Non-Mandala Monday - The Little Paris Bookshop

I will start my review of The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George with a warning.  As you near the end of the book, find your favorite chair or reading nook.  The one where you can snuggle down, the warmth of the late afternoon sun on the pages.  A place where as your throat begins to close up and tears water your eyes, you can stop and sniffle in peace.

I first picked up this book because it was one of the library's book group picks for the spring.  It had several positives in just the title - bookshop, Paris - so I jumped in.  

At first, it reminded me of the The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauemeister.  Jean Perdu, the owner of the literary barge anchored in the Seine, dispenses books like medicine, prescribing remedies for what ails the reader.  However, at 50, Perdu's life is less than ideal and circumstances force him to take another look at the past 20 years of mourning for the departure of his lost love, Manon.

With a traveling cast of characters, Perdu becomes unmoored, literally, and travels the canals and rivers of France, searching for the meaning to his life, both past and present.

And luckily this is my copy of the book, so I can turn down pages of passages which hit home with me.  One I can share without it being is spoiler, is from one of the traveler's, an Italian and his worldview.

"One: eat well. No junk food, because it only makes you unhappy, lazy and fat. Two: sleep through the night (thanks to more exercise, less alcohol and positive thoughts). Three: spend time with people who are friendly and seek to understand you in their own way."

Another character, Samy, added a fourth rule, "Four: have more sex."

I was happy to note at the end of the book is a list of the books mentioned and their 'cure'.  Some of them I will be happy to give a try.  After all, if Douglas Adam's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy can be a remedy for sense of humor failure, then the other books must work too.

There is also a listing on some of the recipes in the book.  There are two lavender ice cream recipes which will be given a go-around here in the near future.

Nina George has managed to take me on a magical cruise through the warm air of Southern France.  One I really don't want to leave.  One where I want to travel to and find Jean Perdu and his bookshop. 





NOTE: "I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."