Whistler by Ann Patchett: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

Today's Featured Book: 

Whistler: A Novel

by Ann Patchett

Genre: Fiction

Published: June 2, 2026

Page Count: 300 pages

Summary: 

When Daphne Fuller and her husband Jonathan visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they notice an older, white-haired gentleman following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who had been married to her mother for a little more than year when Daphne was nine. Now fifty-three, Daphne hasn’t seen Eddie for many years, not since the fateful event that changed the direction of both their lives. Meeting again, time falls away; while their relationship was brief, it had a profound impact on them both, and now that they are reunited, they have no intention of ever being separated again.

Whistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made, and the choices that were made for them. It’s a story about bravery, memory, the often small yet consequential moments that define our lives, and the endless stream of loss that in time comes for us all. Beautiful in its simplicity, it is ultimately about how love endures, and how the feeling of being known by one other person, even for a short period of time, can change everything.

 

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY is hosted by Rose City Reader. What book are you happy about reading this week? Please share the opening sentence (or so) on BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY! Add the link to your blog or social media post and visit other blogs to see what others are reading.

Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line.

"Old guy," my husband said in a low voice, his lips touching my ear. "Near the exit sign."

"Stop it." The joke itself was as old as rocks.

Jonathan raised his eyebrows. "I'm serious. He kept looking at you in the ticket line. Then he followed us through Medieval Art, and now he's just standing there. Do you see him? He looks at you whenever you're not looking." 

THE FRIDAY 56 is hosted by Anne of Head Full of Books. To play, open a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% on your e-reader). Find a sentence or two and post them, along with the book title and author. Then link up on Head Full of Books and visit others in the linky. 

I knew what Leda would say. She would say it was because childhood never leaves us. We seal the room up and cover it in sheetrock. We dry and sand and paint, but the pocket of history remains, and sooner or later someone always winds up tapping on the wall, commenting on the way it sounds strangely hollow in there, and then the whole thing comes tumbling down. 

Just so you know---it's not a horse story as the cover might lead you to believe. No, it's a book that takes on love and secrets and childhoods and marriages and remarriages and stepparents and family and a car accident and healing and death, and, yes, there is a horse in the book and he plays an important role in the story but he isn't really even part of the story. 

I wasn't expecting to love this story. I love this story. I love Daphne and her husband, Jonathan, and Daphne's sister, psychologist Leda, and Daphne and Leda's stepfather, Eddie, and even the horse. Whistler. Whistler the horse. 

The purpose of THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, and befriend other bloggers. THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.    

If you had to stick to one genre forever, which would you choose and why? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer)

This is tricky. Let's see...

I would pick nonfiction. I know I'm not in the majority here, but I am crazy about good nonfiction...

Or poetry. There's nothing that hits you in the gut like poetry...

I'm wild about picture books, too... 

And literary fiction is great...

This is agony. Stop it. Don't make me choose.

 

Books I HAD to Have Immediately but Still Haven’t Read

My pattern:

I hear about a wonderful book. 

I desperately search my library catalogs for the book.

It's not available. 

I comb through the used book sites for a bargain.

It's only for sale at full price.

I hunger to read that book. I click the purchase button.

Every day I scan my mail notifications. When will my book arrive?

I wait and wait. It takes a week, sometimes two weeks, to make it to my house.

It's here! I go to the mailbox, and rush inside to open the package.

I set the book at the top of my to-read stack. I do not start it.

I move the book to my under-the-bed stack. I do not start it.

I shift the book to my book closet. I do not start it.

The fire in me is now embers. And then ashes.

The book is pushed to the back, to the bottom of the book closet. 

I see it several years later. I think about putting it out in my Little Free Library.

Sigh.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.  

The Sunday Salon: Fun with Turtles, Snakes, and Alligators

Welcome! We are happy you are here at the Sunday Salon. 

What is the Sunday Salon? The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It's also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. 

After a busy week and a brush with a tropical storm in the Gulf, we drove to Dallas this weekend to celebrate our great-granddaughter Lucy's fourth birthday. I'm almost finished with my Paris in July reading, and I finally tried making sourdough bread from Poilâne: The Secrets of the World-Famous Bread Bakery.

