Book 57: Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids

Can a book jump the shark? I felt like this one did. The central arguments of the book were good, and quite convincing.



But there were some sections that just seemed ridiculous, like the chapters in which the author re-hashed the book in imaginary arguments with imaginary detractors, and the one about assisted reproductive technology. When I told a friend I was reading this book, she laughed, "What, is it a pamphlet?" Maybe these chapters were added as padding so that it reached book length?

Book 56: Gulp

I used to be really squeamish about anatomy and would never have gotten through this book years ago. Something has changed, though! I found some of it was a bit gross, but most of it was just fascinating.



I do still know enough about myself not to google "megacolon," though.

Book 55: The Light Between Oceans

This is a recent work of fiction that I'd heard about and decided to try.



I enjoyed this more than I expected to; it's quite an emotional ride, though.

Book 54: Transatlantic

This is Colum McCann's newest book, and he's one of the contemporary authors that I like to read. A couple of months ago, I read one of his earlier books (Let the Great World Spin).



There were some parts that were particularly good. Far too late into the night, I couldn't stop reading the sections about Frederick Douglass and George Mitchell. The rest of the book, while not quite as gripping, was still worth reading.

Book 53: The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag

This is the second Flavia de Luce mystery. Though I am not a mystery person, I do find Flavia interesting, as well as the setting of these books (England, 1950).



This was a fun book to listen to; Jayne Entwistle does lovely voice work. As for the story, I felt a little like some of the loose ends were explained in one sentence and I was supposed to be happy with that. I don't mind a little ambiguity (in fact, I like some ambiguity), but this just seemed to be too much.

Book 52: This is No Ordinary Joy

Human trafficking is a huge problem in many countries. In some poor villages, virtually every young girl has been sold into the sex trade, and children of both sexes are sold to do factory or agricultural work. Millions of women, men, girls and boys are enslaved in various ways around the world.




Sarah Symons began an organization called Made by Survivors, which sells jewelry and handbags made by young women who have been rescued from slavery. Made by Survivors trains girls and women in a trade so that they have a way to support themselves (and often their young children) outside of prostitution. The organization also sponsors at-risk children so they can attend school. Educating a girl to the tenth grade or above virtually guarantees that she will not be trafficked.

This book is the story of how Made by Survivors began and grew. I found it particularly inspiring because when Sarah began her organization, she had two young children. She mentions that parents of young children can be more energized to do this kind of work, but I wish she had given a few more details about the logistics of parenting full time while being deeply involved in a humanitarian cause.

Book 51: Cut It Out

I have read a lot of books about birth. A lot. But this one was different.



Most of my birth-related reading has been to prepare for the births of my two children, both of which occurred at home, with the attendance of a midwife. Naturally, the focus of my reading has therefore been avoiding interventions and having a "natural" (whatever that means) birth.

This was different: it is the report of interviews with OBs, midwives, and labor and delivery nurses, about why they think the rate of c-section in the U.S. has risen in the last decade (in 2011, it was 32.8% nationwide). No one disputes that c-sections are sometimes necessary, but most would agree that 32.8% is higher than the rate should be. The World Health Organization says that a rate of between 5 and 10% is optimal for the health of women and babies. (Lower than 5% could indicate that women and babies do not have access to life-saving procedures when necessary.)

Much of my reading about birth tends to demonize the OB. This gave me a different perspective on the pressures a hospital-practicing physician faces and why. I think it made me more sympathetic to the challenges they face, as many feel unable to practice obstetrics the way they would prefer to.

I received this book as an advance reader copy.

Book 50: Richard II

So when I read Richard III last week, I was really supposed to be reading Richard II. Oops.



I'm reading these plays because the Hollow Crown series (Richard II, Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2, and Henry V) will air on PBS in September. It won a number of awards in England, so I'm pretty excited about it.

Richard II is a complex play. I wasn't sure whose side I wanted to be on, unlike Richard III, which has a definite villain.

Book 49: Richard III

I'm slowly working my way through five dramas this year, as part of my 5/5 goal. I haven't read Shakespeare since college, which was actually last century.



Richard III was great. The history (the succession to the throne, the wars and assassinations) was new to me, so a Wikipedia primer was very helpful.

Why haven't I read Shakespeare in so long, I don't know. I'm now going backward in time and reading Richard II so I can get a feel for more of the histories. There are lots of the comedies that I have never read, either.

Book 48: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

After a false start in which I discovered I was listening to the tracks on shuffle, I got into this book.



Mostly, I liked it. There were some really interesting moments and reflections. I enjoyed seeing the characters change as the story unfolded. On the other hand, there was a lot of navel gazing, and once in a while I got a little tired of that. There was one moment when I actually yelped, "Yuck!" because some "memories" didn't seem like they belonged in Harold's memory--at least not to be shared with me.