Hector and the Search for Happiness

Hector and the Search for Happiness  By Francois Lelord  Hector is a psychiatrist who cannot understand why some of his patients (actually most) have no apparent health, family or job problems but are not happy. Although he tries and tries he is not able to sufficiently help them. Hector, who had always thought of himself as "happy" begins to feel sad that he cannot help all his patients and decides to travel the world on a holiday in search for the secret to happiness. This fable/story is a laugh out loud tale that rings true on many different levels. With each chapter are life lessons that the reader may say they already know, but it is always best to be reminded of the simple truth. Lesson no. 24  Happiness is reading a good book.

Born to Run

Born to Run  By Christopher McDougall   This book is about running. The physiology, history, biology, love of it, hate of it, injuries from it. You name it, its about running. Chris McDougall is a writer and avid runner constantly battling common running injuries. As his inquiring mind searches for a quick fix to stop the pain he discovers the world of ultramarathoners. Extreme distance runners. He also discovers a tribe in Mexico that he calls the Running People. The Tarahumara are a timid isolated group that spends their lives running for the joy of it. They can run for days, through the wilderness for hundreds of miles with little food, little water and rarely an injury. Christopher meets many interesting characters along his journey, he ultimately changes the way he runs, eats and thinks about running. The reader does not have to be a runner to enjoy this book, just a student of life.

The Gilded Chamber

The Gilded Chamber  By Rebecca Kohn    Esther is orphaned when her parents both die in Babylon. She is a young girl and betrothed to a much older cousin, Mordechi, who works as the treasury official for the King. He has more or less hidden his Jewish affiliation and lived away from his family for many years. His relationship with Esther is more father/daughter than future wife but he grows very fond of her. After the evil Queen Vashti is banished from the kingdom, new virgin concubines are rounded up to bring to the King's harem. Esther is one of them. Pretty and 14 yrs old she is imprisoned into a life of slavery and desperately wishes to be back with Mordechi. Then the King chooses Esther for his Queen. Lust, romance, intrigue, murder. There is no modern day drama that can match the story of Queen Esther. A lot more fun to read than going to Sunday school. Great book!

Still Alice

Still Alice  By Lisa Genova      Dr. Alice Howland is a psychology linguistics professor at Harvard. She is married to John, a scientist at Harvard and they have three healthy successful grown children. Alice becomes forgetful but is reassured by her physician that as a 50 yr old woman under a lot of stress and most probably going through menopause, this appears to be normal. The memory lapses become worse. At first Alice thinks she is going crazy, words sometimes do not connect, items misplaced. When she is jogging near her home of 25 years, she gets lost and that is the end of her life as she knows it. Alice suffers from early onset Alzheimer's Disease. This novel is told by Alice. It is mesmerizing, watching the train wreck of this incurable, horrible disease wretch away Alice's life. As painful as it is to watch, the reader cannot put this book down. If you do not know anything about this disease, you need to read this. If you know everything about this disease, you need to read this, so maybe you will understand a little better those who cannot.

The Weekend

The Weekend    By Bernhard Schlink     Jorg, a convicted terrorist is pardoned and released from prison after being away for 24 years. His sister Christianne arranges a weekend in her country estate with old friends to welcome and ease Jorg back to society and everyday life. The small group varies with college and childhood friends, most revealing little or no sympathy and attending simply to assist Christianne. They feel Jorg has no remorse for his actions and despise his continuous revolutionary theories. There are a few small relationships of interest and a strong, nearly incestuous one between Jorg and Christianne. They are an interesting cast, the writing is impeccable but the reader only catches a small glimpse into their lives.

Day After Night

Day After Night By Anita Diamant   Following WWII thousands of Jews made their way to Palestine. They were most often weak, sick and near starvation. They were the lucky ones, the survivors. The British, who were slowly losing control put a quota in place which allowed only a small number of displaced Jews entrance into the state. Those who had no family and no papers, as most didn't, found themselves in internment camp, which sadly felt like another concentration camp. This is the story of an escape from Atlit, a camp near Haifa. It is told through the eyes of four brave women that have lost everything and everyone in their lives They use every ounce of their will to look forward, to hope, to live. Anita Diamant is a thoughtful easy to read author, although no other book may ever match The Red Tent, Day After Night is definitely worth the read.

The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors

The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors   By Michele Young-Stone             Becca Burke is struck by lightning three times in her life. First, her parents think she is making it up, later her blackened feet prove otherwise. Becca's parents are in a miserable painful marriage in Chapel Hill NC, she finds solace in painting and her best friend Carrie. Buckley grows up in a small town in Arkansas. He is raised by his mean grandmother named Winter and his loving but unhappy mother, Abigail. Lightning brings these two very likable characters together. Watching Becca and Buckley grow up, nourishing friendships, love for their mothers and intense curiosity of lightning, the reader learns some very basic lessons about the possibilities of finding happiness. This debut novel is surprisingly unique. The characters are genuine and the writing is easy and enjoyable, don't let the title throw you, it's worth the read.

