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Why Are You Sick? (Audiobook)
The audiobook starts by pulling back the curtain on the lies and myths we’ve all been fed about health. From the first chapter, the narrator makes it clear that this is not another fad diet manual or a magic-pill promise. Instead, he introduces what the author calls the Ultimate Health Model™, a framework that connects cellular health with lifestyle factors like breathing, sleep, water, food, movement, environment, and even thoughts and feelings. He threads personal stories of loss, his own health struggles, and years of research into a narrative that pushes the reader to think differently about sickness. By the end, it feels less like a lecture and more like a wake-up call to reclaim agency over our bodies.
Listening to the audiobook, I found myself reacting in waves. At times, I was nodding along with genuine excitement, especially when Smith explained concepts like structured water or the overlooked role of chronic dehydration. The narrator’s voice is soothing but carries conviction, which makes the listening experience feel calming and informative. The narrator’s passion kept me engaged, and I couldn’t help but admire the author’s dedication to challenging the status quo.
The mix of narrators, Gillian Williams, GM Hakim, Tom Wayland, and Rachel Sloane, keeps the audiobook lively and dynamic, each voice adding its own energy and tone, and hearing directly from the author himself makes the experience feel even more personal and authentic.
The book feels personal. Author Benjamin Smith shares stories of losing loved ones to cancer, his own battles with asthma and fatigue, and the frustration of watching mainstream medicine ignore what he sees as obvious connections. That vulnerability gave weight to his arguments. I also liked how he broke up serious topics with humor, casual asides, and even a few sharp words. It made the audiobook feel conversational. It was heartfelt and, at times, surprisingly inspiring.
I’d recommend Why Are You Sick? to anyone who feels stuck in their health journey and wants a fresh perspective. It’s not an audiobook for someone looking for a rigid plan or a neat list of do’s and don’ts. It’s more for the curious, the frustrated, and the open-minded listener who’s willing to sift through bold ideas, personal stories, and unconventional advice to find what resonates. If you like your audiobooks passionate and provocative, this one might be exactly what you need.
6 Hours and 22 Minutes | ASIN : B0FN4S3DMB
She Who Was Severed
The story follows Freya Thorne, a young woman condemned to the Severing, a ritual that strips the unworthy of their very identity. In Selvarra, worth is measured by the beasts you bond with and the divine magic you wield. Freya fails. She’s left unbonded, cast into the margins, and expected to fade away. But instead of vanishing, something older and darker takes root inside her. A chain that awakens when everything else has abandoned her. What unfolds is both survival and defiance as she discovers a hidden path, the Ashen Chain, and begins carving out a destiny no one planned for her.
The prose is sharp, almost like it’s meant to cut, but there’s beauty in that edge. Kaye doesn’t waste words, and the imagery lingers. Blood, ash, chains that breathe. The writing feels alive, dangerous even, and I found myself rereading sentences just to taste them again. Sometimes it was overwhelming, like being dragged under by a tide, but it always felt deliberate, like the author wanted me to breathe with Freya, to choke when she did. There were moments I felt both exhilarated and unsettled, which, honestly, is exactly what I want in a fantasy like this.
As for the characters, they don’t come polished. Freya’s anger, her hunger, her brokenness, they’re messy and raw, and that’s what made me care. Kellen is fire wrapped in restraint, and their dynamic has this slow-burning pull that had me tensing every time they shared a scene. It’s not clean romance; it’s jagged and full of what-ifs. The world itself is merciless, dressed in ceremony and illusion but rotten underneath. That contrast between beauty and brutality made me furious at times. I hated how the system treated the Severed, and yet I loved how the story leaned into that cruelty to show what resistance really looks like.
By the end, I wasn’t just reading a fantasy about chains and beasts. I was sitting with questions about who gets to decide worth, about the violence of erasure, and about the power in refusing to disappear. It’s a dark book, but also strangely hopeful, like a flame in the ash that refuses to go out.
I’d recommend She Who Was Severed to readers who like their fantasy fierce and unflinching, who want characters that bleed and bite instead of saints who smile through suffering. If you liked The Poppy War or Serpent & Dove, you’ll probably love this too. It’s not for those looking for easy escapes, but if you want a story that claws at you and won’t let go, this is it.
Pages: 313 | ASIN : B0FKCM3L3D
Seven Blank Pages
Seven Blank Pages is a memoir that moves like a journey across continents, emotions, and inner landscapes. Whitney Joy begins with moments of adventure, like skydiving, climbing mountains, traveling across oceans, and layers them with the heartbreak of divorce, the weight of grief, and the stubborn hope of starting over. It is not just a travel story. It’s a meditation on risk, resilience, and the search for meaning. Alongside stories of luxury events in glittering cities and treks up rocky summits, there’s a raw exploration of loss, intuition, and self-discovery. Each chapter feels like both a leap into the unknown and a homecoming to the self.
