"Turning Point" by Danielle Steel

Turning Point by Danielle Steel deals with four people:  Bill, Stephanie, Wendy and Tom.  They are all very good doctors who love what they do.  Life is good when they are at the hospital; their lives outside of the hospital, not so much.  They get picked to go to Paris for a month for a training session and jump at the chance to go.  But life has a way of changing things as they find out.  

I really enjoyed how the author developed the four leading characters.  The book flew by!  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"That Good Night" by Sunita Puri (Two Different Opinions)

That Good Night--Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour by Sunita Puri is a true story.   Sunita works in Palliative care.  This is where people are who are in bad shape health wise.  She tells the stories of some of her patients.  She also details the lessons that she learned from her mom, who was a doctor and life lessons from her dad.

WOW!  This book is very good!  I hated to see it end!  I got lost in this book many times.  The stories she tells of her patients are really good!  These touched my heart.  The part that deals with her parents was good too!  This is my book of the month so far--a must read!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review (we differ on this one):
That Good Night by Sunita Puri is about Sunita’s journey to becoming a doctor on a Palliative care team. As I understand it, Palliative care deals with getting families to realize what their dying loved ones want concerning end of life care. Sunita shares different patient scenarios and conversations with their families concerning their care as well as snippets of her personal life. This book is thought provoking and sad. I read it because my husband said how good it was, but I would not recommend it. I found it tedious to get through and although I enjoyed hearing about the different patients, it just moved very slowly for me. I look forward to getting back to fiction! (3 stars)

Teaser from page4 33:  I pursed my lips tightly.  I was a fledgling intern, a neophyte doctor.  How could I possibly tell him how long he had to live? 

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"The Second Opinion" by Michael Palmer

The Second Opinion by Michael Palmer is an interesting book with about a medical conspiracy, greed, betrayal, murder and a dysfunctional family including two adult children with Asperger's.  Their father who is a prestigious internist at a well-known hospital is in a coma from being involved in a hit-and-run accident.  His oldest son, Dimitri who has Asperger's, believes it wasn't an accident, but only his sister, Thea, believes him.  She also has Asperger's and came back to Boston from working with Doctors Without Borders in Central Africa to see her dad.  She believes there is a slight chance he could recover but the twin brother and sister want to let him go.  Thea agrees to take over her father's patients and senses something is off.  Her life is threatened shortly after she starts asking too many questions.

This is quite the mystery that also includes a bit of romance, suspense and insights into adult Asperger's.  I liked it once I finally started it and looked forward to getting back to it.  I liked Thea and her devotion to her dad.  The ending was a shock to me that I did not see coming.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)  

Teaser from page 25:  There remained unfinished business between them.  The man had never, in all her memory, told her that he loved her, nor had she taken the initiative and told him.  At the very least, she needed that exchange to happen between them before the end.

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"White is the Coldest Colour" by John Nicholl

White is The Coldest Colour by John Nicholl is about a child Psychiatrist who is a sexual predator and part of a ring of many pedophiles in Wales. This is a work of fiction, but is based on the author’s experiences as a police office and child protection social worker. This book reflects the reality of how much harm sexual predators inflict on their victims. This book shows the depravity of man and is a very disturbing read! It also includes physical abuse and a lengthy investigation.

I can’t say I enjoyed this book because it is so dark and the doctor was a horrible human being! I had to keep reading to find out if the cops would find the missing 7-yr-old boy in time and see the doctor brought to justice. The ending was better than I expected; however, I would have liked the story to have continued on a bit to end on a happier note. It seemed to end too abruptly.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 6: If a respected doctor such as himself could abandon any semblance of a conscience, learn to fully embrace his true nature, and view life and death from a purely Darwinian perspective, why the hell couldn’t Sherwood do likewise? That was the one thing which may have saved him.


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"Not A Sound" by Heather Gudenkauf

In Not a Sound by Heather Gudenkauf, Amelia is deaf due to an incident that she was lucky to still be alive from.  She is trying to get her life back together.  One day while she and her dog are out on the river paddle boarding, she comes across a dead body--a nurse she used to be good friends with!  Who killed her friend and why?
 
I really enjoyed the dog, Stitch but the main character was okay too.  I would have loved more action though.  The last 50 pages things picked up and I liked the ending so 4 stars for this one!
(Gerard's review)

Karen's review, 4 stars:
Not a Sound by Heather Gudenkauf is about Amelia and her service dog, Stitch. Amelia is a nurse who lost her hearing in an accident and whose life pretty much fell apart. She turned to alcohol and her husband kicked her out, only allowing her to supervised visits with her step-daughter, Nora. Her closest friend since childhood is Jake, a cop, who sort of watches over her like a brother. When she discovers the dead body of one of her nurse friends from several years ago in the woods by her river where she was paddle boards and kayaks, her curiosity gets the best of her and she jumps into the investigation. As she comes closer to figuring out who murdered her friend, her life becomes more complicated and dangerous.

I enjoyed reading this book but of course, the cops are once again portrayed as incompetent and it’s up to Amelia to figure out who and why murdered her friend. My favorite character in this book is the service dog, Stitch. The medical portion of this book was pretty scary. (4 stars)

Spoiler Alert – do not read further unless you have read the book! The ending of this book was very good and I really liked the big chase when the murderer came after Amelia but couldn’t help but think how stupid she was by leaving her dog and running off instead of using the guy’s stun gun against him that he dropped in the snow and retrieving her cell phone from his pocket when she had the chance. I did have to give her credit for getting out of her house through her bedroom window, but then again, why would she leave her car keys on a table downstairs instead of in her pocket? I was hoping her husband would not be involved and they would reconcile, but I am okay with her ending up with Jake. What did you think of this?


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"When Breath Becomes Air" by Paul Kalanithi

In When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, Paul is this close to completing a decade's worth of training to be a neurosurgeon.  All his late hours and 24-hour days are almost done.  His marriage is having problems and his wife is also a doctor.  Paul though is on top of his game and could have his choice of top-notch hospitals at only 37 years old.  But the unthinkable happens and all of his plans are changed!

This is a very emotional book!  I felt so bad for Paul, his wife and their families.  There is a lot of medical terms in this book that were over my head so that is why I gave this one 4 stars instead of 5.  It is worth reading for sure!
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"Fired Up--Trouble in Texas, Book 2" by Mary Connealy

Fired Up –Trouble in Texas, Book 2 by Mary Connealy continues with Paul warning Dare to stay away from his mother and several attempts to kill Dare. The friends continue to pull together to guard Dare and figure out who is trying to kill him while Dare and Glynna take next steps in their relationship in spite of Paul’s warnings.

I enjoyed this western historical romance and particularly liked the humor surrounding the diner and Glynna’s cooking.  I also liked that Paul was so protective of his widowed mother.  It is a light, enjoyable read with an ending I loved and I look forward to continuing with the series. (Karen's review, 4 stars)

See my review of the first book, Swept Away

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"Within My Heart" by Tamera Alexander - Good Love Story

Within My Heart by Tamera Alexander is about friendship, death, fear, faith and love that takes place in the 1800s.  Rand is a fine doctor who gave up the opportunity for a lucrative practice in Boston to become a doctor in Timber Ridge, Colorado.  Rachel is a young widow with two young boys and a ranch she is trying to keep to fulfill her late husband’s dream for their sons (Mitch and Kurt) even though she’d rather assist the doctor with his patients than take care of a ranch.  Rachel fights against loving any other man, wanting to stay loyal to her dead husband and also not wanting to go through the pain of losing another one. 

This Christian historical romance novel quickly got my interest and the characters are very likable.  This book deals with life and death issues well and I enjoyed learning about early medicine through Rand.  I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good Christian historical fiction or stories about strong women and struggling families. 

(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"Seven Patients" by Atul Kumar

Seven Patients by Atul Kumar is a third-year medical thriller narrated by Raj Mok, a medical student who is learning at a hospital.  This is a work of fiction, kind of like a hospital TV show with a lot of drama and extreme cases.  Basically, it's a collection of hospital horror stories.  I found it to be entertaining and thought provoking.  Doctors have a lot of power!  I read this on on my Kindle and it had a lot of medical terms that I was unfamiliar with which became a bit annoying; however, the terms were usually explained.  This book explores some ethical issues that doctors probably face. 

