Dear Great Book Guru, This weekend would usually have been Mini Mart Sunday in Sea Cliff but – alas - not to be – a casualty of Covid concerns.  However, there are some smaller events planned such as the St Luke’s Fall Fair on Saturday.  Before heading over there, I will have time to get started on a good novel - not too long, maybe something about families.  Any suggestions?  Missing MiniMart

Dear Missing MiniMart, I just finished a book that came out last month - IMMEDIATE FAMILY by Ashley Nelson Levy I think you will find interesting.  The unnamed narrator has been asked to give the wedding toast for her brother and this 192-page book is in effect the toast - a long tribute and analysis of their sibling relationship.  The brother, Danny Larsen, is the only named character and this is not his original name. Born in Thailand twenty- five years ago, Boon-Nam Prasongsanti was adopted by the Larsens. Our narrator describes the years of anticipation as she and her parents plan for the child’s arrival.  He is not the infant they had expected but a three-year-old, malnourished, painfully shy, frightened child who is terrified in his new home.  The love that develops between the siblings is beautifully recounted but racism and bullying mar his early years and their repercussions are felt as he reaches adulthood.  The family adjusts and readjusts as we see the journey Danny and they have undertaken.  The book offers insight into family dynamics and the price everyone, especially Danny, must pay.  Recommended!

 

Dear Great Book Guru, as the year comes to an end, I was wondering if you had a list of your favorites for 2021?  It’s been a strange year and I wonder if I missed out on some good books. Do you have some you would particularly recommend?  Looking Back on 2021

 Dear Looking Back on 2021, Yes, I make up a list every year – it’s great fun to look back on all the books I have read and choose ten favorites.  My #1 choice by far was a work of non-fiction that reads like a novel: THE EMPIRE OF PAIN by Patrick Radden Keefe. Keefe was also the author SAY NOTHING our #1 choice for 2019.  The others are listed here in no particular order.

THE EMPIRE OF PAIN - Patrick Radden Keefe

TEN MINUTES AND 38 SECONDS IN THIS STRANGE WORLD - Elif Shafak

A GOOD MOTHER - Lara Bazelton

THE DAMAGE - Caitlin Wahrer

 THE VANISHING HALF - Bennett Brit

BROTHER, SISTER, MOTHER, EXPLORER - Jamie Figueroa

TOWER OF BABEL- Michael Sears

INTIMACIES – Katie Kitamura

BEFORE THE EVER AFTER - Jacqueline Woodson

LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND - Ruman Alam

More information can be found about these books on greatbookguru.blogspot.com

Dear Great Book Guru, So much going on in Sea Cliff with the Children’s Library “Nutcracker”, the Scrooge Stroll, and the Holiday Lighting celebration at Clifton Park!  Everything was great fun, but now I need some down time with a good book - nothing deep- just a good story. Seeking Some Serenity

Dear Seeking Some Serenity, I recently finished a book you might enjoy but I’m not sure it makes for serene reading:  THE NEIGHBOR’S SECRET by L. Alison Heller.  This mystery novel uses an ongoing book club as its organizing principle. Every few chapters, we read a chatty message sent to the members of the club based in an affluent suburban community, and these messages are amusing and will be uncomfortably familiar to many book club members.  The novel introduces multiple characters - perhaps too many - with three of the women highlighted:  Lena - an older woman living alone and estranged from her daughter; Annie - a middle aged guidance counselor who is coping with a troubled teen age daughter; and Jen - a young mother dealing with the thought her son might be a dangerous sociopath.  Throughout the book, we fear the many secrets these women are hiding will somehow come together in an explosive finale and - of course - they do! In what seems to be tranquil but intellectually stimulating monthly discussions of the latest novels, we find a painful tale of lies and secrets bridging many generations.  A thought-provoking read and recommended! 

