Dear Great Book Guru, I just received The Sea Cliff Civic Association's mailing and I notice the annual Village-wide Garage Sale is June 5. Will the Friends of Sea Cliff Library be holding their great book sale on the Village Green that day and do you recommend a book I should be on the lookout for?
Book Sale Obsessive

Dear Obsessive, Yes, the Friends will be hosting their wonderful event on Garage Sale Day (it's so much more than a book sale with its music, crafts, and refreshments). A book that will be in great demand, I'm sure, is THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson. I had heard a lot of buzz about this book but its original title Men Who Hate Women was off putting .However, when the movie came out last month the reviews rekindled my interest and I decided to give it a try. Well, I couldn't put it down- it was so compelling that I read it in two sittings and immediately began on its sequel THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE. While definitely a mystery- it uses a classic Agatha Christie closed room device (all the suspects are gathered together with the victim on a small vacation island whose link to the mainland has been broken for one day by a widely photographed truck crash), this novel has a great deal of character development and political statement not usually found in such books. There are many plots and sub-plots spanning over forty years and a conclusion that is immensely satisfying. We learn much about modern day Sweden and its World War II past, a past that continues to haunt its citizenry. However, the most fascinating part for me was the character of Lisbeth Salander, a young girl with a mysterious background, multiple piercings, a photographic memory and an amazing ability to hack into any and all computer systems whether private or governmental. The message was clear- we have no secrets, and we are foolish to believe we do.

Dear Great Book Guru, My book group is looking for something really good to read and discuss. My friends prefer short books by women writers but I feel this is really limiting. Do you have any suggestions? Book Club Burnout

Dear Burnout, I have just the book for you and your friends- Anne Tyler's newest novel- NOAH'S COMPASS When my book group began almost seventeen years ago, we started with Anne Tyler's DINNER AT THE HOMESICK RESTAURANT, and we have since read all her novels and never once have we been disappointed. Her latest continues a common theme for Tyler- a damaged, mildly depressed, mildly likeable hero who is estranged from much and many . Liam Pennywell is such a man- sixty, twice divorced, recently fired from a teaching job at a second rate private school, and a mild irritant to his three daughters and ex-wife. He finds himself in an unattractive apartment in a questionable part of Baltimore; he is attacked and robbed on his first night and spends a large part of the book trying to regain those lost moments. How can this be a good read, let alone a great novel? Well, Anne Tyler has the enormous talent to make us see ourselves in Pennywell's ordinariness so we end up caring deeply for him. When he begins to find love and affection with a young, unattractive woman- Eunice- we feel buoyed and when problems arise (and they always do for Tyler's heros)we wring our hands and hope for the best, while knowing that a happy ending is most unlikely. Tyler imbues seemingly pointless moments of life with humor and insight, and those people who live their lives of "quiet desperation" are shown to be worthy of our greatest respect.

Dear Great Book Guru. Since today April 23 is the birthday of William Shakespeare, I was wondering how you were going to celebrate and do you have a book to recommend for the occasion?
Shakespearean Student and Fan

Dear Shakespearean Student and Fan, Thanks for asking… my friends and I will be celebrating the Bard's birthday on my porch with readings and refreshments throughout the night. At some point in the evening, I will show Tom Stoppard's SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, a wonderful compilation of a number of Shakespeare's plays and in particular" Romeo and Juliet". If there is time, I will also show Orson Welles's CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT which combines the three plays in which the rascal Falstaff plays a role. Sometime during the party, I'm sure I'll turn to my favorite book of Shakespearean criticism - Marjorie Garber's SHAKESPEARE AFTER ALL. Garber offers the reader an analysis of each of the plays with emphasis on modern scholarship such as gender studies, colonialism, and character delineation. To really celebrate the birthday, get yourself a copy of one of the plays (Folger is my favorite series), watch a BBC production with captions (available at the Sea Cliff Library), and then read Garber's analysis . You will have arrived in Shakespearean paradise. Enjoy, my friend!

Dear Great Book Guru, This past Saturday I had the pleasure of listening to two Sea Cliff notables on National Public Radio. First was new resident Victoria Bjorklund who was a guest DJ; she talked about her great interest in early rock 'n roll and rhythm and blues. An hour later, Frank Mullen III, whose family goes back generations here in Sea Cliff, also spoke about music but with a strong focus on his own performance background. Shortly after that, I heard a discussion of a new book on the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. It sounded great but I didn't hear the title. Are you familiar with this book?
Radio Obsessive

Dear Radio, I heard Victoria and Frank's interviews too, and enjoyed them tremendously. The book you ask about is THE DEATH OF AMERICAN VIRTUE by Kenneth Gormley which I just finished reading . Gormley , a constitutional law professor , over the last few years has interviewed Bill Clinton, Ken Starr, Monica Lewinsky, Paula Jones, Janet Reno, Al Gore, and scores of other players in the Clinton impeachment saga. What I found most remarkable was that so many of these fierce enemies would agree to be interviewed . There were many startling pieces of information revealed in the book such as the intense power struggle existing between the Secret Service and the FBI, fueled by agents' memories of the Kennedy assassination . Along with a clear chronological account of the events leading up to the impeachment, Gormley gives us detailed portraits of main and minor characters, using their own words. Perhaps the most disturbing words were spoken to the author by Henry Hyde, who headed the House impeachment committee; when asked would he do it again, knowing all the personal attacks he would have to endure, Hyde answered, "Yes, because George W. Bush would not have been elected if we had not impeached Bill Clinton."

