More and more of us are becoming aware that stress takes a toll on the body, but few of us know the crucial role it plays when it comes to illness. Oh sure, we know on an intellectual level that high levels of continuous stress is bad, but we live in a world where we seem to thrive on it, and few of us grasp the significance of what it can do to us.

When the Body Says No is not just another book about stress, but it's an exploration of how the mind and body are connected in relation to certain chronic diseases, such as ALS, MS, rheumatoid arthritis, breast cancer and others. It's a wake-up call to everyone and especially the medical community about how to recognize this if we are to properly view and treat the person with the illness.

Dr. Maté speaks of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) which is the study of the interaction between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems of the human body. Granted, sometimes the medical explanations went a little over my head, but overall even a lay person like me could easily understand how our past and present experiences, such as verbal, physical or sexual abuse, alienation, and dysfunctional family relationships are connected to illness.

Dr. Maté includes life histories and interviews of many of his patients throughout the book. There were times when I had to shut off the audio and take a rest from this revelatory book just because it filled me with a heavy sadness for what some people have had to endure and their resulting illness brought on by the effects of stress. It made me reflect on my own life and if I was pursuing a lifestyle that was healthy, if I was providing a loving family atmosphere, and if I was handling my stress well. It made me realize how important it was to take care of myself, say no when my schedule was full and to pursue a positive outlook.

This is the second audiobook I listen to with narrator Daniel Maté and once again his narration was warm, engaging and fluid, displaying a comfort with sometimes complex medical notions and concepts. I enjoyed his narration, and I now love the sound of his voice.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in psychoneuroimmunology, the mind/body connection or anyone in the medical field—doctors, nurses, psychologists, and psychiatrists, but especially medical interns who are our future doctors, leading the way to seeing a patient as a whole person with an inseparable mind and body.

Note: This book is rated C = clean read, however, there are a few instances of profanity during the interviews.

It is the year 1537 in England. Henry VIII has broken with the Catholic Church and people are being burned at the stake for being papists. This is the setting for an exciting debut novel with an unlikely heroine, a 27-year-old Dominican novice nun, Joanna Stafford. Defying the sacred rule of enclosure, she leaves her home, Dartford Priory, to support her cousin, Margaret, and witness her burning at the stake in London as a rebel papist.

After witnessing her cousin’s death, Joanne and her father are captured, put in the Tower of London and accused of interfering with the king’s justice by the Duke of Norfolk who is intent on destroying Joanna and all her aristocratic family. Enter wily Stephen Gardiner, Catholic Bishop of Winchester, architect of Henry’s divorce from Katharine of Aragon. He offers Joanna freedom and the life of her father if she will agree to find a religious relic, the lost crown worn by Saxon King Athelstan - “the Athelstan Crown”- and give it to him. 

The crown, the legend and the curse attached to it will “change the lives of every man, woman, and child living in England – and beyond” according to the Bishop. Joanne must find it or forfeit her father’s life. She agrees to return to the nunnery where the Crown is supposedly hidden and is begrudgingly accepted back into the religious community. Strange things begin to happen and an important representative of the King is murdered by someone using the Priory’s reliquary as the murder weapon. 

When a friar is arrested for the murder, Dartford Priory is put under suspicion. This is the time of the dissolution of the monasteries and nunneries by the King and Cromwell. The priory with its nuns and friars risks being dissolved. There are plenty of twists and turns in the story as Joanna and Brother Edmund, a friar who is attracted to her, pursue the mysterious Crown, first at Dartford then at other abbeys. Secret passages and doors in abbeys are traversed and hints woven into tapestries are examined in pursuit of the Crown. 

A brief historical look at the origins of religious relics and the reasons people revere such objects as fingernails, hair, teeth of dead “saints”, the nails that pierced Jesus, etc, helps the reader to understand why the Crown of Athelstan is so important. Anyone who has read and/or watched “The Da Vinci Code” may clue into it.

