Mayo Clinic Guide to Healthy Pregnancy

During my pregnancy, I knew I needed a source for all things related to pregnancy because scouring the internet will just complicate things even more as there will be heaps of conflicting articles. Basically, the effort to filter the information will be very overwhelming.

I searched for a good pregnancy book and stumbled upon the "Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy" book. I checked the ratings on Goodreads and read the reviews. It gained 4.1/5 stars and there were a lot of reviews saying that this one book is already enough as a guide during their pregnancy. There was another popular book "What to Expect When You're Expecting", but it has lower rating than the Mayo Clinic one. Besides, I know for sure Mayo Clinic is one of the best healthcare provider in the US, so I have no doubt of the quality of the contents.

I think this book is very very useful as a one-stop guide to pregnancy. It is not to be read back-to-back, although you can. It's more like a reference guide or "pregnancy bible" that you read throughout while your pregnancy is progressing. It explains what food you can or cannot eat, what you should expect each week in your pregnancy, and in the last third of the book (I think) there are heaps of information on what to expect when you're giving birth - complete from the symptoms when you're about to go into labour, pain relief options that you can have, to about having C sections. It even has a dedicated chapter for dads-to-be on how they can support their wife during the pregnancy! I can't recommend this book enough. The reviews you'll find on Goodreads, Google books, Amazon, etc will speak for itself :). 

Click here to have a preview on the book contents before you decide to buy!

I do recommend to get the physical book rather than the Kindle version just because it's easier to flip through the pages as this is not a book that you read from front to back. And based on this experience, I had decided to purchase the next stage to this book, which is "Mayo Clinic Guide to Your Baby's First Year".

Landline

Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble; it has been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems beside the point now. 

Maybe that was always beside the point. 

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn't expect him to pack up the kids and go home without her. 

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything. 

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts... 

Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?

***

I first discovered this book whilst looking for a good book to send to one of my "Pay-It-Forward" recipients. This book made it into the Goodreads Choice 2014 Winner's list for Fiction books. What attracted me to this book is the idea of a magic phone that connects the caller (in this case, Georgie McCool, the main character) to the past. Hmmm... sounds like some type of Korean drama. So I did expect a really interesting read.

I like books that are easy to understand and follow through. And I also like books that I can't put down (except if I got really sleepy). I think Rainbow Rowell delivered on those points. Sometimes the jump between the past and the present were kind of confusing, but I'm good with most of the transitions.

The story itself is really interesting and I could somewhat relate with my own life (not that me and husband had a fight where he left and didn't pick up my call at all). What I'm trying to say is that readers could be encouraged to look into their own relationship and give a deep thought about it whilst reading through this book. Well, if it doesn't apply to you, it did apply to me :). While Georgie was trying to appreciate what Neal has done in the past, it made me think about all the things that my husband did for me as well. To be honest, Neal is such a good support for Georgie. They're like two different worlds that fused together beautifully. I do kind of envy her married life.

The ending is sort of predictable. Georgie's colleague finally confesses his love to her (SPOILER ALERT) and the fate of the current has somewhat turned around, Georgie going through storm and snow trying to reach the love of her life, Neal.

I think this book is a slow read. It did made me unable to put down, but not enough to make me want to quickly flip from page to page. I did get a little bored around the 70-80% part of the book, but once Georgie got her mind and act together and made her big decision, that's when I feel like I wanted to 'run' through the remaining pages of the book. I would recommend this book with 4 star rating :).

Image source: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18081809-landline

The Last Train to Istanbul

Image source: click here.

“Ayse Kulin is a clever writer. She draws the reader into the story of the life and loves of a Turkish family in wartime, and by the time the reader realizes that she has also cranked up the tension with a rescue plot, it is too late to put the book down unfinished. For aficionados of wartime novels, as well as for anyone glued to his or her seat watching the film Argo, this is a must read.” — Helen Bryan, bestselling author of War Brides and The Sisterhood.

Born into privilege to one of the last Ottoman pasas, beautiful, spirited Selva is the brightest jewel in her father's household — until she falls in love with Rafael Alfandari. Though Turkey has long been a safe haven for Jews, marriage between a high-ranking Muslim girl and a Jewish boy is strictly forbidden. Yet young love will not be denied, and Selva and Rafael defy their parents and marry, fleeing to Paris in hopes of a better life — only to find themselves trapped in the path of the invading Nazis.But in the midst of darkness shines a beacon of hope: A handful of courageous Turkish diplomats, protected only by the tenuous neutrality of their homeland, hatch a daring plot to spirit the exiled lovers and hundreds of innocent Jews to safety. Together, they will traverse a war-torn continent, crossing enemy lines and risking everything in one last, desperate bid for freedom.

MY THOUGHTS

I haven't been reading a non-fiction for quite sometime, since "The Deception Point" by Dan Brown to be exact. I picked up this book in the Amazon Kindle 99 cents deal. Knowing that it's an international bestseller, I didn't hesitate to purchase it.

So, the story took place in the World War II when the Jews were captured by the Germans to be sent to labour camps. The main story of the book is about saving a group of Turkish Jews by boarding a train, which was organised by the Turkish Embassy, to Istanbul to safety. It started with the story about Selva who married a Turkish Jew and because both families despised their marriage, they decided to move to France which was close to be occupied by the Germans. They lived in fear when the German started to capture Jews. Then, informed by an close friend of her brother in-law, she was told to return to Turkey for the sake of their family, especially that she has a young son now. Then the adventure begins when she and a couple of other people organised a well-planned strategy to bring the Turkish and non-Turkish Jews to safety.

Most of the story revolves around Selva and her family, but it also tells the story about other Turkish and non-Turkish Jews who will also be seeking refuge to Istanbul, for example David Russo. He is spoiled young Turkish Jew who was caught in ID check at a station where he was supposed to meet his friends. He was later sent to a labour camp for 14 days. He was stripped off his name and was given a number. So, in the labour camp, he is just a number. Eventually he was saved by the Turkish Embassy after his parents reported him missing. 

I have not been able to put down the book since I finished chapter one. I guess it's just 'me' that I tend to be focused with books which recounts historical events, especially stories taking place in World War II. Some people complaint about the translated version of this book, but I think the wordings were easy for me to understand and not too complicated (I tend to finish books with difficult words much much longer).

The Positive Dog

Last Sunday, hubby and I decided to have our own weekends. He went for rally for Syria around Hyde Park and I went to enjoy Hotaru sushi (my fave!). His rally went on for a couple of hours and I only spend 1 hour, at most, at Hotaru. So, while waiting for him to finish, I went to Kinokuniya, just on the upper floor of Hotaru.

Reading is not my thing, but that time I just had to read something to prepare for an interview, heheh. I basically like to read non-fictions or motivating books. So, I went to the motivation shelf and pick up a small book that I guess I can finish by proof reading in a short time. I came across this book titled "The Positive Dog" by Jon Gordon. The book is super good! I almost bought it, but the price stopped me. The book tells a story about two dogs living in animal shelters waiting to be adopted. Through their journey, they share a lot of things about being positive. Being positive makes you stress less, makes you happier, can lengthen your age, makes you healthier, etc. But staying positive is difficult. You have to feed the "positive dog" with various things like smile voluntarily, do the gratitude walk, etc.

This book is really good to keep you positive. It's small and easy to read. This book help me a bit to relieve the pain inside me, so I really recommend this book to anyone who is currently going through a stressful time and anyone who needs some motivation kicks. 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Positive-Dog-Story-Positivity/dp/0470888555