Dear Great Book Guru, I love this time of year but I can't think of an appropriate book to share with my children. Do you have Spring book to recommend?
Parent Without a Clue

Dear Clueless, So glad you asked!!! One of my favorite children's books is THE COUNTRY BUNNY written in 1939 by Dubose Heyward. One of the earliest feminist children's books written, it remains as fresh, original, and sweet a story as you could ever want. The premise is that there are actually five rabbits who deliver Easter eggs - all very special and carefully chosen. When one is about to retire, the whole community gathers to see who among them will be found worthy to be the replacement. From the ranks, comes a young girl bunny who asks to be considered. When the other rabbits look scornfully upon her, she goes home where she marries and has a family of twenty-one children. She is a model of intelligence, discipline and compassion. She runs her household in an exemplary manner with her children all given tasks to help develop their talents and contribute to the family's well being. So we have sweepers, painters, folders, washers, poets all working together in great harmony. When another rabbit retires, our Country Bunny once again returns to the contest grounds. This time, the Wisest One who oversees the event recognizes her many strengths and she is chosen. That night she makes a most treacherous journey; her courage is rewarded with a pair of golden slippers. Her family, who has managed beautifully while she was away, rejoices at her return and her great accomplishment. The story in its retelling sounds simplistic and it is, but it is also so much more. The lovely quasi-Victorian illustrations by Marjorie Flack add much to the sweet quality of the tale. This is a book any adult or child would love to own and read over the years, so if you are looking for a perfect gift, here it is!

Dear Great Book Guru, I saw the wonderful article "Living in Sea Cliff "in the Sunday New York Times with those great photos by local resident and renowned photographer Kathy Kmonicek. Do you have a book you would recommend about that ever fascinating topic: real estate? Contented Homeowner but Always Looking

Dear Contented, Read MODEL HOME by Eric Puchner and you'll stop looking. This novel is set in 1985-86 Southern California where Warren Ziller, a real estate developer, has moved with his wife and three children to an affluent gated beach community or as the ads call it- "an equestrian village." His plan to build cheap homes deep into the desert flounders when the county builds a toxic waste treatment center nearby, and he finds himself facing emotional and financial bankruptcy. The story is told from the viewpoints of each of the family members: Camille, a sweetly earnest woman who quickly realizes the good life is no longer within their reach and blames her husband ; Warren, the erring husband whose sees his cars, his furniture, his life being repossessed ; Dustin, a handsome seventeen year-old with a boring girlfriend and an addiction to alcohol and TV; Lyla, a sixteen year-old highly intelligent misanthrope; and finally, Jonas, an eleven year-old with a disturbing death obsession. When a terrible accident befalls Dustin and the reality of their financial debacle becomes clear, the family reinvents itself in a myriad of ways - some good, some bad, and all painful. Be aware: you will probably never want to move after reading this book.

Dear Great Book Guru, There are signs of Spring all over Sea Cliff and I feel the need to find a fresh new author to read during this season. Do you have any ideas? Smitten with Spring

Dear Smitten, I know that feeling so well and every year at this time I turn to a fresh new author and every year it is the same author- Barbara Pym. Pym wrote up until her death in 1980 and produced about a dozen novels , each of them a jewel to be read and reread many times. Her novels are about the exquisite loveliness of everyday life. Each word, each gesture, each character is treated with humor, attention, and respect. While nothing is overlooked by this author, the books are not lengthly tomes, but two to three hundred page chronicles of human interaction and reflection. The titles often come from English poetry: SOME TAME GAZELLE, THE SWEET DOVE DIED, A GLASS OF BLESSINGS…but none of what I have said, captures the gentle but frequently biting insights Pym has into the human condition. This weekend, I will be attending an annual conference at Harvard University analyzing and celebrating her works; the focus will be on one of her novels: a GLASS OF BLESSINGS. The title comes from the George Herbert poem "The Pulley." The main character Wilmet Forsyth is a young woman who finds herself misjudging many situations she finds herself in, while the other characters and the reader can see quite clearly the obvious folly of her ways. Her descriptions of food, clothing, and those daily rituals which consume our days envelop the reader in a world that is both familiar and unique. The novels are not plot- driven, which accounts for the pleasure one gets in rereading and finding level after level of new insight. Pym is a novelist who should be on every discerning reader's top ten list- she is not to be missed! Check out other recommendations at greatbookguru.blogspot.com and, of course, Pym's novels are available at the Sea Cliff Library.