It was another year of great reads! Obviously, I didn't love everything I read, some books I didn't finish, but I put together my top recommendations for you. From non-fiction to fiction, history and human development, there's something for everyone here.
I've become a big fan of Heather and Bret's podcast, Dark Horse, over the year. They have the nerdiest conversations and I enjoy them every single time. When I found out they were releasing a book I knew I would get it ASAP. Heather and Bret are both evolutionary biologists and I always love looking at life through an evolutionary lens so I was fairly certain I would enjoy this book. I cruised through it! They exposed me to animals, biology and ideas I have never even heard of! I do agree and appreciate a lot of their philosophy.
Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. This book is magical like Harry Potter but less YA. The whole book was just so much fun. The writing is so vivid it's like you're there. I can't say I've read anything quite like it in a while.
How Smart Is Your Baby? by Glenn Doman. I love developmental neurobiology (how humans develop). I have been taking courses on it for years now. I love how applicable it is in my practice and I enjoy seeing how quickly kiddos respond to these activities. This book gives parents the tools to maximize brain development in their little ones. It takes work! But, it's so worth it. It's not a new book, it was published in 2006 and the Doman's have many books addressing lots of developmental techniques and decades of practice in the field.
Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan. I love memoirs and books written by journalists. This book is exactly that. It hit especially close to home because what she experienced is tightly related to teratomas (what I had). She does a great job of weaving medical information and sharing her story. If you're into medical dramas, this one is for you.
A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost. OMG. Books written by comedians are often my favorite (with the exception of one, that book was awful). I love laughing through a book. I wasn't familiar with him much, but reading his book was still so enjoyable. Want to laugh? Grab this one!
The League by John Eisenberg. This book was gifted to me by some patients to read during my recovery from surgery. I enjoyed it so much more than I expected! First off, I love football. Second off, I'm slowly becoming a fan of history. Lastly, I love facts. This one has them all. I really like learning the history of how something I love became and this does just that. For football and history fans alike.
If you are interested in my favorite books from past years, here are the links:
2021 (It says "part I", turns out it was the only part - all of my favorite books were read in the first half of the year!)
Most often than not, I rent my books from the library. If you want to buy them, I really recommend checking out ABEbooks. The links above take you to Amazon.
Happy reading!