Brain on Fire

A non-fiction medical mystery. That's all I needed to hear.

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan

Genre: Autobiography, medicine
Publication date: November 2012

A shocking true story about a twenty-something journalist living in NYC who suddenly goes mad, due to a mysterious disorder that doctors cannot diagnose. Susannah first shows symptoms of madness as she imagines bugs in her Hells Kitchen apartment (not unrealistic) and uncharacteristically and exhaustingly snoops through her boyfriends belongings. Eventually, these small signs develop into grander and more severe signs (paranoia, hallucinations, seizures). She is admitted into NYU's hospital, thought to be psychotic, and losing her mind and most of her facilities.

A Dr. House mystery medical case told from the perspective of the patient. However, this patient loses about a month of her life, as after she has difficulty remembering the trying times in psychosis. She relies on family and friends' recollections, interviews with her doctors, and video surveillance of her time in the hospital. The medical drama is made personal as her loved ones stay by her side and through her recovery, demonstrating how an illness not only affects the patient but those around them.

DD's rating: A
Another book I read in two days. Terrifying and fascinating to read about someone losing their mind, from their perspective. How they dealt with conflicting positions (paranoia vs. reality) and being aware of ensuing madness.

Next read: Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari

The Time Traveler's Wife

I was desperately in need for a feel-good/fun, girly and quick book and my Back Mountain library had this available. I had seen the movie a while ago, but the 500+ page novel seemed sure to offer more heart.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Genre: Fiction, Romance, Sci-Fi
Publication Date: 2003
Setting: Chicago, 1970s-early 2000s

The charming story about a man, Henry, who lives out of time, and his romance with Clare. Clare meets Henry when she is a young girl, and grows up knowing him. But Henry doesn't meet Clare until he is in his 20s. So who fell in love first? What are the emotional/social implications of a young girl falling for an older man? Of course when Henry meets Clare (when they are both in their 20s) he doesn't have a difficult time falling for her (even though he hasn't yet experienced the history she has with him). Theirs is romance that feeds my love for science fiction.

This book also gets a little deep, as questions about destiny and free will arise. If Henry from the future is meeting young Clare (and they are married), does Clare really have a say in the matter? Can you change the future or is it all pre-determined? And if it is, by who? So far as I know, time travel does not exist and I won't hurt my head trying to think about it too much (or about future Henry and present Henry in bed together, a scene that was not well explained). As well as the predicament of conceiving/pregnancy and genetic testing - would you want your child to have a disorder? would you try to treat them as a child? or wait until they are old enough to make their own decision?

The most interesting theme I found was the loneliness in the relationship - Clare sometimes enjoys when Henry is away in time, but is very happy when he returns. Sometimes you want the other person gone (or better said: you want time to be alone/independent) but that doesn't mean you don't miss or enjoy having them around.

Finished reading: Monday, August 10, 2015

DD's Rating: A-
Another book I read in under 24 hours, which I enjoyed. I wish the author would've taken the issue of genetic testing a little further, to have a real debate, but this is supposed to be chick-lit. Full points for the exploration of free will and determinism. I also find it interesting that, for the most part, the chronology of "present" follows Clare's, although the book is narrated from both perspectives. I guess it is so the novel is as "current" as possible.

Next read: Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan

The Silent Wife

I had to break up my non-fiction streak with some crazy chick-lit. I found some book list on Pinterest that recommended this. It also had a list of other goodies that I will have to resort to checking out hardcopy from my Back Mountain library.

The Silent Wife by A.S.A Harrison

Genre: Fiction, suspense
Publication Date: June 2013
Setting: Chicago, present day

A "thriller" told from the perspectives of man and wife. Man is a womanizing entrepreneur and wife is a dull, albeit intelligent, home psychologist. Man has affair (well he has many, but this last one causes him trouble), and woman gets pissed. Neither character shows much affection to anyone, which makes empathizing with either character impossible.

Finished reading: Saturday, August 1, 2015

DD's rating: C-
I would not call this a thriller nor would I call it suspense... Both narrators are incredibly monotone and display no emotion besides some frustration. The Silent Wife is better than The Girl on the Train but not as good as Gone Girl. Hard to write review because I just didn't care very much about the book, although it was an easy read.

Next read: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Killing Kennedy

I'm still chasing that book-high I got from reading Killing Jesus (which I couldn't find in military-full Killing Patton and Killing Lincoln). Combined with my love for fellow Mass./Cape Cod families. Also, one of my favorite Stephen King books is 11/22/63, so I was interested about a non-fiction version of the assassination of Jack Kennedy.

