Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: entertainment weekly

Showing posts with label entertainment weekly. Show all posts

King's 'Eyes of the Dragon' Book to Movie Alert

A book by Stephen King that hasn't been turned into a movie? Yes, the 1987 book The Eyes of the Dragon holds this rare distinction, but not for long. Syfy is adapting this early work of King's into a made-for-TV movie or miniseries. This stand-alone book tells the story of an evil magician's plot to control a kingdom. Click here for the full report from Entertainment Weekly's "Inside TV" column, and don't forget to beat the rush by reading (or re-reading) this book now.

Grisham's 'Firm' on NBC

NBC is launching a new drama starring Josh Lucas based on John Grisham's bestselling 1991 legal thriller The Firm. More of a sequel than a retelling, the TV series picks up years after main character Mitch McDeere breaks free from his former employer, a mob-controlled law firm. Visit this article from Entertainment Weekly's "Inside TV" for trailers from the new show.

Earthquake-Inspired Reading

So where were you when the earthquake rocked the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley area on Tuesday, August 23rd? If the unexpected shaking of your home or workplace got you wondering about what-if earthquake scenarios, here are some suggested reads for you, taken from The LA Times and Entertainment Weekly's Shelf Life blog. What better way to amuse yourself during this weekend's hurricane than by reading about other natural disasters? Click the book jackets to learn more about each title or to reserve your copy!

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