The Canary List

My daughter warned me not to read this book. She said it was creepy. I didn't listen and went ahead anyways. For the first number of chapters she was right, but I kept on. "The Canary List" is a classic tale of good versus evil, conspiracy theories and doing the right thing even when it's hard. Creepy - yes. A good story - yes. Hard to put down - yes. Interesting to the last drop. You won't be disappointed if you like suspense thrillers with a twist.

Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix

This series for young adults (The Missing) sounded promising. I've enjoyed Haddix's books in the past. And I did get some satisfaction out of reading "Found" - the first book in the series. The premise of the story is interesting, but "Found" was not complex enough to encourage me to keep reading the following books.

The storyline follows Jonah, Chip and Jonah's sister Katherine as they come to realize that Jonah and Chip are not necessarily who they think they are. They may have been smuggled out of another time in history. There are opposing forces coming at them, including the FBI, and the trio has a hard time deciding who is really on their side. I can see this as an action science fiction movie.

Food Rules by Catherine Shanahan

This is a very handy book to have on hand if you are trying to eat in a more traditional way. It breaks down a wealth of information into "rules" or guidelines that will keep you on the right track. Shanahan is a MD who specializes in the promotion of health and reversal of disease using traditional food. Her other book is "Deep Nutrition". If you don't want to wade through all the jargon in that book, "Food Rules" is a good primer to keep in the shelf.

The book starts out with a few pages on the "why" of traditional food eating. Then it plunges into 118 rules to guide you toward good, healthy eating. The rules are arranged into 4 parts. Part 1 helps you shop. Part 2 gives you advice about food and nutrition. Part 3 talks about how to eat mindfully. And Part 4 is helpful for those doctors visits and lab tests - what do those numbers mean? The appendixes include a traditional diet food pyramid, recommended staples, foods not to eat and a week of recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Ms. Shanahan makes eating traditionally very workable and easy to take baby steps with. This is a great reference and I'll be adding it to my bookshelf soon.