What I Read Last Week:

The Shortest History of France by Colin Jones (History - Paris in July)

Toujours la France! by Janine Marsh (Memoir - Paris in July)

Quartet by Jean Rhys (Fiction - Paris in July)

Moveable Feasts: A Story of Paris in Twenty Meals by Chris Newens (Nonfiction - Paris in July)

En Route: A Journey Through France in the Company of Great Writers by Peter Fiennes (Nonfiction - Paris in July) 

What I'm Reading Now:

The Earth by Émile Zola (Fiction - Paris in July)

Candide, or Optimism by Voltaire (Fiction in French - Paris in July)

Poilâne: The Secrets of the World-Famous Bread Bakery

What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:

The Sunday Salon: Visitors from Out of Town

Eight Books That Live in My Head Rent-Free

Poilâne: The Secrets of the World-Famous Bread Bakery: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

I began to list 3 Good Things every day during the pandemic. Now I've established a regular routine of writing down my 3 Good Things. Here are 3 Good Things from last week:

Good Thing #1:

More fun with alligators and turtles and snakes.

Good Thing #2:

Our book club celebrated fifteen years talking books this week.

Good Thing #3:

How happy I feel! 

Jackie of Junk Boat Travels

sent me this Toronto Public Library

library card for my collection.

Thank you so much

for your thoughtfulness, Jackie!

Weekend linkup spots are listed below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

        

I hope you will join the linkup for Sunday Salon below. 

Poilâne: The Secrets of the World-Famous Bread Bakery: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

Today's Featured Book: 

Poilâne: The Secrets of the World-Famous Bread Bakery

by Apollonia Poilâne

Genre: Cookbook

Published: 2019

Page Count: 288 pages

Summary: 

To food lovers the world over, a trip to Paris is not complete without a visit to Poilâne. Ina Garten raves about the bread’s “extraordinary quality.” Martha Stewart says the P in Poilâne stands for “perfect.” For the first time, Poilâne provides detailed instructions so bakers can reproduce its unique “hug-sized” sourdough loaves at home, as well as the bakery’s other much-loved breads and pastries. It tells the story of how Apollonia Poilâne, the third-generation baker and owner, took over the global business at age eighteen and steered it into the future as a Harvard University freshman after her parents were killed in a helicopter crash.

Beyond bread, Apollonia includes recipes for pastries such as the bakery’s exquisite but unfussy tarts and butter cookies. In recipes that use bread as an ingredient, she shows how to make the most from a loaf, from crust to crumb. In still other dishes, she explores the world of grains: rice, corn, barley, oats, and millet. From sunup to sundown, Poilâne traces the hours in a baker’s day, blending narrative, recipes, and Apollonia’s philosophy of bread.

 

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY is hosted by Rose City Reader. What book are you happy about reading this week? Please share the opening sentence (or so) on BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY! Add the link to your blog or social media post and visit other blogs to see what others are reading.

Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line.

There are no written recipes to follow at Poilâne. Our bakers are trained in a rigorous nine-month program during which they learn to bake using all their five senses. Although I was the owner's daughter, there were no shortcuts or cheat sheets for me. 

THE FRIDAY 56 is hosted by Anne of Head Full of Books. To play, open a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% on your e-reader). Find a sentence or two and post them, along with the book title and author. Then link up on Head Full of Books and visit others in the linky. 

The recipes in this book begin the same way Poilâne started: with sourdough. 

It's not enough to share just a few sentences from a cookbook---you have to actually share a recipe and try to make something.

So I guess I need to make some sourdough starter.

Poilâne-Style Sourdough

Makes one 12-inch round loaf

For the Starter

First Fermentation

2/3 cup lukewarm water

1/4 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

1 cup plus 1 tbsp. flour

1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp. whole wheat flour

Second Fermentation

1 cup flour

1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp. whole wheat flour

1/3 cup lukewarm water

The mixture from the first fermentation

For the Bread

All but 1 cup of the mixture from the second fermentation

4 cups flour

3 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

2 3/4 cups lukewarm water

1 tablespoon fine sea salt

Make the First Fermentation: In a medium bowl, whisk the water and yogurt until combined. Add both flours and mix until the dough starts to come together. (The mixture should feel a little like chewed gum.) Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and set aside in a warm (72 degrees F to 77 degrees F) draft-free place for 24 hours.

