Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: Sequel to The Keeper of Lost Causes

In The Keeper of Lost Causes, Denmark's hottest crime fiction author, Juss Adler-Olsen introduced us to Detective Carl Moerck. In The Absent One, Moerck is back, grumpy as ever, and determined to do as little work as possible. When the cold case of a murder of a brother and sister which turns out to have ties to powerful socialites lands on his desk, Moerck must investigate. Nothing is an it seems and Moerck ends up fighting for not only justice but for his life as well. Fans of Scandinavian fiction will not want to miss this one. Pre pub buzz rates The Absent One as being even better that Adler-Olsen's outstanding debut!

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

Sequel to The Keeper of Lost Causes

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