Welcome to the monthly book review! At the end of each month, I review the books I’ve read. Enjoy!

The Book: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

The Category: Biography

In Three Words: Giant Apple Ego.

Biggest Takeaway: As many have said, this may be the most brutally honest biography ever published while the subject was still alive. Tears, tantrums, cold silences and hot fury abounded in Jobs’ life and relationships. And yet, readers can’t help but feel admiration for this man’s vision and dedication to the intersection of technology and humanity.

The Book: Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari

The Category: Sociology/Humor (this book defies categorization, in a great way)

In Three Words: Dating Game Change.

Biggest Takeaway: This book wasn’t what I expected, and I LOVED that. It was funny, sure, but so much smarter than the average comedian’s tome. It was well-researched, well-documented and packed with information about the past, present and future of dating. From marrying your neighbor to the advent of internet dating to SnapChat, this book is a fascinating and sometimes humorous look at how we find love in the modern era.

The Book: The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

The Category: Historical Fiction

In Three Words: WWII love, murder.

Biggest Takeaway: I am awed by Morton’s attention to detail; I’m not an expert on Blitz-era London, or even modern London, but I’d like to bet there are no anachronisms in this book. That said, I felt that the descriptions of setting and culture sometimes slowed the plot down, which is a typical complaint for me with historical fiction. Great twist ending in this one, but don’t be surprised if you feel a little cheated by it.

The Book: 10% Human by Alanna Collen

The Category: Nonfiction, Human Health Science

In Three Words: Gut health: critical!

Biggest Takeaway: I’m not even sure how this ended up in my library bag, because science is my least favorite subject. But I found myself literally gasping as I read and interrupting my husband to tell him the newest thing I’d learned about microbes, gut health, and the downside of antibiotics. This book was a mind-changer for me, but it has a moderate tone that will appeal to skeptics and believers alike. Please, please read this book. It will make you smarter about your own health, your children’s health and the sociology of human illness.

The Book: Beach Town by Mary Kay Andrews

The Category: Women’s Fiction

In Three Words: Painful beach read.

Biggest Takeaway: I would not have bothered finishing this book if I hadn’t been listening to it via audiobook and liked the reader; I also feel loyalty to Mary Kay Andrews based on some of her past books. But this book was- and I’m not exaggerating- at least twice as long as it should have been. The narrator repeated herself constantly, and there were superfluous details about the making of the movie that gives the book its name. The characters were flat, motivation was lacking, and the ending much too rushed and unrealistic. Not Andrews’ best-edited novel by any means.

The Book: Write Better, Faster by Monica Leonelle

The Category: Writing Advice

In Three Words: Outline, track, commit.

Biggest Takeaway: I was skeptical that this book would teach me how to write better AND faster, and in a way I was right- I did learn how to write faster, but not necessarily better. However, the “faster” part was enough to sell the book; the “better” is up to me. The best advice I’ll be using is to set up timed blocks for writing (pomodoro-style) and outlining more thoroughly, which I admit I didn’t do enough of when I first started writing Waist, and I think that’s one reason it took me so many drafts to finish. I’m not a proponent of pushing books out into the marketplace as quickly as Leonelle, but I admit there’s some room for improvement between speed-writing and creative space.

Have you read any of these books? Did you enjoy them? What has been on your bookshelf this month?