Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: Quick Summer Reads

With less than a week until Labor Day, there is not a lot of time left for reading on the beach..with that, here's a list of quick summer reads! Run to the Community Library to borrow a copy today!

Return to the Beach House by Georgia Bockoven

The Girls of August by Anne Rivers Siddons

Return to the Beach House by Georgia Bockoven

Eight people share their lives, loves and secrets at a warm, and welcoming shore cottage, including photographers Matthew and Lindsey and widowed Alison and her college-age grandson in this sequel to Another Summer and The Beach House.

The Memory Garden by Mary Rickert

Bay's mother, Nan, has kept lots of secrets from her, and when Nan meets up with her estranged friends Mavis and Ruthie, the secrets just begin to be revealed.

One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern

After her dying mentor leaves her a mysterious list of 100 names, journalist Kitty Logan tries to locate the people and uncover their connections in this new novel from the author of P.S. I Love You.

The Girls of August by Anne Rivers Siddons
Four friends who used to meet for an annual summer beach vacation drift apart after one of their group tragically dies but reconvene years later.

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

Quick Summer Reads

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