A lot has changed since I posted my last book review. It’s suddenly fall here in Cincinnati, NFL season has started, and I’ve completed two of my fall virtual races. And I’ve read a few books and listened to a few audiobooks. It’s a good mix of modern day novels, a thriller, and book written by a neuroscience PhD.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides {Audiobook}

I devoured The Silent Patient, like listened to it whenever I had a free moment. In the car, sitting on the patio, and during runs. I was gripped by the mystery around Gabriel’s death and his now silent wife. I figured out part of it midway through, but not the entire mystery. Not everyone on Amazon liked it, but I thought the audiobook was great!

Ghosted by Rosie Walsh

After I realized Ghosted was about getting ghosted and not Casper, I was sucked in. LOL. Recommended by Erin from sweet sweat life, it was an easy quick read! It did drag on a bit with dramatics, but I enjoyed the ending.

This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel {Audiobook}

This was another very gripping and funny, but also sad audiobook from my 2020 book list. This Is How it Always Is is story about a young family with 5 boys. But, the youngest, Claude, wants to become a girl. The family supports his/her decision to become Poppy, moves across the country, and keeps it a secret. You can guess what happens when someone at school finds out. 🙁 In this day and age of awareness of LGBTQ, I found this book very thought provoking.

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins {Audiobook}

Not from my book list, American Dirt was recommended on the library’s app Libby. It is on Oprah’s book club, so I knew changes were high I’d like it. And like it I did! It’s a captivating story about Lydia and her son Luce’s escape from their home in Acapulco. They got entangled in some drug cartel violence and needed to quickly escape. I loved the audiobook version too because I got to hear the Spanish parts in the perfect accent.

Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker PhD

I was super interested in Why We Sleep because of my occasional sleep walking episodes. It’s very educational, but not dry. Walker does a great job of mixing in humor and analogies to keep you awake. (See what I did there?) I love that you can skip around in the book too- I skipped forward to the sleep walking and dream chapters. I can’t say that he solved the mystery of sleep walking/dreaming, but definitely sheds some light on why and where they come from. Bonus: feeling smart by reading (and understanding) a book written by someone who has their PhD in neuroscience. 🙂