The Lost Apothecary: an enjoyable story

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is the story of three women, alive in different times, but all have suffered at the hands of men. Nella, a female apothecary and once a respected healer, secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them. She has two rules: 1) the poison must never be used to harm another woman and 2) the names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the register. One February evening in 1791, at the back of a dark London alley in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella waits for her newest customer, a precocious 12-year-old named Eliza Fanning, who comes to the shop at the request of her mistress. Their meeting would set in motion a string of events that threatens to expose Nella, her shop and the women who are written in her register. Present day, London, an aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone after she discovers her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she is determined to find it’s origins. Will Caroline find the truth behind the vial? How is it linked to the events surrounding Nella and Eliza? 

I was first drawn to The Lost Apothecary by it’s gorgeous cover. Not knowing much about the story, I picked up the book and dove in. The opening chapter hooked me in as Nella nervously waits for her new client. The story was an easy read, fast paced story as the action picks up when Caroline discovers the vial and half heartedly searches for clues of its past. Soon she is pulled into a mystery that she can’t help but push forward to find the truth. The characters were likeable and unlikeable at times especially Caroline. Yes, she was a woman scorned but sometimes didn’t act like it. Some of the language the author uses was a bit cringey especially at one part when Caroline realizes she has gotten her period. I had to roll my eyes. Also, there were words and phrases used by the characters in 1791 that are true to the time period. As a debut novel for Ms. Penner, I found it was a good story. With time, a bit more polishing and research, I see great works in her future and I look forward to reading more of her works. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend The Lost Apothecary.

The Lost Apothecary is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook. 

Quiet: an in-depth look into the power of introverts

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that can’t stop talking by Susan Cain is an in-depth investigation of the difference between introversion and extroversion and the power of both personality types in business, education and society. Ms. Cain opens with definitions of the two types as well as what they are and aren’t. She explores the history of how extroversion became the desire personality type in American culture. The psychological research which began in the 1920s with Carl Jung’s first coining the terms and, as Ms. Cain claims, the prejudice against introversion, and the current psychological research which shows introversion has its own advantages. Ms. Cain also explores the biology of temperament as well as the possibility that personality types are nurtured as research has shown that heritability of temperament is about 40-50%. She also explores how one can live, work and relate to others according to their personality type.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I slowly read each word and absorbed the information she was providing. As an introvert, I found myself cheering as Ms. Cain spoke against the idea that extroverts are more desired in business, leadership and education. Introversion is more than just shyness. It is sensitivity, seriousness introspection. Almost from the beginning, introversion became a second-class trait considered something between a disappointment and a pathology that needed to be cure. Ms. Cain challenges the notion that extroversion is the better personality in all areas of our lives. I highly recommend Quiet!

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking

is available in all formats at major booksellers