Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith ***

The third round of the Cormoran Strike novels, this was also perhaps the longest, and I eventually tired of it, surprisingly, because I did enjoy the first 200 pages, the tension between Robin and Cormoran, the fact that there were 3 possible suspects, and some interesting characters. JK Rowling, the actual author, says in her acknowledgements, that writing this novel was like a playground for her amidst other writing projects, and I think she just didn't want to let it go. Too much talk, too much dithering about Robin and her fiancé. 

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalinithi *****

The author was only 37 years old, a brilliant neurosurgeon just finishing his residency, when he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, a cancer which had spread to his brain. He was also a student of philosophy and literature- an underachiever he was definitely not- and in the midst of this diagnosis, he was able to find strength and purpose in writing about his journey. This book is the result. 

I heard his wife, who completed the book after his death,  on CBC while driving from Ottawa to Toronto, and knew this was a book I had to read. 

He doesn't just write about his cancer, he writes about his experiences as a doctor, the triumphs and the losses. And what struck me the most was his sense of purpose - that until he died, he would keep on living as fully as he could. 

There are some wonderful highlights on my Kindle, too.

His wife, Lucy, herself a doctor, wrote about his final days in the epilogue. This was not a sad story at all, rather a wonderful tale of living in the moment.

Ethan Fromme by Edith Wharton ****

This is a novella more than a novel, only took maybe three reading sessions to finish it. But quite an enjoyable story about Ethan Fromme, his wife Zeena, and Mattie, the cousin of his wife who comes to care for Zeena, who is constantly ill. Ethan falls in love with Mattie, and Zeena wreaks revenge upon Ethan. Quite a compelling read, a good love story about having no chances at a future together and he the overs seek to solve their problem.