"The Source" by Tara Swart. This is a fascinating book that combines neuroscience and spirituality. It's a dive into the knowledge of how our brain actually functions and a practical guide on how we can use our brain to help us get where we want in life. Through the author's extensive experience with her research, patients and own life, it becomes obvious, how much we indeed are able to co-create our realities together with our brains. This book will tell how this is possible for you; how you can go on a self-discovery trip to find your authenticity and the best, happiest life.

In Donna Leon's crime novel "Dressed for Death" comissario Brunetti from the Venetian police is investigating a murder that was called on in from Marghera. The person who found the body had reported about a dead woman, but it turns out that in fact, the corpse belongs to a man who is wearing ladies' clothing. Who is this brutally murdered transvestite – or is she/he one – and why was the body transported to the fields in the middle of nowhere? Brunetti is hoping to solve the murder and join his family on the long-awaited holiday trip to the mountains, but it seems to be a tricky one. Little by little the pieces are starting to come together and there then there are more corpses found… This story was particularly interesting to me, as I was staying in Marghera while reading it!

Donna Leon has a very unique and descriptive way of writing, which gives a lot of insight to the life in Venice. The storytelling is quite slow, but not in a way that makes the reader impatient – the murder mysteries are fascinating! I highly recommending all the books from this series (there are almost 30 Brunetti novels!) to anyone who enjoys a good crime story.

Another of Donna Leon's crime novels “Death at La Fenice” (the first book in the Brunetti series) is very different from “Dressed for Death”. This book was a total page-turner and I was eager to follow Brunetti's detective work while investigating a world-famous conductor's murder at the Opera. Even though there is often politics and bigger schemes included in Donna Leon's books, this murder mystery is a very personal one – a sad and touching one, too. It will give you the creeps, but the story keeps you in its spell from start to finish!

"Why Won't You Apologize? Healing Big Betrayals and Everyday Hurts" by Harriet Lerner is a brilliant book and explores everything around these three significant words: I am sorry. Lerner writes about the gifts of apologizing, challenges around it – especially defensiveness – , how to ideally react to one, the ingredients of a heart-felt apology, as well as why apologizing is so hard to us. It initially sounds like such familiar ground to us, as we all have been apologized to, as well as apologized to others so often in our lives, but I learned a lot of new things – the aspect of defensiveness was interesting, as well as the concrete steps to better apologies and reacting to them. Harriet Lerner has a light and pleasant style of writing; it's easy to follow and understand the content!

“Together – the Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World” by Vivek Murthy is a fantastic read! Have you ever tried to define loneliness? This is an accurate topic for me during my voyage, as I am en route by myself. What I didn't know is that research proves how human connection can actually have a significant impact on our health. Throughout his book, Murthy explores what loneliness actually is, how human connection can be built and how it affects us, by describing his colourful experiences and plenty of research. The book is skilfully written and is interesting from start to finish!

The “Joona Linna” series of Lars Kepler - my absolute favourite crime novel series of all times! The seven-book series takes place in Sweden and evolves around the Finnish-born crime detective Joona Linna. These books are gripping and loaded with danger, mind-tricks and brilliance – the crimes are horrific, but the stories behind them are so well-planned and twisted that I can only admire the writers behind the Kepler pseudonym. Highly recommended for Nordic Noir fans – do read the books in chronological order, as there is a plot to follow around the detective.

"What Happens Now", also by Sophia Money Coutt, is equally funny as her debut novel, but with a slightly different general vibe. Lil goes out on a date after having broken up with her long-term boyfriend, and ends up getting pregnant. Her date ghosted her and she is left alone with a huge decision. Luckily, she is not on her own when dealing with it all, as she has warm-hearted friends, a supportive family and work mates. Eventually also the baby dad gets into the picture. I highly recommend the audiobook version of the novel, which is read by the author herself.

My most recent chick-lit find are Sophia Money-Coutts' book: "The Plus One" is a about Polly's struggles with her not-so-great job at a magazine, helping her best friend to organize a wedding with a guy Polly is not 100 % convinced of and supporting her mom fighting illness when suddenly a potential plus one candidate for the wedding turns up in her life. Should he be trusted, even though everyone around her seems to be suspicious? Lough-out-loud everyday humour about an almost thirty year-old woman's life in London.

Sophie Kinsella is my all-time favourite chick-lit author. Not only her impressive shopaholic series, but also the stand-alone novels have me roaring with laughter and feel-good giddiness - whenever needed I return to one of these favourites. Her newest novel, the 9th book in the shopaholic series, "Chrtismas Shopaholic" is a total gem! I admit that I worried that the series would start becoming boring or "just not like it used to be" and I had been a little sceptical about the books being published after the 6th novel in the series, but I was in for a positive surprise. With a new twist, but with the old atmosphere, Becky Brandon is back as brilliant as ever and had me feeling so delighted throughout the entire book. Becky and her family have moved out of London to the countryside, she has a new job at her best friend's company and Christmas is just around the corner - for the first time ever Becky is hosting it. Becky's parents are moving to trendy Shoreditch, her sister Jess is back in town and there seems to be all kind of tension in the air. A great laugh-out-louad pre-Christmas read!

@ cassandra@zaeske.fi