Dear Great Book Guru, I was at a "Beat the Winter Blues" party last week and I think it really worked. My spirits have lifted and I am now looking for a new adventure: something great to read. I love English settings, a lively plot line, and the more contemporary the better. Any suggestions? Feeling Spring is Just Around the Corner


Dear Spring Around the Corner, Well, this is very easy: my recommendation for you is HOW IT ALL BEGAN by Penelope Lively, set in 2010 London, and filled with wonderfully colorful characters. Lively's premise is that chance plays a pivotal role in our lives; she then goes on to show how a single event changes the lives of each of her characters. The book opens with Charlotte Rainsford looking up from a London street pavement on a lovely April day. Her purse has been stolen and her hip broken. Now unable to live on her own, she is forced to move into her daughter Rose's home. Because of her mother's accident, Rose misses work, Rose's employer Sir Henry find a substitute for the day, the substitute, his niece Marjorie, inadvertently causes her lover's marriage to implode, and as a result she meets an glamorous new client who will soon alter her life forever. Suddenly, everything has changed. Lively describes each of these characters in brief (224 pages) but exquisite detail as they all come to question life's purpose. In alternating chapters we see Charlotte's evolution and those (many of whom she never meets) who are impacted by her fall. The title is somewhat misleading because we soon realize there are no beginnings or ends in this novel but rather a series of spontaneous combustions. Highly recommended!

Dear Great Book Guru, I have loved your recommendations, especially last week's THE SENSE OF AN ENDING . I particularly liked it since I have always enjoyed reading about young people who are leaving school and trying to find life's purpose. I guess you'd call them books of passage. Can you think of another book In this category? A Lover of the Journey


Dear Lover of the Journey, I was away this weekend in sunny San Juan so my plan was to catch up on the many books I have stored on my Kindle. When it was first published in October, Gillian DiPietro had given me MARRIAGE PLOT by Jeffrey Eugenides . Based on her recommendation (and Daniel DiPietro's, too), I eagerly began reading it as soon as we took off from JFK. While a long book ( 416 pages), it was a quick read, I think, because of the constant shifting of viewpoints among characters. We first meet Madeleine, Leonard, and Mitchell on the day they graduate from Brown University. In alternating chapters, we experience the day from each of their perspectives. Madeleine is an English major who is the indulged daughter of a college president, Leonard is a charismatic manic- depressive science major whose parents have deserted him (as he recounts his history), and Mitchell is a religious studies major who is searching for spiritual enlightenment. Each of the men is in love with Madeleine who sees her life mirrored in the novels of Jane Austen. With graduation, the three set out to find their purpose and we are along for the journey: Cape Cod, Calcutta, Paris, Monte Carlo, and back to Providence- we get to experience it all through the eyes and egos of the threesome. I think you'll enjoy it!

Dear Great Book Guru, Now that the New Year has begun, I feel energized to start a serious reading regimen. My criteria is simple: a challenging storyline, but something I can finish over a weekend. Any thoughts? Reader with Resolve but Little Time


Dear Reader with…., Last night I finished a wonderful book on my Kindle and I think it just what you are looking for: THE SENSE OF AN ENDING by Julian Barnes, winner of the 2011 Booker Award - England's highest literary honor. At 160 pages, it is a very manageable read and the topic, while challenging, is fascinating: we create stories or endings to bring order to the chaos which is life, but these stories are seldom, if ever, true. The protagonist Tony Webster, 65 years-old, is living an ordered existence- a somewhat detached father and grandfather, amicably divorced, comfortably retired. He has tied up the loose ends of his life and is, if not happy, contented. We learn of a painful romantic encounter he had in his teens and a friendship that ended tragically. He remembers the people and events with clarity… or so he thinks. Unexpectedly, he receives $1000 inheritance, a letter, and the promise of a diary- all from the mother of his long ago girlfriend. Apparently, nothing was as he remembered. With the documents at hand, he sees that he has rewritten his life; his history was his own creation now debunked by irrefutable evidence. At the core of the book is a compelling mystery, but we come away with so much more: a look into our own memories, our own tales, our own attempts to write endings. Very thought provoking and a perfect read to begin the new year!

Dear Great Book Guru, One of my New Year's resolutions is to see more quality films and perhaps join a discussion group. I know you are all about books but can you help me in this pursuit? A Cinema Senorita

