Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: Merry Christmas, Alex Cross

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, James Patterson holds the record for number one New York Times bestsellers. The latest installment in his Alex Cross series, out on Monday, is a satisfying thrill of a read. In Merry Christmas, Alex Cross, Alex is called away to figure out who's been robbing a church collection box on Christmas Eve. Back at home with his family, he gets another call. A horrific hostage situation is underway and deteriorating quickly. Alex leaves his family to try and save another and he may not make it back on one of the most celebrated family days of the year. Not only will Merry Christmas, Alex Cross become a bestseller, it will be a holiday classic for years to come.

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

Merry Christmas, Alex Cross

No comments:

Post a Comment