Make the Second Fermentation: Add both flours and the water to the bowl with the first fermentation and mix together with your hands (flour your hands first to keep from sticking). Once the mixture starts coming together, transfer to a clean work surface and use a dough scraper to continue to scrape up and mix the starter until throoughly combined; it should still be quite sticky. Gently stretch two opposite sides of the mixture and fold into the center, then repeat with the other two sides to create a ball. Return to the bowl, cover with the kitchen towel, and set aside in a warm, draft-free place for another 24 hours. The mixture won't change much in appearance, but you should see some bubbles, and the top will look a little wet. At this point, the starter is ready to use.

Make the Bread: Transfer all but 1 cup of the starter to a large bowl. Add both flours and the yeast. Combine the water and salt, stir to dissolve the salt, and add to the bowl. Using your hands, mix until combined. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured clean surface and knead until it comes together in a homogeneous mass and feels smooth, 10 to 15 minutes.

Return the dough to the bowl, cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel, and set aside in a warm, draft-free place for about 45 minutes. The dough should increase in volume by 150 to 200 percent, though you're not looking for volume as much as a gentle expansion and increased resistance. To test, use the back of your hand to gently touch the surface of the dough; you should feel a slight resistance that's just strong enough so the dough returns to its shape. 

Very generously flour a 12- to 14-inch linen-lined proofing basket, being sure to get the flour on the sides of the basket as well. Lightly flour the work surface.

Transfer the dough to the work surface and, using your hands, very gently flatten it to two-thirds its original size. Roll the dough over from right to left, then tuck the sides of the dough under while rotating the dough on the work surface to create a nice round with a taut top. Turn the dough over and place it smooth side down in the prepared basket. Cover with the kitchen cloth and set in a warm, draft-free place.

After 2 hours, check on the dough: You're looking for it to expand and gain resistance. To test, touch the dough lightly with the back of your hand; if it maintains its shape, it's ready. If it isn't, proof for 5 to 10 minutes in a warmer space. Conversely, if the dough deflates immediately when you touch it, it has overproofed and you should bake it immediately.

Meanwhile, about 25 minutes before baking, position a rack in the lower-third of the oven, place a 12-inch pot on it, and preheat to 475 degrees F.

Using oven mitts, remove the pot from the oven. With one swift movement, being mindful of the hot sides of the pot, flip the dough into the pot so its smooth side faces up. Use a lame (or razor blade) to quickly score the dough; you can score a square shape, a hashtag, a cursive P (as at Poilâne) or any other design you like. Remove the lid and continue baking until the crust is dark and caramelized, another 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Using oven mitts, carefully turn the loaf out of the pot and check it for doneness: Stand the loaf on its side and knock on the bottom; it should sound like you're knocking on a door. If it doesn't continue to bake directly on the oven rack, checking every 5 minutes or so, until it sounds hollow when tapped. Place the baked loaf on a wire rack, cover with a thick cloth, and let cool for at least an hour before slicing.

That's me at Poilâne in 2022.

The purpose of THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, and befriend other bloggers. THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.    

What’s the fastest or slowest you’ve ever finished a book? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer)

I learned to be a fast reader in sixth grade when I had to read and write a book report on a 300-page book every week. I could tear through a book with start-to-finish times of just a couple of hours. I still tend to rip through books; I wish I could read more slowly.

I read a couple of books at a leisurely pace. War and Peace has 365 chapters, and I read it over the course of a year. That's probably the slowest I've ever read a book.

Eight Books That Live in My Head Rent-Free

I've read some books so many times that I have them almost memorized. I've read all of these at least three times, and some of them I've read up to eight times.

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

What books have you enjoyed so much you read them over and over?

I actually have memorized some of the books on this list, after reading them aloud twenty-five times or more in a single week every year that I worked in the school library. 

Thank you, Emma @ damppebbles.com, for this week's prompt.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.