Book Review: Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Alice is not quite 50 years old when she starts forgetting things here and there. She figures it may be related to menopause, until she gets lost in her own neighborhood one day. Frightened, she goes to the doctor thinking it could still be menopause or a brain tumor, only to end up with a diagnosis of Early Onset Alzheimers.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova delves into her life over the next year. Telling her family and watching them react in many different ways. Facing the end of her prestigious career as a Harvard University professor. Dealing with the everyday struggles one encounters when memory is diminishing rapidly. Losing her independence. Forgetting everyone and everything she loves.

I was fascinated by this book. My own grandmother had Alzheimer's (not Early Onset) and I have to say I wish I had been able to read this book back then. I think it would have provided me with a clearer understanding of what she was going through, and helped me support her more effectively. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a loved one with this disease.

We discussed this book in my book club, and some of the women mentioned that it was a bit scary to read it as they sometimes forget things themselves. But we all felt it was a worthwhile read, and very realistic. The author, Lisa Genova, is a neuroscientist who uses her years of experience in this field to really get into the mind of an Alzheimer's patient. The story is told from Alice's perspective and is so realistic it's almost eerie. Although heartbreaking and real, the book is also quite engaging and a very quick read.

My Rating: 5/5

Reading group guide and discussion questions for Still Alice

This review was written based on a copy of Still Alice that I borrowed from my local library.

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Banned Books Week: Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park

This is the end of Banned Books Week and unfortunately, I haven't had a lot of time to write about banned books this year. But I did want to include at least one post about it, so today I wanted to share one of the book series that it seems most people are surprised to find on the list: Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park.

According to Wikipedia:
The Junie B. Jones series came in at #71 on the American Library Association's list of the Top 100 Banned or Challenged Books from 2000-2009. Reasons cited are poor social values taught by the books and Junie B. Jones not being considered a good role model due to her mouthiness and bad spelling/grammar. This is an interesting example of a banned book. Many times there are serious, controversial topics featured in books that are challenged. Things like homosexuality, drugs, vulgar language, etc. You can actually understand why people may not want their children to read those books, and why they may challenge their inclusion in school libra…

Book Review: No Story to Tell by KJ Steele

Victoria has been put down since the day she was born. First by her parents who were disappointed that she survived while her twin brother died. Then by her verbally abusive husband and his low-life friends. But soon an intriguing artist named Elliott arrives in town and starts encouraging Victoria to follow her dream of opening her own dance studio. She also begins to receive phone calls from a mysterious someone who gets her to open up about her past and face her true feelings.

In No Story to Tell, KJ Steele has captured the small-town atmosphere and brought these characters to life. From the victimized Victoria, to her drunk and obnoxious husband Bobby and his drunk and obnoxious friends, to all the side characters who you'd expect to encounter in a town like this ~ all are so realistic in both their actions and their voices. She has written a compelling story of an abused woman who thinks she is trapped in this loveless, miserable existence. But then she finds a spark of hope…

Book Review: I See You by Clare Mackintosh

Title: I See You
Author: Clare Mackintosh
Genre: thriller
Published: February 21, 2017
Format: ebook (NetGalley)
Source: publisher
Buy on Amazon(affiliate link)

Have you ever felt like someone was watching you? You will after reading Clare Mackintosh's latest release I See You. Told from the perspectives of two women, one who appears to be targeted by a criminal and the other who is the police officer working the case, this psychological thriller will have you looking over your own shoulder by the end.

Zoe is a typical working mother who takes the Underground through London to her office every day. Like most commuters, she has a routine that she follows every day, leaving home at the same time, sitting in the same train car, taking the same route to work from the station. It's habit. But she starts to realize this may not be a good idea after seeing her own photo in an advertisement in the newspaper. Another woman who appears in the advertisement is murdered and Zoe starts to ge…

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