When Kiwi discovered I'd been reading about garbage and what happens to it, I was loaned Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale, by Adam Minter. It partners well with those books. :-) When you donate items to thrift stores, and so on, just what happens next? I had no idea they would be shipped so far away and put to so many different uses. It's a huge business (and has to be profitable for it to continue). The author did some serious traveling for his book, asked lots of questions, and visited lots of sites where used items are sorted, re-purposed and so forth.

Here's a book that fits nicely with other books about strong women I've included in my blog: Pioneer Doctor: the Story of a Woman's Work, by Mari Grana. Wow! It is amazing! Dr. Mary (Mollie) Babcock is one of the first female doctors. Initially her husband was supportive, but when she graduated and he was still treating her like a nurse, handling all the money and so forth, she (gasp) leaves him for a job in a small mining town in Montana. She supports birth control (remember the Comstock Laws), and was a suffragette. The author is her grand-daughter so there are family stories she remembers as well as an amazing job at research. Just an incredible life!

If you have trouble sleeping, or just want some good tips on relaxing, then try trick yourself to sleep: 222 Ways to Fall and Stay Asleep, by Kim Jones. (I'm not sure why the main title does not have caps, but the sub-title did, but, there it is, just like in the book)! Lots of good ideas here, some you've probably seen before. Just one question though, we are told to power off our devices several hours before bed time ... and yet, some of the suggestions recommend apps ... wouldn't you need a device for that? (I could be way off the mark here, I do not have a smart phone, etc., just a tablet where I've downloaded a few games).

Reading Hermit With Dog