Reading Reviews- January 2014

Becoming a Supple Leopard by Dr. Kelly Starrett

     I finally got this book for Christmas!  It is all about optimizing movement.  The book is a really nicely laid out with photos and explanations of common CrossFit movements. I really liked the first half of the book and read it thoroughly. The second half, I skimmed because it was about improving flexibility and I am pretty darn flexible.

Verdict: A wonderful reference books, which I will probably refer to for the rest of my life.

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri

     I almost stopped reading this book,but I am glad I kept reading. The beginning just didn't catch my interest.  It is a beautiful sad and happy story of a family and how they deal with the loss of a member.  How his memory haunts and really causes some people to not live out the rest of their lives to its fullest potential.

Verdict:  This author knows how to write captivating stories that leave you thinking, thinking, thinking.

 

The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian

 

     This book was kinda creepy. It starts with the perspective of a serial killer and then recounts war time situations.  It is a  very well structured story that intertwines two timelines.  It also has a mystery component and it was fun trying to guess who the killer was. 

Verdict: I really enjoyed it and could barely put the book down once I started reading it.  Reccomend (if you aren't squimish).

Whole by T. Colin Campbell

 

     This is Dr. Campbell's follow-up to the China Study, in which he reccomends a whole food plant based diet (no meat, no thanks).  However, I can agree with him that nutrition is one of the most important contributors to good health and that our current health system is really a disease management system. While he does discuss his diet reccomendation, the main point of this book is to call out the goverment, the media and pharmacuetical companies for hiding the truth.  Bottom line: good nutrition is a a better than any man-made drug.

Verdict: Dr. Campbell is 79 years old and in this book he just lays his opinions out and I do admire that.  Go Dr. Campbell!  That said, this book is not an easy read. I listened to it as an audio book and I only got through about half.

 

Rowing for Crossfitters by Marc Monplaisir

 

     I am not a good rower, so I thought this would help.  It doesn't actually talk about rowing, just how to use the rowing machine.

Verdict: If you have a rowing machine, all this information is probably in the manual. If you don't have the manual, you can figure it out without this "book."