Dear Great Book Guru,  So many great events are coming up in the next few weeks- the Halloween Parade, the Cemetery Walk, the Cider Social, and the Progressive Dinner!  So much fun but always time for a good book so if you have a recommendation…  Looking for Books in All the Right Places

Dear Looking for Books… I have the perfect book for you: Lawrence Wright’s MR. TEXAS.  Wright is a well known writer of non-fiction and his latest novel is based on his humorous albeit  caustic take on the game of politics.  Sonny Lamb has had a hard life and things are not getting better. A small town rancher, he can’t seem to get anything right- his farm is floundering, his in-laws view him as a joke, his wife Lola feels she could have done better, the townspeople barely acknowledge him.  Everything changes when a  fire breaks out and Sonny rushes into a burning building on his prized bull, rescuing a child and her beloved pony.  His story is told on major news outlets and within a day, he is visited by the well-dressed, well- spoken L.D. Sparks- a lobbyist from Austen. Sparks offers him the chance to run for a seat in the Texas Legislature- a position Sonny has no experience or apparent talent for, but nevertheless he accepts seeing this as a way to change his life’s trajectory.  Lola is less than enthusiastic but finally agrees to support him.  We follow Sonny as he confronts the many ethical dilemmas his new role presents.  A darkly humorous take on politics and highly recommended!

 Dear Great Book Guru,  I love a Sea Cliff autumn- the leaves are falling and we can see the many beautiful houses that line the streets, restaurants are filled with excited diners, and Halloween decorations are going up all around  the Village. Do you have a good book to match this time of year?     A Fan of Fall in Sea Cliff

Dear Fan of Fall in Sea Cliff, I just finished a wonderful novel I couldn’t put down: THE WOMAN INSIDE, by M.T. Edvardsson.  This mystery is set in present-day Sweden and is told from the perspectives of three characters. Bill Olsson is a young, recently widowed father whose overwhelming concern is providing for his young daughter, Sally.  Struggling under huge financial debt, he takes in a boarder, Karla, a law student from a local university who is working for a cleaning service to pay her tuition. The third person is Jennica who is involved with a sophisticated older physician she has met online.  Each of these characters has many secrets that are gradually revealed through newspaper postings, police interrogations, and interior monologues.  The story opens in a beautiful part of town, in an impeccable, many-roomed mansion where the owners, Regina and Steven Rytters, have been murdered. How are these characters connected and will their pasts be their undoing?  A fascinating tale of deceit and good intentions gone awry - highly recommended!