Leonard Cohen is one of a kind. Poet, singer, songwriter, novelist, philosopher, artist. He definitely did not go with the current as Sylvie Simmons tells us in this biography. He went his own way. Among other things, he was a dropout. He would often disappear. A farm in Tennessee, a hideaway in Hydra, Greece, a house in Montreal, his long stays at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City where he bumped into everybody who was anybody in the 1970s. Cohen’s last great dropout residence was Mount Baldy, a Zen retreat where he disappeared for five years in the mountains outside Los Angeles to become a monk. Read this book, it’s a beauty. So is Leonard Cohen. He is my man.

Look for it in our new non-fiction section, or place a hold for it.

And if like me you are left wanting more after the biogrpahy, read also the story of his most famous song “Hallelujah” told in Alan Light’s book “The Holy or the Broken”.

The background story is about Mary Anne Schwalbe who has been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer.  Will, her son, vows to be as supportive to his mom as he can. Will realizes that the best way he can help his mom, engage her, and open up the lines of communication is to talk about their shared passion: books.

So he and Mary begin sharing books, and every time the two see each other, they discuss the books they read. In the process, Mary begins to reveal more and more about not only her vast experiences, but also her emotions and her fears.

So while “The End of Your Life Book Club” is about books, it’s really the story of an amazing woman (and amazing she is, as you will discover), and also the story of a mother and son recommitting to their relationship through a shared passion.

I had read only a few of the books that Will and Mary discussed, but that did not detract me from the pleasure of reading this book.  If anything, it has caused me to add a few more titles to my ever-growing list. 

This book is available in multiple formats.  Look it up in our catalog!

Regular print, large print, and audiobook:

http://haverhill.mvlc.org/eg/opac/results?fi%3Aitem_type=&query=the+end+of+your+life+book+club&qtype=title&locg=1&sort=

eBook:

http://mvlc.lib.overdrive.com/08A09FAB-8389-457F-9627-7773AF077BC2/10/405/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID=AC77496F-14E1-4933-BEB2-D06F164E5FC4

“Why be the sheep when you can be the wolf?”

In the first book of Robin LaFevers’ His Fair Assassins trilogy, seventeen-year-old Ismae finds that she has a choice few girls in Brittany ever get when she escapes from a horrifying arranged marriage. Ismae finds sanctuary at the convent of St. Mortain—better known as the god of Death—and learns she has a talent for intrigue, murder and revenge.

To prove her worth to the sisters of St. Mortain, Ismae must do everything she’s told so she will be able to become a trained assassin and handmaiden to Death. Her apprenticeship takes her to the high court of Brittany where her loyalty to the Order of St. Mortain is sorely tested as her final target becomes the man she’s growing to love.

This tantalizing historical fantasy will keep you in suspense straight to the very last page! Grave Mercy will keep you waiting to hear more about the lovely assassins of St. Mortain. I, for one, am eager to move on to the second book Dark Triumph due out in Spring 2013.

If you want to learn more about the world of 15th century France that Grave Mercy is set in, check out Robin LaFevers’ beautiful blog.