Book Chatter

Strange Weather
By Joe Hill
William Morrow & Company, 9780062663115, October 2017, 448pp.

The Short of It:

Some readers might overlook this collection because they aren’t into short fiction but this collection includes four complete novels and trust me, you’ll forget you are reading short fiction once you get into each story.

The Rest of It:

This is a really excellent collection of stories. I hate to compare Joe Hill to his pop (Stephen King) but he has a very similar sense of humor which comes out in his writing. Not surprising really.

I enjoyed all of these novels but my fave is probably the one titled “Loaded”. A mall cop is hailed as a hero until the full story is revealed. It has plenty to say about gun control and with everything currently going on in our world, this story is timely.

Although I shy away from short fiction, I couldn’t help but fall into these stories. Hill delivers realistic characters and has a knack for pacing. I never felt like the stories were too short which is how I sometimes feel with short fiction.

Strange Weather is a good example of short fiction which is also very satisfying to read.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Being Mortal
By Atul Gawande
Picador USA, 9781250076229, September 2017, 304pp.

The Short of It:

Well written and thought-provoking. If you’ve never thought about losing your independence while battling a long-term/terminal illness, then this will be an eye-opener for you.

The Rest of It:

Atul Gawande was born into a family of doctors. As a doctor and himself, he became interested in palliative care and how a shift in the care of the terminally ill, can prolong their quality of life. Not cure them, of course, but provide them care by fulfilling such wishes as more time with the family, continuing to teach music, eating ice cream and watching football in the comfort of your own home.

When his own father is diagnosed with cancer, his research in this area becomes personal. How do you treat a patient in this situation? How do you secure a comfortable environment while controlling pain, seeing to their psychological needs and their desire to maintain quality of life?

This was a fascinating read. Gawande discusses the issues with nursing homes and hospice care and points out two very important questions that should be asked of any patient with a terminal illness.

What is your understanding of what you’ve been told?
What is your expectation as far as care?

So often, these critical questions are never asked. It’s assumed that people want to be cured but often, they just want to be pain-free, comfortable and independent. That last part being a huge issue for most. This is a heavy topic but Gawande does a beautiful job highlighting what CAN be done for a positive outcome.

If this topic interests you, get yourself a copy and if you have a chance. Check out his Ted Talk too.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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