September Reads

 September was a slow reading month for me, and I'm not really sure why it took me longer than usual to get through books because all of these were interesting.

The Husband's Secret, by: Liane Moriarty

I am slowly making my way through Liane's books when the mood strikes, and this one reminded me a lot of the very first book of hers I read (and loved): Big Little Lies. It is similar in the way that several women are all linked together, but you don't understand why until the end. Cecilia finds a letter in the attic that her husband wrote, intending her to find it if he ever passed before her. He's still very much alive, and curiosity gets the best of her and she just can't help but open the letter. It's contents are not at all what you suspect when it comes to typical marital secrets, and of course it turns her perfect world upside down. There is a series of events that happen that could be considered karma in return for what her husband did and you are left wondering how the characters will carry on.

Wish You Were Here, by: Jodi Picoult

Thank you Ballantine Books for this advance copy..... this comes out November 30th. This is my first Jodi Picoult book!!! I know she is a favorite for many, so I went into this with high expectations. It did not disappoint. I will warn it might give some PTSD as it is set at the onset of Covid. Diana and Finn have the perfect life. She is an art dealer in New York and he is a doctor. Her plans for them to marry and have kids by 35 is all on track as she is expecting a proposal on their upcoming trip to the Galapagos. As the virus makes it's way to the city, Finn realizes he is not going to be able to go on vacation, but prompts Diana to still go as he feels she will be safest there. She goes, only to get stuck on the island as they too shut down for quarantine. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but there is a huge twist that I would have never guessed and I hear that is typical of Jodi's writing. I'll be interested to see if her other books live up to this one! The course of events leave both characters questioning what they really want out of life, even if that doesn't include the future they once envisioned.

Breath, by: James Nestor

I borrowed this book from the library because it sounded so interesting for overall health, not to mention in the middle of a virus that affects your lungs. The premise is that as humans have evolved, we have stopped breathing correctly, bringing about a myriad of problems. As life started to get easier and easier, the shape of our skulls actually changed from eating softer foods. Makes sense as we see so many chronic issues that affect so many like sleep apnea, asthma, autoimmune diseases. The author goes on to research and experience all sorts of breathing practices. For two weeks, he has his nose blocked so that he only breaths through his mouth. His vital signs are recorded daily to see the effects of this (which are not good). He looks at ancient skulls to see with his own eyes our unfavorable changes. He visits monks whose ancient methods help them heat their body while wearing no clothing in freezing conditions. He goes to a life changing breathing class, and tries several other breathing techniques. When you think about top athletes in running, deep diving, or climbing Everest these are the type of things they have learned to make their body excel. But what about the average person who just wants to be healthy? What if you could fix something that has been bothering you, or get off a prescription medication? There are so many interesting ideas in this book for anyone to further research and try. Visiting James's website will link to so much valuable information. I've done some of this breathing in yoga classes, and while it's been nice I've never had a life changing experience like James and others have told me about. I am certainly interested in finding a more intensive breathing class to take. I've run in the past, but I never felt that "runners high". I always struggled through it and couldn't wait for it to be over. But if I learned how to breath properly doing it, I would get those benefits. My husband and I - both chronic snorers - have started taping our mouths shut at night and it has worked wonders! Sounds scary, right, but it really isn't. It just ensures you breath through your nose and that small change has already made us feel better.