"Inside the O'Briens" by Lisa Genova (Effects of Huntington's Disease)

Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova is about a Catholic Irish family living in Boston.  Joe, a cop, loves his wife, Rosie and his four grown children but starts acting strange.  He is diagnosed with Huntington's Disease (HD) but still tries to do his job without telling anyone.  When he is told it is a genetic disease, he is afraid for his children. 

I finally decided to read this book because my husband kept saying how good it was.  Inside the O'Briens informs the reader about HD through the life of Joe and his family.  We see how it doesn't just affect the person who has the disease, but everyone around him.  I liked Joe and felt sorry for him and his wife, and his son JJ the firefighter and his family; however, I did not care for the other three children much at all.

There is a blood test that can be done to see if a person has HD even before the symptoms show up so the big question in the book for the children is if they want to know.  It is thought-provoking because the reader can't help but question what they would do in this situation.  Would you want to know if you were going to have this disease in your future?  I don't think I would want to know ahead unless I was thinking about having a baby.

I did not care for the rough language throughout the book, nor for the lifestyles of Patrick and Katie which caused me not to like these characters, two of his grown children.  My husband loved this book, but I found it to be sad, depressing and was very disappointed in the ending that left me hanging.  I liked this author's other books much better:  Still Alice and Left Neglected.
(Karen's review, 2 stars)

See also my blog post inspired by this book:  Just sayin' We Should be Humane to Humans Too! 

Gerard's review 4/24/15, 5++ stars:
Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova is about Joe, a Boston policeman.  He has been having some health issues and his wife wants him to see a doctor.  He thinks it is nothing, but agrees to go.  It turns out he has Huntington Disease!  You find out all about it when you read this book--trust me, you do not want this disease!  Not only that, but his kids are at risk of getting it too.

Lisa Genova's books are always top notch and this is no exception.  I loved the interaction between Joe and his wife and kids.  This book had me from page 1.  Make sure you read the "Call to Action" part of this book as well.  The ending is perfect!  I LOVED this book and highly recommend it and her other book too:  Still Alice and Left Neglected.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We Disagree on "Before I Go" by Colleen Oakley--UPDATED (Writer's Workshop)

Before I Go by Colleen Oakley is about a married couple, Daisy and Jack.  Daisy has a Cancer and she needs to find someone to be there for Jack if her condition goes from bad to worse.  I loved this book!  People Magazine gave it a high rating and they were right!  It goes quickly, keeping my interest from beginning to end.  The story is told from Daisy view for the most part.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Updated 2/12/15
My husband and I have very different views on this book.  Here's mine:

Before I Go by Colleen Oakley is about Daisy, a 27-yr. old woman who had breast Cancer four years ago but then the Cancer came back again, this time with a vengeance!  This is an emotional read.  It deals with facing death, knowing you only have 4-6 months, possibly a year at the most if the trial works.

I did not like this book at all!  It hit too close to home for me, having had breast cancer and having some of the same concerns as Daisy about how her husband would manage when she died.  I found it to be pretty depressing and did not like how she let the cancer take over her life instead of making the most of the time she did have.  I would rather read just about anything instead of this one, just sayin'.  However, if you really want to get insight into what women think about who are fighting cancer, then read this. 
(Karen's review, 2 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

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"Enon" by Paul Harding Plods Along

Enon by Paul Harding deals with a man following the tragic death of his daughter, an only child.  It also goes back in time when he was a young boy.  Some of the stories he tells and was involved in got my attention.  Some did not.  There is not much action so it kind of plods along.  
(Gerard's review, 3.5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!