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Dying
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
Cory Taylor is one of Australias celebrated novelists, the author of the brilliant Me and Mr Booker (winner of the Commonwealth Writers Prize, Pacific region), and My Beautiful Enemy (shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award). At the age of sixty, she is dying of melanoma-related brain cancer. Her illness is no longer treatable. As she tells us in her remarkable last book, Dying: A Memoir, she now weighs less than her neighbours retriever. Written in the space of a few weeks, in a tremendous creative surge, this powerful and beautifully written book is a clear-eyed account of what dying has taught Cory: she describes the tangle of her feelings, she reflects on her life, and she remembers the lives and deaths of her parents. She tells us why she would like to be able to choose the circumstances of her own death. Dying: A Memoir is a breathtaking book about vulnerability and strength, courage and humility, anger and acceptance. It is a deeply affecting meditation on dying, but it is also a funny and wise tribute to life. Cory Taylor is an award-winning screenwriter who has also published short fiction and childrens books. Her first novel, Me and Mr Booker, won the Commonwealth Writers Prize (Pacific Region) and her second, My Beautiful Enemy, was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award. Her most recent book is Dying: A Memoir. This is a powerful, poignant and lucid last testament, at once an eloquent plea for autonomy in death, and an evocation of the joys, sorrows and sheer unpredictability and precariousness of life. Taylor wonders if she has found the right tone for her story. Her readers will find that she has. Its a fine contribution to our much-needed dialogue with death. Margaret Drabble Cory Taylors book is both a precise and moving memoir about the randomness of family, and an admirable intellectual response to the randomness of life and death. We should all hope for as vivid a looking-back, and as cogent a looking-forward, when we reach the end ourselves. Julian Barnes
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review
Robotswithpersonality
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
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Mehso-so

I feel like this was two books. One was a reflection on the author's life and relationships with her parents and between her parents and her parents' deaths. The other focus was on her current circumstances, and the importance and dignity of assisted dying, which at the time of this memoir, was not available to her. Perhaps that's all it needs to be. Perhaps not sharing her perspective means I couldn't possibly get it at that level.

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Robotswithpersonality
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
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"....my body replete with brightness."

Sometimes a phrase just gets you. ?

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Robotswithpersonality
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
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"The long answer [to what I'll miss most when I'm dead] is THE WORLD AND EVERYTHING IN IT: wind, sun, rain, snow, and all the rest."

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lauralovesbooks1
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
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Pickpick

As Taylor was facing her last days of life , she wrote this meditative memoir about dying Her reflections on family and connections resonated for me. I appreciated that this was not overly sentimental -- she takes honest and unflinching looks at the good and the bad. We often shy away from discussions about death -- books like this help give us language and a framework to start those important conversations. #nonfictionNovember

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Thornsandrosesbooks
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
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Mehso-so

Wow! Obama knows how to pick um. Dying was nothing short of an incredible read full of philosophical inquiry and universal insight.
Roses: An extremely honest and lyrical book that meditates on what it means to die slowly and have to contemplate death. There were many lines that I had to reread because they were so poignant.
Thorns: I felt as though some of the sections meandered and were more like diary entries.

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knzii
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor

All around you are people dying. See most of them on the street, and you‘d never know it, but here they are lined up, waiting for the latest results of their scans, to discover if they‘ve beaten the odds this month.

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Cdubuas
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
Pickpick

Spare but profound, a written life review from a wonderful writer on the precipice of death.

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SandyW
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
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Pickpick

"Far better for me to accept that I am powerless over my fate, and that for once in my life I am free of the tyranny of choice. That way I waste a lot less time feeling singled out or cheated."

Taylor's memoir was moving. I only wish she had written more of her experience of dying and less of her parents marriage. I wound up skimming those parts in this very short book.

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MallenNC
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
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Pickpick

Dying isn't a book about dying; it doesn't spend pages going to doctors appointments. Rather it is the memoir of a dying woman, her thoughts as she knows her time is short. Some of it is about her childhood, her rather difficult family relationships and how those shape her feelings. She wrote this because most people don't feel comfortable considering the end of life, and she wanted that to change. #Obama2017list #nonfiction2018 #PopSugar2018

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LizzyM
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
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Pickpick

It‘s an icy, blustery day out there and the kids are home after school was cancelled. A perfect day for staying cozy and reading by the fire. I finished this powerful memoir this morning, and wow, does it pack a punch. Beautiful and moving writing, and another exceptional memoir on death and dying to add to others I have read recently.

