Dear Great Book Guru, I was at a wonderful Mardi Gras party this week. The food was delicious especially the little party treats that I was told came from a recipe Sea Cliff luminary Gina Cressey (now a Maine resident) has shared with a multitude of her friends. Where can I get this valued recipe and, yes, do you have a good book to recommend, preferably one with a culinary theme? Food Fanatic

Dear Food Fanatic, How lucky you are- I have answers to both your questions. Gina's recipe for Party Rolls is in the Sea Cliff Civic Association Progressive Dinner Cookbook. I have served these many times and always to rave reviews. Now let's get to that good book for you: THE COOKBOOK COLLECTOR by Allegra Goodman. Two sisters, so alike so different…. Emily is the CEO of a Silicon Valley startup firm and Jess is a doctoral student in philosophy at Berkeley. The women lead parallel lives, each devoted to the other, each baffled by the other's choices in men, clothes, food, whatever. While there is much discussion of restaurants, favorite dishes, and family recipes, the underlying theme is one of substitution. The sisters substitute reading cookbooks for cooking (how many of us are guilty of that one?), collecting instead of using, starting instead of finishing. The characters that surround them: parents dead and alive, lovers, friends, and yes, a pair of rabbis, all add to this richly colorful tale. The sisters' adventures crisscross the country from Boston to L.A. giving us insight into life on both coasts, into the worlds of technology and academia, all of this with a touch of mysticism thrown in. Definitely there is food for thought in this book!

Dear Great Book Guru, I was at the Sea Cliff Bistro yesterday afternoon having my daily cappuccino when a group of people began discussing a book they were reading for their book group. It was about modern India and the hero was a murderer. Does this sound familiar? Cappuccino / Latte Lover

Dear Cappuccino/ Latte Lover, Don't you just adore the Sea Cliff Bistro -everyone calls it Lily's after its talented and gracious owner. The perfect spot for a late afternoon treat! I was there this weekend, when Greta Gorder and Michael and Diane Biolsi came in for their lattes. Diane and Greta, in fact, are reading the very book you are asking about- WHITE TIGER by Aravind Adiga This is a very disturbing look into the mind of the clever but amoral entrepreneur Balram Halwai who came from the "darkness" as he calls his rural village into the "lightness" which is the sophisticated, upscale Indian city where he now lives and works. The novel takes the form of letters in which Halwai recounts his determination to rise above his impoverished beginnings - to be the white tiger that appears once in a generation. He realizes that society views him and others of his class as its rubbish, its throwaways. The killing of his employer which is mentioned on the first page of the book is not a violent act prompted by hatred or passion, but a calculated gesture meant to insure a good life for himself. The reader is left conflicted: can one condemn a man who feels life is simply a contest in which one is the eater or the eaten?

Dear Great Book Guru, Last week I was at Nunzio's Auto Works when a customer came in very excited about a new book he had just read. It was a collection of short stories -EMPTY FAMILY- by Colm Toibin. I'm not a big fan of short stories- I prefer novels or even novellas- but the man was so enthusiastic, I'm considering giving it a try. What do you think? Short Story Shirker

Dear Shirker, First, let's talk about Nunzio- the man is more therapist than mechanic, although indeed an expert mechanic. People come to him filled with auto angst; he placates them, addresses their problems, and quickly gets them back on the road and all the while keeping his shop pristine with fresh paint and plants galore. In addition, it now appears his customers have a strong literary bent: THE EMPTY FAMILY is a wonderful collection of short stories with a common theme of characters searching for happiness within the framework of family. In one of the stories, an elderly movie set designer returns to Ireland for a brief visit; she laments lost loves and strained family ties, all the while imagining how she could have changed outcomes. In another, which apparently is autobiographical, a middle-aged man returns to his mother's Dublin death bed where he finds that despite the passage of many years, his mother is still coolly distant, and he comes to realize that nothing he does will make her love him. My favorite was "Colour of Shadows" in which a young man arranges care for his elderly aunt who raised him and now makes him promise never to visit his mother. Fractured families indeed! House keys play a recurring role in many of the stories. A key to lock family members in and to lock them out comes to symbolize the elusive comfort all Toibin's characters crave.

