Pemberley to WaterlooPemberley to Waterloo by Anna Elliott
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Georgiana Darcy is betrothed to an Army officer. When Napoleon escapes and he is called back into active duty, she takes the opportunity to visit him in Belgium. Little does she know that the decisive battle of Waterloo will take place near her lodging and pull her into the anguishes of war.

This is the second book in the series that imagines what happened to Georgiana Darcy after Pride and Prejudice. I didn’t like this one as much as the first one but I did learn more about Waterloo. I’m not sure how I never realized where it was.

The ListThe List by J.A. Konrath
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Chicago detective Tom Mankowski has had a tattoo of a number on his heel since he was a baby. He doesn’t know what it means since he was adopted and has had it prior to that. When a murder victim is found with the same type of tattoo Tom is drawn into finding their connection.

I like books that combine action and humor. This one did it well. I won’t tell you more about the plot because that would ruin the surprise.

Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked UsSalt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Salt, sugar, and fat are the mainstays of the processed food industry. This book investigates why and to what lengths companies are willing to go to make sure that it stays that way.

You may never eat again if you read this book. We listened to the audio on the way to my parents’ house and now the husband is yelling at me because he couldn’t order cheese on his sub yesterday. The day I finished the sugar section that talks a lot about Coke’s marketing, my favorite lunch restaurant got a high tech Coke machine. I usually just have iced tea but I wanted to play with the machine. I kept saying, “You are being manipulated. You are being manipulated,” but I wanted to push the buttons and put orange flavor in my water.

I quit eating most processed food last fall during a nutrition challenge. It was incredibly easy to do and now I’m even more glad I did. The only processed stuff I have in the house is salsa and spaghetti sauce and I choose those with minimal ingredients. The stories in the book amazed me. I was surprised that people care so little about nutrition both as consumers and producers. Even when I bought packaged foods I was an obsessive label reader and always put things back if they were too bad for me. I guess I’m the weird one.