Dear Great Book Guru, I was at the Longest Table event organized by LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR PROJECT – what fun! Besides delicious foods prepared by the guests, wonderful music, and great camaraderie, I got some wonderful book recommendations. One was about ad executive that turns his back on his past life and opts out of the world as he knew it. It’s supposed to be very funny but also thought provoking. Are you familiar with the book? Longest Table Diner................................................................................ Dear Longest Table Diner, ALAN OPTS OUT by Courtney Maun is indeed a great choice for your next novel. Alan Anderson is a very successful owner of a small, prestigious advertising agency. He has spent his professional career convincing people to buy things they do not need - things his clients are selling. The novel opens as he prepares to win the biggest account of the century - the dairy industry is looking for a sales campaign to counteract the plummeting sale of milk (think the subversive influence of oat “milk”). When the spokesperson he hires turns out to be an anarchist farmer, Alan’s career comes to a halt. Meanwhile his wife has become the ultimate consumer buying her way into elite social circles. His children, as they question their parents’ values, find themselves at odds with friends and teachers. What is Alan to do but….opt out! This is indeed a hilarious take on the lives many of us live, but it is also a sobering take on those lives. Highly recommended!

Dear Great Book Guru, On this cold and rainy afternoon, I wish I had a good mystery to read. The library is still open so I could rush over …do you have a good suggestion for me? Lover of Libraries.................................................. Dear Lover of Libraries, I just finished a great mystery, but one that was so much more than just a mystery: THE AMATEUR by Chris Bohjalian. A psychological thriller, a tale of suburban affluence gone awry, a tale of feminist empowerment, a court room procedural - all this …but mostly a good story! The novel opens with the voice of Kenny - a seventeen-year-old golf caddy at an exclusive country club his family could never afford to join. He’s new to the school district and has few friends. Moments later, we meet Mira – a teenage golf prodigy - popular, wealthy, and troubled. By the end of this first chapter, Kenny is dead - struck by a golf ball hit by Mira. The remaining chapters are told from Mira’s perspective and interspersed with courtroom testimony…. because Mira is accused of negligent homicide. She turns to family, friends, the grieving sisters and parents of Kenny for comfort and forgiveness. But who is at fault: the country club, a nefarious golf instructor, the safety net manufacturer? We move back and forth in time from moments just before Kenny’s death in 1978 to the present, and while the “mystery” is solved, we are still left to marvel at how one moment, one ball, one swing can change everything for everyone - highly recommended!

Dear Great Book Guru, I have recently moved to the area and I was wondering if there are any books set in Sea Cliff, Bayville, Glen Cove, or Locust Valley? And yes … I love a good mystery! New to the North Shore ................................................................. Dear New to the North Shore, There is a great new book -part of a series by Kevin Wade : ONE GOOD EYE that I’m sure you will enjoy. Jeff Mullane is chief of police of a territory that covers a number of the villages on the Gold Coast of Long Island. Jeff grew up in Bayville where his father had been a legendary part of the police force. After a stint as a New York City detective and the death of his father, Jeff returns to his hometown to take on the mantle of police chief. He soon becomes enmeshed in the lives of his childhood friends- one in particular: Jenny Racine. Jenny and he share many secrets of long ago which are revealed gradually in alternating chapters spanning twenty-five years. We soon learn that Jenny and Jeff’s lives were profoundly impacted by a car accident when they were teens. Jenny was grievously injured, losing an eye -hence the “one good eye.” When the book opens, we learn that she has become very rich and very famous and…. has just been victim of a violent assault and home invasion. Mysteriously, she refuses to allow the police to investigate. When the attacks continue, Jeff feels he must become involved. The many secrets he uncovers only complicate his role as police chief and keeper of the peace. While the action takes place over a mere five days, the background of twenty-five years of a shared history enriches this tale immensely. Highly recommended!