Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: Top Ten

Thanks to bookmovement.com, here are this week's top ten book club picks (from June 15th -June 22nd)!

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

#1 - The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

#2 - All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

#3 - The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

#4 - Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

#5 - Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

#6 - The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

#7 - The Rosie Project by Graeme Simison

#8 - The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

#9 - Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

#10 - Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

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

Top Ten

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