Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: Just Released: The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel

The Land of Painted Caves, the sixth book in the Earth's Children series has just been released. The series has a dedicated base of fans who have waited patiently for each new installment ever since the publication of the first book, the Clan of the Cave Bear, over 30 years ago. The books follow a Cro-Magnon girl named Ayla who is adopted by Neaderthals and struggles to fit in with her new society as well as the prehistoric wilds around her. Need a refresher before reading The Land of Painted Caves? Here is are the first five books in order, all available to Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library cardholders (Clan of the Cave Bear has also been made into a movie and is available on DVD):

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

Just Released: The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel

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