Saturday, June 29, 2019

The Launch of Paris in July 2019




Henry, Himself: A Novel by Stewart O'Nan
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

I've been waiting for these two books at the library for weeks. One of them I loved. One of them was disappointing. Can you guess which was which? Have you read either? What did you think?

I finished 30 books in 30 days during June. #bookaday #20booksofsummer




I've been saving a stack of books for Paris in July. Here are the books I'm hoping to read:

Eiffel's Tower for Young People by Jill Jonnes
Vango: Between Sky and Earth by Timothee de Fombelle
Moonlight Over Paris by Jennifer Robson
French Dirt: The Story of a Garden in the South of France
Love a la Mode by Stephanie Kate Strohm
Bon Appetempt by Amelia Morris
The Paris Project by Donna Gephart
A Walk Across France by Miles Morland
Long Ago in France by M. F. K. Fisher
Mastering the Art of French Eating by Ann Mah
Goodbye, Paris by Anstey Harris
All Paris
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
Paris in the Third Reich by David Pryce-Jones
Grim Lovelies by Megan Shepherd
A Star for Mrs. Blake by April Smith
Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris, 1932 by Francine Prose
Murder on the Left Bank by Cara Black
Paris: A Love Story by Kati Marton
Secrets of Paris by Luanne Rice
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
No Exit by Jean Paul Sartre
Swann's Way by Marcel Proust
Arsene Lupin by Maurice Leblanc
The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein

Have you read any of these? Do you have any recommendations for me? Where should I start?





Paris in July 2019 begins on July 1st at Thyme for TeaParis in July is a French themed blogging experience running from the 1st – 31st July this year.

The aim of the month is to celebrate our French experiences through actual visits, or through reading, watching, listening, observing, cooking and eating all things French!  

There will be no rules or targets in terms of how much you need to do or complete in order to be a part of this experience – just blog about anything French and you can join in! Some ideas might include;
  • reading a French themed book – fiction or non-fiction, 
  • watching a French movie, 
  • listening to French music, 
  • cooking French food, 
  • experiencing French, art, architecture and travel
If you are interested in being a part of this experience, link up here.






I'm taking a writing class this summer at Imprint in Houston. It's called Flash Nonfiction. I've only read four pieces of flash nonfiction, and so far I'm feeling meh. What am I missing? Am I going to be able to write in a genre I don't like? Maybe I'll just ignore the parameters and write what I want.



After three months of prep and repair and painting, we are finished. We have a painted house. I feel quite happy and proud.





What did you do last week?

Did you start any good books? Share them with us.

Have you seen anything bookish you'd like to tell us about?

I invite you to link up here and/or at the Sunday Salon page on Facebook each weekend (Saturday-Sunday-Monday) and let us know what you have been doing. Visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there.

Other places where you may like to link up are below. Click on the picture to visit the site.


My linkup for Sunday Salon is below. 


33 comments:

  1. Your enthusiasm for Paris in July is great. I'm also looking forward to it, but at the moment I have only 4 books on my list, of which I have read one and unfortunately hated it (review is queued for July 1). I have read around seven of the books on your list. My only recommendation is the one I try to apply to myself: read more books that were written by French authors! So far the French author on my list this year is Zola.

    My last Sunday's post seemed appropriate for your Sunday Salon so I linked it, I hope it meets the criteria. It was in the cache for MisterLinky anyway. If it's not ok, you can take it out.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  2. Your house is beautiful!

    30 books in 30 days is amazing.

    I'm disappointed to see you didn't love Crawdads since my book club is reading it in July.

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  3. Love the house picture! You guys worked hard indeed and it shows. If I had to guess I'd say you liked the Crawdads book and were not so happy with Henry - but...I may be wrong. LOL

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  4. Your house looks fantastic! I have heard such good things about Crawdad, but maybe I won't take it on vacation and will read it when I get back

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  5. I'm going to guess that you loved Henry, Himself. I hope so since I'm eager to read it!

    Your house is utterly charming and beautiful! It reminds me of a B&B that we stayed in when we were visiting Fredricksburg back in the late 90s. I love the color and your porch looks so inviting!

    I'm still binging on Louise Penny, but took a little break and read Dear Mrs. Bird (disappointing!) and am now reading The Girl He Used To Know (the jury's still out on this one).

