The Grounding Companion by Donna Raskin

The Grounding Companion
by Donna Raskin

ISBN-13: 9780760393109
Hardback: 160 pages
Publisher: Fair Winds Press
Released: February 4, 2025

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The Grounding Companion is your practical guide to using nature as medicine. This compact and gifty reference gives you the fascinating science of grounding and simple grounding practices you can use anywhere, anytime to reap the benefits of this powerful practice.

Electromagnetism and health: the benefits of being outside
The top grounding locations around the world: the earth’s key energy points
Grounding foods and practices
Methods and techniques for grounding: forest bathing to yoga and meditation



My Review:
The Grounding Companion is about 'grounding oneself' in the sense of being aware of the moment you're in and your body, preferably while touching something from nature. It's not about what is popularly called earthing or grounding: putting your bare skin against the grass or dirt, walking barefoot along a seashore or in a creek, etc.

The first chapter described how the body is electrically-based and how man-made EMFs can be harmful. Despite being the chapter on the science behind grounding, only one scientific research article was briefly referred to on the benefits of grounding. The book's definition of a "free radical" doesn't match what I understood it to be nor what a subsequent search of medical websites described it as. Despite some 'science' terms, I felt like the author didn't really understand the topic.

Chapter 2 was on grounding techniques, like have live plants on your desk or touch a stone (while inside) or put your feet on the floor. The author stated that actual contact with the earth/ground is not necessary. In fact, one technique could be done while lying in bed. The techniques are short, breathing-and-movement based meditations 'grounding' you in the moment and in your body to help you deal with anxiety or panic attacks.

The author did mention grounding mats and erroneously stated that "...the mat conducts electricity to your feet through a grounding wire that you plug into an outlet. Some mats come with special adapters to ensure that the electricity is properly grounded." Actually, no electricity is involved and all grounding mats only attach to the ground in the outlet, thus are grounded. There were enough science-based errors up to this point that I just gave up on the book. I can't recommend it.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Cure for Women by Lydia Reeder

The Cure for Women
by Lydia Reeder

ISBN-13: 9781250284457
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Released: December 3, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
After Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to graduate from medical school, more women demanded a chance to study medicine. Barred entrance to universities like Harvard, women built their own first-rate medical schools and hospitals. Their success spurred a chilling backlash from elite, white male physicians who were obsessed with eugenics and the propagation of the white race. Distorting Darwin’s evolution theory, these haughty physicians proclaimed in bestselling books that women should never be allowed to attend college or enter a profession because their menstrual cycles made them perpetually sick. Motherhood was their constitution and duty.

Into the midst of this turmoil marched tiny, dynamic Mary Putnam Jacobi, daughter of New York publisher George Palmer Putnam and the first woman to be accepted into the world-renowned Sorbonne medical school in Paris. As one of the best-educated doctors in the world, she returned to New York for the fight to prove the opposition wrong. Aided by other prominent women physicians and suffragists, Jacobi conducted the first-ever data-backed, scientific research on women's reproductive biology. The results of her studies shook the foundations of medical science and higher education. Full of larger than life characters and cinematically written, The Cure for Women documents the birth of a sexist science still haunting us today as the fight for control of women’s bodies and lives continues.


My Review:
The Cure for Women is about the first women doctors in America, the men who opposed them, and the fight for women to be accepted at male medical schools. It's more about what the author felt about the various people and events than quotes of what the women themselves said. The information about Mary Putnam Jacobi only took up about a third of the book. The book started by telling about the Blackwell sisters and a couple of other prominent women doctors, then we got into Mary's life. But the author tended to digress and give biographies and backstories for anyone new introduced into the story. For example, there's a chapter detailing a male doctor's 'rest cure' for women which also told details about several woman who took his cure, one dying afterward and the others finally breaking free of all male restraints to live healthy lives.

I hadn't expected so many biographies beyond Mary's and felt like they slowed the pacing and sometimes didn't even have to do with Mary's interesting story. Also, the author portrayed men as controlling, manipulative, childishly hateful, and basically willing to torture and subjugate women to achieve their own goals. She's convinced me that some of the main male opponents were pretty horrible people, but the supportive men were barely mentioned.

