The Neuroscience of You How Every Brain Is Different and How to Understand Yours by Chantel Prat

This book, though dense, is incredibly readable. I got this book as an ARC but have also already reserved it at the library to reread certain sections.

This book is not just a boring recitation of sections of the brain (amygdala, hippocampus, lobes, etc.) with a paragraph about what they do. Instead, the author builds a narrative around what parts of the brain do. 

Prat offers many exercises for readers to learn more about themselves ("you" is in the title after all). The last part of the book offers you chances to learn more about other people. 

Four stars

This book come out August 2, 2022

ARC kindly provided by Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Penny, the Engineering Tail of the Fourth Pig by Kimberly Derting and Shelli R. Johannes

When Penny's three brothers are having to deal with a big bully, Penny comes to the rescue. A trained engineer, she knows how to take charge and build well. The next time Wolfgang comes around, he's in for a big surprise.

The authors leaned a little too much into the puns, especially since a lot of them came out in the last part of the book. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out August 1, 2022

ARC kindly provided by Capstone and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

The Hookup Plan by Farrah Rochon

Of the three women who become internet infamous for confronting a man who was dating all of them, only London hasn't found love. She was only dating Craig in the first place so she wouldn't have to go stag to her 15th high school reunion. Well, she's here now anyway, a single lady. And once again crossing swords with Drew, the co-valedictorian who made her life so miserable as he competed with her for the big honors. Now she's a pediatric surgeon and he's the man here to evaluate whether to keep her hospital public or open it up to investors. But he doesn't tell her that until after they have two very steamy nights together. Oops.

There is a lot of emotional growth in this book but, for London, it is grouped at the end of the book. I wish one of the subplots had been introduced a little bit earlier so there weren't so many Big Surprises at the end but overall a nice ending to the books in this series.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out August 2, 2022

Follows The Dating Playbook

ARC kindly provided by Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Round Up the Usual Peacocks by Donna Andrews

Meg's nephew Kevin has started a true crime podcast with his friend Casey. Everything is going well, their audience is growing, but when Casey is nearly run over, they suspect that they may have stirred up a hornet's nest. They are able to narrow down the episodes most likely to have caused some problems to three. One is a rumor about cheating at the Caerphilly College Business School twenty years ago, a young woman who disappeared, and a man who was possibly wrongly convicted in Clay County. The last, Meg decides to leave to the regular police. After talking to the man, Lucas, Vern Shiffley is also wondering whether he got a fair shake. 

But that leaves two cases for Meg to chase down. 

stars

This book comes out August 2, 2022

Follows The Twelve Jays of Christmas 

Followed by Dashing Through the Snowbirds

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas

A friend recommended this book to me and, while it took me a long time to finish the book, I overall enjoyed the start of this series very much though I can very much say that the villain was not at all fairly clued. 

Thomas Llewelyn is very much down on his luck (just got out of prison, kicked out of school, wife has died) when he reads an advertisement for a position with Cyrus Barker. The position has "some danger involved" and Llewelyn finds out very quickly how true that is. He is introduced to parts of London that he didn't know and ethnic groups that are outside his norm. 

The case that Barker has recently been called upon to help with is that of a rabbinical student who looked a lot like a 19th century version of Jesus. The man was murdered with an anti-semitic comment left nearby. But was that really the reason the man was murdered?

Four stars

This book came out March 8, 2005

Followed by To Kingdom Come

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

A Dead Liberty by Catherine Aird

Kenneth Carline is dead. It seems obvious that Lucy Durmast killed him. She is the daughter of his boss; seems like he should have been romancing her but, instead, he was about to announce his engagement to someone else. So she poisons him using chili con carne to disguise the poison. But she's not speaking. At all. In court, in prison, when questioned by the police. She's quiet.

The original policeman on her case pretty much thought it was an open and shut case. But he is out o the picture so now Inspector Sloan is on the case. He also thinks it is perfectly obvious but the fact that Lucy isn't speaking gives him pause so he decides to work through the case again and sets the cat among the pigeons.

A lovely story that was easy to pick out but a neat case where the main suspect speaks only two words throughout the entire story.

Four stars

This book came out August 31, 1987

Follows Harm's Way

Followed by The Body Politic

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Premium Plus

Opinions are my own

Sleight of Mouth by Robert B. Dilts

I can't remember why I added this book to my TBR list but I can't believe I actually finished it. After the fifth spelling error (all within the first third of the book), I pondered whether I really wanted to read it.
After the first instance of a completely unscientific example used to prove one of the author's points, I pondered even harder. Then, an instance of pseudoscience. Strapping myself in, I decided to enjoy the ride.

There are some valid studies in this book but overall I am disappointed I left this on my TBR shelf for too long. 

Two stars

This book came out November 5, 2001

Borrowed as ebook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own