I very much liked Joanna’s character. She is a strong woman who is willing to risk her life to save what she most values, including her religious calling. She is attracted to Brother Edmund but her novice vow of chastity complicates matters. She is intelligent, courageous and quick-thinking, more suited to an aristocratic life than to a nunnery. On the other hand, it is through Joanna that we understand why the quiet, contemplative life of a cloistered nun is so special in their search for spirituality and usefulness to God.

The story is based on authentic events. Margaret Bulmer really was burned at the stake for high treason. And as everyone knows Henry VIII was a real king. The monasteries and religious houses really were dissolved during the Reformation. This is historical fiction at its very best.

The author paints a vivid picture of 16th century life. We see, smell and hear life in the castles, inns, hovels and the Tower of London. History, intrigue, murder, villainy, mystery, mysticism, religious vocation, love – all are covered in this not-to-be-missed book!

Note: This book is rated C = clean read.

Reviewed by Sandra 

Disclosure: I bought this book and was not told how to rate or review this product.

This is the second book I read by Jody Kihara that I absolutely love. Her first book The Frankincense Trail blew me away with its exotic historical setting and Switching is contemporary time travel with a twist. Both unique settings. I began to read this book with my daughter, but soon afterwards she picked it up without me and read it non-stop over a weekend. “Mom, I can't put this book down!” was her comment to me when I called her to dinner several times to no avail. I have never seen her so engrossed in a YA book before.

For the past nine months, Terry has been waking up in a different time--time travelling or switching as she calls it. It happens randomly, without her control, and the worst part is that she doesn't remember anything about herself or her life before she started switching. She's a teenager who has had to learn to fend for herself, sleeping in shelters and stealing money to survive. Alone, without being able to tell anyone about her predicament because who would believe her? She misses her parents and this pulled at my heartstrings. And then she meets other time travellers like her and an explanation is given about why they time travel and a plausible plan to return home is explored. But there are obstacles that might prevent this from happening.

This book kept me and my daughter guessing throughout. With twists and turns, characters with hidden secrets, and a play on how tricky the mind can be, we didn't know how it would all turn out. My daughter thought the way the story was told was amazing and she said the time travel theory made sense. I thought this aspect was well thought-out and unique as far as time travelling theories.

My daughter also liked Terry's character, admiring her courage and strength. I did too. There is some romance in this novel, and I liked Joshua and Woody's friendship. I wasn't always sure what David's agenda was, and I had hoped to know what happened to him in the end. My daughter, of course, didn't want the book to end. 

This was a suspenseful, engaging story that brought tears to my eyes in the end. It left my daughter aching because of the bittersweet ending. I saw how powerful this book was by her reaction. Kihara has a way of pulling you into a character's world and not letting go until the last page. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton (NetGalley)

During a summer party at the family farm in the English countryside, sixteen-year-old Laurel Nicolson has escaped to her childhood tree house and is happily dreaming of the future. She spies a stranger coming up the long road to the farm and watches as her mother speaks to him. Before the afternoon is over, Laurel will witness a shocking crime. A crime that challenges everything she knows about her family and especially her mother, Dorothy—her vivacious, loving, nearly perfect mother.

Now, fifty years later, Laurel is a successful and well-regarded actress living in London. The family is gathering at Greenacres farm for Dorothy’s ninetieth birthday. Realizing that this may be her last chance, Laurel searches for answers to the questions that still haunt her from that long-ago day, answers that can only be found in Dorothy’s past.

Dorothy’s story takes the reader from pre–WWII England through the blitz, to the ’60s and beyond. It is the secret history of three strangers from vastly different worlds—Dorothy, Vivien, and Jimmy—who meet by chance in wartime London and whose lives are forever entwined. The Secret Keeper explores longings and dreams and the unexpected consequences they sometimes bring. It is an unforgettable story of lovers and friends, deception and passion that is told—in Morton’s signature style—against a backdrop of events that changed the world.

