Four Books Finished for Paris in July

I finished four books last week for Paris in July. I also watched Playtime, a French movie first made in 1967, with the fabulous Monsieur Hulot character that we enjoyed so much in Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot. Playtime is on lots of lists as one of the best movies ever made, and I can see why.

The Martins by David Foenkinos, translated by Sam Taylor

A writer in Paris is struggling to come up with his next novel idea when he decides to make the next person he sees on the street become the subject of his book. He's secretly hoping it will be the young woman he often sees near his apartment, but instead, it's Madeleine, an eighty-year-old woman who becomes the focus of his book. He gradually enlarges his story to include Madeleine's daughter and her family, the Martins, and the book takes off, as the writer interviews the daughter, the daughter's husband, and the daughter's two teenage children, and the issues and adventures and pasts of all of these push the story along. It's meta-fiction at its best, with the author (reluctantly) inserting himself into the story along with his own issues and adventures and past, and with the story sweeping forward to include the boyfriend of Madeleine's granddaughter and Madeleine's ex and...well, just about anyone the author can think of to include. So much fun. With surprising insight into human beings, too.

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

Odile Souchet gets a job she loves at the American Library in Paris and she soon acquires a boyfriend and a best friend, all of this taking place just as Germany begins its takeover of France. Everything changes once France is occupied by the Germans---Odile's brother goes to fight for France, libraries are taken over by the Germans, and people Odile loves are forced to do things they do not want to do in order to survive.

There is a second timeline in this book in which Odile is an old woman living in Montana. Odile is befriended by a young neighbor, Lily, who faces problems Odile herself faced during her early years.

I liked the book, though there were lots of things that bothered me about the story. But the dual settings of two of my favorite places on earth, plus libraries, plus lots of bibliophiles who relished books gained this thin story bonus points with me.

Lost and Found in Paris by Lian Dolan

Joan Blakely's charmed life as the daughter of a super-model and a high-end artist came to an end when her father died during 9/11. She impulsively married Casey and went to work in a museum to dull the pain of the loss. When Casey announced he was leaving her to be with his five-year-old twins he fathered with an assistant at work, Joan took off for Paris to hand-deliver a work of art. And then the art went missing... A tiny bit better than the cover might lead you to believe.

Mystery of the Yellow Room by Gaston Leroux

Journalist Joseph Rouletabille, along with his friend Sainclair (narrator of the tale), is sent to investigate an attack on a young woman, Mathilde Stangerson, daughter of the owner, at the Château du Glandier. Oddly, Stangerson was attacked with the doors locked on the inside. So who did it? One of the 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up.

Nana by Émile Zola

An Attempt at Exhausting a Place in Paris by Georges Perec

Human Nature by Serge Joncour, translated by Louise Rogers Lalaurie

Simple French Food by Richard Olney

Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Last week I posted here at Readerbuzz:

What I Ate (and Drank) in France

Three Perfect Books to Read on a Trip to Paris

The Sunday Salon: A Week at Home (for Once)...with Snakes

The Action for Happiness July Calendar

Follow the link to print out your own copy of the calendar.

Good Thing #1

My friend of forty-plus years, Lisa, is moving with her husband to the country,

so my friends and I had to give her a going-away party.

Good Thing #2

Paris in July!

Good Thing #3

New flooring in our house!

So far, half of the house is done.

I'm happy you joined us here at the Sunday Salon. Sunday Salon is a place to link up and to share what we have been doing during the week. It's a great way to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. 

Some of the things we often talk about at the Sunday Salon:

• What was your week like?
• Read any good books? Tell us about them.
• What other bookish things did you do? 
• What else is going on in your life?

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

        

My linkup for Sunday Salon is below.