Milk and Honey / Rupi Kaur / 202 pages / Anthology

Milk and Honey is a collection of poems that are structured in a simple manner,

usually

with one

or two

words per

line.

It dives into topics on falling in and/or out of love, what it means to be a woman, and how one can overcome some of the most cynical moments of her life.

I loved these poems— I had to listen to the audiobook a second time because I wanted to remember some of them.  The ones on healing and coming hand-to-hand with fellow women were the most powerful, and had made me reflect back on myself and what I could do to become a better person.  Give it a listen, folks, 'cause I'm recommending it to all of you!

Truly Madly Guilty/ Liane Moriarty/ 415 pages

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty is a study of how one event can effect nine different people.  It's a particularity rainy time in Sydney, Australia.   But just a few weeks ago six and their children acquaintances gathered for an impromptu barbecue.  For the remainder of the book, bit by bit the incident at the barbecue is revealed as the reader learns more and more about each participant.  A cellist, a stripper, a cranky old man and a request for donor eggs all contribute the story and the incident.  This was a very interesting read.  The reader was kept guessing as to the true nature of the incident.  As each bit is revealed the reader may begin to know what happened.  Overall the characters are likable, each with a very interesting back story.  The ending will not let you down.

You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself / David McRaney / 302 p.

The title gives a good idea of what is in this book. I found it to actually be a bit depressing.  I guess I want to keep deluding myself about how smart I am. Actually, some of the information about studies done about behavior are interesting. It is probably good to be aware of ways in which we fool ourselves. But it is a book of many very, very short chapters--just snippets really--so I don't know how truly meaningful any of them are.

The Social Animal/David Brooks/424 pgs

A book that covers a lot of ground: from how we make decisions, form relationships, what determines our social status, how our character is shaped, to what makes us fulfilled and many things in between. Part of it is presented in story form, following a fictional couple (Harold and Erica) from their childhoods to the end of life, although I would not call them a typical, average pair. Contains interesting tidbits, such as the best 4-letter word to use in hangman. Anyone interested in sociology or human nature would like this.