And Again by Jessica Chiarella

Four end-life patients participate in a clinical trial to transplant part of their brain and all their memories into new, cloned, biologically cleansed versions of their own body.

The point to be made is this: how much of our personality/humanity is in our head and how much is body-centric? Are habits part of your brain or in your muscles? Is love in your limbic system or in your heart?

This was a unique audiobook that utilized four narrators - one for each character. The book is told chronologically, but switches from person to person to give multiple perspectives. Each character struggles with the idea of "self" in their new bodies, and they work through some of their concerns in group-therapy sessions. But each also holds secrets - thoughts or actions they can't even share with these few people who might understand.

It's a fantastic story, mostly about internal struggles of self - the author mercifully leaves the science part rather vague and mostly out of the action. My favorite character is the young painter who can no longer make magic with her hands; when you've defined yourself by a talent, who are you when that's gone? I also enjoyed the way each character weighs out the despoiling of their new body: sex, alcohol, cigarettes, food, tattoos, scars and more.

Brain on fire

by Susannah Cahalan

Cahalan writes an autobiographical account of her experience with an auto-immune disease that nearly caused her to spend a lifetime under constant psychiatric supervision.  At times the story is a eerie look into the vastly unknown world of neuroscience.  Cahalan recounts her weeks of catatonia and psychosis through family diaries and hospital videos.  Much of that time is completely lost to her own memory.  The discovery of her disease, and subsequent writings by her doctors and herself have allowed many more people to be diagnosed than ever before.  She admits that, most likely, she would not have gotten this diagnosis of salvation had the disease struck her just a few years earlier.

Cahalan was lucky to have a background in journalism before she was struck by her illness.  This allowed her a foothold into the dedication needed to research her own lost days.  Provocatively written, this saga will capture your heart as you champion Susannah towards health.  

The audio version is hauntingly read by Heather Henderson.

Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer

I thought this book might be interesting based on my hobby as a quilter, but I've found much more than artistic stimulation to ponder; my initial mistake was thinking about creativity as confined to a leisure activity, when in fact creativity is the key to innovation and problem-solving in all parts of life.

Why does Apple headquarters only have one restroom? How did a sandpaper salesman invent the now-ubiquitous roll of masking tape? How do small changes in the presentation of a problem effect the perspectives we use in solving it?

This book is EXTREMELY interesting - and not at all boring. Lively writing and stellar examples illustrate a complex subject, and I often found myself putting the book aside at chapter ends to contemplate useful applications for the things I'd just read. Highly recommended!