Dear Great Book Guru, I was on the Pub Crawl last weekend- what fun! I made it to Metro Bistro, the new Oak Room, Partners, and Gallagher's -each was more crowded than the next. While I was waiting to get into Partners, I heard a group of people talking about a new book they had all read. It was set on the Amazon River and sounded like a great scientific adventure story. Do you know the book and, if so, would you recommend it? Fascinated by Amazon Adventures


Dear Fascinated, The Pub Crawl was fun- the Beach committee did a wonderful job and, despite the rain, everyone seemed to have a great time. I do know the book you mention: STATE OF WONDER by Ann Patchett. She wrote the very popular BEL CANTO and while both are psychological adventure tales set in South America, this latest novel focuses on scientific rather than political intrigue . The story opens in a Minnesota pharmaceutical company where researcher Marina Singh has just discovered her friend and fellow researcher has died in a remote village deep in the Amazon jungle. His wife asks Singh to travel to the jungle to reclaim his body, and the head of the company also wants her there: to complete the dead man's mission which was to bring back a native drug that extends human fertility indefinitely. The head of the research outpost is a strange, charismatic woman who intimidates everyone around her. Mix in a cannibal tribe, a series of catastrophic accidents, malaria-induced hallucinations, a score of fascinating characters, some corporate malfeasance, all topped with a generous dollop of romance and you have an exciting read with strong overtones of Joseph Conrad's HEART OF DARKNESS.

Remember: Meet the Candidates is Thursday, March 8 at 8pm in Sea Cliff Village Hall. All three candidates for Village Trustee will be there.