Books Read During Chemo

1. The Madwoman In the Volvo (Sandra Tsing Loh)
If you're going through menopause or close to it, this book is for you.

2. A Breast Cancer Alphabet (Madhulika Sikka)
All of my breast cancer books were gifts from friends and each one was very different. This book is very practical. The author explains what you will need during chemo and post mastectomy and what will happen to your family, marriage and body.

3. Mammary Lane (Rosemary Griggs)
This breast cancer book is emotional. The author is an artist who complied her drawings, paintings and short stories into a book. This can be read many times.

4. The Witches of Eastwick (John Updike)
Well written, perhaps a bit wordy. But irreverent and hilarious--and lots of sexual escapades around a hot tub :)

5. A Visit from the Goon Squad (Jennifer Egan)
Excellent!!! My favorite book of the bunch. Won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize. I will read this again.

6. Home Cooking (Laurie Colwin)
A wonderful "cookbook" of sorts. Sarcastic and wry. Anything by Laurie Colwin is a winner. She has an steadfast underground following (Google her) and we're all very sad that she died so young. Nigel and I prepped our black cake during the summer and we will bake it for the new year...

7. The Sound of A Wild Snail Eating (Elizabeth Tova Bailey)
This book was such a thoughtful gift (more on this later). It's the author's true story about being bedridden for a year with an illness. One of her friends randomly grabs a forest snail and puts it in the pot of a gifted plant by her nightstand. It marks the beginning of a very interesting friendship between the author and snail.

8. A Beautiful Blue Death (Charles Finch)
An entertaining murder mystery with a very charismatic protagonist. A historical fiction piece set in the Victorian era. A great beach read.

9. Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips (Kris Carr)
Gifted to me by a friend who had thyroid cancer. Intended for the 40 and under crowd (an overlooked cancer demographic). The author was 30 when she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. She's an inspiration.

10. Family Happiness (Laurie Colwin)
Another Laurie Colwin book! However, this one is not about food, it's one of her fiction novels. Her writing is pretty.

11. The Marriage Plot (Jeffrey Eugenides)
If you like Jeffrey Eugenides, you'll like this book. I can't help but compare it to his unparalleled Middlesex. And that's a hard one to beat.

12. Folly (Susan Minot)
Anything by Susan Minot. Any place. Any time.

13. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Michael Chabon)
Engrossing, endearing, very creative. Perhaps a bit lengthy. Won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize. This story will stick with you.

14. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain)
Every summer, I pick one or two books to read aloud to Nigel. This was the one. We laughed until we cried. Mark Twain is just plain awesome.

15. Not That Kind of Girl (Lena Dunham)
A second-hand gift from a friend who's a voracious reader. Cute, neurotic and brave. But written by a twenty-something with twenty-something issues. For a middle-aged woman, The Madwoman in the Volvo is a more suitable choice.

16. Lunatics (Dave Barry & Alan Zweibel)
A loaner from a friend who said to beware of this book. It destroys every notion of political correctness. And if you laugh, some people might think you'll be going to hell...

17. Marriage of Opposites (Alice Hoffman)
Another second-hand gift. Alice Hoffman is such an incredible writer. Although compared to her Blackbird House, this one falls short.

18. The Memory Keepers Daughter (Kim Edwards)
Gripping. You won't be able to put it down. And really good writing (the author is an Iowa Writers Workshop grad).

19. My Life in France (Julia Child)
If you like food and/or Julia Child, you'll like this book.

20. Swallow the Ocean (Laura M. Flynn)
Another second-hand gift. My least favorite book of the bunch.

21. White Tiger (Aravind Adiga)
Original and engrossing. A fictional account of India's class struggle. Won the Man Booker Prize.

22. Ten Little Indians (Sherman Alexie)
Nine little awesome stories. Anything by Sherman Alexie. Anything.

23. If Joan of Arc Had Cancer (Janet Lynn Roseman)
This book focuses on strategies for dealing with the emotional impact of cancer. Lots of art therapy, visioning and meditation. Very helpful!

24. A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway)
Heartbreaking. Helps you understand a little bit of WWI. Hemingway is like sex and pizza. Even when it's bad, it's good.

25. Zero K (Don Delillo)
Interesting premise. Very eerie. But so slow it bores the reader.