Dear Great Book Guru, Now that the New Year has begun, I feel energized to start a serious reading regimen. My criteria is simple: a challenging storyline, but something I can finish over a weekend. Any thoughts? Reader with Resolve but Little Time


Dear Reader with…., Last night I finished a wonderful book on my Kindle and I think it just what you are looking for: THE SENSE OF AN ENDING by Julian Barnes, winner of the 2011 Booker Award - England's highest literary honor. At 160 pages, it is a very manageable read and the topic, while challenging, is fascinating: we create stories or endings to bring order to the chaos which is life, but these stories are seldom, if ever, true. The protagonist Tony Webster, 65 years-old, is living an ordered existence- a somewhat detached father and grandfather, amicably divorced, comfortably retired. He has tied up the loose ends of his life and is, if not happy, contented. We learn of a painful romantic encounter he had in his teens and a friendship that ended tragically. He remembers the people and events with clarity… or so he thinks. Unexpectedly, he receives $1000 inheritance, a letter, and the promise of a diary- all from the mother of his long ago girlfriend. Apparently, nothing was as he remembered. With the documents at hand, he sees that he has rewritten his life; his history was his own creation now debunked by irrefutable evidence. At the core of the book is a compelling mystery, but we come away with so much more: a look into our own memories, our own tales, our own attempts to write endings. Very thought provoking and a perfect read to begin the new year!