Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: If you like the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series...

If you like Alexander McCall Smith's "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" books, you might also enjoy these other mystery series (on display downstairs in the Fiction section):

China Bayles Mysteries by Susan Wittig Albert - China Bayles is a herbalist and loveable amateur sleuth. The books work well alone, but for those readers who are sticklers about series order, start with 1992's Thyme of Death, available for pick up at Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Library via loan from other Suffolk County libraries.
Miss Marple Mysteries by Agatha Christie - A truly classic series featuring an unflappable upper-class British heroine, who solves mysteries over a cup of tea. The first title, A Murder at the Vicarage, was published in 1930 and has since been re-released.
Mrs. Murphy Mysteries by Rita Mae Brown - Mrs. Murphy is a clever housecat with a nose for trouble; starting with the publication of 1990's Wish You Were Here, she helps her owner solve crimes. For other murder mysteries involving cats, try Lilian Jackson Braun's "Jim Qwilleran" feline whodunit series, starting with 1966's The Cat Who Could Read Backwards.
Coffeehouse Mysteries by Cleo Coyle - Clare Cosi, the manager of a small coffeeshop, gets drawn into amateur crime solving. The series started in 2003 with On What Grounds.
Maxie and Stretch by Sue Henry - Independent retiree Maxie McNabb is 63 and as sharp as ever; she solves crimes with the help of her loveable dachshund Stretch. Start with 2004's The Serpent's Trail.
Someday Quilts by Clare O'Donohue - Nell Fitzgerald and her knitting club, "Someday Quilts," somehow get themselves entangled in mysteries that they alone can solve. Series newcomers should start with 2008's The Lover's Knot.

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

2 comments:

Cleo CoyleDecember 12, 2011 at 10:29 PM
I detect a bad link in your post. :)

My ON WHAT GROUNDS, as well as my other titles, can be found in your catalog but not at the link you list.

The link you have above for Cleo goes to another author's books. Out of respect for your patrons, I would like to help out with a correct search link. To search for my Coffeehouse Mysteries click here.

Or paste this link into your browser.

http://alpha2.suffolk.lib.ny.us/search~S37?/aCoyle%2C+Cleo./acoyle+cleo/-3%2C-1%2C0%2CB/exact&FF=acoyle+cleo&1%2C40%2C

Read with joy,
Cleo Coyle
Coffeehouse Mystery.com
“Where coffee and crime are always brewing…”
Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community LibraryDecember 15, 2011 at 12:07 PM
Sorry about that, the error should now be fixed.