Reading this book felt like sitting across from a friend who isn’t afraid to tell you the truth, even when it stings. The writing is vivid and alive, with scenes that pull you into the cold air of the mountains, the glitter of jewels, or the ache of an unraveling marriage. I admired how Joy didn’t polish her story into a neat, triumphant arc. Instead, she showed the messy middle. The contradictions. The laughter that comes right after tears. That made it feel honest, even when her choices or perspectives made me pause. At times, the spiritual themes like manifestation, energy work, and intuition felt a little far out for me, but they were written with such sincerity that I couldn’t dismiss them.
I also found myself swept up by the sheer energy of her life. The speed of her career, the intensity of her relationships, the extremes of both risk and beauty. It made me reflect on how often I play it safe. Her story cracked open that little voice in me that asks, “What would happen if I leapt?”
I closed the book feeling both stirred and unsettled, in the best way. Seven Blank Pages is for people standing at the edge of something new, whether that’s an ending, a beginning, or the wild in-between. It’s for readers who crave adventure and honesty more than tidy answers. And it’s for anyone willing to believe, even just a little, that magic might still be possible.
Pages: 297
Seeing Their Own Potential
Through a series of rhyming questions and whimsical illustrations, What Would You Do? encourages kids to dream big, take chances, and believe in themselves. What was the inspiration for your story?
I have always had a problem with confidence which led me to have a very difficult time growing up. When I write, I am really talking to myself and I know a LOT of kids deal with the same feelings. I want to help them overcome their lack of self-esteem and believe in what they are capable of. Children are amazing and have so much potential! They just need to see that in themselves and believe they can be anything they want to be!! It’s literally painful to grow up with feelings of insecurity and you end up hiding in a shell and never really being the person you’re capable of being. They miss so much joy and enthusiasm for your dreams. I want to help them instill in themselves belief in who they can be.
Your childrens book shows kids that their dreams are possible to achieve as long as they are willing to believe in themself. What were some educational aspects that were important for you to include in this children’s book?
I intentionally created the diversity of the characters in the book to show that no matter who you are, where you live or what your circumstances, there are other children throughout the world that have the same feelings. Knowing that can sometimes help a child to not feel different and have a comfort in knowing that they’re not alone in their feelings. A lack of confidence makes a child feel very lonely and want to keep to themselves. By creating a “universal” story, it will hopefully open their eyes to see that other children have the same feelings which, though it may be long distance, it creates a feeling of community.
What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?
I love the scene with the dragon and the boy fighting from the wheelchair, rather than on a white steed, and then taking the dragon home for a pet! Again, it shows no matter what your circumstances, anything is possible if you believe in yourself!
What story are you currently in the middle of writing?
I actually have several that I’m working on. I keep getting different ideas so I have to stop what I’m working on to write down a new idea that popped in my head. They all approach the same subject but each with its own unique storyline. What Will You Do? will probably always be my favorite because it helped me overcome my fears “of not being good enough.” I pushed past my doubts and looked in the mirror and said “I believe in me!” It’s a GREAT feeling and I want every child that reads my books to experience that same feeling!
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
No matter who you are or where you live, everyone has the same thing in common…dreams, dreams that may seem impossible. “What Would You Do?” shows that they are possible as long as you’re willing to believe in yourself. Our fears hold us back but one thing is true, our happiness lies just outside our comfort zone. So keep dreaming, believe in you and make those dreams come true!
So many things
in the world to try.
If you’re afraid
they may pass you by.
The pages of this book
will show you the way
to overcome your fears
so start reading today!
A Letter Home
Soos Creek: A Celebration of Place is a collection of essays about a stream just outside Seattle, sharing with readers the trails, wildlife, geology, and weather of this little-known place, and building a case for why the ordinary is often extraordinary, if you are paying attention. Why was this an important book for you to write?
As my parents aged, they stopped traveling. When I realized they would never again visit me at my home the Pacific Northwest, I found that I wanted to continue to share with them small details about my life as it unfolded 900 miles away. So each chapter of the book became something like a letter home, describing in great detail some small event in my natural surroundings, attempting to create a vivid sense of location and presence. At some subconscious level, I suppose I was aiming to magically transport my parents here.
Your book blends several writing styles to share your message. What were some key ideas that were important for you to share?
I wanted to show what new understandings can open up when we take the time to notice fine details in the natural world, particularly details that change seasonally. I also wanted readers to share my personal surprise and delight with small new discoveries that are possible every day.
The writing in your essays is artful and creative, giving readers a feeling that they are sitting and having a conversation with you. Was it a conscious effort to write in this fashion, or is this style of writing reflective of your writing style in general?
