Review: Hector and the Search for Happiness: A Novel

Hector and the Search for Happiness: A Novel by François Lelord

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



cozy, simple, friendly

Hector travels around the globe pondering happiness and what it means to each person he meets. An interesting story, and people love to open up to Hector, who like his author is a Psychiatrist. Hector carries his journal and makes little notes on happiness after each conversation. One observation is tha, "Happiness is a certain way of seeing things."

Hector acknowledges that those he treats who seem most unhappy have good jobs and no major problems. Hector's friend Eduard believes that making sixmillion dollars will mean happiness, but while he has work and money, he is extremely unhappy. Whereas in contrast, the poor shoeless children in the foreign countries Hector visits smile and seem happy.

A parable that seems to have some bits of truth to it, a much less complex version of Eat Pray Love.





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Review: The Book of Lost Things

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Not-for-children, dark, violent

David is a little boy whose mother has recently died. In mourning and miserable, he doesn't understand when his father re-marries very quickly. Once David is living with his stepmother, the books in his room start talking. The lonely boy starts hearing his mother's voice and seeing odd strangers at the edge of the woods.

Soon the little boy has followed his mother's voice into the dark corners of a new world (much darker than Narnia). As soon as he enters the world, the boy is hunted by the Crooked Man and the wolves. Very scary, as the hungry wolves eat people and want to consume the boy. The book was dark and violent, as David goes on a quest to see the King in order to get back to his world. David must face beasts and trolls and all kinds of violent mystical killers, and make no mistake, they are violent.

I see why this was recommended for me as there are many author “retellings” of the Grimm fairy tales—his stories are much darker and more evil.

Not for children! It was an interesting book, but there was too much violence and death for my taste.




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Sparks of Wonder Alight The Lantern

Descriptive, Enthralling, new Rebecca

 “Some scents sparkle and then quickly disappear, like the effervescence of a citrus zest or a bright not of mint.” And so this beautifully written novel, The Lantern begins.

 In Switzerland Eve meets a mysterious man and starts a whirlwind romance. Dom is handsome but somehow closed off and haunted. Dom admits that he was once married but asks Eve to never speak of Rachel again; he will not speak further about it. Eve is caught up in the love affair and keeps thoughts of Rachel locked away in her mind.

 Soon Dom has convinced Eve to leave her work and home to move with him to the remote Les Genevriers in the South of France. Eve is thrilled to have found love and easily gives up her lonely life, renting out her London flat. Summer in the isolated French farming hamlet is heavenly. There are many things to discover, and Eve and Dom are content in their isolated new home together. Eve recognizes that their house is very old and full of friendly ghosts.

 When the cold winter moves in, Eve starts to feel haunted as she sees things in the garden and starts hearing noises in the house. And, seemingly, Dom pulls away from her, leaving her even more isolated. They are far from town and there are no other houses nearby, Dom has effectively cut off Eve from her friends, work and family. Eve becomes afraid, distant and restless as Dom becomes more uncommunicative. Eve also becomes obsessed with Dom’s former wife Rachel and spends all her time researching her and wondering what happened to her. Dom still refuses to talk about Rachel, but Eve has learned that Dom and Rachel had planned on living in Genevriers together. Eve soon finds a lady in town, Sabine, who implies that Dom may have killed Rachel. Per Sabine, Rachel was pregnant and disappeared unexpectedly…

 As the haunting of Eve begins, the reader starts learning the ominous past history of the farmstead. The farm is where Marthe Lincel, a famous 1950’s perfume creator grew up as a child. Eve often smells the strong scent of lavender which was the inspiration for Marthe’s signature scent. Soon Eve is also researching the story of Marthe, who disappeared at the height of her career.

 In an eerie bit of foreshadowing, Dom and Rachel have decided to replace the pool in the garden…what will they discover? Throughout the novel I thought of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, there are many parallels that cannot be ignored.

 For me, this novel is much more descriptive and enthralling than Du Maurier’s Rebecca. Here is an example of the language, “Outside, the figs fall, the wasps drone at the sugar bursting on the ground and on the branch, the scents of summer are overblown in the heat.” Magnificent descriptors, I highly recommend this novel for any fiction readers and book clubs. Alas, this novel is not yet available in paperback.

