Inside the O'Briens | 
pickMeet the O'Briens. There's Rosie and Joe plus their four adult children. JJ, Patrick, Meghan and Katie. Each character is individual and vibrant, the sibling relationships are hilarious and heartbreaking, the parent / children dynamics are raw, real, relatable.
Genova took me on a journey of science with well thought out characters which is assessable to my non medically trained brain and all the while breaking my heart.
An exceptional book.
pick#reread 1st #audiobook read
I love that Genova ensures that her portrayals are medically correct for the diseases she highlights. And you can‘t help but sympathize with the O‘Briens, a family who discovers they have Huntington‘s when Dad is diagnosed. That said, it was more obvious in the audiobook that she tells rather than shows in her writing if that makes sense. The narrator is good but not exceptional. Still an enthusiastic pick, though!
pickOkay, why. Why did it have to end like that? 🤦♀️
Excellent book about a family that has to deal with the devastating diagnosis of Huntington's Disease. Joe, a 43 yr old Boston police officer, has to come to terms with what this disease will do to his mind and body. How this affects him and their family is heart wrenching. Each of their 4 adult children have to decide if they want to find out if they also have the disease. Eye-opening story. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
pickBook 61
I listened to Inside the O'Brien's by Lisa Genova, a novel about a family coming to terms with a diagnosis of Huntington's Disease. Once again Genova is masterful at bringing disease to life; her novels build both awareness and comprehensive compassion. Her characters could be more dynamic and less of a stereotype, but this was an engaging book and recommendable. The end was a little disappointing, as well. 3.5 stars
pickSkipp Sudduth was the perfect narrator. The characters reminded me of my Husband's family, and the storyline tied together nicely. 4⭐
pickI forgot to update my #SuperSeptember hours before I fell asleep this morning. I‘m about 8.5 hours in. And I finished my second book, Inside the O‘Briens. It was heartbreaking, but beautifully written. Five stars! I started Anne of Green Gables before bed, which is adorable so far! @Andrew65
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
Starbucks dropped their holiday drinks today. It was pandemonium. It took 50 minutes for my mobile order, and they were out of the reusable cups and holiday cups, BUT I got my chestnut praline latte and that‘s all that matters! Those poor Sbux employees.
Now I need to read a bit to decompress. 😅 I‘m midway thru this one and it‘s not grabbing me the way her other books do but I‘m enjoying it.
pickAnother great read by Lisa Genova. I can never decide which is my favorite because I love them all. This one centers on Huntington‘s Disease, which I really knew very little about. Genova is great at creating novels about neurological conditions and how they affect family dynamics.
Thank you to @Clwojick for hosting the #summersendreadathon this past week! She is such a wonderful, vibrant presence on Litsy, and this was a very fun time!
While I didn‘t meet my stretch goal of 10 books, I did meet my original goal of 8 books! 📚🥳🥳🎧 I made a nice dent in my physical book collection, too!
The best were the tagged book and Queenie! 👍🏻👍🏻
pickMan can Lisa Genova research and write a book!! As a doctor/scientist, I appreciate thorough research. Not only does this book humanize Huntington‘s Disease, it also presents an honest picture of what it‘s like for an individual and their family. The choice to find out if an adult child is gene positive and family planning are also explored. 5⭐️ 🔽
#summersendreadathon @Clwojick
#24b4monday @Andrew65 @TheReadingMermaid @jb72
I‘ve been pro human euthanasia since long before I was a vet. I was just talking to my mom about it the other day. The protagonist has Huntington‘s Disease.
#summersendreadathon @Clwojick
#24b4monday @TheReadingMermaid @Andrew65 @jb72
Happy interruption: lunch with a friend 🍣
Sad interruption: car maintenance 😒
Halfway through the tagged book and making good progress in the audiobook! 👍🏻👍🏻
pickContinuing my TBR project:
This is one the oldest selection on my TBR list - Originally added October 3, 2015.
Authentic, heart-breaking and informative story about a family in Boston that is plagued with Huntington‘s Disease. I‘ve heard about HD on a few television medical dramas but had absolutely no idea how devastating this disease is or how it runs in families. I loved this novel and all its memorable characters!
1. 8 books in 8 days!
