Dear Great Book Guru,  This past weekend was such great fun that I did not want it to end. With Happy Birthday USA, Sunset Serenade,  the Fourth of July celebration on the Village Green, the Patriots’ Parade down Sea Cliff  Avenue, the dedication of Lincoln Plaza, the Beach Palooza, fireworks,  parties all over town…. there was little time for reading but now I see some lazy, hazy summer days lying ahead. Do you have something good to suggest?  Lover of Summer and Books

Dear Lover of Summer and Books,  I too wished this Sea Cliff week of wonders would not end. While I loved every minute of every event, I did find time to read a short, perfect vacation novel- THE LEMON GROVE by Helen Walsh.  The book details one week in the life of Greg, Jenn and their daughter Emma as they finish up their annual vacation in a lovely seaside villa in Majorca, an island off the coast of Spain. Sun filled days at the beach, local wines, delicious lunches and dinners in tiny romantic inns are all  lovingly described- truly an idyllic summer.  Everything changes with the arrival of Emma’s new boyfriend Nathan, and gradually we realize that change is indeed the theme of this book.  A career ends, a beloved restaurant is demolished,  parent-child relationships shift- all in the waning days of this most memorable of vacations. A truly thought-provoking book!