Dear Great Book Guru,  I am so excited- I am going to my first ever Sea Cliff Fire Department Halloween Costume Party this Saturday, October 26. I heard it is great, great fun and I want to go as a character from a book- something glamorous yet scary, and, of course,  I am always looking for something good to read….any ideas?    Halloween Reveler

Dear Halloween Reveler,  I just finished reading a novel replete with costume ideas and also a perfect  read for this time of year:  NIGHT FILM by Marisha Pessl.  Let me start by saying this is  a very odd book-   I enjoyed it,  I found it  disturbing yet compelling,  and  I would ultimately recommend it, but it is very , very strange, indeed. The story is told by  investigative journalist  Scott McGrath who is obsessed with a  legendary film director Stanislas Cordova whose dark horror movies have taken on cult status over the years; his films are so terrifying  they are banned from  public theaters  and shown  only in underground venues .  The reclusive Cordova's daughter is found dead in the opening chapter and for the next 500 or so pages, we follow McGrath as he tries to unravel the mysteries surrounding father and daughter that Cordova's films eerily seem to mimic.  Black magic, violent mishaps, cryptic sightings, an array of colorful characters- all make for a good read but  then add in Pessl's special effects.  She intersperses her narrative with newspaper clippings, Rolling Stone articles from the ' 70's, police transcripts, yellowing photos…. all contributing to a blurring of magic and reality.  A perfect read for this Halloween weekend and, yes, a great source book for the perfect costume.   See you at the Fire Department's Costume Party!