Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: ABC

Showing posts with label ABC. Show all posts

Author of 'You're Not Doing It Right' is doing something right

Did you catch today's 'The Chew' on ABC? If so, you heard about You're Not Doing It Right: Tales of Marriage, Sex, Death and Other Humiliations. This talked-about new book, available at Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community library, shares acerbic observations about the author's family life in suburbia, from shopping for an unnecessary divorce home to attending kindergarten recitals. Place holds now for this popular new release!

"Good Christian Bitches" controversial debut novel

New author Kim Gatlin sure hasn't shied away from controversy with her debut novel, titled Good Christian Bitches. In this new book, newly divorced Amanda Vaughn returns to her Texas hometown, where she is targeted by a malicious group of holier-than-thou Christian women who see the rich, single, and sweet-natured Amanda as a rival. When the so-called Christians start attacking Amanda's children, the usually gentle Amanda has had enough. Unsurprisingly, this book has already drawn fire from Christian watchdog groups, but the premise has at least one fan: television network ABC. The book has already been optioned as a TV series pilot, and is rapidly becoming one of the most talked-about new releases this season. Reserve it today!

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