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Ape House

Ape House  By Sara Gruen   Isabel Duncan is a scientist at the Great Ape Language Lab. The bonobo's she works with have become her family. They are incredibly human like and communicate through ASL (sign language). She is engaged to the director of the program, Peter Benton and her assistant Celia is a pink haired, off the wall punky intern that speaks her mind and follows her instincts. The lab is bombed. The explosion severely hurts Isabel and the intruders steal the bobobo's to ultimately put them on a bizarre reality tv show. What begins as an intellectual look inside the world of the ape/man understanding quickly turns into a two bit who dunnit mystery. Page after page the reader waits for the depth, descriptiveness and magnificence of the characters that we met in Water for Elephants. Sadly, this moment never arrives. The reader barely cares about each quirky character. The story is all over the place and on the road to nowhere.  It is as if another author wrote this book and put Ms. Gruens name on it.  :(

The Man In The White Sharkskin Suit

The Man In The White Sharkskin Suit  By Lucette Lagnado
Loulou, as she is affectionately known, shares her life from birth in Cairo, the families sad departure and ultimate statelessness that affects them all for many years to come. Life in Egypt, "the Levant", is a magical world of old fashioned ways, family ties and deep Jewish values. As times, war and political leaders change, the jews have no choice but to leave their homeland. With no more than a few hundred dollars for their family of six, they begin their journey to Paris where they must choose between emigrating to Israel or America. Viet Nam is looming, President Kennedy has been shot and Leon, the patriarch of the family is miserable with their negligible status, lack of means and saddest of all, lack of any hope for a happy future. The author is descriptive and thorough in her life's account, her relationship with both her parents, brothers, sister and with her own identity. She generously retells the plight of her family, the story of many jewish families who have been forced to relocate and start over in a country that never feels like home. Its the story of any immigrant family, of any religion, of any race. A captivating and educational read.

Anthropology of an American Girl

Anthropology of an American Girl  By Hilary Thayer Hamann    Eveline Auerbach is a young girl growing up with her mom in East Hampton, New York. She is an artist, a poet, an intellectual girl, desperately trying to find meaning in life, love, friendship and the world around her. Eveline strives for honesty and searches for truth of those close to her. Like most girls during their highschool years Eveline wants to know who she really is and where she is going. She has a boyfriend Jack who is a cynic at 17. The entire world and all its workings frustrate him, his family never understood him and his parents have already discounted him to anonymity. He is a talented musician and the one thing he loves is Evie. Then Evie meets Rourke. He is older, a boxer and theater teacher at the local highschool. Evie falls passionately, obsessively, madly in love with Rourke. And so the story goes. The writing in this novel is extraordinary, it is beautiful and thoughtful. It is thoroughly descriptive, a little depressing and very very long. Anthropology is a recommended read but you must have plenty of time and a quiet space.

Confessions of a Counterfeit Farmgirl

Confessions of a Counterfeit Farmgirl  By Susan McCorkindale    Quirky, fun memoir of successful NYC/NJ girl following her husbands "dream" to leave the rat race, move to the country and breathe that clean fresh air. Susan quits her fruitful yet lifeless position at a high profile magazine to live in the "sticks." Filled with mischief and anything but the mundane, this family of four starts over in very different territory, 500 acres of it! Her writer turned farmer husband immerses himself in this new life, his farm chores and tractor, while Susan stomps around the farm in 4 inch heels with chickens pecking at her $35 pedicure. It is tres cute to read and laugh with the girl next door. If you would like to enjoy a light, funny bit of "the grass is not always greener," here's your book.

This Is A Soul

This Is a Soul By Marilyn Berger  Rick Hodes, M.D. is an American doctor that has been living and working in Ethiopia for more than 20 years. He is an Orthodox Jew that works with and for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. This organization sent Dr. Hodes to Ethiopia in the early 90's when Israel emigrated thousands of people to a new life, and he continued to work there in refugee camps and clinics, mainly in Addis Ababa (Cutting For Stone, yes, he is friendly with the author Abraham Verghese) Dr. Hodes believes if you save a life, you save the world. He has dedicated his life to giving the sickest, poorest people health and hope. This is a mesmerizing read, it cannot be ignored, it will open your eyes and your heart.

Charlie St. Cloud

Charlie St. Cloud  By Ben Sherwood     Sweet story about love, life, death and a little bit of magic.  Charlie and Sam are brothers. Sam idolizes and adores his big brother. Sadly, a tragic accident claims Sams life and Charlie feels responsible and cheated. He lives in an isolated world where he can grieve in his own way and hang on to the special relationship he had with Sam. In a small Massachusetts town Charlie's life consists of his job at the cemetery and the memory of Sam, until he meets Tess and falls in love for the first time. This book is an  pleasant read, characters are likable and easy to imagine. Didn't see the movie, story reads a little like a Nicholas Sparks novel, which I wouldn't normally read but also reminds me just a little of the magical stories by Cecelia Ahern (PS I Love You) which I adore.

