Healthy aging, by Andrew Weil

This is a valuable book with straightforward advice about all aspects of health and aging. I particularly appreciated the 2nd half in which the author speaks about anti-inflammation diets, physical activity, rest and sleep, stress, and much more. This is a good resource for anyone to get their health back on track, with the goal of extending your healthy years.
 

Sherlock Holmes, the missing years: Japan, by Vasudev Murthy

 

This is the first volume in a series that tries to fill in why Sherlock Holmes might have been up to after he fell off the Reichenbach Falls. In this book, Holmes and Watson investigate the effort by Japanese Yakuza, Chinese Triads, and Professor Moriarty to import opium into Europe. Lots of fun for Sherlock Holmes fans.

Buja's diary, by Seyeong O

 

This graphic narrative uses 13 short stories to illustrate life in Korea during various periods of the 20th century. Many of the stories reference the Japanese occupation, which occurred between 1910 and 1945. Other stories are about village and family life, relationships, and getting old. Many of the characters in the book appear to be depressed or traumatized by something that happened in their past.

I have to admit that I found the stories to be a little bit dull, and I occasionally had a difficult time telling what was happening. In contrast, the artwork is very good. Consisting of black and white ink drawings, the images are extremely detailed and expressive. I especially like the way the author draws horses and other animals.

Parsnips, Buttered: How to win at modern life, one email at a time, by Joe Lycett

 

Joe Lycett is another comedian (along with Sarah Millican) whom I was introduced to by Facebook (thanks!). You can find many of his clips on Youtube and I recommend that you watch them as well. Many of his stunts revolve around his use of email to protest things like parking tickets, and much of the humor comes from his delivery, not just the content. When I read this book, I imagined it in his voice, so it might be better to watch some of his videos before reading the book. I enjoyed this a lot, and it was a great way to take my mind off of the news!

Unwinding anxiety, by Judson Brewer

 

This is a useful approach to dealing with anxiety that has its roots in mindfulness. The author has conducted research and led experiments that show that mindfulness practices are more successful at beating addictions than more traditional methods, and he applies those findings to anxiety in this book.

I found you, by Lisa Jewell

 

This is an absorbing thriller about a woman who discovers a man on the beach outside her home; he's suffering from amnesia. She invites him into her home and begins to help him follow the clues to who he might be and what his connection is to the small seaside resort town where she lives.

Adrenaline, by Jeff Abbott

This fast-paced thriller is about a CIA officer, Sam, whose pregnant wife is kidnapped just before a bomb destroys the London office where they both worked. After being cleared of wrong doing, but still defending his wife, Sam is pushed out of the CIA, but given a job as a bartender in an effort to draw the kidnappers close. Sam is determined to clear his wife's name and bring her home, so he escapes the confines of his new job, and goes back to Europe to track down the group that is responsible.
 

Want, by Lynn Steger Strong

 

This short novel follows a year in the life of a private school teacher in Brooklyn who's trying to balance her marriage, two children, and full- and part-time work while struggling to make ends meet. An early pregnancy with complications while a graduate student with less-than standard health care benefits left her with a mounting debt that she and her husband have to meet with declaring bankruptcy. This still leaves them with student loan debt that isn't covered by bankruptcy procedures. This novel shows how difficult it is in the U.S. even for the most privileged and successful people when the social safety net has so many tears in it.

The Lion, by Nelson DeMille

 

Anti-Terrorism Task Force member John Corey races to catch Libyan terrorist Asad Khalil before Khalil kills him and commits another act of large scale terrorism.

Night fall, by Nelson DeMille

 

Anti-Terrorist Task Force member John Corey searches for the real cause of the TWA flight 800 disaster, following up on long-suppressed video footage of the event.