Tagged with recommended

Alzheimer's Disease is horrible and scary and horrible. It's I think a little less horrible and scary and horrible as depicted in this novel by neuroscientist Lisa Genova. The narrator is an extremely intelligent and even-tempered Harvard professor with early onset Alzheimer's. While reading the page turner in about a day, I was often moved to tears. The originality of the premise—the telling of the story from the point of view of the patient—and the convincingness with which Genova depicts it are unmistakable. However, do you see a however coming?

My summary of this not-too- far-in-the-future dystopia in four haiku stanzas:

The Department of
Homeland Security runs
amok post attack.

Hacker teens fight the
power and teach the reader
about crypto tech.

Teen reader primer
on history, politics
and the internet.

Plus boy meets girl.
Parents are dumb then helpful.
Ends with vote or die.

It was nice to be back in the vampire book saddle again, especially after putting down the last two books I started because I couldn't get into them.

I ended up with a second copy of this reluctant New Yorker's guide to New York City and so had to decide whether the second one would go to the Barnard zine stacks or come home with me. I've decided I need it on hand for all future house guests. In addition to providing excellent food, entertainment, art, and cultural recommendations, Amanda writes cute essays about helping tourists take better photographs and subway incidents (maybe a little less cute, but still somehow cuddly).