Dear Great Book Guru, I am looking forward to the Sea Cliff Civic Association’s annual Progressive Dinner which will be in a few weeks. Is there a popular new book I could read beforehand in case there is a lull in the conversation? Progressive Dinner Diner....................................... Dear Progressive Dinner Diner, While I’m sure there will be no lulls, I do have a book sure to spark conversation: John Grisham’s latest thriller THE FRENCH ILLUSION. This is somewhat of a departure from his usual legal thrillers, more of an international spy tale. We meet Paul and Chelsea Tanner shortly after their elaborate Annapolis wedding attended by three hundred guests. The couple is embarking on a storybook honeymoon in Paris when, a few pages in, they are kidnapped in an intricate cyber based plot. We read with horror as their families are contacted and instructed to pay millions of dollars in ransom money or they will again never see the young couple. What appears to be a straightforward kidnapping of wealthy Americans turns out to be a multidimensional tale of terrorism, counterterrorism, hidden motives, family secrets, and cyberwarfare - a truly fascinating take on the world as we are coming to know it. When a young lawyer is hired by the CIA, the novel takes on the legal aspects we have come to associate with Grisham. With the CIA, the FBI, and French intelligence agents all becoming involved, the scope of this crime widens. This is a fast read - a day or two brings you to the end of a very memorable tale and definitely a conversation-starter…highly recommended!

Dear Great Book Guru, The Sea Cliff Civic Association’s Cider Social last week was such a great introduction to all the fun Sea Cliff has to offer in the Fall! While enjoying the many young witches and goblins frolic, I overheard people talking about a new book by a favorite author mine…Barbara Kingsolver. Have you read it? Cider Socialite............................................... Dear Cider Socialite, Barbara Kingsolver is a huge favorite of mine too and her latest novel PARTITA does not disappoint. The title comes from the musical term meaning a composition of dance-inspired movements, and music infuses this book in a myriad of ways. The story is told in the first person by Livia Cable, an extraordinarily talented pianist who has led a tragedy-filled life. We first meet Livia as a middle-aged woman living on a dairy farm with her devoted husband, Charlie, and giving piano lessons to her Tennessee neighbors’ children. We quickly go back in time to her childhood where the first of many tragedies occurs - her beloved older brother commits suicide and Livia - as children will - blames herself. Her parents refuse to recognize her grief and become enraged when she shows signs of musical genius. Winning a scholarship to a prestigious Indiana university, she cuts ties with her past and embarks on a magical musical career…until tragedy strikes again and her life as a pianist comes to an end. Throughout the years, she wonders what secrets surround her ill-fated family, so when a lover from years ago calls, she seizes on the opportunity to revisit the past and make things right. We watch with interest and fear as Olivia “dances” her way through this journey. Recommended!

Dear Great Book Guru, I was at the Longest Table event organized by LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR PROJECT – what fun! Besides delicious foods prepared by the guests, wonderful music, and great camaraderie, I got some wonderful book recommendations. One was about ad executive that turns his back on his past life and opts out of the world as he knew it. It’s supposed to be very funny but also thought provoking. Are you familiar with the book? Longest Table Diner................................................................................ Dear Longest Table Diner, ALAN OPTS OUT by Courtney Maun is indeed a great choice for your next novel. Alan Anderson is a very successful owner of a small, prestigious advertising agency. He has spent his professional career convincing people to buy things they do not need - things his clients are selling. The novel opens as he prepares to win the biggest account of the century - the dairy industry is looking for a sales campaign to counteract the plummeting sale of milk (think the subversive influence of oat “milk”). When the spokesperson he hires turns out to be an anarchist farmer, Alan’s career comes to a halt. Meanwhile his wife has become the ultimate consumer buying her way into elite social circles. His children, as they question their parents’ values, find themselves at odds with friends and teachers. What is Alan to do but….opt out! This is indeed a hilarious take on the lives many of us live, but it is also a sobering take on those lives. Highly recommended!