Adam Rapoport, a now-retired editor for GQ and Bon Appetit magazines, was extremely influential in my development as an author. He had a wonderful conversational style, expansive curiosity, and a gentle, often gently self-deprecating humor that made for delightful reading. In the two decades that I regularly wrote editorials for a medical journal, I practiced creating a similar narrative voice. It seemed to me this would be the best writing style for the Soos Creek project as well.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when is that book due out?
After Soos Creek was completed, and during the Covid lockdown, I wrote my first book of poetry (Mirror to the Clockwork Sky: Poems of Nature and Science–also available at Amazon Books). Now I am working on a second book of poetry, tentatively titled Thermal, which will explore global warming, temperature extremes, and phase changes. I hope to have it completed by August 2026.
Author Links: Amazon
The Reluctant Womb
Pamela Blair’s The Reluctant Womb is a sweeping and emotional novel that traces the stories of women whose lives are shaped by love, loss, and the brutal lack of reproductive freedom in the decades before Roe v. Wade. From the 1940s through the turbulence of the 1960s and 70s, and into the reunions of the 2000s, Blair threads together family histories, friendships, and the deeply personal choices women are forced to make in a world that often refuses to see them. The book is raw and unsettling, yet also layered with tenderness, memory, and the stubborn hope of survival.
The writing is vivid, sometimes painfully so, with scenes of birth, secrecy, and shame that I could almost feel in my own body. I was both gripped and unsettled, sometimes angry, sometimes sad. The characters didn’t feel distant on the page; they felt close, almost as though I was eavesdropping on someone’s private memories. Blair doesn’t dress things up. She doesn’t soften the edges. That honesty made me uncomfortable at times, but in a way that felt necessary, like being shaken awake.
At the same time, there’s something beautiful in the way she writes about friendship and endurance. The bonds between the women, fragile, tested, and mended, pulled me in the most. I found myself rooting for them, even when their choices felt messy or painful. There’s a kind of quiet rebellion in their persistence to keep moving forward, even when society seemed determined to box them in. I also loved the historical backdrop, the way the political and cultural shifts of the ’60s and ’70s bled into their personal stories without ever feeling forced. It felt alive, like history not in textbooks but in living rooms and whispered phone calls.
This book is not light reading. But if you want a story that digs into the guts of what it means to be a woman in a time of constraint, and if you’re open to sitting with some discomfort along the way, I think you’ll find it powerful. It’s for readers who want more than a smooth ride, who don’t mind being left with questions that gnaw a little. For me, The Reluctant Womb was both heartbreaking and affirming.
Pages: 414 | ASIN : B0FF2S8DZ7
Gynarchy’s Golden Sire
The story picks up in the Zhiva Legacy universe, a strange and intoxicating place where women rule absolutely, men are property, and technology blurs the line between flesh and machine. The story opens with Erin Prisco as she struggles to reconcile her new role as a Duchess in the Gynarchy with her lingering feelings for Ethan, a man now trapped in the system of control. The narrative weaves her political and personal dilemmas together with Ethan’s harrowing descent into the Institution of Male Education, where bodies and minds are broken down to be rebuilt in submission. Running alongside these arcs is the scheming of Dr. Morgana Bennett, whose obsession with revenge pushes her into darker and darker manipulations. The book also threads in flashbacks and interludes, like the Patel children’s tragic past, which add weight and scope to the wider galactic power plays. It’s equal parts political intrigue, erotic dystopia, and space opera.
I was blown away by the sheer ambition of this world. The Gynarchy feels vivid and lived-in, equal parts terrifying and fascinating. The author leans into sensory description, making scenes lush and immersive. The erotic content isn’t just window dressing. It’s tied tightly to the politics, the power, and the characters’ own battles with identity. I sometimes found myself jarred by how clinical certain scenes of control and humiliation were, almost like reading a medical report stitched into a love story. As though the intensity tipped from emotional to procedural. I admired how unflinchingly the book asked me to confront the mix of desire, shame, and survival.
Erin feels caught in a tug-of-war between vulnerability and authority, and I often sympathized with her. Ethan, meanwhile, broke my heart. His resistance against the collar’s influence felt raw and real, and I think his chapters carried the most emotional punch. Morgana, on the other hand, is larger than life in her cruelty, and while she’s a compelling villain, her obsession sometimes teetered into melodrama. What I appreciated most, though, was that none of these characters felt safe. The book thrives on tension, political, sexual, and personal, and it kept me on edge in a way I didn’t expect.
Gynarchy’s Golden Sire is a bold, confrontational, and deliberately uncomfortable book, and I think that’s its greatest strength. If you’re willing to dive into a world where power, sex, and politics are tangled in ways that are sometimes ugly and sometimes beautiful, then you’ll find something here worth wrestling with. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy dark science fiction with erotic and psychological edges, people who want their stories to provoke as much as they entertain.
Pages: 350 | ASIN : B0DFKD7LCT
LITERARY TITAN 