Dear Great Book Guru, I was at the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor’s exciting Crawl for a Cause where someone mentioned a new book. People couldn’t decide whether it was a novel and a collection of short stories, but all agreed it was a great read. Does it sound familiar? Fan of the Coalition................. Dear Fan of the Coalition, Over the years, I have read Allegra Goodman’s short stories in “The New Yorker” magazine so I was delighted to discover she had brought many of them together and added some in THIS IS NOT ABOUT US. She describes it on the cover as “fiction”- not exactly a novel or a collection of short stories but something quite unique. Told from the perspectives of multiple family members, the book opens with a defining event: the death of Jennie - the youngest (73 years-old) of three sisters. Sisters Helen and Sylvia have a bitter, years-spanning feud over an apple cake that is served at the funeral, and the remaining sixteen stories are about the sisters, their husbands, children, and grandchildren. We get to see these characters in a myriad of situations: applying for college, Nutcracker auditions, divorces, new glass frames, job interviews…It’s a great treat to meet up with peripheral characters we have met earlier who reappear telling their versions of events. Interestingly, the stories confirm that yes – it IS all about us - as we see ourselves in the complex fabric that makes up this and every family. Highly recommended!

Dear Great Book Guru, I am very excited about an upcoming event here in Sea Cliff at St. Luke’s Community Hall - “A Dinner and Play!” Apparently, the play is based on a Barbara Pym novel. Do you know anything about the novel? Interested in Pym....................................................... Dear Interested in Pym, Barbara Pym’s 1930’s novel CRAMPTON HODNET has been adapted by Dan DiPietro, directed by Fred Stroppel, and will be performed with over twenty Sea Cliff folks taking part. Pym has written twelve books - any of which I would highly recommend - but I must admit this is one of my favorites. Set in Oxford with its ancient colleges and medieval rituals and written decades ago, the novel has a surprisingly modern tone. It is a very funny take on village life - a village peopled by quirky characters including pretentious professors, young romantics, philandering spouses, and interfering relatives. There are two intersecting plot lines: the middle-aged Francis Cleveland’s dalliance and the lonely but very witty Jessie Morrow’s passionless affair with Stephen Latimer - a young curate (he forgets her name as he is proposing to her). Crampton Hodnet is the name of a fictional village invented by Latimer to cover for an early misadventure. Tangled romances, misread moments, and furtive escapades all make for a great read and a hilarious evening of theater. Highly recommended!

Dear Great Book Guru, I was having a delicious breakfast with friends at Matt’s Deli here in Sea Cliff, when one of the group mentioned a book we might all enjoy- a family drama about a train wreck, business ethics, aging parents, and the dangers of medical googling. Needless to say- we were intrigued…Book Lovers and Breakfasters............................................... Dear Book Lovers and Breakfasters, WRECK by Catherine Newman does indeed cover a myriad of subjects. Rachel aka Rocky is the lead character and the novel opens with a inexplicable rash that she obsessively googles, with each piece of information offering a more dire diagnosis. Her husband Nick is a patient, loving mate as her recently widowed father weighs his future housing options while staying with them. Her anxiety ridden daughter Willa has returned home after finishing college and son Jaimie has taken on a new job in New York City. Everything seems pretty normal except for the family members’ obsession with a train/car fatality that happens shortly before the book opens. Was it suicide …was it human error… or was it corporate malfeasance? We soon learn that Jaime’s new job involves representing the train company and as the story unfolds it appears there is a strong likelihood the company bears much blame. Throughout we see how everyone shoulders some guilt about this incident but the question remains – how will they find absolution? A complex ethical dilemma and highly recommended!

Dear Great Book Guru, I was at a fabulous Mardi Gras celebration at St. Luke’s here in Sea Cliff where someone mentioned a book that sounded interesting - lots of great discussion points: artificial intelligence, sibling rivalry, self-driving cars, parental guilt… perfect for my next book club meeting. Are you familiar with it? Book Club Searcher............................................... Dear Book Club Searcher - CULPABILITY by Bruce Holsinger would be a great choice with its myriad of ethical dilemmas. The story opens as the Cassidy-Shaw family is driving to a lacrosse tournament. Seventeen-year-old Charlie - the eldest child - is in the driver’s seat. Noah, his father, is riding next to him… in their self-driving minivan. The mother, Lorelei, an internationally respected researcher of AI ethics, is in the back seat on her computer, and the two younger siblings Alice and Izzy - also in the back - are texting on their phones. Suddenly the car crashes into another vehicle killing an elderly driver and her passenger. Each of the family members harbors secret guilt over the accident, but what about the role of the car? While Noah is the narrator, we are privy throughout to conversations Alice has with her AI chatbot, Blair, and also included are passages from Lorelei’s book about the ethics of artificial intelligence. When the parents decide to spend a week in a Chesapeake Bay beach house to recover from the trauma, the pressure mounts with the prospect of Charlie going to prison. None of the family is guilt-free and their only hope is… will AI absolve them? A fascinating book for our times and highly recommended!

