Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: Ghost Stories for around the Campfire

Ghost Summer by Tananarive Due

In her debut collection of short fiction, Due takes us to Gracetown, a small Florida town that has both literal and figurative ghost; into future scenarios that seem all too real; and provides empathetic portraits of those whose lives are touched by Otherness. The title novella, Ghost Summer, won a Kindred Award from the Carl Brandon Society. This collection includes Patient Zero, The Lake, The Knowing, Herd Immunity, and many other stories. (Publisher Summary)

Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman

Trigger Warning explores the masks we all wear and the people we are beneath them to reveal our vulnerabilities and our truest selves. Here is a rich cornucopia of poetry, horror and ghosts stories, science fiction and fairy tales, that explore the realm of experience and emotion. Trigger Warning includes a very special Doctor Who story that was written for the fiftieth anniversary of the beloved series as well Black Dog, and more. (Publisher Summary)

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

The lives of the Barretts, a normal suburban New England family, are torn apart when 14-year-old Marjorie begins to display signs of what at first seems to be acute schizophrenia, a condition which only gets worse, leading them to believe it's actually demonic possession, as they become the center of a reality TV show. A chilling thriller that brilliantly blends domestic drama, psychological suspense, and a touch of modern horror. (Publisher Summary)

The Damned by Andrew Pyper

Danny Orchard died on his 16th birthday-and so did his twin sister, Ashleigh-but only Danny came back. He wrote a bestselling memoir about his experience of heaven called The After, but despite his fame and fortune he's never been able to enjoy his second chance at life. His sister won't let him. Charming and magnetic in life, Ash appeared perfect to outsiders but the budding psychopath privately terrorized her family, and that hasn't stopped with her death. (Publisher Summary)

Ghosts of Long Island II by Kerriann Flanagan Brosky

After extensive research, and interviews with Long Islanders conducted with paranormal investigator Joe Giaquinto, Ms. Brosky has written 30 new accounts of paranormal happenings and haunted locations on Long Island.

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

Ghost Stories for around the Campfire

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