More Bookish Thoughts...

  Although this book bears a banal and generic title, Curtis Sittenfeld's second novel, "The Man of My Dreams,"  is almost as enjoyable as her first ("Prep," 2005).  When the book opens, 14-year-old Hannah Gavener is grappling with her mother's decision to stand up to her controlling father.  The storyline follows Hannah through college and afterwards as she tries to find the kind of romance she believes she desires.  As is so often the case in life, things don't quite work out according to plan; as a result, this novel rings completely true, vividly capturing a young woman's anxiety and confusion about finding love and direction.

 To create this tremendously affecting memoir, Jean-Dominique Bauby used the only tool available to him: his left eye.  The 43-year-old editor-in-chief of Elle France suffered a rare stroke to the brain stem but, rather than accept his "locked in" syndrome as a death sentence, Bauby employed his imagination to journey to exotic places, serve himself gourmet meals and compose a poignant, unforgettable novel. Tragically, he died just two days after the release of the French publication but he certainly left a legacy behind.