Bittersweet, Insightful, Powerful Making Toast

Making Toast is poignant and endearing, so much so that I had trouble remembering that it was a true memoir--a story of a father's dedication and love to his deceased daughter.

Written by a grieving father, the story follows the aftermath of a daughter dying unexpectedly, leaving behind a husband and three young children.  The focus is mainly on the family post-death, how the grandparents rearrange their lives to ensure the well being of their grandchildren and son-in-law. 

 Grandpa “Boppo” and Grandma Ginny leave their spacious home to move into a spare bedroom at their son-in-laws after their daughter’s death. Amy has left behind three children--a six year old, a four year old and a one year old. Boppo and Grandma soon take on parental roles as they make lunches, tell bedtime stories, and try to do everyday tasks like making toast. As they take the children to and from school and to their afterschool programs, Boppo and Ginny cannot imagine their previously quiet and retired lives. Boppo and Ginny are the ones attending recitals and rehearsals all the while sitting next to the young parents who were friends with their Amy. The children miss their Mom, the grandparents miss their child, the husband misses his wife, but together they struggle to move forward. Boppo is angry and hurt that his daughter is dead, and yet all around him the rest of the family even the children seem to be adjusting. I love the little moments between Boppo (Grandpa) and Bubbies (the littlest child)—this little boy will only ever know his mother through his Grandparents… Boppo has to look at this endearing baby boy every day—this silly sweet little motherless baby.

I highly recommend this memoir to all reading groups. The beautiful little paragraphs in this story read like fiction and depict humanity and family from the perspective of a father who has outlived his child. 

One Smart Book, The Housekeeper and The Professor

The Housekeeper and the Professor
Poignant, heartwarming, and beautiful, I highly recommend The Housekeeper and the Professor for your next book club.

I adored this fresh and charming novel, which follows a lonely single mother housekeeper as she opens her heart to an unconventional relationship.

The Housekeeper worries when she gets her new assignment as she is the tenth in a long line of housekeepers (this is very bad). The Housekeeper’s new assignment is to clean and cook for the Professor who lives in the cottage out back. The main house does not want to hear of any difficulties or problems that the Housekeeper may have.

The professor answers the door wearing a suit covered with handwritten notes, the most important note being, "my memory lasts only 80 minutes." The Professor always asks numerical questions when the Housekeeper arrives, “what is your shoe size?” and the like. And from her answers he makes numerical comparisons.

The Housekeeper is not bothered by the obtuse and unfriendly Professor who does not like to be disturbed. Her job is to clean and cook and this she does until the day that she tells the Professor she has a son. The Professor, who has not been much of a communicator, insists that she start bringing her son to work, as children should not be left alone! To ensure that the housekeeper brings her son, he writes a note to himself and puts it on his suit.

The Housekeeper respects the professor and knows that he is a brilliant man; she does not want to disappoint him. The next day she brings her son to work with her. The Professor, who was formerly sad and uncommunicative, brightens the minute he sees her son as he pulls the child into his arms for a hug. From then on, there is a warm and welcome relationship between the Professor and the Housekeeper’s son, a kinship despite the fact that each day their relationship must start anew.

This Housekeeper lasts in her job simply because she is fascinated by the Professor and his affinity for numbers. She is the first, in the long line of housekeepers, to listen and appreciate; often trying to solve the mathematical equations and challenges The Professor gives to her. Despite the flaw of having a mere 80 minutes of memory, The Professor is brilliant and interesting to The Housekeeper.

Reading this novel, the reader may not realize that none of the characters are named. There is only the Professor, The Housekeeper, and Root (the nickname given to the Housekeeper’s son by the Professor). And, the novel is filled with math equations, complex numbers that the reader may not understand. Despite those challenges, the reader will want to learn and discover more about the endearing relationships that develop in this wonderfully rendered novel.

 This novel may be hard to find--I found my trade paperback at Half Price Books. The Housekeeper and The Professor by Yoko Ogawa is 180 trade paperback pages.

