Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: Foodie Fiction Treat: White Truffles in Winter

Gourmets, Francophiles, and historical fiction fans may find N.M. Kelby's new book White Truffles in Winter to be a delicious treat. The book opens near the end of famous French chef Auguste Escoffier's life. He has witnessed a tumultuous sweep of history from a unique position, and he recounts his days as a cook in the Franco-Prussian War, a chef for the beau monde in Paris and at London's Savoy, and a confidant of royalty and world leaders. The heart of Escoffier's story, however, lies in his love for two very different women: the famous, beautiful, and reckless actress Sarah Bernhardt and his wife, the independent and sublime poet Delphine Daffis. Now Escoffier has retired and returned to Delphine. She requests just one thing: that he produce a dish in her name. Yet how does one recreate the complexity of love in a single recipe? Escoffier must rediscover food's emotional capacity, its ability to communicate passion, regret, grief, forgiveness and love. Intrigued? Check out this tasty treat of a book 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

Foodie Fiction Treat: White Truffles in Winter

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