Summa Readin

I gotta keep readin this summa or imma start spellin like this! Haha no but in actuality I really do like to read. I do a lot of it on my ipad (never thought I would convert to ebooks but it's actually pretty handy). I have some recommended summer reading for my public health program which have all turned out to be pretty interesting. I would definitely recommend The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, it was on the nonfiction bestsellers list for a while a couple years ago for a reason. It's fantastic. The writing is personable and the chapters alternate between the present and the past when Henrietta Lacks lived. It chronicles how her cells have been used to create an immortal cell line that has been used in everything from the polio vaccine to caner treatments, all without her family knowing. There's not too much complicated science (the author simplifies it as best as possible) and it will really get you thinking about healthcare justice. I've also got Guns, Germs, and Steel along with Freakanomics that I plan to read before school starts.

The summer reading of a public health student. 

One surprisingly good pick was Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Yes the one with a movie that came out earlier this summer. The one that my dad thought was incredibly stupid and should be followed up with George Washington Male Prostitute. But it really wasn't that stupid, in fact the author tied in slavery, vampirism, and the Civil War so well that I had to stop and remind myself a couple times that this was just fiction. So give it a try!

via Amazon

In addition, if you like rather longer books I would also recommend The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. Another book about vampires (I swear I'm not obsessed and I'm not about to recommend Twilight), but this one instead focuses on the modern day search for Dracula. It involves lots of history and stops in Istanbul, Romania, and Bulgaria just to name a few. Very cool and mysterious for those who can stand to read books over 500 pages (it goes by fast).  It's also one of those books  I wish I had someone to talk about with after I was done, but alas no one has read it.

via Amazon

Again, I apologize for the fact that several of the books I've recommended are about vampires; this definitely wasn't intentional! Although maybe semi-ironic since I've also been  reading about epidemics and mass illnesses? I would appreciate any recommendations; read any good books recently?