Dear Great Book Guru,
This is the half way mark for my favorite summer event: Sunset
Serenades. With five concerts completed and five more to go, this is a good
time to acknowledge the people that make these wonderful evenings
possible. Petrice Kaider proposed this
concert concept sixteen years ago to the Sea Cliff Civic Association. The idea
was quickly embraced, and every year since she has lined up an amazing group of
musicians. In addition, she and her
husband Walter Kaider see that the lights are shining for every Serenade, Civic Association Board members provide the
refreshments, and all of Sea Cliff gets to enjoy a summer of beautiful
music. Now, please recommend a good book
for an early August read.
Grateful in
Sea Cliff
Dear Grateful in Sea Cliff, Recently, I read J. Courtney Sullivan’s SAINTS FOR ALL
OCCASIONS. Reminiscent of Mary Gordon’s
early works and Colum Toibin’s BROOKLYN, this novel is a family saga set over fifty years, two continents, and told
from the perspectives of sisters Nora
and Theresa. We meet these women as
young girls in rural Ireland as they prepare to emigrate to America. Much of the story is set in Boston from 1967
to 2009 as the two women carve out very different lives in their new home. Secrets are gradually revealed and we come
to realize there are few villains and some unlikely saints in this story. Highly recommended!