Sarah Smiles by Seanpaul Thomas (ebook from author)

It's Nineteen ninety one and eleven year old Paul and his family have just moved to the climatic sunshine paradise island of Cyprus.

On Paul's first day at school he becomes completely spellbound by the pretty tomboy Sarah. Though not only because of her cute and athletic good looks. But also because of her rough and tough, jagged edged ways and her no nonsense approach to handling school bully Michael.

This incident triggers off a series of exciting and dramatic events that brings the homely, well rounded Paul and the troubled young Sarah's worlds colliding together. The two then begin an unusual and exciting yet somewhat tragic friendship, which will stay with them for the rest of their lives, as they both battle to confront their inner most fears and demons.


The Journey by John A. Heldt (ebook from author)

Seattle, 2010. When her entrepreneur husband dies in an accident, Michelle Preston Richardson, 48, finds herself childless and directionless. She yearns for the simpler days of her youth, before she followed her high school sweetheart down a road that led to limitless riches but little fulfillment, and jumps at a chance to reconnect with her past at a class reunion. But when Michelle returns to Unionville, Oregon, and joins three classmates on a spur-of-the-moment tour of an abandoned mansion, she gets more than she asked for. She enters a mysterious room and is thrown back to 1979.

Distraught and destitute, Michelle finds a job as a secretary at Unionville High, where she guides her spirited younger self, Shelly Preston, and childhood friends through their tumultuous senior year. Along the way, she meets widowed teacher Robert Land and finds the love and happiness she had always sought. But that happiness is threatened when history intervenes and Michelle must act quickly to save those she loves from deadly fates. Filled with humor and heartbreak, THE JOURNEY gives new meaning to friendship, courage, and commitment as it follows an unfulfilled soul through her second shot at life.




This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. This is where we keep track of what we are currently reading and plan to read.  The kidlit version is hosted by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.

Read and reviewed:
The Lost Art of Mixing by Erica Bauermeister
Case Files: 40 Murders and Mysteries Solved by Science by Larry Verstraete (middle-grade non-fiction science at its best)

Finished reading:
Switching by Jody Kihara (Daughter and I loved it!)

Currently reading:
The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen

Listening to on audio:
When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress by Gabor Maté

Hope you all have a great reading week!

If you have a kid who likes forensic science, this is the perfect book! It contains 40 fascinating, sometimes shocking and kinda gruesome, case files, but mostly engrossing stuff that will satisfy any youngster who likes to solve a good mystery.

The book is divided into four sections: Identify, Prove, Explain and Resolve, which are the goals of scientific detection. I not only learned a lot by reading this book, but I grew to have much respect and appreciation for scientists in all areas of expertise, such as entomologists (bug experts), geologists (soil and rock experts), archeologists (artifact experts) or forensic anthropologists (bone specialists). Scientific technology together with these brilliant men and women in their fields of science have solved some of the most perplexing and impossible (with almost no evidence) case files, even hundreds of years after the act.

Some of the stories I found particularly interesting were: the case of the buried skeleton in a carpet (who was the person?) the case of the discovery of Hitler's diaries (were they really authentic?), the case of Beethoven's death (what killed the famous composer?) and the case of Steven Truscott who claimed he was innocent of killing a twelve-year old girl and was finally acquitted almost fifty years after the crime because science was able to prove him innocent.

The book includes a nifty glossary in the back as well as an index for easy searching. The case stories are well-written, not dry and certainly not boring even if some of the forensic talk is detailed and a little complex. It is well explained and easily understood. This is the second book I read from author Larry Verstraete, and I think he has quite a knack for making non-fiction literature for children...cool and awesome.

So we return to the world of Lillian and her restaurant; although not as filled with food and culinary experiences as her first book The School of Essential Ingredients, this second book still delights the senses and delves more into the love relationship in Lillian's life as well as those who are a part of her life.

