Dear Great Book Guru, Sea Cliff Beach is the place to be! A group of my friends gather every Sunday morning at the Cliffside Café run by the Potters of Foster restaurant fame and what fun it is with great food and camaraderie. This week someone brought up a book he had just finished and strongly recommended - about an island bookstore. Any thoughts? Beach and Book Lover

Dear Beach and Book Lover, A perfect book to read at the beach … or just about anywhere: THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY by Gabrielle Zevin.  A. J. Firky is the quirky, very unhappy owner of Island Books - a failing bookstore in an island community. A.J.’s beloved wife had died in a car accident the year before the story opens.  He is despondent, having lost interest in everything - the bookstore, his few friends, even reading, a former passion of his. Quotes from favorite books are scattered throughout the novel. He dreams of selling a rare book of Poe poems, the  bookstore, and leaving the island forever - when he finds a package on his doorstep.  From that moment on, A.J. makes decisions that transform his life.  The local police chief and he start a true crime book club, parents gather to discuss books on child rearing, and he rediscovers - yes - children’s literature.  The Island Book Store becomes the true center of the community and all the while mysterious characters and incidents reveal themselves for a completely satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended!