Dear Great Book Guru, This is  MiniMart Sunday, one of my favorite Sea Cliff events, and I am going to be at the Children’s Library checking out their great toy and book bargains. However, I really would like to have something to read later in the day when the crowds become overwhelming. Do you have a good book to recommend?                        Lasting Lover of the MiniMart

Dear Lasting Lover of the MiniMart,  I just finished a fascinating and ultimately terrifying  book: THE MANDIBLES by Lionel Shriver.  Set in the United States beginning in 2029 and finishing up in 2047, the novel  follows the fortunes or misfortunes of the Mandible family whose members are eagerly awaiting the death of their wealthy ninety-seven year- old patriarch. Carter, his son, after years as a reporter at Long Island’s Newsday, is  hired at the New York Times only to see it  go bankrupt as does every other newspaper in the country. Severe climate change has upended resources with food and water in short supply. Unemployment is rampant.  Then the unthinkable happens: the dollar crashes and is replaced by an international currency. The President angrily declares a default on all loans. Money becomes worthless and chaos results. While seemingly a grim tale of the world ending as we know it, the book remains darkly humorous as we watch the Mandibles scramble to cope.  Highly recommended only if you can convince yourself it’s a fantasy….