Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: "Full Dark No Stars" & Read-a-likes

Did you enjoy reading the new Stephen King book Full Dark, No Stars? If so, here are three similar books recommended by NoveList, a readers' advisory service you can access from anywhere with your library card.

The Museum of Dr. Moses by Joyce Carol Oates

The darkness of the human heart is the territory explored in The Museum of Dr. Moses and Full Dark, No Stars. Guilt, revenge, troubled marriages, and the family life of serial killers are some of the subjects in these story collections.

The Box (previous title: Button, Button) by Richard Matheson

Stephen King has cited Richard Matheson as a major influence on his writing, so Full Dark, No Stars readers might try Matheson's short story collection The Box. Matheson's stories are as inventive as King's, although less dark and violent.

Ghosts and Grisly Things by Ramsey Campbell

Ordinary people and atmospheres thick with menace characterize Ghosts and Grisly Things and Full Dark, No Stars. These stories range from the supernatural to the psychological thriller, exploring themes of revenge and murder, leavened with occasional dark humor.

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

"Full Dark No Stars" & Read-a-likes

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