Killing Kennedy by Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard

Genre: Non-fiction, John F. Kennedy
Publication Date: October 2012

This book chronicles the last few years of Jack Kennedy's life, with some detail on how he became President of the U.S. O'Reilly and Dugard takes us into Kennedy's misadventure in the Navy, his marriage with Jackie, his many affairs, and his policy. The life and ambitions of Lee Harvey Oswald are also displayed, a young man with dreams of being a great man with a legacy.

Difficult to write a synopsis because I've already heard the Kennedy story so much, and he had a very short stint as president (only three years). He was a pained man (with a myriad of diseases and conditions), a playboy, arrogant, tied perhaps too closely to his family (especially Bobby), a doting father, and a socially popular President (with the help of Jackie and their open relationship with the media).

This is a good book for someone unfamiliar with the 35th, but I can't say if it was any more entertaining or informative than the miniseries.

Finished reading: Tuesday, July 28, 2015

DD's rating: A
Who doesn't love the Kennedy's?? However, this book did not present me with any information I had not already heard, either from 11/22/63 or The Kennedy's TV series, thus it does not get a "+."

**BTW 11/22/63 is hitting the little screen as a mini-series and starring James Franco. I am very excited.

Next read: The Silent Wife by A.S.A Harrison

The Big Short

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep despite your best efforts? This was an issue for me for a long time, and at around 4am, I would turn on HBO and watch random movies. One night I watched HBO's Too Big to Fail, and fell in love. I have no background in finance or economics (AP Econ was the only AP exam, of 9 AP exams, that I didn't pass), but I loved this movie and probably have seen it over 20 times. Maybe because I love the way Topher Grace explains credit default swaps or maybe I love Paul Giamatti (as Ben Bernanke) eating oatmeal -- Giamatti won an Oscar for this role. For whatever reason, I turn to this movie every time I can't sleep. And I then became obsessed with the housing and credit bubble (and eventual crash).

My boyfriend is well aware of my love for this TV film, and his favorite author is Michael Lewis (who also wrote his favorite book, Moneyball, as well as Blind Side and Liar's Poker). He also was a Economics undergrad and JD-MBA, so clearly he enjoyed and recommended The Big Short. I owed it to William Hurt (Hank Paulson) and my man-friend to explore.

The Big Short by Michael Lewis

Genre: Non-fiction, Finance
Publication Date: March 2010

The title refers to individuals who foresaw the housing and credit bubble burst, and bet against ("short") these deals. The individuals are Steve Eisman, a former Wall Street analyst, Michael Burry, ex-neurologist turned hedge fund manager, and Charlie Ledley and Ben Hockett of Cornwall Capital. These odd balls and socially reprehensive men went against the grain and called Wall Street out for what they were - crooks. However, these crooks of Wall Street didn't fully know they were crooks, they were trying to make a profit and believe that the market and raters were right and everything was hunky-dory. Eisman, Burry, and Hockett thought that Wall Streeters were idiots and ignorant, who didn't know what they were doing, lending money to homeowners who were going to default. So these men bet against housing market, they knew the deals/loans being distributed were shitty and bet that Americans were going to default.

I don't know if I can write a review for this book without trying to explain the financial situation, and credit default swaps, and collateralized debt obligations (CDOs, which I still don't completely understand). However, Michael Lewis did a humorous job of depicting the outcasts/outsiders who took a risk, which wasn't really a risk for them, but came up big. These are the men who actually profited from the market crash. These are the guys who had wits to actually question what others were doing, to calling out CEOs on their jiggery-pokery, and then betting against them. To quote, "the lesson of Buffett was: To succeed in a spectacular fashion you had to be spectacularly unusual.” 

Finished reading: Friday, July 24, 2015

DD's rating: N/A
I can't rate this book, maybe because I don't understand the bets and CDOs. Maybe because I'm still so flabbergasted that AIG took on so much risk and Howie Hubler lost $9 billion but it still a millionaire. I'm still so intrigued by the situation and amazed that Wall Street doesn't have a clue what they are doing, that they want no government regulation but expect bailouts when their shit hits the fan... Thank you Michael Lewis for feeding my fascination.

Fortunately, The Big Short is hitting the silver screen, with Steve Carrell as Steve Eisman, Christian Bale as Michael Burry, Brad Pitt as Ben Hockett, and Ryan Gosling as Greg Lippman. I predict a double-feature of The Big Short / Too Big to Fail in my future!!

