Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: It's a Book Blizzard!

The weather outside might be frightful, but curling up with a good book sounds delightful!

Registration for our Winter Reading Club has begun. Shake of those winter blues and get reading. Register online at www.communitylibrary.org and stop by the Adult Information Desk to pick up your Reading Club goodie bag.

Week 1: Family Movie Night. Raffle will be drawn February 12th.

Week 2: Drink Tea, Read Books. Raffle will be drawn February 19th.

Week 3: Oh My Godiva! Raffle will be drawn February 26th.

Week 5: In the Kitchen. Raffle will be drawn March 12th.

Week 6: Get Your Smoothie On! Raffle will be drawn March 19th.

The more you read, the better your chance of winning a great raffle prize. Simply enter in the books you read online. Each book read counts as one raffle entry. Raffle drawings will take place on Thursdays February 12, 19, 26 and March 5, 12, and 19. Start reading 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

It's a Book Blizzard!

The weather outside might be frightful, but curling up with a good book sounds delightful!

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