Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: New Series Launch: Only Time Will Tell

Jeffrey Archer has launched the promising new Clifton Chronicles series with Only Time Will Tell, the epic tale of an orphaned working-class boy in 1930s England whose life changes radically when he wins a scholarship to an exclusive school. Years later, supicious events cause the main character to wonder if his father really was a dockworker, as he's been told. The forthcoming series is planned to span a century and follow two intertwined families. If you enjoy well-developed characters set against a richly detailed historical backdrop, this new series opener might just get you started on an epic journey you'll never forget.

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

New Series Launch: Only Time Will Tell

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