It’s the first Monday of the month… and time to announce our Mom’s Book Nook book for May! My regular monthly book club was sacrificed post-kids, but I still crave a great read, sharing book recommendations with my friends, and even chatting all about my latest favorite read. I know I’m not the only mom out there in the same boat, so I started Mom’s Book Nook – A Virtual Book Club to satisfy that craving! All you have to do to participate is read the selected book. You can leave any comments, feedback or book recommendations in the comments below as well!
Mom’s Book Nook
Last month’s book, at the recommendation of some of my favorite fellow readers, was Still Alice by Lisa Genova. I couldn’t wait to watch the Oscar-award winning performance by Julianne Moore in the movie, which is now available for pre-order on DVD and will be released May 12th! But, because I am a book lover, and the book is almost always better than the movie, I wanted to read it first.
The book did not disappoint. Alice is a highly-respected and world-renowned, cognitive psychology professor at Harvard. She tours the world talking about her expertise in linguistics. So it is extremely disconcerting when she finds herself at a loss for words, lost in the middle of her regular jogging route, and misplacing things, like her blackberry. Initially dismissed as symptoms of menopause, she is ultimately diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease. The book follows her journey over the next year, how she and her family handle her diagnosis, the disease’s progression and their own potential genetically determined future.
#BookNook Twitter Party!
After a few months of our Virtual Book Club, I’ve found a way to have a real-time discussion. On the first Monday of every month, at 8PM ET, join me on Twitter to talk about last month’s book! To join in, all you have to do is follow me on Twitter @PGPBMeghan. At 8PM ET, follow #BookNook, and tag all your comments and replies with it as well to be part of the discussion. Tonight is the first one – I hope you will join me! We will talk all about Still Alice, as well as field recommendations for future Mom’s Book Nook books.
May 2015 Book
I so thoroughly enjoyed Still Alice, I can’t wait to read Lisa Genova’s newest book, just released last month, Inside the O’Briens. In Inside the O’Briens, Genova features a family struggling with the impact of Huntington’s disease.
About the Book
Joe O’Brien is a forty-four-year-old police officer from the Irish Catholic neighborhood of Charlestown, Massachusetts. A devoted husband, proud father of four children in their twenties, and respected officer, Joe begins experiencing bouts of disorganized thinking, uncharacteristic temper outbursts, and strange, involuntary movements.
He initially attributes these episodes to the stress of his job, but as these symptoms worsen, he agrees to see a neurologist and is handed a diagnosis that will change his and his family’s lives forever: Huntington’s Disease.
About the Author
Lisa Genova is the New York Times bestselling author of Inside the O’Briens, Love Anthony, Left Neglected, and Still Alice. Her first novel, Still Alice, has been adapted into a film starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, and Kristen Stewart.
Lisa graduated valedictorian from Bates College with a degree in biopsychology and holds a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard University. She travels worldwide speaking about Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, and autism.
She has appeared on Dr. Oz, The Diane Rehm Show, CNN, Chronicle, Fox News, and Canada AM and is featured in the Emmy Award–winning documentary film To Not Fade Away. She lives with her family in Massachusetts.
Thanks again for reading with me at Mom’s Book Nook. Don’t forget to join in our Twitter party tonight (May 4, 2015) at 8PM ET! Follow me @PGPBMeghan and use #BookNook to be part of the conversation. If you can’t make it, feel free to leave your book comments and recommendations in the comments below. Happy reading!
Q5. If you could undergo genetic testing for all disease-linked genetic mutations, would you do it? #Genetics #StillAlice #BookNook
— PGPBMeghan (@PGPBmeghan) May 5, 2015
