Dear Great Book Guru,  Some of my friends attended a book discussion with members of libraries from all over Long Island's  North Shore community .  What a great idea- to have scores of people read the same book and then gather to discuss it and share insights. Were you there and what book was chosen for this year's event? Sorry to Have Missed It

Dear Sorry, Oh yes, I would not have missed the annual Long Island Reads event which once again took place at the Metropolitan in Glen Cove.  Readers from Locust Valley, Sea Cliff, Bayville, Glen Head, Roslyn, Glen Cove, the Brookvilles, Oyster Bay, East Norwich,  and Glenwood Landing were in attendance, and the book discussed was SUTTON  by Long Island author J.R.  Moehringer.  It was great fun and John Canning did a masterful job in moderating the discussion.  SUTTON  is a fictional recapturing  of the life and times of the infamous  bank robber Willie Sutton. Told from the perspective of Sutton himself, the novel takes place on Christmas Eve, the day Sutton is released from Attica Prison.  He and a young  idealistic reporter and  a world weary photographer revisit  fourteen sites that played pivotal roles in Sutton's life.  We travel through time and place from his childhood in the early 1900's in downtown Brooklyn to all the boroughs of New York City in 1969. The anger felt by so many (including Moehringer himself)  towards the banking industry  permeates this book .   Throughout time there  has been a fascination with the "good crook" - think Robin Hood-  and Willie Sutton certainly qualifies as such. A fascinating read!