Dear Great Book Guru, It’s a very cold snowy day as I’m writing to you and I know more days like this lie ahead so please recommend a book that will totally absorb me. A mystery perhaps that will keep me guessing would be great. Surrounded by Snow........... Dear Surrounded by Snow, I have the perfect book for you: THE WIDOW by John Grisham. Simon Latch is a small-town lawyer in rural Virginia when the case of a lifetime walks in the door of his rather shabby office. Eleanor Barnett is an elderly widow who claims her husband amassed a fortune in Coca Cola and Walmart stocks. Dead ten years, he had two sons he was estranged from but aware of this possible windfall. The estate is very complicated, and Simon offers to take it on with a hefty hourly rate built in. When Eleanor demands more and more of his time, he wonders if it is all worth it. Of course it is, he convinces himself – when she dies the payoff will be tremendous. Throughout the novel, we meet a cadre of fascinating characters - his law secretary Matilda, his estranged wife Paula, his gambling buddies, fellow lawyers all eager to cash in too, and, most troubling, the menacing stepsons. When a very drunk Eleanor is involved in a car accident, Simon represents her and a multitude of problems arise including …. a murder charge. How will he extricate himself now?

Dear Great Book Guru, One of my 2026 resolutions is to set aside time every night for a family read-aloud session. I’m looking for something great to start us off - something that would appeal to both older children and adults. Any thoughts? Family Book Reader..... Dear Family Book Reader, There are lots of great books out there, but I just finished one I really enjoyed and think your family will too: THE WINTER OF THE DOLLHOUSE by Laura Amy Schlitz. Told in multiple perspectives in alternating chapters, the book is suspenseful and poignant. Tiphany (her mother was a huge fan of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” but a bad speller!) is eleven years-old and pretty much the perfect child, but in her own eyes “plain and ordinary”. She soon becomes a dog walker, actor, thief, and rescuer. The person she rescues is Szilvia Rozsahegyi, an elderly Hungarian woman - owner of a magnificent albeit shabby dollhouse - who soon hires Tiphany to walk her dog. Mr. DeLuca is the cantankerous owner of a toy store who does not like children, especially Tiphany. Gretel and Red are small dolls who have lots to say. Throughout, the usual fairy tale stereotypes are upturned. Szilvia could very well be a witch but instead is an acerbic but loving friend to Tiphany. The girl’s stepmother Holly is devoted to her, and the “wolf” dog becomes her rescuer. There are lost jewels, missing dolls, and a century old mystery – all of which are resolved in a most satisfying conclusion. Definitely a good choice for a family read-aloud!

Dear Great Book Guru, I am in search of a compelling, amusing, challenging read for the cold winter week ahead. PS I love spy thrillers! Weary Winter Reader Dear Weary Winter Reader, I too love a good spy thriller and I just finished a great one: CLOWN TOWN by Mick Herron. Herron has written a series of novels starring the Slow Horses - a group of misfits - members of MI5 (British equivalent in some ways of our FBI) who for medical or psychological reasons have been put on leave. The name comes from their headquarters, Slough House, but more so for their flawed performances. The story opens in Oxford, England where River Cartwright - grandson of David Cartwright who had been the esteemed head of MI5 - is waiting for medical clearance to return to active duty in the organization. River decides to research his grandfather’s library of books recently bequeathed on his death to his alma mater. To River’s puzzlement, one of the books is missing - a book that covered the perilous Troubles - the period in which Irish freedom fighters were terrorizing England. The disgraced and demoted spies – the Slow Horses - are brought in secretly by MI5 to unravel the mysteries of long ago that now threaten to upend a hard-earned peace. Jackson Lamb, leader of the Slow Hoses team and a dissolute genius, would rather his people - his “clowns” - not become involved but is himself intrigued by the politics and possible security lapses of the past. A cast of colorful characters, numerous humorous plot twists, and a clever surprise ending make for a great read and highly recommended!