Task 24: Read a Book with a Main Character Who Has a Mental Illness

[Rokkan]

I'm planning on reading 600 Hours of Edward by Craig Lancaster for this one. And possibly the sequel too, later. If I have time.

[Sarah]

Leslie wrote: "Kathy wrote: "Since I just received it on hold from the library, I'll be starting Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things. Love the cover."

Sarah wrote: "I'm currently ..."

I definitely agree. I can't tell you how many times I paused and hugged the book because it was so great. I love her honesty and her ways of seeing her mental illness and how she handles herself when she's feeling good. And she's really funny which is great too.

[Daena]

I will read A Tale for the Time Being

[Chickadee]

I've already read it, but I'd recommend Jonathan Lethem's [book:Motherless Brooklyn|32885..."

I agree. Motherless Brooklyn was a very good book.

[Astrid]

Might do Looking for Alaska, Running with Scissors, Still Alice or Prozac Nation

[Anna]

Sarah wrote: "I'm currently reading Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson and it is really good. The humor might not be for everyone but it's very honest and has a lighter tone than a lot of other books dealing with m..."

Just started reading this for the challenge. It is laugh-out-loud funny. I'm really enjoying it.

[Maartje]

I was planning on reading Furiously Happy anyway, so I will probably be using that one for this task.

[Leslie]

Just finished the audiobook Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things. Read it.

Next: Unholy Ghost: Writers on Depression - by Nell Casey (Editor)

Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened - by Allie Brosh

[Lindsey]

I'm reading through Don Quixote, which is enormously long. He has delusions that he is a knight after hours and hours of reading stories of knights and their exploits.

It's really long. I'm pushing through.

[Lindsey]

I'm reading through Don Quixote, which is enormously long. He has delusions that he is a knight after hours and hours of reading stories of knights and their exploits.

It's really long. I'm pushing through.

[Bonnie G.]

Bobby wrote: "There are so many excellent choices, but I will probably go with Diary of a Madman by Nikolai Gogol, or possibly [book:The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Oth..."

The Man Who Mistook his Wife For a Hat is about neurological disorders, not mental illness, but it is a super interesting read.

[Bobby]

Bonnie wrote: "The Man Who Mistook his Wife For a Hat is about neurological disorders, not mental illness, but it is a super interesting read. "

Thanks! I also found out my other choice, Diary of a Madman, is only 20 pages long, so I guess it's not exactly a book. Now I'm considering one of these titles:


A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar
Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
August: Osage County by Tracy Letts
Junky by William S. Burroughs
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

[Danielle]

I am able to knock off my second challenge with, Finding Audrey ! I have loved Sophie Kinsella for a while, and this book has been sitting next to my bed waiting to be read, and I am so glad I did! It is probably lighter than most books about mental illness, but it is fully about mental illness and it doesn't down play it. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy YA!

[sarah]

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things has been recommended to me by absolutely everyone. I'm looking forward to reading it for this challenge.

[Michele]

I read Fans of the Impossible Life for this category.

[Carrie]

Would Wide Sargasso Sea work for this category?

[Beachesnbooks]

I'll probably read Appetites: Why Women Want for this category. I remember buying this in my college bookstore after seeing it on a reading list for a class (that I was not taking). Sorry, person whose book I took! But this looks really good, I can't believe I let it sit on my TBR shelf this long.

[Marie]

I read Perfect Escape for this one. At first I was a little hesitant because the narrator is the sister of the character that has OCD and I wasn't sure if he would qualify as a main character. But after reading it I feel pretty confident in labeling him a main character.
I really, really recommend this one. It really takes the time to show OCD as an illness, not just a "quirk".

[Leslie (updates on SG)]

Rebecca wrote: "I've already read it, but I'd recommend Jonathan Lethem's [book:Motherless Brooklyn|32885..."

Is Tourette's Syndrome considered a mental illness or a neurological disorder? Are these terms mutually exclusive?

[SibylM]

I found this list on Buzzfeed, it has some more diverse authors than other lists I have seen:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/ariannareboli...

[Stephanie]

If anyone is looking to complete this one using a graphic novel, Marbles by Ellen Forney is an extremely well done graphic memoir that explores her life with bipolar. ib would highly recommend it

[Hubert]

What do you think od Don Quixote for this category?

[Lindsey]

Hubert wrote: "What do you think od Don Quixote for this category?"

I just finished it and it absolutely fits. So very long.

[Jenna]

I read The Girl on the Train for this task. The main character is an alcoholic.

[Tiffany]

A beautiful Mind is very good but parts of it were a bit of a struggle to get through as it goes in depth on his research. Fascinating book, though. I have not seen the movie but really want to!!!

[Loreen ☕️]

I found Good Morning, Midnight languishing in my TBR pile. I wasn't aware that the main character suffered from depression but that seems to be the consensus of different lists the novel is on.

