I will preface this review with the fact that I have only read the first 3 chapters of this book. I have found it to be a solid read on the different birth control options available to women. The first chapter takes a more historical focus on birth control (more specifically, the pill) and its impact on the women's rights movement(s). If found this chapter culturally enriching and would recommend it for its thoroughness despite its brevity. If you picked up this book with the more single-minded purpose of finding out more about the birth control options available to women, I would focus on chapters two and three. Chapter two focuses on the pill, including a brief history, what's in it and how it works, and also the research (old and ongoing). It was thorough and up-to-date, and the factual details were well-balanced with anecdotes from women on the pill. The author is not a physician or researcher, she is a women's health writer and activist but I found her writing well-researched and referenced. I am also of the opinion that doctors/researchers have a tendency to be biased towards the science, which I do not think is optimal in the case of birth control because of the difficulty getting appropriate research controls (Eldridge explains why in the book), making a lot of the scientific data ambiguous. That is why I especially enjoyed Laura Eldridge's "it is up to you to decide how you feel about it" attitude, detailing scientific data alongside anecdotal evidence. Chapter three focused on non-hormonal birth control options, including the good and the bad of each type of contraceptive. My main critique of this book was the tendency of Eldridge to repeat herself from chapter to chapter (I found quite a bit of overlap between the first chapter and the following two), but also even within a chapter it seemed she used repetition to give more vehemence to the point(s) she was trying to make. Overall however, it was an enriching read and I recommend it to those exploring their birth control options.

Great read. It bears resemblance to some of Dan Brown's books (e.g. Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons) in the manner in which Trussoni keeps the readers intrigued and develops the mystery, though with an edge of fantasy. It is the story of Evangeline, a young nun and an unknowing descendant of a prestigious angelological family, who embarks on a journey with a young Art Historian, unknowingly working for a Nephilim, to discover the mysteries of the world they thought they knew.

This was a very interesting read. As a scientist, I was looking for a fun but accurate book to give my teenage sister who has a burgeoning interest in neuroscience, and I think I found it! Dr. Linden's writing style reads easily enough (it reads in 2-3 days if you read about 1h each day), and though some of the neurophysiological and neurochemical concepts may be a little challenging for those without a strong science background, the author does a great job making his explanations detailed enough to be understandable but not dull. Dr. Linden covers a broad range of topics all related to pleasure and the pleasure circuitry in the brain. Some of the most prominent topics in his book include the following and their associated addictions: drugs (e.g. nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, hallucinogens, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, amphetamines etc.), exercise, orgasm, diet, giving (to charity/IRS), gambling, sex (including some interesting studies on sexual orientation), etc. Dr. Linden writes with humor, including some of his personal experiences, combined with tidbits on world history, psychology, nanotechnology, philosophy and literature, making this a great short and concise read for scientists and non-scientists alike!

This story takes place in Santa Olivia, known as Outpost 12 now that the U.S. has closed its borders to Mexico. Its citizens have lost their U.S. citizenship and the military prevents them from being able to leave since the town technically does not exist. Santa Olivia is the story of a young woman who cannot feel fear as a result of genetic alterations underwent by her father in a military program. It traces her life starting with some background on her mother, her growing up with a caring but protective older brother, dealing with being different in a small town in turmoil, and finding love where it might least be expected. What really made me love this book was its originality. The heroin is not the typical badass femme fatale with a vengeance that I was half expecting when I started reading this book. She is not a loner, with trust and commitment issues. She has a group of friends with whom she develops a sense of justice that turns from a kids game into a greater purpose. I felt the author also did a great job capturing the development of the heroin as she goes through different ordeals. Finally, I loved the vividly descriptive training and boxing scenes. I am looking forward to the next book, and I hope that, like this one, I will have a hard time putting it down.