Downsized for a Year; Living Without

What household items could you live without for a year? I think you’d be surprised. Almost a year ago, I thought we would be in a 700 sq ft apartment for a mere 3 months, totally doable while we waited to move into our 2000 sq ft house. And I let almost all of my household goods from our 1700  sq ft house go into storage while taking a few things that I could squeeze into a tiny apartment.

 Today, almost a year later, I am about to get my household belongings back. What have I missed the most?—the bed-frame. I knew that our bed frame was heavy and I cannot carry heavy items, so I put the frame into storage. Imagine your bed on the floor, constantly pushing away from the wall and hard to get out of in the morning, because it is so low to the ground!

 I don’t even remember how many plates I actually own, but I do know now that 6 dinner plates are not enough for two people. Who knows how many plates a small household goes through in a day? So, I am excited to get back my full set of plates, and glasses and coffee mugs. The little things, right?

 Other things I worry about—I had the movers put some pantry items into storage. Canned goods last a few months, right? Boy, what are we in for when we finally get our items back? I would bet that some food items have expired. Egad!

 And clothes, what about clothes? I would totally redo that. I have wardrobe boxes of clothes in storage, clothes that I cannot remember. Oh and there is major regret at bringing work clothes and interview clothes. When we were moving, I had a job lead and had planned on interviewing—that never came to fruition. So, all of my dress clothes were never really needed.

Books, I know you are asking about books. Yes, I packed a box of "to-read" books. Again, thinking it would only be a few months, I let most books go into storage. My worry now, is that when I am unpacking my books, I will have already re-bought books that I perhaps already owned. A year is a long time, and I do not remember what books I may have in storage.

 In conclusion, I wish I had brought the coffee table, the crock pot, more lamps and a bed frame. I would never have the movers pack pantry items. I am thankful that we packed seasonal clothes from shorts to jeans from tanks to fleece. Yes, I can live without half of my clothes, shoes, dishes, furniture, and most likely you could as well.

I am so thankful and happy to be getting my household items back. Some people have said that it will be like Christmas, but I think we will be asking ourselves if we couldn’t have given more to Goodwill.

Let Us All Eat Cake

In the beginning of Eat Cake Ruth reminisces about life before everything fell apart—back when her mother lived independently in another state, back before her daughter became a sour teenager. Looking back, Ruth would remind herself that those were the good old days. And of course, as life is so unpredictable, the times at Ruth’s house are about to get worse. That very evening, her husband comes home to share with the family that he has been laid off from his job; the family’s sole income is now in jeopardy. All this means that Ruth must bake, making cakes is what she does when she needs to think, to relax.

And, I do like this quote…too true
“Cake has gotten a bad rap. People equate virtue with turning down dessert.”

Of course, when it rains, it pours. With her household in limbo as her husband now has no income and no job, this is the time for Ruth’s estranged father to call from the hospital desperate for help. Of course!

Despite the series of events that lead to the distress and chaos of the household (layoff, both parents moving in, a moody teenager), this book was fresher and sweeter than the lugubrious Olive Kitteridge which was our previous book club read. Somehow this book was much easier to read—I love that Ruth would escape into the kitchen and bake her heart out. She seemed to me as real as Olive, yet much more a person I would want as a neighbor or friend and not just because she gives away cakes. Okay, the cakes would be a major PLUS! Wouldn’t you just love to sit in the kitchen and watch Ruth bake?

I was a teeny-wee bit disappointed to note that every recipe was "a reprint of previously published material." Didn't you just want the author to have been inspired by her grandmother's famous (handwritten recipe) cake? It seemed to me that not one cake was from Jeanne Ray; all were from cookbooks or magazine articles, bummer.

 All in all, the mishaps that occur in Eat Cake are much lighter and simpler than a heavy novel. I needed a simple warm slice of cake novel. And, lucky me it was my birthday month, so I did get a yellow cake with butter cream--oh I craved that cake! Perhaps not the best book if you are on a diet as the delicious cake descriptions will bring out the frosting and sweet cravings.

Eat Cake was written by Jeanne Ray and is available in trade paperback and discount hardback