Cinfhen That cover is stunning 7y
RebelReader I love birds so the cover makes me happy 😊 7y
LizzyM @cinfen @RebelReader So beautiful! And no dust jacket which I absolutely love! 7y
33 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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MallenNC
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
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I finally got out of my house after NC‘s snow and all these library holds had come in for me. I decided to read all the books on Barack Obama‘s 2017 list, which includes the tagged book. It will also fit a few PopSugar challenge tasks. But all of these have to wait until I finish this White House book! #bookhaul #libraryhaul #TBR

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dariazeoli
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
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“I still write so as not to feel alone in the world, but now I type. What is lost in the process is the hand-drawn aspect of the written word—some of the magic has faded, as it must do from all childhood pleasures. They begin and they end.”

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dariazeoli
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
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Having just listened to the chapter in Samantha Irby's book about her dad dying, I couldn't get very far in this book this morning.

Losing a parent always seemed to me to be the most terrifying prospect. When my dad died 4 years ago, it was almost surprising that I got through it. I am unprepared to lose my mom.

Sixteen years ago today, many lost parents miles away from here. I could see the mushroom of smoke from here.

A heavy morning.

Cinfhen #FeelingInspired thank you😢 7y
35 likes2 stack adds1 comment
blurb
Tin_House
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
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We're blown away by the overwhelming response to DYING: A MEMOIR by Cory Taylor. If you're finding "Out of Stock" notices at online retailers, we encourage you to head over to your local bookstore. You should find copies right there on the shelves, and more are on the way.

NerdyRev I loved this book! It is absolutely deep and insightful. Very worth the read! 7y
Cinfhen Gorgeous cover 7y
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Tin_House
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
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Tin_House
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
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Pickpick

DYING: A MEMOIR by Cory Taylor, out August 1, in today's New York Times: "Bracing and beautiful . . . Every human should read it."

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monkeygirlsmama
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
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Mehso-so

Well, I stuck it out. In truth it wasn't a long read, but I never really connected to the author. I wished she'd have spent more time focused on how she spent her days post-diagnosis or even more from her later years in life, with her husband and sons pre-diagnosis. Instead most of the book was about her parents and their messed up relationships. I don't want to give this a "pan", but it was very close. ?

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monkeygirlsmama
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
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Struggling with this book. 🙄 Really thought I'd enjoy it, but I'm almost at 40% through and I'm just not. I feel bad even considering DNFing when it's got good reviews on Litsy already and when I'm supposed to be reviewing it for #NetGalleyReads. Yet, I'm not sure I wanna keep plugging away if I'm not all in. Yk? What would you guys do? Please be my voice of reason. 😝

JoeStalksBeck Hah! Good catch! 7y
Elisa If you have to review it, I would continue and see if you can manage to finish. If it's a struggle, your review should definitely reflect that. If you find yourself getting frustrated and having to stop reading it later on, then by all means I would do that and include it in my review! 7y
[DELETED] 206653737 Not every book works for every person, maybe it's just not for you. 7y
monkeygirlsmama @JoeStalksBeck Thanks. He's such a lazy thing. LoL 😸@Elisa Thats what I did. 😏I ended up sticking with it, and thankfully it wasn't a terribly long book. @bookish22 So true. I did finish it, but never truly enjoyed it or connected with the author. Oh well, better luck next time. 🙂 7y
25 likes4 comments
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NerdyRev
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
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Pickpick

I don't know how many ways I can praise this book. @Tin_House has brought a beautiful and incredible book on death and dying to the States. Taylor is dying of melanoma and writes about facing death, suicide, assisted death, and looking back at life. She died a few months after the book was published in Australia. This is such a great book.

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NerdyRev
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
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I may have mentioned that I LOVE @Tin_House books. Back from vacation and this was waiting for me. Yippy skippy!

ReadingEnvy Awesome 7y
monkeygirlsmama I'm starting this one tonight. 🙃 7y
23 likes2 comments
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Michelle_mck
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
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Pickpick

It's difficult to know how to review this one.It is a short memoir written at the end of Cory Taylor's life as she is dying from Melanoma. It's a reflection on her life but most particularly her parents. I think I was hoping for more on her immediate family, husband and sons or a reflection on her work but much is on her parents. Her observations on her imminent death are profound and it makes me cherish and appreciate moments of life. #stellas

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Michelle_mck
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
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Up next, shortlisted #stella17 a short bit difficult read I think. Cory Taylor was an Australian Author, when she wrote this memoir she was in the final stages of her battle with melanoma.

MrsMalaprop Have heard good things about this. Will be interested to read your review. 8y
59 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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shawnmooney
Dying: A Memoir | Cory Taylor
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RIP

BookMusings Thanks for the info! 8y
ramyasbookshelf Have you read her books? 8y
shawnmooney @ramyasbookshelf I have not. I hadn't heard about her until I saw her obituary today, sadly. But I'd like to check out her stuff… 8y
36 likes5 stack adds3 comments