Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: In Honor of the Road World Championships, Sep 19-27

Cycling's Greatest Misadventures edited by Erich Schweikher and Paul Diamond

The History of Cycling in Fifty Bikes by Tom Ambrose

The Complete Book of Road Cycling & Racing by Will Peveler

Cycling's Greatest Misadventures edited by Erich Schweikher and Paul Diamond

"Cycling's Greatest Misadventures" presents twenty-seven true stories which cross the spectrum from terrifying to comical to downright bizarre. In these pages both everyday riders and pros tell their stories of freak accidents, animal attacks, sabotage, idiotic decisions, eerie or unexplained incidents, and other jaw dropping, adrenalin-pumping calamities. (Publisher Summary)

The History of Cycling in Fifty Bikes by Tom Ambrose

For an invention with a history of just 200 years, the simple bicycle has changed the world in many ways. From the Velocipede to the Pinarello, The History of Cycling in Fifty Bikes by Tom Ambrose relates this history by telling the stories of 50 iconic machines that have shaped the world. (Publisher Summary)

The Complete Book of Road Cycling & Racing by Will Peveler

Every road rider has goals. Yours may be to begin racing, to become more competitive, or to win a specific tour. Not interested in racing? Perhaps you want to complete your first century ride, improve your overall fitness, or ride father and faster just for the sheer joy of flying on two wheels.(Publisher Summary)

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

In Honor of the Road World Championships, Sep 19-27

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