.

It’s a brief glimpse into his view of the world and how we can be better.  I enjoyed his voice and his drawings.  We all need to see life from someone else’s eyes more often and this book can do that for you.

 The  Friend Zone. Finished 8-3-19, 3/5 stars. romance, 362 pages, pub. 2019

Kristen Petersen doesn’t do drama, will fight to the death for her friends, and has no room in her life for guys who just don’t get her. She’s also keeping a big secret: facing a medically necessary procedure that will make it impossible for her to have children.

Planning her best friend’s wedding is bittersweet for Kristen—especially when she meets the best man, Josh Copeland. He’s funny, sexy, never offended by her mile-wide streak of sarcasm, and always one chicken enchilada ahead of her hangry. Even her dog, Stuntman Mike, adores him. The only catch: Josh wants a big family someday. Kristen knows he’d be better off with someone else, but as their attraction grows, it’s harder and harder to keep him at arm’s length.   from Goodreads

My book group received the ARC for our August meeting, but I missed it so I have no idea how the others liked it.  I started reading and enjoyed the banter and predictable romance plot.  The main character is kept from loving herself because of her ongoing issues with her reproductive issues and the knowledge that she is infertile.  She has a perfect boyfriend who is in the military and she only sees for a few weeks every year, but he’s getting ready to come home for good.  Enter Josh, a sexy fireman and carpenter who steals her heart.

So, had this been the story it would have been fine, but there were a few things that happened at the end that were…wrong, just wrong.  I don’t want to spoil anything, but I was disappointed in the direction it took because it felt insulting to the reader.  Nonetheless, I did like the main characters and their chemistry and it was fun read, for awhile.