Dear Great Book Guru, I was at a party this weekend at Scott and Karen Kessler's in honor of the Friends of Sea Cliff Library. In addition to great food and conversation, there was a lovely presentation of Shakespearean sonnets during which someone mentioned a new novel about a family obsessed with the Bard. It sounded interesting but no one could remember the title. Are you familiar with the book? Shakespeare Sonnet Swooner

Dear Swooner, I'm so sorry I missed the Kessler soiree (I heard it was a smashing success- Scott and Karen always give such wonderful parties) - we were in Palm Beach for a weekend conference- but I certainly know the book being discussed: it was THE WEIRD SISTERS by Eleanor Brown. What a fun read! The daughters (Rosalind, Bianca, and Cordelia) named by their scholar father after three of Shakespeare's heroines, have returned to the small university town where they grew up, each facing a crisis that reflects her namesake's personality. The eldest sister finds it impossible to leave the cocoon of the family, the middle sister faces paralyzing financial and career problems, the youngest is dealing with the aftereffects of her bohemian life style, and the poor parents are consumed with their own frailties. Can a good quote or two from Shakespeare help this beleaguered family? Well, as the omnipresent narrator tells us "There is no problem a library card can't solve" so rest assured: all works out … eventually.

Dear Great Book Guru, I have enjoyed many of the novels you have recommended, but I think I need a change of pace. Do you have something about politics or recent history that I might enjoy? Potential Political Pundit

Dear Pundit, I have just the book for you: BOMB POWER by Garry Wills. The premise is that the creation/invention/production of the atomic bomb has had an immeasurable impact on American society far beyond what one would think. The author takes us back to 1943: the beginning of the Manhattan Project where we meet General Leslie Groves- the man who managed the atomic bomb operation- a man who answered , well, really to no one, except possibly FDR. Vice-President Truman, Congress, and the courts were all unaware of the scope of Groves's power. The secrecy, anxiety, and discipline necessitated by our possession of the bomb would give rise to the Cold War, to a myriad of covert and overt operations, and ultimately to the present war on terror. Because the president (whoever he/she might be) has control of "the button," enormous , unchecked power has passed to this office, to the diminishment of Congress and the courts. If the president has the final control of a weapon that can destroy multiple nations, then who can deny him anything ? Certainly not Congress, not the courts, not the American people. .. Ultimately then, American presidential power truly rests on "bomb power."

Dear Great Book Guru, I was at a Beat the Winter Blues party last week and the conversation turned (as so many do) to the latest books read and enjoyed. A few people mentioned a new novel that traces a couple's relationship over a twenty year period- from the late 80's to the present. It sounded interesting but no one could remember the title. Any thoughts, and if so, would you recommend it? Winter Reader

Dear Winter Reader, Those Beat the Winter Blues parties are cropping up all over Sea Cliff and seem to be very effective in accomplishing their goal. I attended one myself with Eda D'Amico, Carol Vogt, Jackie Warren, Kathy Calzonetti, Linda McCormack, and Nancy Gordon, and the sun began to shine almost immediately. But back to the book - I'm sure it was ONE DAY by David Nicholls- a fast, light read (although 445 pages)- but definitely worthwhile. Emma and Dexter meet in 1987 as they are graduating from the University of Edinburgh. She is earnest, smart, and hardworking; Dexter… well , Dexter is a golden boy who has everything : money, lovers, friends, an adoring family (take a guess where this will go…). They maintain a twenty-year friendship which see fortunes made and reversed, a myriad of triumphs and defeats, and long searches for careers and spouses. The technique- which is quite effective- is to have the couple talk or meet each year on July 21 at which point we learn what events took place during the year- some predictable, some shocking, always darkly humorous. Throughout, we feel an affection for the pair and wish them well- whatever that involves.

Dear Great Book Guru, What a dreary day,-rain, snow, winds- when will it end? Please recommend a good book to get me through the January blues- something cozy, something spirited, something I'll like! Desperate in Sea Cliff

Dear Desperate, January is my least favorite month and while my choice is never to leave Sea Cliff, I did spend the past weekend in Florida's South Beach. The sun and warm weather were fine, but the best part of the trip was the glorious, uninterrupted time to read. I was able to devour three great books: ROOM WITH A VIEW (for my Sunday Dinner book group), a wonderful Hazel Holt mystery (I'll save that for another column), and MAJOR PETTIGREW'S LAST STAND by Helen Simonson, (my recommendation for you). This is a first novel by an Englishwoman who although having lived in Brooklyn for over twenty years has retained a keen appreciation for the nuances of British manners and mores. Major Pettigrew was born in India in the early 1940's, son of English colonel whose claim to fame lay in his mythic rescue of a maharishi's daughter during the disastrous partition of India. For this deed he received a dual set of rifles, each now owned by one of his sons The novel opens with the death of the Major's younger brother and immediately the question of the rifles' ownership arises. Dark humor permeates the book with a strong touch of sweet romance and virulent racism- all centered on the lovely Mrs. Ali, a Pakistani widow, who runs a local convenience store in the Major's village. We watch with great interest as Major Pettigrew "grows "beyond his "petty" class concerns and takes a stand