Dear Great Book Guru,  A friend of mine told me about a Long Island-wide book discussion.  I am very interested in participating. Do you know how I can go about this? A  Long Island Read Hopeful

Dear Long Island Read Hopeful, Long Island Reads is a great event sponsored every year by libraries in  Nassau and Suffolk counties. Sea Cliff Library will be co-hosting a discussion of this year's choice: THE MUSEUM OF EXTRAORDINARY THINGS  on Thursday, March 26 at 7pm  at the Metropolitan in Glen Cove. It’s free with great desserts, treats and raffle prizes; John Canning is the moderator  and this year author Alice Hoffman will be present to answer  questions about her novel.  Set on greater Long Island (Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan) , this book is a mystery, a romance, and a work of historical fiction- with a collection of characters you will long remember.  The extraordinary things are creatures that are “wonders of nature” gathered together by the darkly oppressive Professor who includes his young daughter in this collection  as the mysterious Mermaid of the Hudson. With the 1911 bookend tragedies of the Triangle Shirt Factory and the Coney Island Dreamworld fires,  we learn of the impoverished lives of these early New Yorkers and the political corruption which allowed such horrific injustices to prevail. So get yourself a copy of the book, read it, register at northshorereads.org,  and then come join us at the Metropolitan!