Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: Cozy Crafty Mysteries

Crafty? Not sure what to read next? Try one of these craft-based mysteries, many of which include craft instructions:

Ready, Scrap, Shoot - This 5th book in the "Kiki Lowenstein Scrap-n-Craft" mystery series deals with the murder of a wealthy matriarch at Kiki's daughter's May Day pageant.
Skeleton Letters - This 9th book in the "Scrapbooking Mystery" follows Carmela and Ava as they delve into the murder of a member of their scrapbooking circle who was found in church beside a smashed St. Sebastien statue.
Dangerous Alterations - In this 5th book in the "Southern Sewing Circle" series, Yankee librarian Tori Sinclair must rely on her friends from the Sweet Briar Ladies Society sewing circle to help her prove her innocence.
Sins and Needles - In this 10th book in the "Needlecraft Mystery" series, adoptee Lucille Jones discovers a potential skeleton in her closet when she arrives in town to research her roots.
Antiques Bizarre - In this 4th "Trash 'n' Treasures" mystery, a 90-year-old Russian widow donates a priceless antique that is not what it seems.

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

Cozy Crafty Mysteries

No comments:

Post a Comment