Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: Unappreciated Ghostwriter In The Spotlight

From Linda Barnes, the author of the Carlotta Carlyle series, comes a new standalone novel, The Perfect Ghost Required to complete a celebrity biography on her own after the suspicious death of her charismatic partner, agoraphobic ghost writer Em Moore struggles through the job's required interviews with alluring film director Garrett Malcolm, who alludes to dark family secrets and trouble with a fellow star. With perfect pacing and prose, Barnes slowly winds the tension in this story leading readers deeper and deeper into this twisted plot.

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

Unappreciated Ghostwriter In The Spotlight

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