Humble Pi

My grandmother was a math teacher. My college roommates were math majors. My kindergartner loves the “dot game” at school. Although I am not a Mathlete like my husband, I did enjoy The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa.

The professor in the story is a renowned mathematician who can’t remember anything after 1975 for more than 80 minutes. He dons a suit each morning with tiny notes pinned all over it to remind him where his medicine is, who he needs to thank for the cake, and that he has a new housekeeper who has a son.

The professor greets the housekeeper each morning with an inquiry about her birthday or shoe size. He then informs her of the significance of whatever number is the answer. Throughout her employment, he teaches her and her son about everything from factors to triangular numbers to Euler’s formula. When he’s not lecturing, he’s solving the latest puzzler from his math journals or enjoying the baseball broadcast with the young boy.

As the housekeeper begins seeing the beauty in the numbers surrounding her, you will appreciate Ogawa’s work for its elegant balance of sweet plus intriguing. And then you will send this book to your grandmother.

Persistent

These are the ones I read this year that I almost abandoned, mid-read, for something less sparkly, less despondent, less wearing, less dysfunctional, and, well, less quirky. But persistence paid off. The Rhinestone Sisterhood: A Journey Through Small Town America, One Tiara at a Time by David Valdes Greenwood New World Monkeys by Nancy Mauro Solar by Ian McEwan Nothing Right: Short Stories by Antonya Nelson A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

Best of...

I probably should read some of these.

Devouring

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
Finally. After waiting for fifty-six other people in Dallas to read this book, it was my turn this week. Imagine being able to taste the cook's emotions in whatever food they prepare. I tried to give an extra gentle pour to the milk this morning. You never know who else might have this gift.


The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
"Lillian's mother's face became a series of book covers," may very well be a sentence my children could write someday. Ironically it was this one that had my own face hidden until I had reached the end. Pancakes got burned, mismatched socks walked into school.

"The music is sweet"

So I was watching this movie which reminded me of this movie which reminded me of the book I'm reading. The Song is You by Arthur Phillips.

It's about a director, Julian, who falls for an up-and-coming singer, Cait. Rather than approach her after the concert, Julian leaves Cait a set of coasters illustrated with advice on life. She takes one of the phrases from the coasters and crafts a song. He secretly takes her picture and sends it to her. She puts the picture on her concert poster. And so forth- but with better writing, pleasing dialogue, and a decent soundtrack.

If you like Nick Hornby, you'll like the story. Which reminds me...

Safeway and Lucky Charms

Ruby meets a rich-boy biker whose hobbies include petty theft and manipulation. Trying to distract her from sure heartbreak, her mother invites her to the library book club she runs for seniors. The seniors are abuzz with gossip that one of their members was once the one-true-love of a famous writer.

Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti takes you from the comforting exasperation of hanging out with your little brother to the exhilarating ride on the back of a motorcycle through rain-slicked streets. Just as you yell at the girl on the screen not to go in but are still mesmerized by her demise, you will be captivated by how Ruby falls for and resists his charms.

Getting My Vote

I actually made it to my local rec center to cast my early ballot this week. The election officials were quite gregarious. I learned all about their grandkids (as I had my own kids with me) while we were waiting for the computer to find me (of course I didn't have my voter's registration card with me).

Identity verified, we walked over to a voting station. My two-year-old only almost-knocked-over two of the adjacent rickety voting stands before I was done with the nine touch screens. As we were leaving, my five-year-old asked me, "What was that all about?" After patiently listening to my impromptu spiel about democracy, she said, "No, what were those kids doing there?" alluding to the after-school program's roomful of kids. And, "Do they get doughnuts?"

If you are tired of the real issues being swept aside by talk of doughnuts (or in this year's case, fortune cookies), try Hope was Here by Joan Bauer.

Hope and her aunt travel from restaurant to restaurant trying to find success. Hope works as a waitress, and her aunt works wonders in the kitchen with her signature deep-dish apple pie. Moving to Wisconsin from New York, Hope is nervous about starting over...again. Fortunately, the owner of the diner they are working for decides to run for mayor. Thrown into the campaign, Hope finds friends (and hope) in the people she works with to rally support for the underdog candidate.

Bauer's style aptly captures the staccato banter of the diner counter and the campaign trail. As in all reputable YA novels, she also includes a first kiss, a wayward mother, and a funeral. So maybe when my daughter's twelve, she can read Hope was Here and get a little perspective on a small-town election. If the election theme doesn't grab her, there's always the pastries to entice her.