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Recent Reviews:
The Perfect Mother by Nina Darnton (received through Penguin's First to Read Program)
4 stars
Similar to a recent news story but different in plot, this novel examines how much a parent is to blame for the child's behavior. Jennifer Lewis receives a phone call in the middle of the night from her college-age daughter, who is studying in Spain and has just been charged with murder. Jennifer, at first an unfailing supporter of her daughter, is forced to examine that her daughter is not the perfect child that she imagined and her parenting choices might be to blame. Part mystery, part cautionary tale, this is completely engrossing and hard to put down. Many times throughout the novel, I found myself cringing at both mother and daughter's behavior but that may be the point. There seems to be a couple of books based on this theme which can be drawn from the real life Amanda Knox story. I found this one well-written and different enough from true events to be considered a fresh take. I received this book from the Penguin First to Read Program in exchange for an honest review.
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers (received through NetGalley)
4.5 stars
Spirited away from a terrible home situation, Ismae is taken to a convent that trains assassins with special powers. Trained in the art of killing, Ismae is placed in the court of Brittany as the mistress of Gavriel Duval. While trying to discern who is faithful to the teenage Duchess, she also deals with her own role in Death's wishes and her growing attachment to a man who may or may not be a traitor. I found this to be immensely entertaining with well developed characters and a good mix of action and romance. I definitely plan on continuing with this series. I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Saving Normal: an insider's revolt against out-of-control psychiatric diagnosis, DSM-5, big pharma, and the medicalization of ordinary life by Allen Frances, M.D. (received through LibraryThing)
4 stars
As a chair of the DSM-IV task force, Dr. Frances has a unique and expert viewpoint of the psychiatric diagnosis process. In this book he examines how psychiatry has gotten away from the psychiatrist and now lays at the hands of big pharmaceutical companies and general practitioners. The results being that many "worried-well" are being overly treated with anti-anxiety and anti-depressants that they do not need while the truly sick fall through the cracks. I think this is an important book that addresses issues seen not just in psychiatry but also in the general field of medicine. This became a bit dry at times and even repetitive which made for slow reading, but the author definitely realizes a huge problem and wrote this book in order to make an important argument that may not reach the widest audience. Overall, this is an informative yet depressing look at how medical decisions are made and medicines are marketed. I received this book through a LibraryThing giveaway.
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