Monday Book Recs--Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsay Leavitt and Younger Next Year

Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsay Leavitt

I found the main character in this novel charming. Contemporary writing can feel a little "unmagical" to me as a fantasy writer. It's not that I think of fantasy and contemporary writing as completely different animals, as I think other people do, but I don't see the world with those big dividing lines. Contemporary writing with a little fantasy or historical writing with a little fantasy feel very similar to me (when done well) as good writing without fantastical elements. And there is a lot of great "fantasy" that really has no fantastical elements per se (Guy Gavriel Kay and Matt Kirby as examples). But Lindsay is a fantasy writer and I think has a great facility in writing with a great flow and with a sense of style and, well, verve. I liked the romance with Sean Griswold (I'm a romance lover, also when it is done well and isn't stereotypical). I especially liked the backdrop of triathlon, obviously. The idea of a girl going off on a bike ride with a guy she likes when she really has no experience seemed very real to me. And the consequences aren't watered down at all. You would puke if you tried that. But you also might decide to try it again, not because of the guy, but because you realized that you were a little changed by the challenge.




Younger Next Year for Women by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge

This is probably targeted at women slightly older than I am, but I so much agree with everything in the book. I love Harry's rules, including: Exercise hard 6 days a week. Eat healthy food. Be positive. Keep connections. I'm all about the exercise and the healthy eating, of course. But I also think that we can't forget how humans are social animals. I think about our social interaction in much the same way as the authors here, as animal instinct, based on years of evolution. There's no point in saying that you're an introvert. You're still human. You still need interpersonal contact. You need to give back not because other people need you, but because you need it. I also just loved the voice and the writing here. It was so funny. I think if I said stuff as bluntly as this, I'd get bonged by my editor. But the authors are so funny, they can get away with it. It's hard to get out and dedicate so much of your time to exercise, I know. We're all busy. But if you don't, you will regret it. You will pay for it in your health and you will sacrifice good time later on in life. Everyone is going to die, but you can sometimes put off the date and you can definitely make the years before you die better if you keep yourself in better shape. Yes, talk to your doctor to be sure. But otherwise, get started, and get started today. You're not too old to start feeling younger.