Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: Today in Fiction

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's short story "The Problem of Thor Bridge" begins on a fictional October 4th at the turn of the last century. A governess is accused of killing her wealthy male employer's wife, and the evidence against her is damning: an eyewitness places her at the scene of the crime and the murder weapon has been found in her wardrobe. Can Sherlock Holmes prove her innocence? Visit today in fiction; read "The Problem of Thor Bridge" in The Complete Sherlock Holmes, available from your Community Library.

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

Today in Fiction

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