Dear Cinema Senorita, I can certainly understand your interest in film- just this past week a group of friends and I went on our annual holiday movie marathon. We saw a film a day and then met for a drink or dinner to debate and discuss what we had seen. The films included A DANGEROUS METHOD (this is an adaptation of a wonderful book with the same title) - Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud join forces to treat a fascinating patient with strong masochistic tendencies; after discussing their methods and beliefs the two men find they despise each other. There was much to discuss after this film. THE DESCENDANTS is an entertaining look at death, real estate and infidelity. The group had strongly differing opinions on this one but I loved it. On the other hand, everyone loved THE ARTIST- an homage to the silent film industry. It was funny, touching, and always entertaining. MY WEEK WITH MARILYN was another favorite of the group. Set in 1956 England, it traces a young assistant's week with Marilyn Monroe as she and Laurence Oliver clash over style and temperament in the production of The Prince and the Showgirl. We all came away with a new respect for Marilyn Monroe- her intelligence, her sweetness, and her demons were evident throughout. On New Year's Eve we saw the American version of the GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, yet another favorite of the group. Many of you have read the books, but it is great fun to see this adaptation. The lead character- Lisabeth Salander- is exquisitely portrayed as is the Swedish countryside. Yes, I think you have some wonderful movies to choose from- find some discerning friends and head out to your local theater this weekend, but remember, my friend, as always put aside time to read a good book!

Dear Great Book Guru, How I love this week after Christmas- everyone is still in the holiday spirit, but with none of the stress that precedes the big day- a perfect time to catch up on some good reading! I am an excited new Kindle owner so just give me a title and I'll be reading in moments…. E-Reader Enthusiast


Dear Enthusiast, A few years ago I read a beautiful novel by Elizabeth Strout: OLIVE KITTERIDGE and I have thought about it many, many times since. Set in a coastal town in Maine, the book captures the joys and sorrows of life in a small community- so of course, (as so many things do) it reminded me of Sea Cliff. While billed as a novel, it is really a collection of thirteen short stories with an enormous number of characters- I stopped counting at eighty-five- and Olive appears in each story, sometimes as the focal point, other times making only the most shadowy of appearances, and frequently playing a rather minor role. When we come to the end, however, we realize we have read the story of Olive's life. Depending on the situation, she is cruel, demanding, and insensitive, but she can also be loving, compassionate, and insightful. Olive is like all of us- very complicated. Highly recommended…
Happy New Year to all of you, especially to Justin DiPietro and Jenna Fendt who became engaged over the holidays and are planning an August wedding!

Dear Great Book Guru, I attended a fabulous party this weekend at Deborah and Jay Fossett's; the food, the wine, and the company were extraordinary. During the evening someone mentioned that she had found the perfect holiday gift for everyone on her list: a collection of seasonal plays by a local playwright. Would you know the title and would you too recommend it? Last Minute Gift Giver


Dear Last Minute Gift Giver, What a lucky person you are… first, to be a guest of the Fossetts and then to receive such a fabulous gift suggestion! CHRISTMAS COCKTAILS by the renowned playwright Fred Stroppel is a collection of Fred's plays all with holiday themes, all with a sharp edge, all hysterically funny. In the first entry- "O Christmas Tree"- a couple stands in front of the Rockefeller Center tree where he timidly professes his love and she harshly berates him for not sealing the deal with a ring. The dialogue rings so true you imagine yourself standing at the tree next to the hilariously mismatched couple. In "the Land of Sweets" an aging, far from sweet ballet teacher prepares her young students for a performance of "The Nutcracker" while in "Epiphany", we get a version the Three Wise Men and their journey that left me laughing aloud. There is nothing saccharine about any of these plays; rather, all are bitingly on target. This collection is available on Amazon's Kindle for $2.95. Highly recommended!

If you are in Sea Cliff on Saturday, Christmas Eve morning from 10:30 to 11:30am, stop by the Children's Library where local luminaries will take turns reading from Charles Dickens's CHRISTMAS CAROL. Sounds like great fun, doesn't it? Hope you can join us!

Dear Great Book Guru, This week I am going to the renowned Weinstein Cookie Swap and amidst all the delicious treats and toasts, I'm sure there will be some good book talk. Can you recommend something for me to read in anticipation of this wonderful event? Consummate Cookie Swapper

Dear Consummate Cookie Swapper, I too love the annual Cookie Swap and while the book I am about to recommend is more bittersweet than sweet, it is a winner indeed: THEN EVERYTHING CHANGED by Jeff Greenfield. The book is divided into the presidential administrations of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Gary Hart. Yes, I did say RFK and Hart because these are alternative histories- the "what if's" that plague the mind in the early morning hours. Greenfield has been involved in politics as a speech writer, commentator, and news reporter for forty years and his knowledge of the inner workings of campaigns and elections is vast. In the JFK section, the president-elect is assassinated before being sworn in so LBJ's term is his alone with shocking consequences. In the second piece, Robert Kennedy escapes the assassin's bullet, snatches the presidency from Hubert Humphrey, and leads the United States to a far different place. In the last scenario, Gary Hart debates and defeats Ronald Reagan, again resulting in a very different world. Missed meetings, menu changes, verbal missteps - all contribute to the realization that it takes very, very little for "everything to change…"
PS- This Tuesday, Dec. 20 from 6:30 to 8pm, the Hanukkah Happening is happening at the Sea Cliff Fire House. It sounds like great fun for all ages with food, treats, games, and much merrymaking; the entire Sea Cliff community is invited.