Next read: Killing Kennedy by Bill O'Reilly

Still Alice

After it took me almost 2 weeks to finish The Blondes piece of trash, I hoped to find something that would be truly entertaining, emotional, and engaging. I knew Julianne Moore won the Oscar for portraying the title character in the film adaptation, so that fact piqued my interest. My grandmother also praised this book as it gave a description of Alzheimer's from the point of view of an intellectual elite. She also recommended that anyone who knows someone diagnosed with Alzheimers/dementia or anyone elderly and afraid of losing their mind should pick this up.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Genre: Fiction, Alzheimers
Publication Date: (self-published) 2007 and later published 2009
Setting: Harvard/Cambridge, 2003-2005

Alice Howland is a 50 year-old esteemed psychologist teaching and doing research at Harvard University, married to an equally distinguished man also teaching and researching (biology) at Harvard. Alice is brilliant, busy, and driven, until one day she goes for a run around her neighborhood in Harvard Yard and can't find her way home. She begins noticing lapses in memory, confusion, and disorientation. Eventually, she discovers that she has early-onset Alzheimers. How could this happen to a 50 year-old woman, who runs 5 miles every day, and is a tenured professor at one of the most prestigious universities in the country? Genetics.

The book is told in the third-person, telling us Alice's thoughts and feelings about the disorder, while I the reader am able to see her lose more of her memory (while Alice has no notice).  Initially, she recognizes that she can't remember the words for every day objects and she gets frustrated. But, like the disease, it gets worse. Eventually, she doesn't even realize she can't remember the words. She'll forget what she's forgetting. She'll create questions for herself to answer, and not realize that the answers that she is giving are incorrect. Which is what makes this disease so terrifying, it isn't destroying your body like cancer, it is destroying your mind, which is what makes you you. "I think therefore I am..." but what happens when your cognitive abilities and mental capacities decline and deteriorate? Are you still you? Is she still Alice? Is she still a brilliant Harvard professor even when she has to cease teaching? Is she still a loving mother after she forgets who her children are, or that she has children? Who are you are when you don't have control of your mind.

Finished reading: Sunday, July 19, 2015
Yes, I read it immediately after The Blondes, did not put it down, and finished in under 12 hours.

DD's rating: A
Terrific read. Truly frightening and enlightening to read about how someone as intelligent as Alice can still succumb to a degenerative mental disease. Also gives insight about how loved ones and caregivers may come across to those who have dementia - they are a person before they are a patient.

Next read: The Big Short by Michael Lewis, or possibly something less ambitious and less about my worst subject (economics), like The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

The Blondes

This book is another recommendation and borrow from my step-mother. I had high hopes for this work because the cover displays praise from my favorite, Stephen King. I'm gonna have to find a new favorite author, and around the same time that Harper Lee exposes that Atticus is a racist... terrific.

The Blondes by Emily Schultz

Genre: (science?) fiction, epidemic
Publication Date: August, 2012
Setting: NYC and Toronto, present day

Told from the point of view average/tubby, ginger, overall mediocre NYC graduate student (Hazel) as a sudden and mysterious epidemic of rage occurs throughout the world and only affects blonde women. Hazel had slept with a professor at her university and eventually discovers that she is carrying his child. Meanwhile, random "attacks" are occurring all around her of blonde women going nuts and having bouts of aggression towards others. There is no known cause, cure, or method of transmission, but only women who are blonde (even if they are dyed blonde) are afflicted.

Hazel's graduate studies have been focused on femininity and beauty, and coincidentally, it's the blondes who are losing it. I get that this is a satire with deeper meaning, the beautiful blondes are becoming mad, but I'm not buying it. Maybe it's the Biology major in me who can't take this "epidemic" seriously... but I thought World War Z was more believable and far more engaging than this.

Finished reading: Sunday, July 19, 2015

DD's rating: D
Probably doesn't deserve a "D," but I need to counteract the praise that this book receives - "biting satiric wit," "a nail-biter," "Emily Schultz is my new hero." No. The protagonist is unlovable - she is somewhat overweight, kind of pathetic and friendless, feeble, Canadian, and a ginger!  I was rooting more for the crazed blondes than knocked-up and lonely Hazel.

This was something you might read when you exchanged first drafts in a sophomore creative-writing course.

Next read: Still Alice by Lisa Genova