Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: culper ring series

Have you been reading the Culper Ring Series? The third book has been released and is available at the Community Library! Here's a look at the books in order:

Book #1 - The Inner Circle

A young archivist working in the National Archives and his childhood crush accidentally happen upon a priceless artifact--a 200-year-old dictionary that once belonged to George Washington--hidden inside a desk chair. Eager to discover why the President is hiding this important national treasure, the two soon find themselves entangled in a web of deception, conspiracy, and murder that will reveal the most well kept secret of the U.S. Presidency. (Publisher Summary)

Book #2 - The Fifth Assassin

Archivist Beecher White discovers a connection that may link the individuals responsible for the only four successful assassinations of American Presidents after discovering a modern-day killer who is recreating the assassins' crimes. (Publisher Summary)

Book #3 - The President's Shadow

Investigating human remains found in the White House's Rose Garden, Beecher White discovers that the crime was committed as a warning to the president and to reveal dark truths about Beecher's father's death. (Publisher Summary)

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