Dear Great Book Guru, On this cold and rainy afternoon, I wish I had a good mystery to read. The library is still open so I could rush over …do you have a good suggestion for me? Lover of Libraries.................................................. Dear Lover of Libraries, I just finished a great mystery, but one that was so much more than just a mystery: THE AMATEUR by Chris Bohjalian. A psychological thriller, a tale of suburban affluence gone awry, a tale of feminist empowerment, a court room procedural - all this …but mostly a good story! The novel opens with the voice of Kenny - a seventeen-year-old golf caddy at an exclusive country club his family could never afford to join. He’s new to the school district and has few friends. Moments later, we meet Mira – a teenage golf prodigy - popular, wealthy, and troubled. By the end of this first chapter, Kenny is dead - struck by a golf ball hit by Mira. The remaining chapters are told from Mira’s perspective and interspersed with courtroom testimony…. because Mira is accused of negligent homicide. She turns to family, friends, the grieving sisters and parents of Kenny for comfort and forgiveness. But who is at fault: the country club, a nefarious golf instructor, the safety net manufacturer? We move back and forth in time from moments just before Kenny’s death in 1978 to the present, and while the “mystery” is solved, we are still left to marvel at how one moment, one ball, one swing can change everything for everyone - highly recommended!

Dear Great Book Guru, I have recently moved to the area and I was wondering if there are any books set in Sea Cliff, Bayville, Glen Cove, or Locust Valley? And yes … I love a good mystery! New to the North Shore ................................................................. Dear New to the North Shore, There is a great new book -part of a series by Kevin Wade : ONE GOOD EYE that I’m sure you will enjoy. Jeff Mullane is chief of police of a territory that covers a number of the villages on the Gold Coast of Long Island. Jeff grew up in Bayville where his father had been a legendary part of the police force. After a stint as a New York City detective and the death of his father, Jeff returns to his hometown to take on the mantle of police chief. He soon becomes enmeshed in the lives of his childhood friends- one in particular: Jenny Racine. Jenny and he share many secrets of long ago which are revealed gradually in alternating chapters spanning twenty-five years. We soon learn that Jenny and Jeff’s lives were profoundly impacted by a car accident when they were teens. Jenny was grievously injured, losing an eye -hence the “one good eye.” When the book opens, we learn that she has become very rich and very famous and…. has just been victim of a violent assault and home invasion. Mysteriously, she refuses to allow the police to investigate. When the attacks continue, Jeff feels he must become involved. The many secrets he uncovers only complicate his role as police chief and keeper of the peace. While the action takes place over a mere five days, the background of twenty-five years of a shared history enriches this tale immensely. Highly recommended!

Dear Great Book Guru, I am planning on attending the Sea Cliff Civic Association’s annual Newcomers Party – I am very excited to meet new friends and learn about Sea Cliff. I was wondering if you could recommend a book that might make for a good conversation starter? New to Sea Cliff............................. Dear New to Sea Cliff, I recently read Colson Whitehead’s COOL MACHINE. This is the third and final novel in a remarkable trilogy that recounts the history of New York City, particularly Harlem, starting in the 1950’s and closing in the 1980’s. To do this, Whitehead has us follow the career and times of Ray Carney. Ray has made an impressive life for himself and his family as a furniture dealer with a side career as a middleman - a/k/a fence - for stolen goods. As the book opens, he has been named Northeast Regional Dealer of the Month by an esteemed furniture manufacturer. The pride he takes is almost painful to observe as he sees this award as the pinnacle of achievement after a lifetime of financial, political, and emotional struggles. When he is lured back into another criminal “opportunity”, we wonder if he has deluded himself into believing he has truly made it in a world where ambition and success seem reward enough. Throughout, we empathize with Ray’s nostalgia for a time when he was young and everything seemed possible. Recommended!

Dear Great Book Guru, I have very much enjoyed Sea Cliff’s al fresco dining this summer. Every other week Sea Cliff Avenue is closed from Main Avenue to Pirie Park. Restaurants along the route bring out tables, and local musicians play up and down the street. Such fun meeting up with friends and neighbors in this unique setting! Last week, I joined a group of diners and the conversation turned to books… Someone mentioned a favorite – a horse on the cover but the novel was not about horses? Lover of Al Fresco Dining...................................................... Dear Lover of Al Fresco Dining, Ann Patchett’s THE WHISTLER (which indeed has a great horse cover!) is a huge favorite of mine. The story opens in the Metropolitan Museum of Art where 53-year-old Daphne Fuller realizes she’s being followed by a white-haired elderly man. She is startled to realize it is Eddie - her stepfather who she has not seen in over forty years. Her mother had been married to him for less than a year when he mysteriously disappeared from Daphne’s life. As they talk, they each realize they had a very special bond and have thought of each other throughout the years. As they meet over the next few months, it becomes clear that there were many choices made by them and for them that profoundly impacted their lives. Small, seemingly meaningless actions changed them forever. Now decades later, they have the chance to undo past mistakes. A beautiful story of bravery, wrongs righted, and love restored - highly recommended!