Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: suzanne woods fisher

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The Rose of Winslow Street

Check out The Rose of Winslow Street, a newly-released work of historical fiction from Christian publisher Bethany House. In this heartwarming love story, Libby Sawyer and her father return home to Massachusetts from a summer vacation - only to find widower Michael Dobrescu and his family living in their house, claiming it had been willed to him long ago! The ensuing legal battle is decidedly less bitter than it could be, however, as Libby and Michael slowly fall in love. Enjoy Christian historical love stories? You might also like the new book The Keeper, the first in a planned series set in Amish country.

Can't get enough Amish Inspirational fiction?

Fans of big-name Amish inspirational writers like Wanda Brunstetter and Beverly Lewis might also want to try relative newcomer Jerry Eicher. The third book in his Little Valley series, Ella Finds Love Again, has just been published. Start with book 1, A Wedding Quilt for Ella, in which Ella copes with the loss of her fiancee Aden, and continue with book 2, Ella's Wish, in which Ella looks after motherless girls while dealing with two suitors. Readers looking for other writers of Amish inspirational fiction might also want to try Marta Perry (Rachel's Garden) or Suzanne Woods Fisher (start with The Choice, Book 1 of Lancaster County Secrets).

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