Gulp

This was one of the non-fiction books on my "want to read" list this year. I'll admit you have to have a general interest in the GI tract or medical topics. It's so well-written that even the layman can understand it. That's why I enjoyed it so much. Even though I could understand a book full of medical terms, I enjoy it when an author can write about complex topics at a more palatable level (bad pun intended). The book follows the amazing GI system from top to bottom. From the first bite of food to that final trip to the bathroom. So, yes, this book is not for people easily grossed out by things like spit, vomit, and bowel movements. Since I work at a hospital with patients who have some of the ailments discussed here, I was completely into it! This was probably one of the more enjoyable medical reads for me in a long time.

Since it does cover topics that might make some people gag, I won't go into detail about it. It's definitely not for everyone, but if you have a curious mind that is not turned off by bodily functions, I think it's a great read!

Allegiant

Well it's been just about one year since I raved about Divergent and gave a so-so rating to Insurgent. My original plan was to read Allegiant as soon as it came out. A year later, I finally got to it.

I tried. I really, really tried to finish this book. After I fell asleep a few times while reading it, I still tried. Even when I was thinking "Where is this story going?" I forged ahead. As I rolled my eyes at the downright stupid plot, I pressed on. Then about three quarters of the way through, I was over it. I was tired of forcing myself. So I just stopped.  I went online and Googled the ending and then I felt justified in not finishing it. It seems this trilogy has fallen victim to whatever bad luck happens to these young adult series when the authors have run out of ideas or have dragged the story on entirely too long (see: Twilight and Hunger Games). Why must they write three (or four) increasingly bad books when one really good one (usually the first one) would have sufficed? Divergent started off so strongly that for it to end in this travesty is certainly a shame. Maybe it's because I let so much time pass between reading books one and two? Maybe so much time passed that I just didn't care as much anymore? Whatever it is, I'm not going to spend another minute trying to figure it out because this book already took enough of my precious time.

Read Divergent, but take a pass on finishing the series. If you make your own ending up and everyone dies in some freak accident, you still will be more satisfied with that ending than what actually exists.

Please Look After Mom

The one word that kept coming to mind as I was reading this book was ephemeral. This book is about all those tiny moments in life that may seem mundane and banal to us if taken individually.  However, when those seemingly mundane moments collectively make a life, they suddenly take on a different meaning. We don't often look at those many brief, temporary moments as a whole. We let them evaporate into thin air and move forward.

Here, we're plopped into the middle of a family tragedy. The mother has gone missing from a busy subway station. The story is more about how four particular family members (the husband, the two daughters and her eldest son) deal with her absence. The husband, the two daughters and her eldest son. There is also a chapter where we finally hear what the mother is thinking as well. I won't give much away except to say that in order to appreciate this book, you have to have an appreciation for the beauty in routine life. The smaller details of the story come together to create the life of this woman. Her life, in turn, is a major presence in her children's lives as well. The realization of this, though, comes after her disappearance. The question then becomes: Will they all find mom in time to let her know how much they love her?  Even the husband has 20/20 hindsight and wants to right some wrongs.  I won't give away anything, although there are no huge twists or turns in the story.  I enjoyed it for a simple story about family and the attention to the details of daily life.

The book won't be for everyone. It's not earth shattering and the pace is steady but meandering. I found the writing to be beautiful and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.