Dear Great Book Guru, We were in Brooklyn recently and visited a great new book store Liz’s Book Bar, in Carroll Gardens.  Some of the customers were talking about a new book written by the owner of the store.  They were very enthusiastic, but I didn’t hear the title of the book.  Any idea? Brooklyn Bookstore Fan

Dear Brooklyn Bookstore Fan, I have been to Liz’s Book Bar too ( Liz is the owner’s grandmother) and read  Maura Cheeks’s debut novel ACTS OF FORGIVENESS.  Set in the near future, the nation is just about to pass the Forgiveness Act - a federal reparations bill by which Black families would be able to claim up to $175,000 if they could prove their ancestors were enslaved. Willie Revel is sure she can gather the necessary documentation but quickly finds there are many obstacles in her way.  The money would be a terrific boon to her and her young daughter as she struggles to save the family construction business from bankruptcy.  Her parents and siblings are not as eager as she is to delve into the past.  Her mother is adopted and uneasy about what might be discovered about her past. Her father is wary of government involvement and is fearful his past business deals could complicate the process. Meanwhile Willie’s young daughter – a scholarship student at an elite private school - dreads the attention her mother’s quest might bring.  The more Willie researches the past, the more she realizes how complicated both history and family can be.  A compelling read and highly recommended!

 Dear Great Book Guru, I am a great fan of Sea Cliff author Michael Sears and his novels with their colorful New York City and Long Island  backdrops. I’m hoping he has a new one in the works …. or possibly out already?    Mystery Maven

Dear Mystery Maven, You are in luck… LOVE THE STRANGER, Michael Sears’ latest book is out, and it is another spectacular take on life in New York City, especially the neighborhoods of Queens - from Hollis to Howard Beach to Astoria - “the most ethnically diverse urban area” in the world. Sears tells the story from the perspective of Ted Molloy, an attorney working to right the wrongs of a society that is brutal and opportunistic. He had been a partner in a high-end Manhattan law firm but his battle with real estate mogul Ronald Reisner brought that to an end. Reisner is known for his neighborhood destroying developments and his latest is a towering giant in Corona that would uproot a huge swath of immigrant families.  Stop the Spike is Molloy and his girl friend Kenzie’s attempt to save the neighborhood.  Aided by a collection of colorful employees and friends, the two encounter massive corruption on many levels. The plight of recent immigrants who are being victimized by unscrupulous attorneys is an intriguing subplot. Mohammed, a Yemini cab driver, Lester - Ted’s felon-turned-partner, the Collins Guards - an armed quasi military security force, all add to the richness of the story.  While there is no absence of mystery and violence, it is the character development and political messaging that make this novel stand out. Highly recommended!

 

Dear Great Book Guru, I am so excited - my favorite author Anne Tyler’s latest book has just  been released, and I can’t wait to read it - just the thing for a cold, blustery Sea Cliff day! Have you read it yet – can’ t wait to hear your thoughts.  An Anne Tyler Fan

Dear Anne Tyler Fan, I too love Anne Tyler and THREE DAYS IN JUNE - her twenty-fifth novel - has my overwhelming approval. The narrator of the story is Gail Baines and from the start we have reason to question her reliability. Like so many of Tyler’s characters, Gail is quirky or as her supervisor says: “she lacks people skills.”  We meet Gail on the day before her daughter’s wedding. She has just been either fired or resigned from her job (depending upon whom you ask) as an administrator at a private school. She arrives home to find, much to her dismay, her ex-husband Max settling in with a rescue cat he has brought along  for the wedding - despite the groom’s deathly allergy to cats. At the rehearsal dinner that night her daughter tells her parents a secret she has just found out that might cause her to cancel the wedding. For the next two days Gail reminisces about the past and questions decisions she herself has made. While there is much humor throughout, Tyler shows such great compassion and understanding for Gail, the reader comes to feel a profound appreciation for her and all her eccentricities.  Highly recommended!