As Mary apparently published a lot of her research, and a number of the women doctors were the first to do things that other schools and hospitals later picked up, I'd expected more of a focus on what they accomplished. I was fascinated by Mary's innovative research showing that the menstrual cycle did not indicate that a woman was 'in heat' nor was it a sign of reoccurring weakness. Instead, this book was written as an epic battle between clever, independent women and white supremist males determined to force women back into a role of baby-making machines.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes, Vol. 5 by Liese Sherwood-Fabre

The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes Volume Five by Liese Sherwood-Fabre ISBN-13: 9781952408366 ebook Publisher: Little Elm Press, LLC Released: December 15, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
Volume V of The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes explores the cultural, scientific, and historical allusions found throughout Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective stories. This collection of essays unpacks twenty-four topics mentioned in the original mysteries, from everyday details like hats and plumbing to complex issues such as international spying, the binomial theorem, and relations with Russia. Through such insights, readers gain a deeper understanding of the Victorian world in which Holmes operated.

Other essays explore both the familiar and the obscure, touching on subjects like the KKK’s presence in England, the significance of whaling, and legal concepts like insanity and blackmail. Unique cultural topics—such as the role of curry in the British Empire, the rise of bohemianism, and the Victorian obsession with rejuvenation through animal hormones—reveal the rich complexity of the era. The collection also features a bonus essay on Sarah Cushing from The Adventure of the Cardboard Box, offering fresh insight into one of the most sinister characters in the Canon.

The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes provides a compelling lens through which readers gain a deeper understanding of the historical and social backdrop of the Holmes mysteries.


My Review:
The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of 24 short essays on the historical context of things mentioned in Sherlock Holmes stories. Each essay was inspired by a comment or incident in a Sherlock Holmes story, and we're told where the essay topic is mentioned. We're given a brief history or background information on the topic. The footnotes show that most of the information was found online, so you could look up much of this information for yourself if so motivated. Overall, this is an interesting and informative read.

Topics covered include types of hats, the binomial theorem, astronomy, plumber's smoke rockets and indoor plumbing, Ku Klux Klan, makeup, whaling industry, insurance policies, Bohemia, lunatic asylums, Russia, spices, hormone therapy (specifically with testosterone), suicide, crowns, spies, wax figures, Australia, counterfeiting, newspapers, domestic violence, Vaseline, blackmail, automata. Also included is an essay reprinted from 2028 on the character Sarah Cushing.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Mysterious Case of the Victorian Female Detective by Sara Lodge

The Mysterious Case of the Victorian Female Detective
by Sara Lodge

ISBN-13: 9780300277883
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Yale University Press
Released: November 5, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
From Wilkie Collins to the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the traditional image of the Victorian detective is male. Few people realise that women detectives successfully investigated Victorian Britain, working both with the police and for private agencies, which they sometimes managed themselves.

Sara Lodge recovers these forgotten women’s lives. She also reveals the sensational role played by the fantasy female detective in Victorian melodrama and popular fiction, enthralling a public who relished the spectacle of a cross-dressing, fist-swinging heroine who got the better of love rats, burglars, and murderers alike.

How did the morally ambiguous work of real women detectives, sometimes paid to betray their fellow women, compare with the exploits of their fictional counterparts, who always save the day? Lodge’s book takes us into the murky underworld of Victorian society on both sides of the Atlantic, revealing the female detective as both an unacknowledged labourer and a feminist icon.


My Review:
The Mysterious Case of the Victorian Female Detective looks at both real and fictional female detectives in Victorian Britain. The author looked at specific examples of the female detective in fiction (both writing and theater) and commented on how these women reflected on the time period they were written in and how they were a commentary on their times, too. The author also examined real life examples of women who solved crimes or worked for private inquiry agencies or the official police force and how the reality contrasted with the fictional depictions.

While the book covered some details about the type of work these women really did, a lot of the book (especially near the end) was more commentary on the social context. This was interesting, but I was hoping for more information on what they really did--which, apparently, was often obscured by a tendency to glamorize the job to fit the fictional action heroine stereotype. Overall, I'd recommend this book to those who want to know more about women detectives in the mid- to late-1800s in Britain.

When Courage Calls by Sarah C. Williams

When Courage Calls
by Sarah C. Williams

ISBN-13: 9781399803731
Kindle: 356 pages
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Released: September 12, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Millicent Fawcett, the leader of the British suffragist movement, described Josephine Butler as 'the most distinguished English woman of the nineteenth century'. Among the first feminist activists, Butler raised public awareness of the plight of destitute women, worked to address human trafficking and led a vigorous campaign to secure equal rights for women before the law.

Social historian Sarah C. Williams presents a re-examined biography of the radical political activist Josephine Butler. From the beauty of her childhood in Northumbria, to the stifling intellectual environment of mid-Victorian Oxford; from the impoverished streets of Liverpool and the brothels of London, Brussels and Paris, to the offices of Westminster and the Houses of Parliament. Butler's relentless drive to secure rights for women against the sexual double standard of her day captures a remarkable woman with deeply held values for equality.

