I was at the library, juggling both of my kids, when I spotted this book.  Normally I don’t even bother looking for my own books when both kids are with me (most of my book browsing is done on-line these days.)  But the cover caught my eye, so I snatched it up as the 3 of us whirled by, and I’m so glad that I did.  The simple cover (hats and a scarf on a hook) and short, somewhat vague title — Lost–was the outer shell of an exciting book with a unique perspective on The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, an event about which I’ve read several books.

I’ve been trying to summarize the plot without giving anything away, and can’t.  So I’m not going to even try.  This is a fantastic book, hard to put down, and the suspense builds with each chapter.  Go read this book.

Through recorded cassette tapes, Hannah reveals to her friend Clay the 13 reasons why she committed suicide.  Suspenseful and heartbreaking; I had a hard time putting it down.  The alternating narration between Clay’s life and Hannah’s voice on the tapes keeps the story moving quickly.

The one feeling I was left with overall though, was that suicide is a glamorous way to go.  In the end, Hannah is able to explain her reasons for killing herself, make her enemies feel bad for hurting her, and bid farewell to her grief-stricken almost boyfriend.  It’s the ultimate, “They’ll miss me when I’m gone” fantasy come true.  If I had a child reading this book, I would definitely want them to explore this topic from other points of view.

This is one of the more unusual memoirs that I’ve read. Patsy Harman is a nurse-midwife, who co-owns an OB-GYN practice with her doctor husband.  (Even though they run an OB-GYN practice, they no longer deliver babies, as their malpractice insurance rates for deliveries have skyrocketed.)

Harman’s memoir combines reflections on the business side of the medical practice with personal anecdotes from her own medical life, as well as that of her patients.  Even thought I don’t agree with Harman on all of her stances on social issues, I thought she was a wonderfully caring practitioner, and found myself wishing I lived closer to her Appalachian home so I could go to her office!

Dorrit is 50 years old, self employed, unmarried and childless.  Her society has labeled her as “dispensable.”  Dorrit and others like her are required to submit their bodies to physical and psychological experiments, drug tests and even organ donations.  When their usefulness as experimental subjects has passed, the final donation is scheduled and the dispensables are euthanized.

Dorrit is resigned to living out her remaining days in the luxurious facility which houses the dispensables.  Although she misses her independence, privacy, the outdoors, and her beloved dog, she begins to make new friends, works on her writing and tries not to think about the future.  Then she falls in love with Johannes, and everything changes.  Although society claims Dorrit and Johannes are dispensable, the couple now have everything to live for.

This book is haunting.  It describes a society that is horrifying both for its brutal definition of “usefulness” and for its similarity to our own.  Abortion on demand, mercy killing, rationed or unaffordable health care and slurs against persons with disabilities are ordinary occurrences.  How much longer before we take the next step and begin writing our own definition of “dispensable persons?”

The time has finally come in my reading career when I can no longer review every book that I read.  I use the term “review” lightly, as most of my reviews are just a few sentences about the book.  But even finding the time to write a few sentences about each book that I read has become impossible.  However, I still want a record of everything that I’ve read, which is where Library Thing comes in.

Library Thing is a database where I can keep track of the books I’ve read.  It has some really neat features.  You can:

• add your own tags to the books you’ve read
• sort books into “collections.”  For example, some of my collections are entitled Read, Read but Unowned, E’s Library Favorites (my daughter’s favorite library check-outs), M’s Library Favorites (my son’s favorite library check-outs), To Buy, and Favorites.
• write reviews or link back to your blog review
• rate books
• read other reader’s reviews
• search for other readers who enjoy similar books
• request review copies of select books
• design widgets for your blog

You can have up to 200 books in your collection(s) for free.  Once you reach the 200 mark, you’ll need to upgrade your account to a paid membership ($10/yr or $25/lifetime.)  So far, my only complaint about Library Thing is that I can’t find an iPhone app for them.  If you know of one, let me know!

Back to reviewing books.  From now on, I’ll only be reviewing select books on my blog.  I’ll focus on the books that made the biggest impression on me, either because they were well-written, enjoyable, made me think, or were unique in some other way.  Feel free to visit me at Library Thing to see everything I’m reading.

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