Dear Great Book Guru, I was at the Silent Book Club at the Campground in Sea Cliff recently and the person sitting near me went on and on about the book she was reading, She said it was a combination of the TV series “White Lotus” and the play “Bad Seed”. I was intrigued but forgot to get the title. Any idea?  Eager Reader

Dear Eager Reader, I just finished HAVOC by Christopher Bollen and it certainly had a “White Lotus” feel coupled with lots of psychological drama. Set in Luxor, Egypt, at the Royal Karnick Palace Hotel, the story is narrated by Maggie Burkhardt, an American octogenarian (think a malevolent Agatha Christie) who is set on solving the many problems of her fellow hotel guests. Having made friends with other long-term guests and staff, she is sure this new hotel will be her permanent home. While it has become a bit shabby, it definitely has vestiges of its luxurious past. When a troubled young woman and her eight-year-old son check in, Maggie immediately plots to “improve” their lives.  We soon realize there is much we don’t know about Maggie, and she is a very unreliable narrator. As her efforts create one disaster after another, we come to sympathize with everyone she attempts to help. Richly developed characters and an exquisite description of Luxor make this a highly recommended choice!

Dear Great Book Guru, I just came from my family holiday reunion in Point Lookout and one of the cousins was very insistent we all read a new book based on a novel by Mark Twain.  Do you know about and- if so - would you recommend it?  Book Lover 2025

Dear Book Lover 2025, JAMES  by Percival Everett is an amazing book and has won many awards. Based on Twain’s ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN, this novel is told from the perspective of Jim, the enslaved companion of Huckleberry Finn.  James - as he refers to himself - is a cultured, well-read, highly articulate man who accompanies Finn on his journey down the Mississippi River - not as a buffoon sidekick, but as a wise mentor.  Throughout the book, he switches back and forth in language and demeanor as he desperately tries to escape the life of a slave while also trying to reunite with his wife and child. The tension mounts as his true identity is almost discovered many times and violence encircles many of his fellow travelers. His adventures mirror Twain’s Jim but show a side to these adventures which is both enlightening and horrifying.  James runs all his public speech through a “slave filter” making himself appear foolish and gullible. When he is forced to join a minstrel show and don black face, we come full circle to the absurdity of racism. As he moves back and forth between the worlds of the oppressed and the oppressor, we are struck with the natural dignity of this man. Highly recommended!

 

 Dear Great Book Guru,  Well as we begin 2025, I have made some resolutions and increasing my reading is right up there - perhaps #1.  Do you have something quick moving- attention-grabbing to get me started?    Enthusiastic 2025 Reader

Dear Enthusiastic,  I have just the book for you: SHELL GAMES  by Bonnie Kistler.  I heard her interviewed on NPR a few months ago and I was fascinated with the premise.  A psychological thriller , the novel opens in 2023 with the marriage of high school sweethearts who have been separated for fifty years and fate supposedly has brought them together. Kate is a fabulously wealthy real estate developer with deep Florida political connections. Charlie is a mysterious but charismatic war hero.  On their wedding night Charlie allegedly makes a confession: he was the infamous Tylenol murderer of the 1980’s.  When Kate recoils in horror and calls the police, Charlie denies the confession and suggests Kate is suffering from dementia.  Kate’s daughter Julie refuses to believe either of them  and  soon questions her own marriage and friendships and the role they may play in this bizarre tale.   The mind manipulation and “gaslighting” throughout leave the reader questioning every piece of evidence presented.  Underlying the mystery is the fact that the actual Tylenol murderer in which multiple people were killed as a result of bottle tampering  was never found.  An unforgettable tale and a great beginning for your 2025 reading journey - highly recommended!

Dear Great Book Guru,  Do you have a list of favorite books for 2024- always fun to see if we share favorites ! Fan of Your Top Ten

Dear Fan of the Top Ten,  I hope you agree with at least a few of my choices. They are in no particular order, but my top two picks would be LONG ISLAND COMPROMISE  and WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA.

