ARC Review of The Saints of Swallow Hill by Donna Everhart

 The Saints of Swallow Hill focuses on two people working at the same turpentine camp during the Great Depression. The first perspective is Del Reese who is a single man who treats "negros" with respect and draws the ire from his racist boss. The second perspective is from a young woman named Rae Lynn who goes into the camp pretending to be a man. They strike up a friendship and we follow what happens afterward. The treatment of these desperate people during The Great Depression was awful and most likely illegal. This was incredibly eye-opening. I gave the story 4 stars because while I enjoyed most of it, I felt the ending was a bit saccharine. I was given this as an advanced audiobook copy by Netgalley for my honest review. The book is released today, January 25th, 2022.

ARC of Cost of Living: Essays by Emily Maloney

 I received an advanced audiobook of Cost of Living: Essays by Emily Maloney. This is a book of essays detailing her medical experiences as a patient and also when she worked in the medical industry, It starts with her suicide attempt at age 19 and the medical debt that followed her. She then worked a variety of healthcare jobs to try to pay off that debt. I thought this was going to be more about what it costs to live, getting medical care in the United States but that was just a small part. She also talks of the excess in the pharmaceutical industry, spending money to advertise and hold conferences. I found her thoughts on chronic pain patients and how insurance creates a dependency on medications, rather than seeking out alternative therapies interesting and enlightening. Overall, I enjoyed this collection, even though it wasn't quite what I was expecting. I gave it 4 stars and would encourage anyone interested in medicine or disability to seek it out. She narrates the audiobook herself which I enjoy with nonfiction. The book will be published February 8th, 2022. Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Best Books I read in 2021

 I read a total of 59 books in 2021. While quite a bit less than usual, I did find some really great books. Here's my top 10 list:

10. The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

9. The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez

8. The Prettiest Star by Carter Sickels

7. The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers

6.  In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

5. All the Young Men by Ruth Coker Burks

4. Broken (In the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson

3. The Bear and the Nightingale (trilogy) by Katherine Arden

2. Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston

1. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir