I will agree that the NPR story was a bit different from what you get in the book, though…

Books I’ve really enjoyed recently:

“Weekends at Bellevue” by Julie Holland. M.D. A memoir about Dr. Holland’s experiences working in the psychiatric ER and her own personal growth during the experience. A fun, quick read by a writer with an awesome sense of comedic timing and insight into a world I didn’t know anything about. Also really interesting to read about a woman who self-describes as “tough” and “macho” and how those qualities both helped and hindered her in her career. She got a bit of flak for what some people perceived as her talking too much about herself and her “machismo,” but I think it was just that part of the book – talking about her personal growth – that made it so good.

Right now I’m about half way through “The Ask” by Sam Lipsyte. A sort of dark comedy that I worried would veer into something sexist and weird. (It’s seems like such a “guy” novel and is a little coarse and, well, men seem to like it a little tooooo much. I guess I need to work on that…. :O) Anyhow, really well written, full of surprises, and a great look at anxieties re: work and self-worth.

I keep trying to read Lolita, but get depressed and need to put it down. Sometimes I feel like Nabakov is just Bukowski in a coat and tie. I know it’s not true and that there’s a difference between what someone writes about and who they really are, but… this sort of stuff is just so relentlessly “ick” that I can’t get my head around it.

@JoyTulip – I loved the Children’s Book, couldn’t put it down, it’s easily my favourite Byatt book. I just thought the characters were so well developed.