What I’m Reading: May

I love to read. Which is kind of funny because I never really enjoyed it when I was growing up. Maybe that’s because it was all reading for school and not for pleasure. These days I have a bad habit of reading more than one book at a time and picking up whichever best suits my mood at the time.

Although I do have a fondness for real books you just can’t beat the convenience of an e-book and I am hardly ever without my kindle. It lives by my bed but can often be found in my handbag accompanying me to a day working on the reception at my dad’s Dental Surgery or perhaps jet-setting off for an adventure.

I am starting a new series on the blog, a monthly rundown of the books I am reading and May is the first one!

The Bone Collector – Jeffery Deaver

If you were to look in my Kindle library you would find the majority of the books I read are crime based and having recently caught the 1999 movie version starring Angelina Jolie on Sky Movies I have been inspired to revisit my love of the Lincoln Rhyme psychological thriller series by Jeffery Deaver.

The Bone Collector is the first instalment in the series which I read many years ago when I first moved to London and worked just around the corner from the Barbican Library. My co-workers and I would visit the Library every week and I would pick up as many of the Jeffery Deaver books that I could find! I read all of the books which had been published up until a few years ago and I have decided to start at the beginning and read them all again, finishing with the newer books I have yet to read.

Left paralysed by a debilitating accident ex NYPD Policeman, now consultant Lincoln Rhyme takes on The Bone Collector, a criminal who not only murders innocent people but stages the deaths with intricate details for maximum horror. A man buried under a train track with his finger whittled to the bone, a woman tied to a steam pipe who is boiled alive and a man and his granddaughter tied to a pier as the tide rises.

Rhyme is teamed up with a forensics rookie Amelia Sachs who becomes his eyes, ears and legs on crime scenes. Can they put the pieces together before the killer takes his last victim? If you’re interested in learning more about the series or reading The Bone Collector you can get a copy here.

Origin – Dan Brown

Who doesn’t love the Dan Brown books? I admit I am a bit late getting into Origin the latest of his books but I have read all of the others in the Robert Langdon series (and seen the movies of course!) I am just under half way through the book and it certainly has me intrigued.

Origin sees Robert Langdon travel to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao to attend the unveiling of a discovery that “will change the face of science forever” by his friend and former student, Edmond Kirsch. Before Kirsch’s discovery can be revealed Langdon’s former student is found dead and with it the chance of his announcement being made public.

Langdon finds himself under treat and flees the Museum along with its’ Director, Ambra Vidal, who happens to be the fiancee of Spain’s Prince, and travels to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch’s secret.

Langdon and Vidal must dig up hidden history and ancient religion following a trial marked by enigmatic symbols and elusive modern art (in true Dan Brown fashion) in order to find the clues that lead them to the world-shaking truth that has remained buried – until now.

I am enjoying this latest Robert Langdon book, it certainly is keeping me on tender hooks regarding the big secret! You can purchase Origin from Amazon if you want to join in the hunt!

Food: What the Heck Should I Eat? – Mark Hyman

I might have mentioned before that I am studying a Diploma in Nutrition and Weight Loss Management and due to my interest in health and food I have read a number of books on the topic. Having been inspired by his Broken Brain series where he explains how nutrition has a huge impact on our mental wellness I decided to buy Food: What the Heck Should I Eat? by Dr Mark Hyman.

A few pages into the book Dr Hyman tells a harrowing story of a low-income family that he worked with which had a number of serious health conditions and were overweight. Despite their best efforts the parents just didn’t know how to prepare healthy food that would give them and their children the best chance at a long and healthy life. The problem is that high sugar, high fat, high animal product fast and convenience foods are often the cheapest making them food for the wallet but bad for the waistline.

In this book, Dr Hyman guides the reader through all the major food groups and explains how why and how we became so derailed with nutrition. This is not a super sciency book that will scare off the average reader, it is simple and easy to understand. Each chapter finishes with a summary of what foods from the category should be eaten and which should be avoided.

If you have any interest at all in your health, or lack thereof, and want to do something about it, buy this book and put Mark’s advice into action. It is available on Amazon here.

What are you reading at the moment?