 

 Dear Great Book Guru, a group of friends gathered last week to celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King with a reading of his “I Have a Dream” speech.  At this event there was much discussion of a fictionalized version of a recent political campaign. Are you familiar with this novel and, if so, would you recommend it?  Eager Reader

Dear Eager Reader, Vinson Cunningham has written an amazing novel mirroring the historic 2008 campaign of Barack Obama: GREAT EXPECTATIONS. The story begins in 2007 and David Hammond is a twenty-two year old Black man adrift in New York City. He has been recruited as a fundraiser for “the Senator” - later referred to as “the Candidate” - who is indistinguishable from Barack Obama. David is the narrator throughout and we are introduced to a myriad of characters that each play a role in this historic campaign. The mundane chores and the glitzy galas are all exquisitely described as we watch David question his own motivation and those around him. Interspersed are flashbacks to his childhood and the impact of teachers, ministers, and family on his present moral code.  We share in his exaltation when the election results come in, but we also feel the letdown he experiences when the race is over and the work of governing begins. The book is largely autobiographical with some names changed and others not.  Cunningham did indeed begin his career as a worker in the Obama campaign, so this novel is a coming of age tale of yes… great expectations met and unmet.  Highly recommended!

 Dear Great Book Guru, I was at the Silent Book Club at the Campground in Sea Cliff recently and the person sitting near me went on and on about the book she was reading, She said it was a combination of the TV series “White Lotus” and the play “Bad Seed”. I was intrigued but forgot to get the title. Any idea?  Eager Reader

Dear Eager Reader, I just finished HAVOC by Christopher Bollen and it certainly had a “White Lotus” feel coupled with lots of psychological drama. Set in Luxor, Egypt, at the Royal Karnick Palace Hotel, the story is narrated by Maggie Burkhardt, an American octogenarian (think a malevolent Agatha Christie) who is set on solving the many problems of her fellow hotel guests. Having made friends with other long-term guests and staff, she is sure this new hotel will be her permanent home. While it has become a bit shabby, it definitely has vestiges of its luxurious past. When a troubled young woman and her eight-year-old son check in, Maggie immediately plots to “improve” their lives.  We soon realize there is much we don’t know about Maggie, and she is a very unreliable narrator. As her efforts create one disaster after another, we come to sympathize with everyone she attempts to help. Richly developed characters and an exquisite description of Luxor make this a highly recommended choice!

Dear Great Book Guru, I just came from my family holiday reunion in Point Lookout and one of the cousins was very insistent we all read a new book based on a novel by Mark Twain.  Do you know about and- if so - would you recommend it?  Book Lover 2025

Dear Book Lover 2025, JAMES  by Percival Everett is an amazing book and has won many awards. Based on Twain’s ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN, this novel is told from the perspective of Jim, the enslaved companion of Huckleberry Finn.  James - as he refers to himself - is a cultured, well-read, highly articulate man who accompanies Finn on his journey down the Mississippi River - not as a buffoon sidekick, but as a wise mentor.  Throughout the book, he switches back and forth in language and demeanor as he desperately tries to escape the life of a slave while also trying to reunite with his wife and child. The tension mounts as his true identity is almost discovered many times and violence encircles many of his fellow travelers. His adventures mirror Twain’s Jim but show a side to these adventures which is both enlightening and horrifying.  James runs all his public speech through a “slave filter” making himself appear foolish and gullible. When he is forced to join a minstrel show and don black face, we come full circle to the absurdity of racism. As he moves back and forth between the worlds of the oppressed and the oppressor, we are struck with the natural dignity of this man. Highly recommended!

 

 Dear Great Book Guru,  Well as we begin 2025, I have made some resolutions and increasing my reading is right up there - perhaps #1.  Do you have something quick moving- attention-grabbing to get me started?    Enthusiastic 2025 Reader

Dear Enthusiastic,  I have just the book for you: SHELL GAMES  by Bonnie Kistler.  I heard her interviewed on NPR a few months ago and I was fascinated with the premise.  A psychological thriller , the novel opens in 2023 with the marriage of high school sweethearts who have been separated for fifty years and fate supposedly has brought them together. Kate is a fabulously wealthy real estate developer with deep Florida political connections. Charlie is a mysterious but charismatic war hero.  On their wedding night Charlie allegedly makes a confession: he was the infamous Tylenol murderer of the 1980’s.  When Kate recoils in horror and calls the police, Charlie denies the confession and suggests Kate is suffering from dementia.  Kate’s daughter Julie refuses to believe either of them  and  soon questions her own marriage and friendships and the role they may play in this bizarre tale.   The mind manipulation and “gaslighting” throughout leave the reader questioning every piece of evidence presented.  Underlying the mystery is the fact that the actual Tylenol murderer in which multiple people were killed as a result of bottle tampering  was never found.  An unforgettable tale and a great beginning for your 2025 reading journey - highly recommended!