Middle Sister's August Reads

The very hot and very rainy summer continued through August/ It is sometimes hard to read through the heat, believe it or not. I found myself having to reread a paragraph because I couldn't remember what I'd just read because my brain was melting. Please come early, autumn.

Fracture-Proof Your Bones by John Neustadt, M.D. This book was recommended by a doctor. It presents  medicine's recent (published 2022) level of knowledge and treatment of osteoporosis in a very readable but thoroughly researched book. I have had a DEXA scan and my bones are very healthy right now, but my mother suffered for decades from osteoporosis and was in considerable pain from it, so I am determined to not let that happen to me. Highly recommended to anyone in their 40s and 50s who is looking to improve their chances at a pain-free old age. 

Murder in Merino by Sally Goldenbaum (Seaside Knitters Book 8) I decided that the blasted heat and my not having any time off in August meant that I needed to take a virtual vacation to my favorite place, Sea Harbor, MA, and spend some time with the ladies of the Seaside Knitting Studio. I had been reading these in order, but somehow managed to get out of order with this title, It didn't matter. Izzy is selling her old cottage and a vacation visitor is very interested in purchasing it. Everyone is surprised by her persistence, and even more puzzled when she insists upon the sale even after a murdered restauranteur is found in the backyard. Everyone is affected by the murder as the victim was a friend, and it seem impossible to them that anyone would want to harm someone the entire town loved. Meanwhile, Cass is undergoing a major personal challenge, and Izzy, Birdie and Nell are heartbroken and want to help her \work through her unhappiness, but independent Cass tries to keep them at arms' bay. Of course, there are Thursday knitting nights and Friday Night Dinners at Nell and Ben's, and some knitting. Wonderful cozy series that I adore. And there's a new one being published in November--hooray!!

The Year of the the Puppy by Alexandra Horowitz I got a new puppy on August 5! So naturally I started reading this book before I brought him home, so I could anticipate this first year from a different perspective. He's the fourth puppy I've raised in this house, and it's only been 4 years since the last puppy arrived, but the science of canine cognition and important discoveries in canine nutrition, development, etc. are constantly happening. In this book, Dr. Horowitz contrasts the weekly development of two litters, one destined to be family pets and one destined to be trained search dogs, for the first 3 months. Then she moves to monthly considerations of puppy and family development studying the puppy she and her family adopted from that litter. As always, very well written and full of information and the personal reflections that make her books and her occasional columns in the New York Times so interesting.