    Wrapping up a week-long camping trip in Washington. That's it for RV life until September. Kind of sad about that, but we don't like camping with all the summer crowds.

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    Replies
    1. Reading Henry is a bit like reading haiku. I couldn't read too much at one sitting. No action in Henry, either. I'm sure lots of folks would hate this book.

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  6. I can't wait to read Where The Crawdads Sings. Your house looks beautiful. I love the color you chose. Great job on reading 30 in 30. I do that every year for the month of October. Lots of scary ones. LOL

    My Sunday Post

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  7. Here we go Deb - its Paris in July time. I've just posted 1st weeks Mr Linky. You have an awesome list of books to read. Good luck finding the right starting point.... This is going to be an exciting month!

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    1. I'm happy to be going to Paris in July. I think I'll start today.

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  8. I love the house colour!
    I'm not familiar with flash fiction but I hope you enjoy the class!

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  9. I bet you loved "Where the Crawdads Sing." I listened to this on audiobook and enjoyed it.

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  10. BTW Paris in July-blogging event sounds Fab! I'll have to look into it.

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  11. The house looks beautiful! Enjoy Paris in July. It sounds like fun. Have a great week!

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  12. I skimmed through Where The Crawdads Sing and to be honest, it didn't look like my cup of tea. I was the same with Daisy Jones and the Six, which everyone raved over. I guess I just don't (always) jump on the bandwagon. I read Swann's Way years ago and enjoyed it. I've wanted to read the rest of the series but just haven't gotten to (life goals :) ). The house looks wonderful.

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  13. That's your HOUSE????? That you LIVE in???? OMG how lucky are you???? I love that style of house SO MUCH!!!!! Don't know what it's called officially. Bungalow? I don't know but I love them and I want one so bad. I love the yellow with the blue door. I love the porch.

    I hope Henry Himself was the really good one because the crawdads one doesn't interest me at all. LOL

    Paris in July sounds like a very cool reading month!!!! What about Elegance of a Hedgehog?

    The only one on your list that I've read is Da Vinci Code. I liked it a lot but I was thinking it took place in Rome, not Paris? It's been awhile so I could be wrong.

    Happy reading!!!!!

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  14. I LOVED Where The Crawdads Sing!!! I love your house, it's so cute! We haven't painted the outside of our house yet, but we bought the paint already. It's pretty close to the color of yours (yellow).

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  15. Flash nonfiction. I haven't really heard of that before, but it sounds like it *could* be interesting.

    Your house is so cute! Love the blue door.

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  16. Your house looks amazing - I love the color! I've never heard of flash nonfiction either, so will have to google it... does sound interesting though. Hoping I can squeeze something in for Paris in July!

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  17. Your house looks GREAT! I love the colors and the plants and the whole vibe.

    I felt the crawdad book was a let-down too.

    Enjoy your annual "trip" to Paris!

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  18. Your house looks so sunny!
    I have to admit I’m a bit baffled by Francophile’s but I hope you enjoy the challenge.

    Have a great reading week

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  19. Goodness me 30 books read in 30 days; that is quite an achievement!

    The house looks beautiful, Deb, and as far as the writing course is concerned, surely any skills learned can be used in whatever genre or format you want.

    Hope you have a great week and enjoy your reads.

    Flora
    Here's my Sunday Post

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  20. I love your painted house! It looks like a cottage that could be the centerpiece for a romance novel. I would love to sit on that porch and drink iced tea.

    Enjoy your books, and thanks for visiting my blog.

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  21. Based on your list I just borrowed Autobiography of Alice B Toklas from the library.

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  22. Your house looks great! I didn't quite make 30 books in June but feel okay with 28. Maybe I'll get to a book a day in July. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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  23. Love love your freshly painted house. Hmm I see Jennifer Robson has a book set in Paris, I've just enjoyed The Gown - she went to great lengths researching it. Whatever you read I hope you enjoy them.

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  24. Lunchtime at the Chameleon Club by Francine Prose'sI found interesting but was bored a bit occasionally. Swann's Way part of master work. I admire your research and look forward to reading your posts

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  25. The house looks even better "in person"...so cheery!

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