The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian, 272 pages

"The Leisure Seeker" is the story of Ella and John, who have been married for nearly 60 years.  Ella has cancer and has stopped treatment and John has Alzheimer's and sometimes knows Ella, and sometimes doesn't.

He is still a pretty darned good driver though when Ella is the navigator.  To the horror of Ella and John's doctors, she decides they need to take one more trip in their Leisure Seeker camper.  They live in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan and they set out to travel Route 66 in its entirety.

The book is bittersweet, laugh out loud funny and sad.  It is one of the best books I have read in a long time.  Michael Zadoorian did a wonderful job of portraying 80 something year old Ella.  Thank you to Alison for recommending this book to me!

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 318 pages

Hazel and Augustus meet at a support group for children with cancer. Hazel has stage IV lung cancer and needs to carry an oxygen tank around with her everywhere. Augustus is a cancer survivor and has a prosthetic leg. When they first meet, Augustus cannot take his eyes off Hazel.

Hazel introduces Augustus to An Imperial Affliction, a story about a girl who dies of cancer and when she dies, the book ends. Neither Hazel nor Augustus can deal without knowing what happens to the girl’s mother, her hamster, or the Dutch Tulip man. This leads to Hazel and Augustus taking a trip to Amsterdam to meet the author in an attempt to receive answers to their questions. Upon their arrival home, Hazel learns some bad news about Augustus' health. 

This is a heartbreaking story of Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters and how they cope with the side effects of cancer. Be prepared for the use of tissues. 

This was read by Kate Rudd.