Dear Great Book Guru,  This weekend I will be attending the Holiday House tour on Saturday,  the Christmas Tree Lighting on Sunday,  and then celebrating my friends Tina Marchese and Jackie Warren's birthdays,  but I am sure I will have time to read a good book. Any suggestions? In the Holiday Spirit

Dear In the Holiday Spirit, What fun and yes, I think I have a good book to fill any free moment you have:  SWEET TOOTH by Ian McEwan.  McEwan is a prolific writer (Atonement, Amsterdam, Solar, Saturday, On Chesil Beach….) whose works are known for their clever twists.   Told in the first person by Serena Frome, the novel takes place  in 1970's England-  an England of IRA bombings, Cold War spying, labor unrest, and a dreary economy. Frome ("rhymes with plume")has just finished an idyllic summer  with an older man who is married, teaching at Cambridge, and a former spy. When he ends their romance abruptly, she finds herself courted by MI5- the British equivalent to our FBI.  Frome,  the beautiful daughter of an Anglican bishop, and a speed reader of novels, is assigned to recruit writers whose image of the West is known to be positive ; the operation is known as "Sweet Tooth". The novel is hilariously funny ,  occasionally bittersweet , and always intellectually stimulating. A great read and only 300 pages so it should be perfect for a busy weekend !