Dear Great Book Guru, What a great Sea Cliff weekend- first the Civic Association's newest event the Summer Stroll, the Beach Committee's Movie Bash, and then the grand opening of Olives by the Sea! While standing with over a hundred other Sea Cliffers outside of Olives(corner of Summit and Central-across from Arata's) and listening to the group Crash My Party, I thought about a new book THE NOBODIES ALBUM which has as one of its subplots the culture of the music business. Have you read this book and, if so, would you recommend it to your readers?
Big Olives Fan

Dear Olives Fan,
Yes, this was quite the weekend- and you didn't even include the Crafts Fair at Memorial Park or Arts Council Show at the Library- quite a weekend indeed! NOBODIES ALBUM by Carolyn Parkhurst is a wonderful book and one I would recommend highly . The title comes from a young child's collection of songs that might have been but never were. Octavia Frost is a middle-aged novelist who is estranged from her very successful musician son- a son who is angry and guilty and very unforgiving of his mother's perceived transgressions. Her latest novel- also called The Nobodies Album- is collection of the last chapters of her novels each accompanied by a revised version of the chapter- a second chance at a happy ending, in a sense. When she learns that he has been accused of murder, she rushes across the country to be with him, wondering if this will be a chance to rewrite their past. A slip of paper is found with the words "Someone is lying" and the mystery begins to unfold. We meet a fascinating array of characters all with tortured pasts but none as tortured as her son's. The sins of omission and commission are many and the chances for redemption few, but mother and son cautiously struggle on. More than a mystery, more than a family drama- more a series of epiphanies that will haunt you for a very long time.

Dear Great Book Guru,
Last month, while attending a Summer Solstice porch party, my friend Rob and I heard members of a book club discussing their next month's choice. Although we disagreed on the title ( I think it was GOOD TO A FAULT), we both agreed it sounded interesting. Does it sound familiar to you?
Summer Solstice Senorita
Dear Summer, What a good choice for a book club! GOOD TO A FAULT by Marina Endicott is a novel that has a cozy feel to it but one whose true concern is far from cozy- what makes a good person? The heroine of the story is Clary and the book opens with a minor car accident in which Clary might or might not have been a t fault. The Pell family- a cranky grandmother, a very sick mother, an infant, two young children, and an irritating bombastic father are in the other car; everyone ends up in the emergency room for the briefest of moments. Only the mother remains hospitalized- it turns out she is gravely sick with a previously undiagnosed terminal illness. Clary, who has lived alone in her late parents' home, takes a leave from her job to care for the family. The children's father quickly deserts them , stealing Clary's extra car and is not heard from for much of the book. We witness all that Clary does for the ill woman and her very needy children ,but we also see the emotional satisfaction Clary gets from the situation. We are confronted with numerous plot developments that change our outlook on Clary's motivations. Along the way, we are introduced to a cast of fascinating characters: a sensitive, poetry-quoting recently divorced clergyman, a saintly, elderly neighbor, an equally elderly but pilfering in-law, and many more folks who all help us decide what goodness means and… is it possible to be a good person ?

Dear Great Book Guru- I am feeling pretty patriotic with the Fourth of July approaching and I’d like to read something that will make me cheer even more for the red, white and blue. Any suggestions? Sunshine Patriot

Dear Sunshine Patriot- Well, of course, you should walk yourself over to the Sea Cliff Village Green on Sunday morning where there will be a reading of the Declaration of Independence and other patriotic festivities. Then you could read a favorite of mine: JOHN ADAMS by David McCullough This is an amazing biography which presents parallel tales of Adams and his wife Abigail, Adams and Thomas Jefferson, and ,yes, most interestingly, Adams and the new nation. McCullough uses original diaries and letters in such a skillful manner that you feel as if you are reading a fast-moving novel. Because of its length(726 pages) this could be a summer project for you but definitely a worthwhile one.

A family ritual of ours is the watching/reading of Peter Stone’s 1776 every Fourth. There is nothing that makes the heart swell more with patriotic fervor than listening, watching, and reading that great musical play that recreates the drama surrounding the creation of the Declaration of Independence, except, of course, hearing the Declaration read on Sea Cliff’s Village Green. 1776 is available in book form and DVD .

Happy Fourth!!!