Underpinning Butler's public life of political activism lies the full corpus of her writing and the spirituality that grounded her activism. When Courage Calls offers a profound examination of Butler's inner life of prayer, defined by her radical sense of justice that was able to transform Victorian society.

My Review:
When Courage Calls is a biography of Josephine Butler. I knew she'd done much to help women (especially children) trapped in prostitution. She was able to bring together people that normally wouldn't work together and even gathered support for similar work in Europe. I had expected much of the biography to be focused on the details of that work, and the book did cover some of that.

However, Josephine's faith played a motivating role in why she did what she did, so much of this book covered Josephine's Christian faith and the role she felt that prayer played in political activism. She wrote several books about other people, which we're told about and which provided several quotes that showed what she believed. There were also some quotes from various speeches she gave along with a summary of what she said and was trying to accomplish.

This biography was more of an overview of her life and beliefs rather than full of details and action. Perhaps those details no longer exist as Josephine refused to write about herself. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting biography.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

PEMF by Bryant A. Meyers

PEMF: The Fifth Element of Health by Bryant A. Meyers

ISBN-13: 978-1452579221
Paperback: 236 pages
Publisher: BalboaPress
Released: August 16, 2013

Source: free trial audio book.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
You probably know that food, water, sunlight, and oxygen are required for life, but there is a fifth element of health that is equally vital: the Earth’s magnetic field and its corresponding PEMFs (pulsed electromagnetic fields). The two main components of Earth’s PEMFs, the Schumann and Geomagnetic frequencies, are so essential that NASA and the Russian space program equip their spacecrafts with devices that replicate these frequencies. These frequencies are absolutely necessary for the human body’s circadian rhythms, energy production, and even keeping the body free from pain. But we are no longer getting enough of these life-nurturing energies of the earth. In this book, we’ll explore the current problem and how the new science of PEMF therapy (a branch of energy medicine), based on modern quantum field theory, is the solution to this problem, with many benefits: eliminate pain and inflammation naturally; get deep, rejuvenating sleep; keep your bones strong and healthy; improve circulation and heart health; and more.


My Review:
PEMF: The Fifth Element of Health is about the five elements needed for health, including earth-based frequencies in the range of 1-30 Hz. The author spent a lot of time trying to use some Eastern ideas (like fire, water, earth, air) as his structure for why we need to buy an expensive PEMF mat with earth frequencies. He also seemed to feel that Newton physics was wrong and only quantum physics explained things as it better fit with his belief system. Most people accept that both are accurate, and the author then proceeded to behave as if Newton physics is accurate. I could have done with less of his belief system and more about the benefits of PEMF. When he did get to the parts about PEMFs, he talked about scientific research done studying earth frequencies and the most healing wave forms, intensities, etc. I found this information useful.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Fourth Phase of Water by Gerald H. Pollack

The Fourth Phase of Water
by Gerald H. Pollack

ISBN-13: 9780962689543
Paperback: 358 pages
Publisher: Ebner and Sons Publishers
Released: May 1, 2013

Source: free audio book.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
World renowned scientist, Dr. Gerald Pollack, takes us on a fantastic voyage through water, showing us a hidden universe teeming with physical activity— providing simple explanations for common everyday phenomena, which you have inevitably seen but not really understood. For instance, have you ever wondered: How do clouds made up of dense water droplets manage to float in the sky? Why don’t your joints squeak as they rub together? Why do you sink in dry sand, but not in wet sand? How does capillary action manage to raise water up a 100 foot tree? Why does warm water freeze quicker than cool water?

Pollack uses a recent and fundamental scientific finding— EZ water—to help explain these and many other head-scratchers. When touching most surfaces, water transforms itself into Exclusion Zone water, also known as structured water or fourth phase water. EZ water, whose formula is H3O2, differs dramatically from H2O. And, there is a lot of it, everywhere.


My Review:
The Fourth Phase of Water explains the latest research done by the author on how water acts. He talked about why research into water has been avoided for a while, some mysteries that still need to be solved, and about the 4th phase of water, which seems to explain some of these mysteries. It's intended for anyone to be able to read and understand, and you can probably follow his points well enough if you've had high school science classes. However, it's really geared toward scientists or those really interested in water. He talked about the water mystery, how they set up the experiments, and their findings that help explain water's behavior. I'd recommend this book, but be ready for a real science-focused book.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.