Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: New cozy mystery series debut: 'A Class on Murder'

Fans of cozy mysteries will not want to miss A Class on Murder, the first book by new author Karen Bush Gibson. When half-Cherokee and half-Irish psychology professor Ronnie Raven finds herself accused of a colleague's murder, she resolves to solve the case herself, with a little help from her students, coworkers, and a love-smitten campus police officer. Check out this charming debut mystery at Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library! Looking for still more cozies in an academic setting? Try the "Karen Pelletier" series by Joanne Dobson, starting with Quieter than Sleep.

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

New cozy mystery series debut: 'A Class on Murder'

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