BROOKLYN CRIME NOVEL

PROPHET SONG

HELP WANTED

COLORED TELEVISION

 THE HYPOCRITE

THE SAFEKEEP

THE WINNER

LONG ISLAND COMPROMISE

WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA 

 

 Dear Great Book Guru, Exciting events await us here in Sea Cliff - the Scrooge Stroll, the Turkey Scavenger Hunt, the Holiday Lighting, the Introduction to The Nutcracker - all over the next few weeks!  Will there be time for a good book?  Of course... and do you have something to suggest?   Never Weary in Sea Cliff

Dear Never Weary, I have just the book for you - fast moving, under 300 pages, and a prize winner: COLORED TELEVISION by Danzy Senna.  Told from the perspective of Jane - a writer and untenured academic - set in Los Angeles, this novel explores the intricacies of class, race, and Hollywood politics.  We meet Jane as she is struggling to finish her second novel, a huge undertaking:  a modern WAR and PEACE - while dealing with her children Finn and Ruby - and aspiring artist husband Lenny.  Little money is coming in and their credit cards are maxed out - largely on an unscrupulous marriage therapist, when an unbelievable opportunity arises (emphasis on unbelievable): a year-long housesitting stint in a Hollywood mansion.  This is a dream come true for Jane - she will finish her novel, her children will attend a great school, and Lenny can paint masterpieces.  Things take a dark turn when she answers the lure of Hollywood and finds herself in a plagiarism debacle. While Senna tells a very funny tale, there is a strong undercurrent of horror at the pressures that our heroine faces, and the reader soon realizes this is a cautionary tale indeed - highly recommended!

 Dear Great Book Guru, Now with Halloween over and Thanksgiving a few weeks away, I am is search of a good book to get me through the cold dark weeks ahead. Something captivating and meaningful… Fall into Fall

Dear Falling into Fall, The much awaited and celebrated latest Sally Rooney novel has  arrived on the literary scene: INTERMEZZO. Rooney is a thirty-three year old Irish writer who has written a number of very successful novels – some made into movies - BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE and A CONVERSATION WITH FRIENDS, among others.  Her latest deals with two brothers grieving the death of their father. Peter is a thirty-three-year-old very successful lawyer and academic while Ivan is his much younger brother – a chess prodigy and very socially awkward.    Peter is involved with two women – Naomi who is essentially homeless and in her early twenties and Sylvia, a brilliant college professor who is permanently disabled from an earlier car accident.   The story opens with Ivan attending a chess tournament and meeting Margaret who is ten years older and struggling to recover from an abusive marriage.  The story is told in alternating chapters from the perspectives of the brothers and the women who love them. The brothers actively dislike each other through much of the novel and it is only through the women in their lives do we get to know or like them. By the end of the novel, we realize both men are deeply grieving past losses and only the present, fleeting, intermittent moments of love can offer them peace.  A challenging book but worthwhile – recommended!

Dear Great Book Guru, While I love all seasons of the year in Sea Cliff, Fall is a particularly beautiful, event-filled time. The Halloween parade, the Cider Social, the Progressive Dinner…all favorites of mine! Of course, I would like a good book to read while watching each of these events unfold.  Any suggestions?  Falling for Fall

Dear Falling for Fall, Last week I read a wonderful, very unusual book, FIRE EXIT by Morgan Talty.  Blood lineage plays a major role in this novel. Charles is a middle-aged man whose mother was white and married to a Penobscot. According to an 1980 law passed in Maine, Charles was forced to leave the reservation when he turned eighteen because he was not a “pure blood” Penobscot. His Penobscot stepfather Frederick helps find him a home across the river from the reservation, but the added “blood” tragedy is Charles has a daughter Elizabeth with a Penobscot young woman Mary.  So that Mary and she will continue to live on the reservation, Charles allows her to be raised by Mary’s new Penobscot husband.  Tortured by his love for Mary and Elizabeth, Charles turns to alcohol and battles this addiction for twenty-two years - all the time living across the river from them. When Elizabeth shows signs of depression – an affliction his mother has battled for years, Charles desperately wants to reveal his paternity.  The story line focuses on community ties versus blood ties as Charles tries to reconcile his needs against those of his daughter. A riveting tale that presents characters trying to do the right thing in a complicated world bound by culture and yes…blood! Recommended!