Although this could probably be a stand-alone novel, I enjoyed reading it right after I finished TheSchool of Essential Ingredients, which gave me insight into some of the characters. This has some of the same feel as the first book, yet it's different, more raw. Bauermeister's prose is still wonderful and full of meaning and metaphors. She begins her book with the quote from Aesop that “Every truth has two sides”. And this, in essence, is what the book is about—exploring both sides to a relationship and rediscovering the lost art of mixing, which is important in how a recipe will turn out, but how much more so in a relationship. Some relationships need to be sifted before they can mix well, hence the allusion to cooking and life experiences in this novel.

I liked the characters because they were so diverse and fleshed out. I felt I could relate to each one in some way even if my life is so different. Isabelle's Alzheimer's is more apparent in this book, and Bauermeister does a good job of looking at how grown children view and deal with this change in a parent. I work with seniors with Alzheimer's and I see firsthand the pain and anger families go through, including the person with the illness that knows he is changing and cannot do anything about it.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, although I do wish there hadn't been any profanity. I highly suggest you read The School of Essential Ingredients first before this one. It will enhance your reading experience and introduce you to the wonderful world of Lillian and her restaurant.

The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey

THE YELLOW HOUSE delves into the passion and politics of Northern Ireland at the beginning of the 20th Century. Eileen O'Neill's family is torn apart by religious intolerance and secrets from the past. Determined to reclaim her ancestral home and reunite her family, Eileen begins working at the local mill, saving her money and holding fast to her dream. As war is declared on a local and global scale, Eileen cannot separate the politics from the very personal impact the conflict has had on her own life.

She is soon torn between two men, each drawing her to one extreme. One is a charismatic and passionate political activist determined to win Irish independence from Great Britain at any cost, who appeals to her warrior's soul. The other is the wealthy and handsome black sheep of the pacifist family who owns the mill where she works, and whose persistent attention becomes impossible for her to ignore.

Although my daughter and I saw the movie Ella Enchanted several times, this was the first book we read by author Gail Carson Levine. Both of us liked how the author incorporated elements from the Snow White fairy tale into this story and made it unique with the blaring message that physical beauty is not as valuable as inner beauty.

Aza is a young fifteen year old girl who has the gift of singing. She was raised by loving parents who found her in their Featherbed Inn when she was one month old. Aza aches to be pretty. She describes herself as large-boned and ugly, covering her face with her hands when she would meet the guests at the inn who were rude to her, except for the gnomes. Circumstances make Aza the traveling companion of a duchess who is going to the king's court for his wedding, and that is where Aza meets the prince and her adventures start, culminating in a dangerous game with the queen that teaches Aza the importance of being true to herself.

This was a fun book to read filled with fantasy and songs. It's not our favorite genre but we liked it, mainly because Aza was a great character. She was flawed and realistic and torn between wanting to be pretty and liked and using deceit to achieve it. There were funny moments in the story and suspenseful ones as Aza is found out and is betrayed.

Fans of fairy tale spin-offs and fantasy books will enjoy this story of a young girl who learns to like herself despite her looks. The saying that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” holds true for this middle-grade tale.

The School of Essential Ingredients is a book that celebrates life through food. Bauermeister writes with a lyrical style filled with metaphors that flow like a refreshing stream into the river. This book is so delightful and easy to read but is far from simplistic.

Lillian is the owner of a restaurant and the teacher of a cooking class called The School of Essential Ingredients. From a young age Lillian learned that food can be used to heal people. She develops this gift and deeply touches the lives of her students through her intuitive nature and her wholesome recipes. 

Once a month on a Monday night, eight students gather at Lillian's restaurant for her cooking class. Their stories are told in alternating point-of-views from each of the characters. This is not always easy to do, but Bauermeister does it deftly and remarkably so that as a reader you have the chance to get intimate with each character and experience the character's connection to each other and the cooking class.

I loved reading this book. Celebrating life through food is very much a part of the Italian culture. Antonia is one of the characters who recently immigrated from Italy and through her the reader sees the author's love for some of the best-loved foods of Italy. It brought back so many memories for me of family gatherings, cooking with my paternal grandmother, the familiar smells of my maternal grandmother's kitchen in Rome and on and on. I loved when Ian was making the tiramisù because it was just the way I make it!

