This is Going to Hurt

What a page turner This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay, a (former) junior doctor in England is! 

He writes in his doctor diary in such a unique, sometimes sarcastic, and usually blunt way about his very first day at work as a doctor in a hospital, up until his last on the job. If you enjoy sarcasm and dry wit as I do, read this book! I liked how it also made it's way into his humourous footnotes. There are such hysterical entries about conversations with patients. I kept thinking, you can't make this $hit up! Kay found humour in practically everything. 

Maybe not so surprisingly, what happened a lot was the retrieval of objects from orifices. Just another day on the job, removing unimaginable things from body cavities! 

It was all so funny - until it wasn't. The brutal truth is, doctors are overworked, overtired, and underpaid professionals. I can't imagine it's much different in other countries. 

During one usual extremely long night of performing caesarean after caesarean, (he lost count how many) and not sitting for 12 hours, he nicks a newborn baby's cheek during delivery. It wasn't deep and won't scar, he said, but he apologized to the parents and offered them a Patient Advice and Liaison Service office phamplet, which they didn't take. If it was a centremetres higher, the baby's eye would been taken out he realized. "I document our discussion in the notes, fill in the clinical incident form, do everythng demanded of me by the system that allowed this to happen in the first place. Before long I'll get sat down by someone to be genty, or not-so-gently chastised, and at no point will it occur to them that there might be a more fundamental problem here."  

He states the frightening truth about sleep deprived dcotors: "It's a surreal feeling being this tired - almost like being in a computer game. You're there but you're not there. I suspect my reaction times are currently the same as when I'm about three pints deep. And yet if I turned up at work pissed they'd probably be unimpressed - it's clearly important my senses are only dulled through exhaustion."

By the time I got to the end, when Kay leaves, I was surprised frankly that he lasted that long! To spend 2 years, let alone 6, putting yourself through such an unhealthy work environment is incredible. But along with his diary entries, Kay openly explains his reasons for staying. 

The thing is, we are outraged to hear when people have such ridiculous working conditions with other jobs, so why do we think it's acceptable for doctors? 

Kay himself notes that when he was a medical secretary at that same hospital, they were to take 20 minute breaks every 2 hours from staring at the computer screen for health & safety reasons. 

Kay has continued to speak about these issues doctors face since it came out in 2017. Perhaps there have been some changes to the NHS (National Health Service) treatment of doctors, perhaps not. (In my search, I note that their site highlights: NHS England and NHS Improvement have come together as a single organisation. Our aim is to better support the NHS and help improve care for patients.) 

Not sure about improving care for their doctors. 

This is Going to Hurt is a must read I think for anyone considering getting into medicine. 

I received This is Going to Hurt in an Instagram giveaway. Thank you Emandherbooks! 

Until next time,

Kara 

Love Lives Here

 

If you're in the mood for a laugh out loud, bawling like a baby, fist pumping memoir, then wow, is this ever it!

Author Amanda Jette Knox begins her story by openly sharing her struggles with extreme bullying and addiction growing up in small town Ontario. She marries her teenage sweetheart, they have 2 kids, and she settles into a domestic goddess life. But the extreme shock comes to their family when her son at 11, then her husband, a year later, revealed they were transgender. 

Amanda finds herself quickly becoming a transgender advocate & champion, strongly supporting her family members in their transitions.
But there is also so much honesty (she didn't always "get it right", act perfectly or say the right things to her spouse) and openness (she admits she thought her marriage was over) in her thoughtful words. 

To say that this is a must read/listen for EVERYONE is an understatement.
There's a lot to learn from this book, and certainly not just about transgender. For me, the lesson is about living a life with love.

It was ideal for Amanda to narrate this. I couldn't imagine anyone else telling her story. That, and the no-holding-back writing makes Love Lives Here awesome audio.

📣 Oh, and fantastic news, Love Lives Here has been nominated for #canadareads 2020 longlist! 🎉👏🏼

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Until next time,

Kara

Royal Holiday

I really looked forward to reading a holiday romance this Christmas.🎄

American Vivian and British Malcolm are grown set-in-their-ways adults, which was refreshing. Their time together at the royal cottage was charming, with notes being delivered to each other, and a kiss under the mistletoe 😘. When they were alone in London, it's like the holiday spell was broken, and reality set in. They each had their own troubling things on their minds, causing distraction - which is life, isn't it? I appreciated that realism made it's way into this romance.

