Amen Does It Again!

Change Your Brain, Change Your Life was first published in 1998 and has remained among the top bestsellers. Fast forward 17 years, later, and Daniel G. Amen, MD thoroughly revised his book taking into account new research on the topics of neuroscience and psychology. In addition, unlike in the first edition, Amen shies away from psychiatric medications, which can have a number of bad side effects, choosing instead to "first do no harm and use the least toxic, most effective treatments." Indeed, as the current research shows, people "choose more natural ways to heal and support the brain, such as supplements and lifestyle interventions." The mere fact that the book focuses on natural ways to change your brain is a big step forward from the first edition.

The author does a great job explaining difficult to grasp neuroscience and psychology concepts in plain language easy enough for a layperson to understand. In addition to his explanation, Amen provides countless anecdotes from his practice as a physician to further connect with the reader and make the book fun and interesting to read. Finally, he provides the reader with an action plan to change their brain and their life.

Overall, I found this book to be an extremely interesting read. It's an invaluable resource to anybody looking to improve themselves and those around them.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Without You There Is No Us

Without You There Is No Us is a memoir by South Korean author Suki Kim that details her job as a Christian missionary teaching English to the sons of North Korean government bigwigs. The account she gives is worthy of praise. Her writing is explosive yet concise.

Suki Kim's memoir definitely connects with the reader. At around 300 pages, the book makes for easy reading, and there's even a reader's guide in the end with questions for discussion in a class or a book club.

The Other Son

The Other Son is the second book in an exciting crime trilogy by Alexander Soderberg. The first book, The Andalucian Friend introduced us to the main character.Sophie Brinkmann, who is a nurse in a Stockholm hospital. Hector Guzman, a Spanish criminal kingpin falls in love with Sophie while recovering from a hit by a rival crime syndicate,

The Other Son takes place after the events of the first novel. The characters are pretty much the same. Sophie is already part of the Guzman crime family. She is now heavily involved in its business dealings. This is a great novel that has all the elements of a great suspense read, such as loyalty and betrayal. Also, while action packed, the story still has great character development. We see the relationship between Sophie and her son as well as Hector Guzman.

I strongly recommend you read the first novel, The Andalucian Friend as it is difficult to grasp the full picture if you just read The Other Son. All in all, it's a great read and I highly recommend it.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.