Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: 'Unexpected Pleasures' lives up to its name

For a quick historical romance, try Unexpected Pleasures by Mary Wine, which earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Forced by her ruthless guardian to tempt secrets from his enemies and seduce allegiance from his friends, Lady Justina Wincott nevertheless refuses to sully the reputation of the honorable Sir Synclair. Check out even more quick reads on the library's Summer Reading Club paperback display. You don't need to be a club member to check them out, but with a free membership, Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library cardholders can win fabulous raffle prizes all summer long, just for reading!

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

'Unexpected Pleasures' lives up to its name

No comments:

Post a Comment