I read less than usual this year, completing only twenty-five books. When I compiled my favorites list I found it to include fifteen titles. So in trimming it down to ten it was necessary to leave out some good ones. And the task of putting the list of ten into best to least best was futile. If you threw these titles up in the air they would all land at the same time. But here is the order of the top ten that I settled on.
Originally, I checked out this book on my kindle app from the State Library of Ohio. But I did not get it completed by the time it returned and there was a waiting list before I could get it again. I was enjoying the book so much that I bought it. I rarely purchase books anymore as normally I can get through them in the allowed time from the library. But I have had a busy month or so. I finished the book this past week and found it to be a fascinating story about very interesting subjects. It is a biography of David Hosack, who was a botanist and a physician early in the 1800s. He wanted to discover and utilize the many plants here in the United States that were yet to be discovered and he wanted to do so to further the field of medicine and save lives. He also wanted to bring to the United States the medicinal plants from other countries so that medicine did not have to be imported. He was poorly supported by others and used much of his own money to work toward his goals. His perseverance in spite of serious set backs was very admirable. He also rubbed shoulders with many much more famous men such as Hamilton, Jefferson, Burr and others. He was, in fact, the physician of both the Hamilton family and the Burr family. And not only did he work tirelessly on his medicinal plant goals, he kept up a medical practice, he taught medical students, he founded places like almshouses and hospitals, and he was a founding member at organizations such as historical societies. I enjoyed this non fiction book very much and highly recommend it. It is one of my favorite books that I have read this year. Please click on the author's name and book title above to follow the links for more information and enjoy the video that follows.
The December reading selection for my local library book group was Becoming by Michelle Obama. This book is an autobiographical work. I listened to it on audio and the author narrates the book herself. It was wonderful to hear Michelle tell her story in her own words. As a democrat, I miss the Obamas being in the Whitehouse and the message of this book was one of hope. There were many things that could be meaningfully quoted from the book but two statements that jumped out at me where 1) "Bullies are scared people on the inside and scary people on the outside." and 2) "It was possible, I knew, to live on two planes at once. To have ones feet planted in reality but pointed in the direction of progress.". I hope everyone reads this book. It is impossible for me to explain everything that Michelle explains so one needs to experience the book for themself. This non fiction work is extremely inspirational and entertaining at the same time. I enjoyed it very much! Please click on the book title and author's name above and follow the links to more information. And watch the video that follows.
It is now December and the holidays are upon us which seemed like a good time to talk about ginger essential oil. It is an oil that has been around for thousands of years. Ginger is familiar because it is often used in the form of a spice in baked goods such as gingerbread men and gingerbread houses. It is that reason that ginger is often associated with the holidays. But people use ginger essential oil for medicinal reasons. Ginger is most often used for nausea but it is also commonly used as an anti-inflammatory. It can be ingested if it is an essential oil that has been processed in a manner safe for ingestion, but not all have been, so it is necessary to to confirm that before ingesting. Ginger can also be safely diffused or applied topically if added to a carrier oil. An article that is written in layman's terms about ginger essential oil can be found HERE and one written in more scientific idiom can be found by following this LINK. Those who might be interested in obtaining ginger essential oil can find a portal to my website HERE. Please enjoy the informative video that follows:
