I hated Malabar the whole book. And for a while I hated her daughter too. But then I had to remind myself she was just a child and was pretty much brainwashed into all this drama. My own mother was like this. She would rope me into schemes to torment my stepdad's ex and think it was perfectly fine to include a 12-year-old in adult problems. That is why I hate Malabar so so much. She never learns anything. She keeps being selfish. And all she fucking cares about his her boyfriend and her stupid necklace. It was of some comfort that her daughter finally broke the cycle, but for a while I felt like she was just continuing the cycle. Some people just shouldn't be parents. What an exhausting read.

Typically non-fiction takes me months to read. I tend to get so bogged down in the details that I find myself able to only read a chapter at a time. This was not the case with Guy's biography of Mary, Queen of Scots. 

I have yet to find a biographical work that doesn't show any bias. Suggestions welcome if you know of any. This book wasn't any different. Guy obvious has a fangirl thing going on with Mary. He things she's smart, beautiful, and cunning. Personally I think one of those two things may be true. To quote some of my favorite preschool teachers, Mary makes a lot of bad choices. 

While Guy makes his adoration of Mary no secret, he also makes it perfectly clear that he is not a fan of one William Cecil (later Lord Burghley). Guy seems to believe Cecil is the root of all Mary's problems. Cecil wasn't leading Mary's fan club or even getting the newsletters but let's not get nuts. Mary was a queen in her own right. If Mary was as smart and capable as Guy wants his readers to believe, shouldn't she have been able to outsmart Cecil and survive? 

I have Guy's biography of Elizabeth I on my shelf. While I wasn't planning on reading it any time soon, I may have to move it up the list. I'm interested to see what kind of picture Guy paints of the people living on the other side of Mary's fence. I would think his characterization of Cecil would remain consistent. Right?

Read 1/1/2020- 1/5/2020

This book would have been perfect to read before I ever went to a dispensary. 

It was filled with recipes, science and an explanation of everything you need to know about what's in weed. And it was all written in a way I could understand. Now I get why a lot of people claim CBD doesn't work. Most CBD you see is actually Hemp oil, which is different and not effective. 

I skipped the section on edibles because I can't eat them. I learned from a budtender that my stomach won't digest and absorb the THC since I have no gallbladder and have had a lot of stomach surgeries. Trust me, I tried edibles several times with little to no effect, and only after wasting money was I informed WHY I wasn't feeling anything. Now I know better.

I vape. Although given our financial situation, I may do both vaping and flower. Flower is cheaper. I just have to adjust to the burn in my throat. I cough a lot and my hubby, who cannot smoke legally due to his job) keeps asking me if I'm dying. Lol This read really helped me understand all the components that give a high or a relief from aches and pains. Now I know what I need to function at work and also what I need to get myself wasted safely. Or just to help me sleep. 

If you are considering doing weed for the first time, I really think this will help.

Immortal Life is set in a not-too-distant future, in which the line between government and giant tech companies has disappeared.  Smart phones have been replaced by cranial implants that connect to The Cloud with a tap behind the ear.  Artificial Intelligence has become ever advanced, 3D printing (both solid and liquid) paired with medical technology has allowed the wealthy old-aged, through replacement parts, to postpone death well into their 120s.

Arthur, the 120-something head of the world-dominating Corporation, is poised to defeat death.  His consciousness is to be transferred into a new body.  Before that transfer, this body has been known as Gene, a specimen developed from human DNA and imbued with a brain that has basic knowledge but isn't supposed to develop a real personality.  When Arthur's mind is uploaded to Gene's brain, Gene is still there somehow.  He wants to live, and there are members of a resistance who want to help him.

This book had an intriguing premise and a strong start, but I felt it lost steam in the last third or so, and I didn't end up enjoying it as much as I thought I would.  However, there were elements of the ending that I found unexpected, in a good way.

Was recommended this by a clinical psychiatrist at University of Oklahoma Children's unit. Her words were "You cannot be a good mother unless you take care of yourself." So I audiobooked it. Less than 5 hours and very insightful. It's a lot of things I already knew but with a few new additions and put into terms I understand. I will be beginning this new journey tomorrow morning. Wish me luck.