Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: February 2010

Title: Hush Puppy
Genre: Mystery
Author: Berenson, Laurien
Rating: 4

Review: in this Melanie Travis series, Melanie is suprised to learn that her soon-to-be husband Sam has an exwife. While Melanie is dealing with the shock of learning of Sam's ex a murder is committed at the private school where Mealanie teaches.

Reviewed by: Lisa

Title: 92 Pacific Boulevard
Genre: Romance
Author: Macomber, Debbie
Rating: 4

Review: 9th installment of the Cedar Cove series and the characters in the town of Cedar Cove feel like old friends. This book follows Sheriff troy Davis and his relationship with Faith.

Reviewed by: Lisa

Title: 8 sandpiper Way
Genre: Romance
Author: Macomber, Debbie
Rating: 4

Review: 8th book in Cedar Cove Series. This book is follows the lives of Pastor Dave and and Emily Flemming. as soon as you finish you want the read the next book.

Reviewed by: Lisa

Title: 204 Rosewood Lane
Genre: Romance
Author: Macomber, Debbie
Rating: 4

Review: 2nd in Cedar Cove series. this series is an easy, light read. This book answers the question to the mystery of what happened to Dan Sherman in book 1.

Reviewed by: Lisa

Title: 311 pelican court
Genre: Romance
Author: Macomber, Debbie
Rating: 4

Review: easy read - third in the cedar cove series. Will get lost if not read in series order. Focuses on the lives of divorced Rosie and Zack Cox and how they adjust to the judges order of sharing the house.

Reviewed by: Lisa

Title: The Secrets of Resilient Leadership: When Failure Is Not an Option.Six Essential Characteristics for Leading in Adversity
Genre: Adult Non-Fiction
Author: Everly, Jr., Ph.D. George S.
Rating: 5

Review: A leader encourages and a leader rebounds in times of disaster. This book is not just for managers but for anyone interested in making improvements in their life and life skills. The book talks about the six key principles of resilient leadership; integrity, communication, optimism, and accountability, to name a few. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone especially if they are in a management position.

Reviewed by: el

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