 

Dear Great Book Guru, We were with lots of friends and family for Thanksgiving – all in small groups - and everyone was looking for a good book to give as a gift this holiday season. Do you have any suggestions? Gift Seeker

Dear Gift Seeker, I just finished a great novel:  WAYWARD by Dana Spiotta. She has written four other novels in the last decade and all have been highly acclaimed with my favorite being her EAT THE DOCUMENT. This latest brings together many diverse topics: mother-daughter relations, aging, deteriorating marriage, the present political climate, the rewriting of history, and – yes - the  real estate market.  The book begins with Samantha falling in love with a decrepit house in a decrepit neighborhood of Syracuse, New York. Impulsively, she buys the house, leaves her husband and teenage daughter, and begins to rebuild the house and her life. Things quickly turn dark - in alternating chapters, Ally the teen daughter tells her side of the story, Samantha hers, and then a fictional historical character, Clara Loomis - a much revered local feminist whose legacy is coming under scrutiny. Throughout the book, we get powerful insights into Samantha’s struggles with her roles as mother, daughter, wife, and citizen of a world she finds more and more alien. With the decaying downtown Syracuse as the backdrop, we see Samantha’s story as having much larger implications than one woman confronting her mortality. Beautifully written and highly recommended!

 

Dear Great Book Guru, We had a great outdoor family party this weekend - weather was challenging but everyone had a fun time and, as always, when we gather together conversation turns to our latest book choices. One of the cousins talked about a mystery series by an Irish author and the rest of us were interested but now I’m not sure of the author. Thoughts?   A Bookish Family

Dear Bookish Family, My guess is it’s John Banville’s Benjamin Black mysteries - the latest came out just last month:  APRIL IN SPAIN.  John Banville is a renowned prize-winning Irish author who writes a mystery series under the pseudonym Benjamin Black.  His hero is Quirk, a 1950’s Dublin pathologist. His tortured past and present is the stuff of these literary mysteries. There are eight books in the series beginning with CHRISTINE FALLS. While each novel can stand alone, to see the complexity and evolution of Quirk, they should be read in order. The latest is set in Dublin and the Basque countryside with locations and characters exquisitely described. In the opening chapter we meet Terry Tice who liked “killing people.” In alternating chapters we are with the gloomy Quirk and his long suffering psychiatrist wife, Evelyn. While in some ways this is a simple mystery, Banville’s writing is so beautiful, it is hard not to reread many evocative passages even as we are eager to see how all the story lines come together. A wonderful read and highly recommended!

 

 

Dear Great Book Guru,  While  Halloween is over, I am still in the mood for some suspenseful tales. I would like a good psychological thriller set in   present time.  Any suggestions?  Craving Suspense

Dear Craving Suspense, I recently read a disturbing  literary thriller I think you will enjoy: MRS MARCH  by Virginia Feito. Mrs. March – we don’t learn her first name until the last page- is the wife of George, a famous author who has recently published his latest novel which has received universal praise from both critics and the public. She soon realizes he has based the novel’s protagonist on her- her mannerisms, her appearance, her gloves- and it is not a flattering portrait.  She  begins to think every friend and stranger she passes  has read the book and is aware of her shame. She neglects her young son,  abuses her housekeeper, and we watch in horror as she seems to lose all sense of reality.  When she suspects her husband of being a serial killer, we are quite sure she is delusional but there is always the thought…. perhaps there is some truth in her suspicions.   The lifestyle of this wealthy Upper Eastside Manhattanite is described in exquisite detail and we clearly sense the anger and purposelessness Mrs. March feels.  Neither she nor her husband are admirable characters, but the novel is a compelling read and recommended!

 

Dear Great Book Guru, This past weekend I met up with lots of friends and we all agreed we needed something great to read - something thought-provoking and with a strong story line. Any thoughts? Readers in Search of Meaning

Dear Readers in Search of Meaning, I spent this last weekend with a compelling book, filled with moments of deep insight. This shortlisted 2019 Booker Prize winner is 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak. It is the haunting tale of Leila - victim of a brutal murder in Istanbul, Turkey. Leila explains that for 10 minutes and 38 seconds after death, we are capable of conscious thought with heightened sensitivities and robust memories. The first half of the novel describes Leila’s thoughts as she moves from life to death and we count down the moments we share with her.  She remembers her early life in exquisite sensory detail - her young mother who was forced to give her up at birth, her mercurial father, an abusive uncle, a beloved autistic brother, and her young activist husband. In alternating chapters, we meet each of her five friends who play important roles in her life and death.  These friends like Leila live on the outskirts of Istanbul’s society where gender, violence, and religion combine to crush many. With her death complete, the second part of the book is more a caper but satisfying nevertheless.  A painful tale but well worth reading - highly recommend!