There was a wee bit of steam 🍆, lots of scones 😁, and oddly, few details.I would have liked more description overall, for example on the Nigerian dinner they had. (I want to know exactly what they ate!)Royal Holiday was a sweet, relaxing beach read that took me to London for Christmas.

I received Royal Holiday in a Goodreads giveaway. 

Until next time,
Kara 

The Tattooist of Auschwitz

How do you survive one of the most heinous events in human history? 
I asked myself this regularly while reading The Tattooist.     
Author Heather Morris told us what happened to prisoners in Auschwitz in a somewhat journalistic style, through her interviews with a ninety year old survivor. 
How can a story taking place in Auschwitz be a romance?
Well, it's because Lale speaks many languages that he's seen as an asset by the SS, and made the Tätowierer. He goes through his cruel task of branding other prisoners with their numbers. Most other prisoners understandably succumb mentally and physically to their starvation, the cold weather and torture. But because Lale is a romantic, he finds hope through his attraction to a woman he tattooed. Even in the deplorable death camp that was Auschwitz, astonishingly, he tracks her down, and they manage to begin a romance. 
Their story is astounding, because amidst all the atrocities, Lale and Gita find and cling to love, which ultimately helps them survive. They often talk of faith, which is something Lale said he lost, but Gita still had.  

It was necessary after all Lale and Gita had been through to read how their lives ended up. In the afterword by their son, I was pleased to hear how they continued to adore each other. The author's note told us how Morris came to meet Lale and interview him for 3 years, slowly getting his story. 

While certainly not a typical romance, it is a story of survival, love and faith, and an vital book to read. 

I received The Tattooist of Auschwitz in a giveaway. 

Until next time,

Kara 

The Most Fun We Ever Had

I'm not sure I'd be enthusiastic reading 500 pages about this privileged family, but as an audio book, I was engaged and motivated to continue to hear how it would end.

Parents of 4 daughters Marilyn & David are that affectionate, loving couple we all envy. Nothing that's thrown their way can come between them, they remain crazy about each other throughout the years. Their thoughts & feelings did get repetitive towards the end though. We get it, they're madly in love!
Perfect daughter Violet had the biggest skeleton in her closet, making her imperfect and therefore interesting. She annoyed me to no end. I wanted someone to (figuratively) smack some sense into her over Jonah. Well done Claire Lombardo! Grace was just ridiculous, and Liza sad, both not as interesting as their older sisters Violet and Wendy.

The narration by Emily Rankin was wonderfully done, especially Wendy's character. She nailed the snooty, spoiled rich bitch voice I expected her to have.
It was the skilled narration and many moments of lovely prose that kept me going with this lengthy book, and made it awesome audio.
You know I've voted for this in the 2 categories it's nominated for in the Goodreads Choice Awards. 

Until next time,

Kara

Blood Sisters

This suspenseful tale about thee sisters has it all: a horrific accident, stalking, secrets, jealousy, threats, and revenge. 

In a what-could-go-wrong? opener, Alison takes a job teaching art in a prison. It's not a maximum security prison, but a supposedly low-risk, open one, with prisoners not locked up. This is an uncomfortable set up to say the least, with some creepy prisoners in close quarters to her. The not very plausible scenarios begin, with a work space in a locked hut and no guard, and Alison and her students have access to (sharp!) art supplies. Alison even spends the night to experience being in a cell overnight. 

Growing up, Alison was always on the outskirts looking in at the closeness her two sisters shared. 
Kitty has never recovered from what happened when they were children, and remains institutionalized. She can't communicate anymore, but we read her thoughts, which include a lot of swearing. 

Step sister Vanessa is rude, yet charming. She's spoiled, devious and too provocative for her young age.  

I enjoyed how the story was told in present day and then would go back to 15 years ago. I can't say I liked any of the sisters though, or felt any connection to them.  

Blood Sisters, as well as My Husband's Wife, is a great example of write about what you know. Author and journalist Jane Corry worked in a men's prison as a writer-in-residence. 

I received Blood Sisters in a GoodReads giveaway. 

Until next time,

Kara 

Bob's Red Mill muesli

In my ongoing quest to consume more natural foods and eat breakfast (I'm not a brekkie eater 😌), I was happy to discover Bob's Red Mill.🌾🌻

This European style muesli is definitely wholesome. I've been enjoying it with yogurt, Swiss style, with yogurt and a grated apple & kept in the fridge overnight, and hot. I appreciate that there's no added sugar, so you can control the sweetness if you add honey. Dates, sunflower seeds, raisins, almonds, flax seeds, & walnuts are some ingredients. This muesli has me eating breakfast! 😁