Please note: The third book on this post talks about diet and weight loss. Feel free to skip if that’s triggering for you! <3
The Family Game by Catherine Steadman (★★★★☆)
Audiobook • Libby • Thriller • 2022
Short synopsis: Harry is thrilled to marry Edward, who has distanced himself from his powerful, old-money family—until she’s drawn into their world of wealth and dark secrets. When the enigmatic patriarch, Robert, hands her a cassette with a shocking confession, she realizes uncovering the truth could be deadly.
This was an excellent thriller, filled with twists and turns I wasn’t expecting. And the final few chapters had my heart pounding! I couldn’t stop listening for anything. I was immediately drawn to Harry and wanted her to get everything she wanted, and I immediately disliked Edward’s rich family and the very weird games they would play with each other. (They have a really wild game called Krampusnacht, which is a real celebration in Germany but they take things a bit too far. Just looking at pictures of Krampus creeped me out, and they played the game in a dark, creepy mansion.) I was surprised by the ending and really loved the way everything turned out! A caveat: I listened to this book on audio and the narrator could not do an American accent to save her life. There was only one character with an English accent (Harry) and everyone else had an American accent, but everyone had the same flat affect to their voice. I feel like this shouldn’t be that difficult if you’re an audiobook narrator? But alas.
Beginner’s Luck by Kate Clayborn (★★★☆☆)
Print • Owned (Indie Bookstore) • Contemporary Romance • 2017
Short synopsis: Scientist Kit Averin is focused on stability, but a determined corporate recruiter, Ben Tucker, upends her plans—both professionally and romantically. As their attraction grows, they must decide if taking a chance on love is worth the gamble.
This was a pretty cute romance, but man, it took me forever to finish. I was never super compelled to pick it up, and that’s probably because I found both of the characters in the story to be pretty bland. Kit’s a scientist who could be doing more with her life, but doesn’t care to climb the corporate ladder. Ben’s a recruiter who is still trying to right the wrongs of his teenage wild days. They are both fine. But I was never engaged with their love story, possibly because it felt doomed from the start, as Ben lives in a different state and is only in town to help his father for a short period of time. The dark moment of the novel was really silly and one of those times where I just wanted to shake a character and say, “Just communicate!” This is Clayborn’s debut and I can see how much she has grown as an author since this book. And that’s a great thing!
Glucose Revolution: The Life-Changing Power of Balancing Your Blood Sugar by Jessie Inchauspé (★★★★★)
Print • Owned (Amazon) • Nonfiction • 2022
Short synopsis: Improve all areas of your health—your sleep, cravings, mood, energy, skin, weight—and even slow down aging with easy, science-based hacks to manage your blood sugar while still eating the foods you love.
I picked up this book based on a recommendation from Tobia, and I am so glad I did! I am not one to read a diet book, but I do need to figure out how to lower my A1C and fasting glucose so I’m not diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in the next few months. This book is broken into two parts: In the first part, the author goes into the science behind glucose, fructose, and sucrose (the three molecules that make up most foods). She talks about carbohydrates, fats, protein, and fiber, and how we need a combination of all of them to maintain steady glucose numbers. And she delves into what exactly happens during a glucose spike, and how too many of them can release elevated levels of insulin throughout our body—elevated insulin levels on a regular basis can lead to health problems. In the second part of the book, the author provides a set of hacks that we can use to help keep our glucose levels stable throughout the day. This includes exactly how we eat food (fiber first, then protein and fats, and finally starches and sugars), how to create a balanced breakfast, and the reason to start every meal with a “green starter.” Some of the advice got a little much (I’m not going to start every meal with a tablespoon of vinegar and then end every meal with 20 minutes of movement—who has time for that?!) But the author said it best when she said we’re not supposed to do all of these hacks all the time. Even doing them some of the time will be beneficial to our overall health. I can’t wait to put some of these tips into action and hopefully, it will lead to a lower A1C number at the end of April!
What are you reading?
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