Dear Great Book Guru, I just received The Sea Cliff Civic Association's mailing and I notice the annual Village-wide Garage Sale is June 5. Will the Friends of Sea Cliff Library be holding their great book sale on the Village Green that day and do you recommend a book I should be on the lookout for?
Book Sale Obsessive

Dear Obsessive, Yes, the Friends will be hosting their wonderful event on Garage Sale Day (it's so much more than a book sale with its music, crafts, and refreshments). A book that will be in great demand, I'm sure, is THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson. I had heard a lot of buzz about this book but its original title Men Who Hate Women was off putting .However, when the movie came out last month the reviews rekindled my interest and I decided to give it a try. Well, I couldn't put it down- it was so compelling that I read it in two sittings and immediately began on its sequel THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE. While definitely a mystery- it uses a classic Agatha Christie closed room device (all the suspects are gathered together with the victim on a small vacation island whose link to the mainland has been broken for one day by a widely photographed truck crash), this novel has a great deal of character development and political statement not usually found in such books. There are many plots and sub-plots spanning over forty years and a conclusion that is immensely satisfying. We learn much about modern day Sweden and its World War II past, a past that continues to haunt its citizenry. However, the most fascinating part for me was the character of Lisbeth Salander, a young girl with a mysterious background, multiple piercings, a photographic memory and an amazing ability to hack into any and all computer systems whether private or governmental. The message was clear- we have no secrets, and we are foolish to believe we do.