Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: At long last an ending to Edwin Drood

Charles Dickens died before he was able to finish The Mystery of Edwin Drood, but soon fans will be able to experience one possible conclusion. BBC Television has just announced that is is writing and filming its own ending to Edwin Drood as part of its "Year of Books" initiative. The story is about Edwin Drood and his choirmaster uncle, who are both in love with Edwin's fiancee; Edwin disappears under mysterious circumstances that Dickens' death left unclarified. The original, unfinished novel is available to Mastics-Moriches-Shirley cardholders as an ebook or in print through loans with fellow "Live-Brary.com" libraries.

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

Genre: Adult Non-Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5

"Being Mortal is about the limitations of what modern medicine can provide for people as their lives draw to a close. Gawande argues that the objective of medicine should not merely be treatment and survival; medical care should also ensure dignity in death and having control over one's final moments. He argues that instead of aggressively fighting the inescapable realities of aging, we should ask the hard questions of ourselves and our loved ones -- What makes life worth living? When should we try to extend our lives, and when should we choose a better quality of our remaining days over extending their quantity?

This book is difficult to read. Not because of the way Gawande writes -- his style is highly engaging, and he never lapses into excessively scientific jargon or overly simplistic explanations -- but because of the tough subject matter. Gawande draws on his own experiences as a doctor and peppers his book with honest and humane stories of his patients, friends, and family; the stories he tells make the book more accessible, and also more heartbreaking. (And that's not a bad thing.)

No one likes to think about their loved ones', or their own, impending mortality. But it's important to have these hard conversations, because as Gawande says, "endings matter." - Amanda

At long last an ending to Edwin Drood

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