Book Blog???

Confession:  When I was in middle school, I was required to read EVERY NIGHT for 30 mins.  Then, my mom/dad had to sign a log that I had completed this ridiculous assignment.  At 14, I thought I had better things to do with my evenings: IM people on AOL, watch "Dawson's Creek", discuss "Dawson's Creek" with Chelsey.  As a result of this "forced reading", I started pretending to read.  That's right!  I preferred to space-out and just turn the page when I thought I would have completed it.

It was "Harry Potter" that got me to finally enjoy reading.  But nothing has been as influential as my book club.  I LOVE reading now!  Even as I type this, I'm looking longingly at my next book...  So, you'll have to forgive me if I have turned this blog into only book reviews.  But, I'm excited about reading again!

That being said, here is what I've been reading:

"Still Alice" by Lisa Genova:  I knew I had to read this when I found out that it was about a woman who develops Alzheimer's Disease (AD).  My grandmother developed Parkinson's and then AD when she was in her seventies.  Since both are thought to be hereditary, I have always been a bit curious about both.  For me, this book was amazing...possibly one of my top 10 favorites. 

The main character, Alice, is a professor at Harvard who discovers she has developed Alzheimer's at 50 (early onset AD is completely new to me).  The book follows her thoughts as she becomes more affected by AD and as her family works to deal with it's effects on her and them.  I loved that the book felt more uplifting than sad...though definitely sad in places.  I also appreciated seeing AD through the patient's perspective; and it felt very accurate to me.  I highly, highly recommend this one...especially if you have lost a loved one from this horrible disease.

"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" by Mark Haddon:  This one is a bit harder...  I read a lot of great reviews before I bought it.  Then, I read a lot of bad reviews.  People who had knowledge of autism, or in some cases individuals with autism, did not feel as if is was a correct portrayal of an autistic mind.  I made a note in my head to remember that while I was reading it, but it was not necessary.  Based on the very little knowledge I have of autism, I thought the reviews were harsh.  I have a cousin with autism, and he is very, very different from this character.  But I don't think it's a far stretch to assume that autism could affect someone the way that it affects the main character, Christopher.  I also thought that that the book was raw, honest, and somewhat interesting. 

But here's the kicker...I didn't really like it that much.  I can't even explain why...