Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: Holiday Craft Ideas

Get a jump start on your holiday crafts! Stop by our main floor display near the copy/fax room to find books about decorating, cooking, quilting, and all things handcrafted for the holidays. Here is a few of the many titles you'll find:

Home-Made for the Holidays: Over 60 Treats to Enjoy at Home or Give as Gifts by Aileen Anastacio

A Handcrafted Christmas: Creating a Welcoming Home for the Holidays by Dawn Anderson

Southern Living Big Book of Christmas edited by Rebecca Brennan

Christmas Comfort and Joy edited by Carol Field Dahlstrom

Merry Christmas Quilts by Martingale and Company

Quick and Clever Christmas Cards: 100 Fast and Festive Cards and Tags by Elizabeth Moad

Home for the Holidays: Creative Ideas for Making the Holidays Memorable by Heidi Tyline King

Holiday Crafts: 35 Projects for the Home and for Giving by Catherine Woram

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

Holiday Craft Ideas

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