[Manno]

Loreen wrote: "I found Good Morning, Midnight languishing in my TBR pile. I wasn't aware that the main character suffered from depression but that seems to be the consensus of different lists the no..."

I will be reading it for this category as well! It seems really interesting.

[Viv]

Stephanie wrote: "If anyone is looking to complete this one using a graphic novel, Marbles by Ellen Forney is an extremely well done graphic memoir that explores her life with bipolar. ib would highly recommend it"
I just finished reading this, for this challenge, and I really loved it. I thought it was funny and touching as well as deepening my understanding of bipolar. I would definitely recommend.

[Loreen ☕️]

Carrie wrote: "Would Wide Sargasso Sea work for this category?"

I'd say yes since it is about the original madwoman in the attic and how she went "mad."

[Loreen ☕️]

Manno wrote: "Loreen wrote: "I found Good Morning, Midnight languishing in my TBR pile. I wasn't aware that the main character suffered from depression but that seems to be the consensus of differe..."

I love the time period and the setting so it's something I'm looking forward to reading.

[Pauline]

This week I read both Girl, Interrupted and Kissing Doorknobs. I did not enjoy Girl, Interrupted at all. I watched the movie and it was a bit better, so I will use it for task 18. Kissing Doorknobs was excellent though. I would recommend it if you can tolerate YA. I was looking for something for my kids for this task when I stumbled across it. It's only about 150 pages but it is a very engaging story about a girl with OCD.

[Dhruv]

I think I'll go with Where'd You Go, Bernadette and/or Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things. They both look great!

[Karen]

I would like to read Resurrecting Gavin by Venessa Kimball for this one, unless it is too short? It is a companion novelette of about 100 pages. If it is too short, I will read the next book in the series, Reviving Evan, instead. These books deal with teens with bipolar disorder.

[Anastasia]

Desiree wrote: "I was thinking about reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time since it's told from the point of view of someone with autism spectrum disorder. I plan on going to see th..."

I loved this story. I picked it one day as it was on display at my bookstore and the cover and title pulled me in. I had no idea what the plot was or that the character was on the autism spectrum. I was interesting experiencing his life without knowing right away why he did the things he did.

[Janet]

I am going with Legion: Skin Deep for this one. I am already reading it and it is a fascinating audiobook.

[Kira]

I'm looking for a scifi novel that fits this prompt. Does A Clockwork Orange count?

[Monica]

Kira said: "I'm looking for a scifi novel that fits this prompt. Does A Clockwork Orange count?"

Looks like it might be a fit. Another sci fi book you might try is Mockingbird by Walter Tevis. In this book literally all of society is depressed and drugged. Even the machines. Oddball but really interesting book that I think fits this title perfectly.

[Kira]

Monica wrote: "Kira said: "I'm looking for a scifi novel that fits this prompt. Does A Clockwork Orange count?"

Looks like it might be a fit. Another sci fi book you might try is Mockingbird by [au..."

Thanks! Mockingbird looks more interesting and I think I'll go with that one instead.

[Crawford]

Just started reading Flowers for Algernon for this task. It has been sitting on my to read list for a while and fits the topic perfectly.

[Karen]

I love Flowers for Algernon!

[Monica]

Kira said: "Thanks! Mockingbird looks more interesting and I think I'll go with that one instead. "

Added bonus, you can use the Amazon Kindle Lending Library for this if you have Amazon Prime. I hope you enjoy it. It was one that I didn't get initially until I thought about it. Now I think it's rather brilliant. If you do read it, I'd love to know what you thought of it.

[Crawford]

Karen wrote: "I love Flowers for Algernon!"
About a third of the way through the novel and its been really good so far, albeit a little upsetting at times.

[Julia]

I am going to read OCD Love Story

[Britany]

Finished by Sebastian Barry

My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Michelle]

I'm pretty sure I'm in camp Challenger Deep here. Last year, I read and loved both Furiously Happy and Jennifer Niven's All the Bright Places.

[Monica]

I think I'm going to read this one: Beacon 23: The Complete Novel Science Fiction. A soldier on a lone outpost suffering from depression and PTSD.

[Carla]

Hey Tatiana, while The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a lovely book, I would not say that the main character has a mental illness.

[Jessica]

I won a book in a giveaway (The Crooked Heart of Mercy: A Novel) which ended up fitting into this category. I recommend Wintergirls and Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me.

[Kathy]

I finished Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things and loved it. 5 stars. I want to read her first book alsoLet's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir.

[Maxine]

I read Veronika Decides to Die for this one. It made me think. The way it talks about insanity and the characteristics of it versus sanity are scarily accurate. The reality is if enough people do something it becomes normal and a marker for sanity. I will be re reading this in the future.