Dear Great Book Guru, My children have just finished school and we are looking for some great books to read together through the lazy, hazy days of summer. Do you have any suggestions?
Book Loving Parent
Dear Book Loving, What a splendid idea! I remember with great fondness my family's summers spent reading the novels of Roald Dahl. Dahl is the cranky, sinister author of many wonderful books that appeal to both children and adults. MATILDA is the tale of a very young , very bright child who finds herself with the most boorish and boring of parents- parents who encourage her to watch TV all day and forbid her to read! Well, Matilda finds hilarious ways to circumvent her dear parents. My daughter Gillian particularly loved this book. My son Justin's favorite Dahl was THE WITCHES- this is a mildly terrifying book- just right for most 8 to 10 year-olds who still enjoy communal readings but crave some adventure and gore. The hero of WITCHES has been turned into a mouse by a coven of witches who are having their annual convention in the resort where he and his grandmother are vacationing. As with all Dahl novels, good triumphs in a bizarre but satisfying way. TWITS was probably my son Daniel's first choice, not because of its literary merit, but because the brutish, ill-kempt albeit lovable characters reminded him of friends and family. Not a family read aloud, but definitely a good choice for the adults in the crowd is THE IRREGULARS- ROALD DAHL AND THE WASHINGTON SPY RING by Jennet Conant. Dahl turns out to have been working for the British government as an undercover agent in Washington. His assignment was to undermine the American isolationist movement whose goal had been to keep the U.S. out of World War II. Definitely more James Bond than JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH- another family Dahl favorite!

Dear Great Book Guru,
While I was having breakfast down at Sea Cliff Beach last Sunday, someone mentioned that next week is Bloomsday- June 16- the annual celebration of James Joyce's famous ULYSSES. I'm not up to reading that 800 page classic but do you have something to recommend that I might read to put me in the mood for Bloomsday while enjoying the beach? Beach Booklover


Dear Booklover,
Last week, I was talking to my friend Cec, who too loves both the beach and books, and she asked for just such a recommendation. The book I suggested was THE LONELY PASSION OF JUDITH HEARNE by Brian Moore. This book originally came out in 1955 but remains fresh and pertinent in 2010. Set in Belfast, Ireland, the novel introduces us to a fortyish unmarried woman of limited financial means, but grand illusions. She has a small annuity inherited from an aunt whom she had cared for over many years ; she supplements this income with earnings from a few reluctant piano students. Judith is a woman who desperately wants to keep up appearances but finds her life spinning out of control as she moves into yet another shabby boarding house (her fifth move in two years). When she is courted by her landlady's brother, we sense impending disaster but Judith sees only romance and redemption. Alas, our fears are confirmed as we begin to realize the nature of Judith's problem- her real passion. A new edition of this novel is coming out June 15 with an afterword by Mary Gordon, one of my favorite writers. Enjoy the beach and yes, Happy Bloomsday!

Dear Great Book Guru, I was wondering how you spend Memorial Day weekend and, of course, do you have a book to recommend?
Grateful Citizen

Dear Grateful, This is one of my favorite Sea Cliff weekends. On Friday night, the Beach Committee, headed by Michelle Capobianco, hosts a huge party for families early in the evening followed by music and dancing lasting late into the night. Over the weekend, the Sea Cliff Library begins their Books on the Beach program. You will be able to borrow books, read newspapers, and get material for your children all while enjoying Sea Cliff Beach. Then on Monday morning all of Sea Cliff marches through its streets honoring our war dead while hoping for a peaceful future for all. This touching parade is crowned with a beautiful ceremony at Clifton Park. Phil Como has organized this event for many, many years and it is always wonderful in a bittersweet sort of way. And, yes,a book I would recommend is MATTERHORN by Karl Marlantes. A Vietnam veteran, Marlantes began writing this book thirty years ago when he first returned home from his tour of service. The story is an incredible tale of misery, bravery, loyalty, and confusion. The hero, a young lieutenant, grows in his role while seeing friends display kindness, fear, and suffering all in the capturing of a small piece of land "Matterhorn" as they came to call it. This book is a long, difficult read, but ever so worthwhile.

Dear Great Book Guru,

The other night I was at Roots, a great restaurant in Sea Cliff, and I overheard a group of women discussing a new book one of them had just read. I think the title was THE IMPERFECTIONIST. Have you heard of it and would you recommend it? Perennial Eavesdropper

Dear Perennial,
I too was at Roots the other night with friends. In fact, we have a Roots Rendezvous every Tuesday- what a treat and the Santoro family always makes everyone feel so welcome! But back to the book- THE IMPERFECTIONIST by Tom Rachman is a wonderful, wonderful book that I just read this weekend. The story is fascinating and the format ingenious. Each of the chapters could stand on its own as a perfect short story but the cumulative effect of connecting characters within the overall theme of the rise and fall of a great newspaper is magical. In each of the ten chapters, we meet a different staff member -from the revered publisher to a young copy editor- and in short italicized essays connecting the chapters, we learn about the owners of the paper- the Ott family. While there is a focus on one person per chapter, we get to see each of them through the eyes of all the other characters so there is Rashamon/kaleidoscopic effect. In addition, each chapter has a shocking- sometimes brutal, sometimes heartbreaking- ending. When the book begins, it is 1953 and the paper is just being launched; at the conclusion it is 2007 and the paper has just folded. In effect, we are witnesses to the history of the modern newspaper business. Highly recommended! Check out greatbookguru.blogspot.com for additional recommendations.