Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: Sequel Alert: The Magician King

If you loved Lev Grossman's 2009 novel The Magicians, you probably can't wait to get your hands on the sequel, The Magician King, which is coming out tomorrow (August 9, 2011). Both books pay homage to beloved fantasy series from the past like The Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings while employing a tongue-in-cheek Monty Python or Douglas Adams brand of humor. In this newly released sequel, Quentin Coldwater returns to Fillory together with compatriots from Brakebills College of Magical Pedagogy: a daring quest filled with plenty of swordplay keeps the plot engaging while humor and fully realized characters raise interesting questions on the nature of heroism. Happy reading!

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 Alert: The Magician King

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