All Over the Map

All Over the Map  By Laura Fraser    Over forty, funny, smart woman works as a travel writer. Laura lives in San Franscisco and travels the world to exotic exciting locations to write magazine articles. She is multilingual, loves meeting new people and enjoys tasting interesting cuisine. Post divorce and turning forty she can no longer bare the thought of being alone and never having children as she grows older. Travel is her job and her escape. If you enjoyed Eat Pray Love, this memoir is comparable, perhaps better written. The reader must be able to tolerate incessant whining and complaining and just enjoy the beautiful detailed trips and witty commentary.

The Irresistible Henry House

The Irresistible Henry House  By Lisa Grunwald     It is 1946 and Martha Gaines runs a home economics program at a prestigious college. Commonly in the early 1900's to the late 1960's womens studies programs at university included a practice house, where female students would learn to properly run a house, perform wifely duties, and care for a baby. In this novel a different infant from a local orphanage is raised for 2 years in the practice house. This baby is loved and cared for by multiple mothers and the strict rules of Martha Gaines. When Henry is brought to the house Martha finds herself falling madly in love with him as a she has never before. She decides to continue to raise Henry past the 2 year mark for the reminder of his childhood. Henry is a charming, smart funny remarkable young man that is deeply affected by his multiple practice mothers. He has trouble finding his freedom and true love. He cannot define his needs or which path his life should take. Henry mistakes Martha's love for selfish need and cannot appreciate all she has given of herself. Very unique story, likable intriguing characters. A highly recommended read.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time  By Mark Haddon   One of the most unique stories I have ever read. The story is narrated by Christopher Boone, an autistic 15 year old living with his father outside of London. He is brilliant in maths and science but incapable of small abilities, like being touched or eating anything the color yellow. He has a pet rat named Toby and a very strict routine which he is comfortable following. One day he discovers his neighbors dog, Wellington, murdered in the garden. So begins his Sherlock Holmes routine (he loves "logical" mysteries) in deciphering the clues that may lead to find the culprit. Christopher is remarkably humorous and loving. His simple, straightforward, honest emotions and logical mind leads the reader to reexamine the world and the truth.

Life and Death on the Loxahatchee

Life and Death on the Loxahatchee  By James Snyder    Vince "Trapper" Nelson lived in the Jupiter area from the early 1930's until his death in 1968. He was a real life tarzan and dazzled friends and visitors with his charm, knowledge, movie star good looks and connection with nature. In 1932 there were approximately 250 people living in this area of Florida. The people were struggling during this post depression time but Trapper loved nature,  animals, and life on the Loxahatchee River. It was a quieter time and populated rather quickly in the later years. This book details exactly what life in the Jupiter/Tequesta area was and what it has come to be in the present day. There's a tremendous amount of history in this area. Easy, enjoyable read. If you like history and especially for our locals, its a must read for summer!

The Invisible Wall

The Invisible Wall  By Harry Bernstein    The year is 1910, Harry is a young boy growing up in a small mill town in England. One side of the street is Jewish, the other Christian. They are all poor.They all struggle, war is approaching, they dream of America. There is an invisible wall. This beautifully written memoir details his family, with 6 children and a street full of characters. A lot has changed in the world and in other ways human nature has not evolved at all. Harry began writing this memoir at 93, published at 96. He is currently 100 and works on another. Enjoy this historical journey that is not to be missed.

The Beach Read of the Summer! The Carrie Diaries

The Carrie Diaries   By Candace Bushnell   This young adult book backtracks to Carrie Bradshaw's life in highschool. Growing up in a small town a few hours outside NYC, Carrie trudges through her senior year and all the trials and tribulations that say "All American Small Town USA." Friends, boyfriends, betrayl and her desire to become a writer. Interestingly, since we know little of Carrie's life prior to NYC from watching the show, this book perfectly characterizes the Carrie we have grown to love over the years. Personally, as a SATC fan, Carrie is SJP and the reader, just like the television viewer feels as if they know her intimately. For those that enjoy the show, there is no question you must read this book, only takes about a day.

Dreaming in Hindi

Dreaming in Hindi  By Katherine Russell Rich     Memoir of a year journey to study Hindi in Udaipur, India. Katherine is a writer/editor in New York City. She is divorced, 45 years old and has battled cancer for the last 10 years. Something is missing. Her life feels narrow. She needs "something" and has an indescribable passion for wanting to learn Hindi.  Katherine loses her job at a magazine and even though most people around her criticize, she welcomes an opportunity to live in India and study Hindi for a year. People are perplexed by her decision or as she truthfully admits "just jealous!"

This experience has extreme highs and depressing lows. It is a journey to acquire a new language and a new perspective on life, on people. Katherine's journey is detailed in an honest open manner, she is direct and witty. Interspersed is an enormous amount of scientific study she has acquired through research and interviews and attached to her own experience. The actual neuroscience of second language versus native tongue, along with how our brains learn, store and use this information.

Certainly worth the read, simultaneously informative and heartfelt. If you are multilingual or wish to be, whatever language your dreams are in, open your eyes and ears, its a big world out there.