Dear Great Book Guru,  With so many of my friends are away this week either skiing or sunning,  I find I have lots of time to get into a good book.   I am a big fan of Anne Tyler and I was wondering if you have read her latest work. Apparently, reviews have been mixed. A Presidential Week Stay at Home

Dear Presidential Week Stay at Home,  Anne Tyler is a favorite of mine also and I  truly loved her latest:  A SPOOL OF BLUE THREAD.  As is true of all her books, it is set in Baltimore and  chronicles the story of one  family over many generations.  We meet Red and Abby Whitshanks in 2012, a genial couple with four children , numerous grandchildren and a history that brings us back to the early 1900’s. Shared stories- that we find over the course of the novel are not  true- define their lives.  Their son  Denny is the proverbial black sheep of the family but it is his grandparents- long dead- who harbored the darkest secrets, never to be known by their family, only the reader.  Layers of history are revealed throughout the novel but some of the most startling are saved for the final chapters. What is a happy marriage, what is a successful life, who is a good person- all these are questions Tyler presents in this wonderful book. Highly recommended!

PS  The Sea Cliff Beach Committee’s 8^th Annual Pub Crawl will be Friday, Feb. 27.  Tickets will be sold at the Village Wine Merchant’s that night. It sounds like great fun!