Stitched Up: Stories of Life and Death from a Prison Doctor [Book Review]

Immediately after ComServe, when I was unemployed for – gasp! – a whole week, I considered applying to a job as a prison GP. (I did not, because a locum opportunity came along that morphed into something semi-permanent, and other opportunities fell by the wayside for a while.) “Offender healthcare occupies the grey zone between

Beyond Pride Month: Five Proud Books

This post is inspired by The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain, a delightful book I had the opportunity to read and review recently.  Pride month is over, the stores have taken down their rainbow banners, and companies have reverted from their ROYGBIV-inspired logos. But that doesn’t mean PRIDE is over, or that

A lot of queer stuff, basically

Hullo long-time readers, and new faces. I can hardly keep up with the wildness of our world’s current affairs (and my feelings about them). So, I’m taking a leaf out of Sam’s book** and sharing snippets that, well, I feel like sharing. We got married!  We are now officially “Wifeys for Lifey”. My wife (surreal!)

Mini-Reviews: Medical Non-Fiction

I like to read medical non-fiction. Not textbooks, but the kind of book a layperson with an interest can read, and someone in a medical profession may also enjoy, and learn from. There are three important things I look for in these books: Contributes to the non-medical reader’s understanding/interest of their health and/or bodies in

[Book Review] Every Minute Is A Day by Robert Meyer and Dan Koeppel

Not all COVID-books are for doctors. Like many healthcare workers, I have often turned to narratives to cope with my work, and these have been plentiful during the (COVID) pandemic. But eventually one reaches a point where you can no longer look into the mirror of your daily life – and I have reached that

Why You Should Read “Manage Your Money Like A F*cking Grownup”

There are two books I regularly see younger doctors carrying around, sneaking a chapter during a coffee break or between theatre cases. The first is When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, which I reviewed here. The second is (delightfully titled) Manage Your Money Like a F*cking Grownup by Sam Beckbessinger.  Manage Your Money first

Read This Book: In Shock by Rana Awdish

“In Shock” is about medicine’s broken telephone. It is about our inherent, but often unintentional, disrespect for patients and ourselves. It is about seeking comfort in the wrong ways, and about righting our bad medical habits.

Read This Book: An Unquiet Mind

Redfield-Jamison writes with such intricate self-awareness. It is as though she delicately unfolds her mind, displays its secrets, and then looks toward the reader, prompting, “Now, you.”

An Africa Day Collective

Today is (was) Africa Day. My favourite way of celebrating Africa is by celebrating her literature – and by implication, her narratives. I have loads of posts about South African books, but not one about the continent. Here is a handful of my favourite pan-African books. There are many more. I am shamefully missing a

8th Annual End of Year Bookish Survey

I’m linking up with Jamie’s annual end of year bookish survey again this year.