Dear Great Book Guru, There are so many wonderful events coming up in December: the Scrooge Stroll, the Holiday Lighting, Introduction to The Nutcracker, the Hanukah Happening …. How will I find time for a good book?  I’ll definitely need something very compelling. Any ideas?   Devoted December Reader

Dear Devoted December Reader, I recently read a wonderful book that I literally could not put down: DAY by Michael Cunningham. Set on one day - April 5th - over three years – 2019, 2020, 2021 - the novel is a bit reminiscent of Wilder’s OUR TOWN. We meet Dan - an aging 40ish rock star clinging to his tarnished glory days; his wife Isabel - a successful magazine editor in a time when magazines are dying; Robbie - her brother, a middle school NYC teacher; the children, Nathan and Violet - five and ten and each very quirky; and finally Wolfe – a cyber avatar created by Robbie.  Wolfe has a legion of devoted Instagram followers who have no idea he is not real.  In the 2019 piece, the family is introduced, and no one is particularly happy - Robbie has broken up with Oliver and is in search of a new apartment and job; Dan and Isabel are bickering and concerned about their marriage and careers; the children are a noisy distraction.  The only successful character is Wolfe - the cyber creation. Of course, everything has changed when 2020 arrives… or has anything really changed as the Covid lockdown begins?  The final chapters deal with a post-Covid world and we see how each of our characters has fared.  A fascinating look into a complex family facing extraordinary times in the most ordinary of ways.  Highly recommended!