When breath becomes air / Paul Kalanithi ; foreword by Abraham Verghese NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST • THE NEW YORK TIMES • NPR We have all heard of or experienced a situation where a doctor has ignored the concerns of a patient and refused thorough testing. That is what happened to 35 year old Paul Kalanithi despite the fact that he was a physician himself, in training to be a neurosurgeon and possessing several other degrees as well. He saw a doctor because with his weight loss and severe back pain, he suspected that he had cancer. An x-ray would not show abnormalities as well as an MRI, but an x-ray is what the doctor insisted upon. This test was normal. Continuing to be in discomfort, Kalanithi took painkillers in order to function and a few weeks later he developed extreme chest pain. Tests now showed that his lungs were riddled with tumors and these had spread to other areas of his body. He now became a patient. This book is very, very good and is intelligently written. It’s remarkable in the way it shows the journey of a physician through education, training and treatment of patients, and a patient’s journey through diagnosis, receiving treatment and finally having to make decisions for end-of-life care. The most poignant sections of the book are when the author had to re-assess the goals he had in life and realize his life objectives have changed. He was fortunate throughout to have the support of his wife, also a physician, and his family. For a smaller book, it has lots to think about. Booklist review: “Can life remain full and rewarding even while one is living under a death sentence? This is the question now-deceased neurosurgeon Kalanithi asked himself after receiving a late-stage lung cancer diagnosis. Newly married and almost ready to complete his residency, at 34 Kalanithi was faced with a momentous decision: Should he continue with a promising medical career, or fall back on his first love of writing while taking care of his health? Fortunately for the readers of this moving memoir, he decided to do both. Kalanithi describes his life-changing decision to set aside the pursuit of a doctorate in literature in favor of attending medical school and then recounts the discovery and progress of his illness, along with the inevitable upheaval in his personal life. A precious highlight here is the heartrending epilogue penned by his wife, Lucy, following Kalanithi's passing shortly after she became pregnant. This eloquent, heartfelt meditation on the choices that make life worth living, even as death looms, will prompt readers to contemplate their own values and mortality.”

Caflowerluver - the book has romance, but also some bitter anti-romance. One event I'm thinking of is when the group goes to the Plaza Hotel to drink. There is a confrontation where Gatsby tells Tom that Daisy loves him and not Tom, her husband. After Tom mentions Gatsby's illegal business activities in order to discredit him, Gatsby tries to defend himself to Daisy, "But with every word she was drawing further and further into herself, so he gave that up and only the dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped away, trying to touch what was no longer tangible, struggling unhappily, undespairingly, toward that lost voice across the room." Ironically, at the same time that the marriage is being damaged, there is a wedding being celebrated in the hotel just below them.

This has been double-posting. Trying again ... Lessons from Tara : life advice from the world’s most brilliant dog / David Rosenfelt Many people know David Rosenfelt from his mysteries, such as Play Dead that I reviewed a few weeks ago. Lessons from Tara is about the dog rescue that he and his wife Debbie run through their Tara Foundation, inspired by their love of Tara, their golden retriever. The couple has a real affection for dogs and have had as many as 42 of the animals in their home as well as re-homing about 4,000 others. This book is a very entertaining, quick read with lots of humor. The author doesn’t hesitate to poke fun at himself and is often very humorous in describing the quirky personalities and habits of the dogs he encounters. The way in which the Rosenfelts deal with many canines, some of whom are troubled, together with the sad moments that are inevitable with pet ownership, testifies to their great dedication. I would recommend this book in audio format as well since I enjoyed it greatly while taking my walks. Although there is some overlap with this book, Rosenfelt’s Dogtripping describes how they moved 25 dogs in 3 RVs from California to Maine. The well-being of dogs is altogether a labor of love for David and Debbie Rosenfelt.

When my daughter was about ten, she stopped reading. Said she didn't have any books she liked. I tried my favorites on her -- Little Women, Anne of Green Gables. No interest at all. I asked a much younger colleague where I worked for suggestions. She told me about Harriet the Spy and Judy Blume. My daughter loved them. I took her to the library a lot -- they had a great librarian there who picked out books that she would probably like. I started a Book of the Month club for her -- once a month we went to a bookstore and she could pick out a book and I paid for it. She's in her 40s now, and reads magazines once in a while, but has no interest in going back to reading books. I tried...