NOVEMBER READS

[rapa]

Hope y'all did your "RABBIT RABBIT RABBIT" this morning!  Hard to believe that it's November already!

I'm still reading Margaret Atwood's ALIAS GRACE and enjoying it!  The book is rather small print and 460 pages.  Am not sure I'll get through it this round.  Tomorrow am picking up three reserve books at library. Here's the order that I plan to read them:

1.  DEADLINE by Sandra Brown  http://www.amazon.com/Deadline-Sandra-Brown/dp/1455501514/ref=tmm_h...

2.  THE OCTOBER LIST by Jeffery Deaver  http://www.amazon.com/October-List-Jeffery-Deaver/dp/1455576646/ref...

3.  JUST ONE EVIL ACT by Elizabeth George http://www.amazon.com/Just-One-Evil-Act-Inspector/dp/0525952969/ref...

All three books are recently published and have a reserve list. Fortunately will have three weeks. The George book is quite long and the reviews haven't been exceptional.  The Deaver book also has not had good reviews but I do like him.  Have been to a couple evenings where he speaks and he's quite delightful!

With the holidays approaching hope everyone can find some time to escape into some good reads!

 

[Mandy Muffin]

At age 73 I had to have my gall bladder out due to serious digestive problems that had flared up. Gall bladders filter cholesterol and other impurities that used to be called bile.  They get stopped up and stop working, like a lot of stuff does on a person in their 70s.  They have to come out.  But unfortunately I got a staff infection (C-diff) http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/c-difficile/DS00736 during the operation.  I was very sick for about 6 months until that cleared up with two aggressive  antibiotic treatments. After that I just never get back to anywhere near a normal eating pattern.  I used some advice from my physician, such a going to quinoa as my main grain but still was having problems.  This book game me the answer:  http://www.amazon.com/Gall-Bladder-Survival-Guide-dysfunctional/dp/....  I have since read many other books on gluten free living.  To be honest with you, gastroenterologist are not dietitians. 

Gluten-free is all the rage now, but once it was taught to be just needed for people with Celiac disease.  Now it is recognized as helping people get over other intestinal problems or just making them feel good and often produces weight loss. 

Probably the most famous diet book written on the subject is by Elisabeth Hasselbeck, the new Fox and Friends co-host.  Here is her book:  http://www.gfreediet.com/

Just recently I read that Celiac disease may not be real and all people have a varying intolerant for wheat.  Those suffering symptoms often were diagnosed with the disease, others were just told they might be a bit allergic to it. 

Unlike milk intolerance, there is no pill you can take.  Just don't eat anything with wheat in it. 

In this story, the initial action takes place in the mid-80s when doctors knew less about Celiac disease.  The disease is cleverly worked into the plot. 

[Flowergram]

Thanks for info - glad you finally got over the c/diff - had a friend and grandson who got it - all through hospitals.  Hmmm.

[grammyk]

It is often related to antibiotics, one in particular.  Most of the people I know who have contracted c. diff. had taken that antibiotic.  And it is VERY difficult to get rid of.  Not that I am excusing hospitals in any way; there are lots of improvements that need to be made there for prevention of infections!  

[rapa]

Apparently, Mandy, you are following a gluten-free diet by choice. Hopefully you're also taking a probiotic which is recommended for those who have had C-Diff.

C. diff., is a type of bacteria that lives in many people’s intestines. For these people, C. diff. is part of the normal balance of bacteria living in the intestines. It’s also present in the environment, such as in the soil, water and in animal feces.

Most people never experience any problems with C. diff. But if something throws off the balance in your intestines, i.e. if you have been taking antibiotics for an extended period of time, C. diff. may begin to grow out of control. The bacteria start to release toxins that attack the lining of the intestines. This is what leads to symptoms of C. diff. infection.  Mandy, you are right in calling it a "staff" infection as it can be passed by unwashed hands.  It is not a staph infection!

[Mandy Muffin]

My gastroenterologists (I have two: one in Florida and another in Cincinnati) feel I got it during the gall bladder operation.  One said that they fill you up with antibiotics in the outpatient surgery center, reducing your resistance to the growth.  As a final stage, you are put in the hospital and given a feces transplant to combat the growth.  It is often deadly if gone undetected. 

I take digestive enzymes with each meal and watch my diet, which is comprised of lean meats, most vegetables (except acetic and gaseous), fruits, nuts, yogurt and non-wheat grains such as quinoa. In fact, 2013 is the  International Year of Quinoa.

It's a magical food with all kind of good stuff in it.  Lots of nutritionist would like to see it replace wheat as the main grain used in the world.  I buy it in 50 lb. quantities over the internet for about $65, making it about as cheap as wheat products.   

[Carci]

Finished Through The Evil Days and liked it better than the last one... which was filled with angst when Clare returned from military duty.  It has been 2 1/2 years since One was a Soldier so it is hard to remember exactly what transpired in that book, but I remember being disappointed in it.  Not so this one! I loved the lake front drama since we spend a lot of our time at our 'up north' cottage and I could relate to the setting.  This book definitely opened the door for the next one... just hope it isn't another 2+ years before we hear from her again.

I'm starting Simple Genius by Baldacchi, which I somehow happened to miss when it came out. I'm liking it so far but then I like everything he has written.

[Ioruach]

This Summer I posted that I had read A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny.  In response some of you suggested that I should really read her books in the order they were published.  It sounded like a good idea, so a couple weeks ago I found Still Life on the new book shelves at my library.  Why the book was on those shelves, I don’t know, but there it was, actually a paper back published by St. Martin’s Minotaur Press in 2006.

 
In any case, I just finished Still Life and was not at all disappointed.  It ranks right up there with my favorite reads of the year.  Few writers I have encountered are her equal at creating and developing interesting characters.  And she does it with such finesse. I look forward to following Clara, Myrna, Ruth, Peter, Olivier, Gabri and, most of all, Chief Inspector Gamache in the coming weeks and months.

[Countryphyl]

I love this series. Can't wait for the next book.

[Carci]

How the Light Gets In, the latest by Louise Penney, is in the running for my favorite book of the year!  The title was taken from a poem she quotes from 'Anthem' by Leonard Cohen and it still resonates in my mind. 

Ring the bells that still can ring, forget your perfect offering,

There is a crack in everything...That's how the light gets in.

The problems (cracks) our family has faced, have opened my eyes and let in the light... making me (I hope) a less judgmental, more understanding person. 

If you are interested in the song 'Anthem', look it up on You Tube (by Leonard Cohen) ...very moving.

[Countryphyl]

Downloaded the song to my ipad. Great lyrics.

[rapa]

Today picked up Mitch Albom's new the first phone call from heaven.  Loved his Tuesdays with Morrie, The Five People You Meet in Heaven and For One More Day and The Time Keeper.    As "People" blurbed, "There's comfort in Albom's unwavering conviction that our lives have meaning."  How true!

I took a clue from Countryphyl and returned Deaver's OCTOBER LIST unread.  Have too many other books at the ready.

[Countryphyl]

I got the new Mitch Albom book today when I was at the library. Looking forward to it.

I was disappointed in the Deaver book because I normally love his books. Couldn't read it. Guess I need some new authors because a lot of my favorites are letting me down. :-(