Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: Killer's Island by Anna Jansson

On the Swedish Island of Gotland, police detective Maria Wren, and her colleagues are assigned to investigate the murder of a woman who has been decapitated and dressed as a bride. After the murder, an old legend resurfaces that tells the story of a young bride (the White Sea-Lady) who drowned on her wedding night and returns as a ghost to lure men into the watery depths. As the investigation heats up, it becomes clear that the police are also under observation by a seemingly pervasive killer.

Killer's Island by Anna Jansson is the second novel in the Maria Wern series. The first novel, Strange Bird, was released in September 2013.

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

Killer's Island by Anna Jansson

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