Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: court of angels

Copper Beach, the first book in the new Dark Legacy series by popular author Jayne Ann Krentz, has just been released. This paranormal romance/suspense story features pyschic Abby Radwell, whose talent at deciphering the secrets within the pages of very rare books sometimes taken her into dangerous territory. After a deadly incident in the private library of an obsessive collector, Abby receives a blackmail threat, and rumors swirl that an old alchemical text known as "The Key" has reappeared on the black market. A number of ruthless people are searching for the book. Some believe that Abby can find it for them ....

Love steamy paranormal romance with a high level of action? You can also try Christine Feehan's Shadow Game, the first book in the "Ghostwalkers" series that is currently 9 books long. Novelist also recommends Out of Body, the first book in the "Court of Angels" series by Stella Cameron.

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

Krentz's hot new series-starter: Copper Beach