Books on my IPod...

I went to the doctor last week for a physical and she said "What are we going to do about your weight?"  {No, you are not reading an old post of mine, this is a common theme that pops up at least once a year.  I then get in a schedule of walking and dieting, lose 25 lbs, and then when life or holidays get in the way, gain it back.}

Anyhoo, I love how she asks the question like WE can work on it together.  It makes me feel like I have her support.  A previous doctor blurted out "You need to eat less and exercise more."  Really?  I have never considered that!

So, back to the blog topic, I am walking about 5 miles at least 5 times a week, eating very few carbs, and listening to books on my Ipod while I walk.  The weather has been exceptional in central Indiana making walking very enjoyable. 

In July, I finished Defending Jacob by William Landay.

In this book, assistant district attorney Andy Barber, his wife Laurie and their son Jacob are very much a normal family until one of Jacob’s classmates, 14-year-old Ben Rifkin, is murdered. Andy takes on the case until the time that evidence is found that shows his son may have been involved. From that point, the Barbers world comes undone. 

Defending Jacob is a page turner {or in my case a compelling reason to get out and walk}.  I was continually drawing parallels to my life and wondering what choices I would make if in the same situation.  Landay expertly plants the seeds of doubt—is Jacob the villain that all are painting him to be or is he being unjustly accused?   In addition to an expert rendering of the family dynamics in a terrible situation, the author has created an unforgettable and suspenseful story with a powerful twist {GASP!} at its conclusion.  The book was very good, but very unsettling as I listened completely invested, to the end.

Next I listened to A Secret Kept, by Tatiana de Rosnay.

Set in present day France and in 1974, A Secret Kept begins when Antoine Rey, a divorcee in his mid-forties, takes his sister, Mélanie, to their childhood vacation spot, Noirmoutier Island, for her 40th birthday. Passage to the island is made on a causeway called Le Gois, a road that is only passable at low tide and which becomes treacherous in moments once the water rises. They make the trek and spend a picture-perfect time on the island, but the devastating events following their holiday set in motion a search for clues surrounding the untimely death of their mother when they were children.

Tatiana de Rosnay, author of the New York Times bestseller Sarah's Key, examines the depths of complex family relationships and the power of a past secret to change everything in the present.  I found the book enjoyable and hard to pause as the secret unfolded.

I am now listening to Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn so I will end here and head out for my highly anticipated walk.