Dear Great Book Guru,   How can anyone think of leaving Sea Cliff on Memorial Day weekend?  Besides being a lovely, lovely time of year, there are so many wonderful events going on- from the opening of Sea Cliff Beach,  great music and fine dining at all our restaurants, and then , of course, the Memorial Parade on Monday morning and the moving ceremony afterwards at Clifton Park.  But I do always like to have a good book on hand, so do you have any suggestions?         Stay in Sea Cliff Advocate

Dear SISC Advocate,  I agree with you completely, and now there is one more reason not to leave Sea Cliff- Bernard's of Glen Head will be operating the food concession at Sea Cliff Beach this summer.  Bring your book and stay from breakfast through dinner and, yes,  I have just the book for you: THE BURGESS BOYS  by Elizabeth Strout,  author of the  earlier, very popular OLIVE KITTERIDGE. This novel too is set in Maine and Brooklyn and follows the family history of the Burgesses, Jim, Bob, and Susan - middle-aged siblings whose lives have been colored by the premature death of their father. When the brothers return to the family home to help Susan cope with a bizarre hate crime incident, they find themselves addressing not the present crisis, but instead long buried childhood grievances. Highly recommended!

Major Literary Event :  Acclaimed Sea Cliff poet  Charles Hansmann's latest work POEM OF THE AHEAD PLACES has just been published and a beautifully crafted work it is!  The thirty-two poems, each a  joy to read, are bound between exquisite hand-pressed  endpapers.  You can contact kattywompuspress.com to purchase copies of the book.