I was surprised this book got so many really negative reviews.  If you are looking for great writing or good literature, this one is not it.  However, if you love medical drama and want to get a feel what medical students go through, then I think you might enjoy this book if you can overlook poor editing.   
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

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"Five Days at Memorial" by Sheri Fink (non-fiction about Hurricane Katrina)

Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink tells the true story of Memorial Hospital in New Orleans five days during Hurricane Katrina.  It is an outstanding read!  This book is in two parts:  (1) the first part deals with the hospital and the action the doctors and nurses took; (2) the second part deals with the aftermath of their decisions.  Both parts are excellent!  I enjoyed this book very much!  If you want a good non-fiction read, this is a must!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars) 

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"Don't Go" by Lisa Scottoline is a Must Read! (UPDATED 7/3/13)

This is SO good!

Don't Go by Lisa Scottoline is about Mike Scanlon, an army doctor in Afghanistan who gets the awful news that his young wife is dead. Coming home, he finds out that his daughter does not even know who he is! He also discovers that the battles he has to face on the home front are more than he could have imagined.

This book is very hard to put down, a real page-turner with plenty of "Wow, I didn't see that coming" turns. The ending? Well, you have to read it to believe it! Books just don't get any better than this--a must read!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

UPDATED 7/3/13:
Don’t Go by Lisa Scottoline is a good read about an army podiatrist who not only is a hero in Afghanistan, but also fights to become a hero on the home front in spite of being an amputee, his failing business, drug addiction, the death of his wife, and the custody battle for his baby daughter who doesn’t even know him. This book delves into issues vets have when coming home from seeing horrendous things in battle and the struggles they face. Dr. Scanlon has it tough but rises to the challenge after his passionate no-nonsense, kick-butt attorney, Stephanie, “lights a fire” under him and gets him back on track.

I enjoyed this book, it’s a good read and you can’t help but pull for the doctor to succeed and get to the bottom of things. I felt very sorry for him throughout the book; however, the suspense was kind of ruined by the book cover which gives away the ending. I think this would be a good book club read if done along the way because of the characters and the mystery of who killed the Doctor’s wife’s best friend.
(Karen's review)

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"The Promise of Stardust" by Priscille Sibley (UPDATED)

A Thought Provoking Love Story--Must Read!

The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley is an unusual love story of Elle, an astronaut, and Matt, a neurosurgeon, that splits a family apart when there is a life or death decision to make.  Matt and Elle want a child so bad, but there always seems to be complications and she loses the baby.    The author brings up some interesting legal issues related to making decisions about keeping someone on life support after they are brain dead in this captivating novel. 

My feelings towards the characters changed as the book progressed and I found myself pulling for Matt by the end.  I liked how Elle's dad changed along the way and how the doctors were so nice to Matt.  This is definitely a good read I recommend if you like thought provoking stories about family.
(Karen's review of 3/28/13)


Gerard's review of 3/16/13 (5++ stars):

The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley is a great love story you must read!  Matt and Ellie were childhood friends who now have a loving marriage.  What they want are children and a family.  Their first two attempts ended in tragedy. When Matt, who is a doctor, gets a call that Ellie is being rushed to the hospital, he hurries only to find her fall from a ladder has left her brain dead and that she is carrying his child!  He wants to keep her on life support hoping that the baby will live but his mom and Ellie's brother want the plug pulled.

This is an outstanding book that is a page turner.  I loved how the author went back in time to show how Matt and Ellie came to be married and the trials they faced.  Does the baby live?  Who wins the trial?  Speaking of the trial, that part of the book is gripping with suspense!  Have a tissue handy for the ending.  This book will tug at your heartstrings--it did mine!  Loved it!!  It doesn't get any better than this!  The Promise of Stardust is her first novel too, are you kidding me?  Well done!  ( visit her website at www.priscillesibley.com)

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"No Distance Too Far" by Lauraine Snelling

Didn't care much for this one--too slow.

No Distance Too Far by Lauraine Snelling is Christian fiction set in 1904. Astrid, the main character, is a woman doctor who desires to follow God's will; she's just not sure what that is. She is not sure if God wants her to be a medical missionary in Africa, to work with her mentor or stay in Blessing to assist in her sister-in-laws medical practice or work on an Indian reservation with Red Hawk. She also wonders if Joshua is the man for her.

I liked the part where she was at the mission school, but it moved slowly and I didn't much care for it.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

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