This beautiful book left me hungry. Hungry for cooking a special meal for my family, hungry for when my sister arrives from Switzerland in December and we will gather into my kitchen (or my other sister's) and cook up a seven course meal taking the whole day to put it all together and enjoy each other's company. Aged wine from my Dad's cellar, fresh tomato sauce made from home-grown and sun-kissed tomatoes, pasta made with my mother's loving gnarled hands, crisp vegetables drizzled with olive oil, tiramisù, dark chocolate, coffee laced with Sambuca...

If you love food and life, read this book.

When I was a kid, I loved world history....ancient Greece, the Roman Empire... it was all so exciting, but Canadian history? Not so exciting. Of course, I think differently now, and I wished I had this book when I was in school. Then, learning about Samuel de Champlain's expeditions and colonies in Quebec may have been more intriguing.

Wishinsky introduces us to twelve courageous and intrepid explorers in a fun and interactive way. Each explorer is introduced with a chapter that opens up with a small pop quiz (one question) followed by lively text divided by subheadings interspersed with illustrations, maps, and boxes with a True of False question and/or a “Would you...” question to get readers thinking. Each chapter then ends with a report card noting how the explorer would be marked on Daring, Persistence and Getting Along With Others. For example, Marco Polo got an A for all three, whereas Henry Hudson got D for Getting Along With Others and this is clear from his many troubles with his sailing crew.

This book sure makes it fun to learn about explorers for young middle-graders, especially to open up their minds about men who risked much and left a contribution to our world. I learned quite a few things. This book can be used for parents homeschooling their kids and would make a great addition to any home and school library.   

As a parent my worst fear is to lose my kids—whether to death or to the dark side of this world where drugs, misuse of sex and bad associations can hurt them. In the province of Quebec where I live, we have the highest rate of teen suicides in Canada, a fact that should alarm parents to the vulnerability of our kids and what we can do to hold on to them. When I was given the possibility to review the audio book Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Matter More Than Kids, I jumped at the chance. And I'm so glad I did!

The authors, two doctors who are also fathers, delve into the phenomena of peer orientation—when children form stronger attachments to their friends than to the adults in their lives, resulting in their becoming secretive, unreachable and hostile around their own parents even from a very young age. Having studied child psychology I was intrigued to learn more, especially since I am also a parent. I found this to be a well-written and intelligent book explaining how the attachment brain functions. I really appreciated how it helped me to better understand the youth culture, especially its aggressive behaviors, bullying, teen suicides, heightened sexuality, music, dialogue, and hostility toward adults.

This book is not a how-to book on parenting but rather a psychology book that helps a parent to understand the importance of attachment in their relationship with their children. When I was pregnant with my first child I read about attachment parenting and it appealed to my sense of motherhood and to my European cultural background. I feel it helped me to bond with my children. Listening to this book served to reinforce some of my parenting choices that at times went against the norm.

Hold on to Your Kids is a detailed discussion on the causes and effects of peer-orientation, however, the authors also offer solutions in the form of concepts, principles and practical advice. I felt empowered as a parent and this book really motivated me to be the best parent I could be. It fueled my intuitive need to be the best source of proper direction, guidance and love for my children. I have a new-found understanding of my children and their development, prompting me to do everything to hold on to them, as my husband and I raise them and help them mature into responsible and happy adults.

The narrator, Daniel Maté, has a warm and appealing voice that helped the material from becoming too text-bookish  He was engaging as he narrated with warmth and fluidity. He nailed teen dialogue and changed voice inflection when reading samples of family situations. I enjoyed his narration and would love to hear more of his work.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who works with kids of any age—daycare workers, teachers, educators, youth therapists, psychologists, school principals, guidance counselors, but above all, parents. Hold on to your kids. They are precious, and lost without us.