2. I‘m trying not to limit myself because I‘m such a mood reader, but I‘m starting this one tonight. Ollie‘s find!
3. Chicken nuggets and frozen blueberries! I‘m weird.
4. My adjustable bed and unsweetened iced tea
5. Absolutely! It‘s a must!
6. Thanks for the tag @Clwojick If you‘re participating in the #summersendreadathon (which you should!) consider yourself tagged! 🤩
This has been on my TBR list since it came out. Because I have a parent that suffers from Huntington's this book could be a wrong choice. Fingers crossed I can get through it.
so-soDefinitely not her best. While I imagine her portrayal of Huntington‘s Disease is deadly accurate, I found the rest of the book to be a bit tedious. Four adult kids (who all still live at home?!?!) trying to decide whether or not to find out if they carry the gene that will give them HD. I did learn a lot about this horrific disease, but overall was a bit disappointed.
pickA very good book, but a very unresolved ending. I wasn‘t ready to let the O‘Briens go.
pickWow! This was so good! In addition to learning about Huntington‘s Disease (which is quite rare), Genova did an amazing job, I thought, of bringing the O‘Brien family to life. I loved the Sunday dinners with the family and all their interactions. Cont in comments...
pickMore than just a look at a family dealing with Huntington's disease; a reminder that Now is all any one of us has
Started this in the wee hours of the morning
#currentread
Count me as another person sucked in by the Barnes & Noble sale.
pickThis book was smack in my wheelhouse--I've lived in Boston, so I'm familiar with the locations and the people and the dialect and the fanatical obsession with sports. The characters were real people to me; Genova did a great job making them all come alive. I laughed in parts and teared up in others. Genova was also very adept at explaining Huntington's Disease in layman's terms without using overly technical language.
Day 24: #adventrecommends
pickSecond book club book of the month, only available on audiobook from the library which is a bummer. Was a nice portrait of the ethical questions and hardship faced by those with huntington's or other genetic diseases. Good read in these times of DNA mail in testing. Some characters and plot bits were overly convenient, but did at least add something to the ethics discussion.
so-so#UnpopularOpinion time, but I found this to be heavy-handed and uninspired. Yes, it‘s good to educate people about Huntington‘s, but if you‘re writing a novel you also need something else. Plot? Believable characters? Gorgeous prose? Something! Narrator was pretty good (although if I had to hear him say “HD, HD, HD” one more time I might have screamed) but he couldn‘t save the material.
pickThis was my first book by Lisa Genova and it was so so good. Heartbreaking and felt very real. I am definitely going to read the rest of her backlist.
pickLisa Genova sure knows how to make you feel all of the feels. I have not made it through one of her books without having tears streaming down my face. This one deals with Huntington‘s disease and the all important question of would you take a blood test to know your future. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
pickNearly as good as Still Alice and better than her other two. This time a look at the hereditary disease, Huntington‘s, and it‘s devastating impact on a family.
That‘s my bookend, Louie. #catsoflitsy
Finished this book today. It was a good book, not my favorite from L.Genova but an interesting, insightful and informative read!!
Went a little crazy at the discount store last night. Some pretty sweet finds though! Stocking up for winter hibernation. 😄
pickGenova's novel does for Huntington‘s Disease what her debut Still Alice did for Alzheimer‘s. I adored the family and the family dynamic. Genova writes characters you care about and can relate to, while educating the reader at the same time.
pickThis wonderful audiobook kept me company during my long move. Such a great book of a family who go through the diagnosis and living with the scary disease that is Huntington's, something that I have not known much about. Highly recommend!!
Finished book 7 and more than halfway through 8 but I think I will be just shy of the goal. #24in48 #readathon
Car reading on the way home from vacation. This was a purchase from Island Bookstore 📚in Kitty Hawk. 😊
pickJoe O'Brien, a cop with Boston PD, discovers his mom did not deteriorate and die due to alcoholism when he was young; she had Huntington's disease. Now he's been diagnosed, as well as two of his and Rosie's four kids. What havoc can be wreaked when the DNA sequencing has a different pattern.
After hearing the author at the Simon & Schuster book club matinee in March, I was eager to delve into this one.
Our Roaming Readers book club took it to the streets today to discuss this gem! 🏃🏾♀️🏃🏼
One more #autobuyauthor. I love the accuracy of her science in fiction. ❤️📚❤️ #marchintoreading
pickOnly disappointment is we don't find out Katie's results or what happened to the family.
pickAn important and sad book. It's weird to say I enjoyed a story when it's about something as serious as Huntington's Disease, but this was an engrossing and personal look at one family's experience with this disease. I couldn't help but become invested in the O'Briens lives and I learned a lot about this disease that I was unfamiliar with. ❤
pickA depressing start to the weekend, yet SO GOOD at the same time. Highly recommend on Audiobook.
pickThe author excels at making neurological disorders accessible and giving a human face to the disorders. Enjoyable. The poor editing was a little distracting from the story though.
#readeverydayeverywhere
#nslitten
#readingissexy
#paramediclitten
