"Year One" by Nora Roberts (Book 1 of Chronicles of the One Series)

In Year One by Nora Roberts, a virus is going around the whole world and the population is going down fast!  We follow a bunch of different people who are trying to deal with the madness that has ensued!  I thought this book was pretty good.  It kept my interest for the most part.  I enjoyed the mom who had twins and the female reporter the best and plan to read book 2.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 108:  Now Bob's eyes filled with tears.  "There's no point anymore.  No point.  False hope's just a lie in soft focus."

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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Sticks & Stones" by Abby Cooper

Sticks and Stones by Abby Cooper is about a young teen girl named Elyse. She has a rare disease that shows up when people label her with words. When someone calls her a dork for example, the word “dork” appears on her arm like a temporary tattoo. I really enjoyed this teen book that teaches a valuable lesson. I was impressed that this is the author’s first book—well done!
(Gerard's review, 4 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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"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!

"Everything Everything" by Nicola Yoon is an Unusual YA Romance (UPDATED)

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon is an unusual YA romance that was an interesting read and a commentary on life and love. I enjoyed reading about Madeline who was kept inside her house for 17 years due to a rare disease—basically being allergic to the world. Her nurse, Carla, helped her to visit with the boy next door, Olly, behind her mother’s back. Carla felt bad for Madeline and wanted her to be able to live a little, so encouraged her to take a risk and live her life.

I liked that this had very short chapters and much of the book was IM messages and emails exchanged between Olly and Madeline.  I also liked the illustrations and Madeline's short book spoilers throughout the book. This book even has some adventure in it which was a pleasant surprise. I thought it would be a depressing read, but it was quite the opposite! My favorite quote from this book is: “Love makes people crazy. Loss of love makes people crazy.” Pg. 300. This pretty much sums up this book. I would say this is inspirational too.
(Karen's review 10/2/15, 4 stars)


Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon is a YA debut novel about a young girl named Madeline.  She has SCID, a rare disease that results in her not leaving the house.   I thought this book was really good!  I enjoyed the main character and the story line was very interesting.  The last part of this book came as a complete shock to me which was a good thing.  Give this book a chance.  You will be glad you did!
(Gerard's review 9/30/15, 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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!