Doctors Actually Listening to their Patients

What a novel idea, am I right? As a patient with a rare collagen disorder, I appreciated that Dr. Clifton K. Meador wrote a book about actually listening to his patients and understanding the mental problems aren't totally separated from the physical. I've spent a shocking amount of time in hospital waiting rooms and doctor's offices, and on more than one occasion been misdiagnosed. There's nothing more frustrating in the world than being told there's nothing wrong with you, or being prescribed the wrong medication for the wrong ailment. The only doctors I've never had problems with have been my physical therapists, they're all about preventative medicine and they're basically baller. So hats off to you guys. Dr. Meador's Symptoms of Unknown Origin is refreshing; it's not full of too much medical mumbo jumbo - so even if you're not a doctor it's relatively easy to follow along. This book is a very different take on the medical world, focusing on the patient's symptoms instead of starting with preconceived biases. I can't really say that I enjoyed reading this book, but again, I'm not a doctor. But the fact that it exists gives me hope that the medical field is moving in a direction that is more respectful and understanding of how patients and doctors can work together to be able to find cures to diseases and disorders that they previously couldn't.

What Exactly is a Concerto?

I stopped playing piano when I was eleven because I didn't want to practice. To this day, I totally regret it. The music is beautiful and I love hearing it played. However, I couldn't tell you the difference between a concerto or a sonata. The Lost Concerto by Helaine Mario is all about the music. The story she has crafted is a fascinating thriller with short chapters full of action that keep the pages turning. Mario's metaphors are a liiiiiiiiiiittle heavy handed. I get that the book is about music. I get it. I promise. It's very obvious. But there's a musical metaphor on almost every page. It's a little excessive. It adds to the kitschy nature of the story, but it's also beating the dead horse. Perhaps if I was more musical, I would have appreciated the use of metaphor in a way that propelled the story forward. But sadly, I do not know what a concerto really is, and so a great number of the comparisons were lost on me.

The Lost Concerto has a lot of freaking characters. (Spoilers!!) And I'm still not quite sure how old Michael is. I'm pretty sure if he fought in 'Nam, he might be too old for our main character Maggie. But, he's adorable and showed great character development. All of the characters were well done, your bad guys were super evil, some of them were sneakily evil, and your good guys were good, and sometimes a little bad. Everything you want in a suspenseful thriller. Sometimes it was a little tricky to follow the point of view, but it made it a more interesting read than had it only been from one perspective.

I may not know what a concerto is, or how to properly use it in a metaphor, but I know a good book when I read it. Mario drew me into this crazy mixed up world of music, and kept me reading until the last note was played. (See what I did there?)