The Sunday Salon: Maigret and A Tale of Two Cities (Sigh) and Oh, Those Fresh Eggs

 

Welcome! I am delighted that you joined us 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. 

Take-home treats from the first birthday party of my great-nephew, Jack.

The cookie and cake were made by Jack's aunt and the photography on the magnet was done by Jack's mom.

Another busy week filled with swimming and writing and guitar lessons (!) and baking and visiting with those in a crochet club and eating with friends and, of course, reading---enjoying the moment.

What I Read Last Week:

Everything Comes Next: Collected & New Poems by Naomi Shihab Nye (Poetry)

The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley by Courtney Walsh (Fiction)

James by Percival Everett (Slow Re-read for Book Clubs)

What I'm Reading Now:

A Tale of Two Cities (Annotated) by Charles Dickens (If at first you don't succeed...)

A Tale of Two Cities (Illustrated and Highly Abridged) by Charles Dickens

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (Chapter-a-Day; 54%)

A Little History of the World by E. H. Gombrich (Audiobook)

Claudine: A Fairy Tale for Exceptional Grownups by Marian Grudko and T. A. Young (Paris in July)

A Bakery in Paris by Aimee K. Runyon (Paris in July; Cook the Books)

The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot

What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:

James by Percival Everett: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

The 2025 Houston Bookstore Crawl: Katy Budget Books in Katy

10+ Books I Hope to Read for Paris in July (and More)

The Sunday Salon: Runnin' and Gunnin'

Paris in July has begun. I'm celebrating being in Paris this July by reading some books set in Paris, watching Maigret (1992) on BritBox, and practicing my French on Duolingo (oh-so-slowly...it took me eleven minutes to complete a single lesson today).  The first book I've read for Paris in July is Remembering Paris written by Denis Tillinac and illustrated with work by André Renoux. 

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:

Oh, these delicious fresh eggs from family in East Texas.

I do not have words for how good they are.

Good Thing #2:

My Aunt Karen is the Queen of Bags,

and when she heard I did not have a tote for my new iPad,

she made me this magnificent iPad case, 

complete with my favorite colors and creatures (butterflies) and a bookworm zipper pull

.

Good Thing #3:

Aqua Zumba class 

is delightful on these hot summer days.

How was your week? 

I hope you will link up with a post or two,

and share what you have been up to.

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.

James by Percival Everett: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

  

Today's Featured Book: 

James

by Percival Everett

Genre: Fiction

Published: March 19, 2024

Page Count: 320 pages

Summary: 

When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death to escape his violent father. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond. 

 

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.

I waited at Miss Watson's kitchen door...Waiting is a big part of a slave's life, waiting and waiting to wait some more...

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 was happy enough to send Huckleberry off on his mission to the mainland. My pleasure in seeing him off was threefold. If he was unsuccessful and discovered, he might be accused of having helped me escape, rather than my being seen as a runaway. And I might no longer be suspected of his murder and/or kidnapping, the punishment for either being torture and death. Finally, if Huck was able to find his way back without detection, he could bring me much desired and needed news of my family's condition.

I was asked to lead the discussion of James for my new book club, so I did a slow read and then a deep dive into James. 

I put together this book club kit (modeled after and appropriated from other kits I found online, especially one from the Brooklyn Public Library).

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.    

July 4th - 10th - Has your perspective on reading changed as you've grown older? If so, has it affected how you write your reviews? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

Yes, reading is almost like breathing for me these days. I try to write my reviews in much the same way, as if I am naturally speaking to myself about what I have just read.

The 2025 Houston Bookstore Crawl: Katy Budget Books in Katy

 

I was delighted to participate in the Second Annual Houston Bookstore Crawl #HTXBookCrawl25 in April. Here is a map I made of the twenty-five indie bookstores in the Houston area.

How it worked: I picked up a crawl card at Then & Now Bookstore in Galveston, one of the 25 participating stores. I got my card stamped or signed by each of the stores I visited through the end of April. Once I visited 10, I submitted my card to any of the participating bookstores to be entered into a raffle for gifts. Every store I hit after the first 10 counts as an additional entry. The cards had to be turned in by the end of business on April 30.

April 26 was Indie Bookstore Day, and indie bookstores all over the US hosted events. Take a look at the map here to see what events were held in April.

Say hello to the Participating Bookstores:

Basket Books & Art · Blue Willow Bookshop · Books Abound · The Book Attic · Books by the Bay · The Book Readers Venue · Brazos Bookstore · Buy the Book · Candescent Books · CLASS Bookstore · Copperfield's Books · Dreamers Books + Culture · Good Books in the Woods · Good on Paper Books and Stationery · Gulf Coast Cosmos Comics · Houston Book Warehouse · Kaboom Books · Katy Budget Books · Kindred Stories · LIT bookbar · LIT Java Coffee & Books · Mossrose Bookshop · Murder by The Book · Then & Now Bookshop · Village Books

I visited twelve bookstores in April. 

Here is my ninth bookstore: 

Katy Budget Books

870 S. Mason Rd. #101

Katy, TX 77450

281-578-7770

Katy is a huge western suburb of Houston. It's a solid hour from my house. 

Katy Budget Books describes itself as a haven for readers and the curious, for lifelong learners and those ready to explore new worlds; a team of booklovers equipped to match all members of the family with stories they'll love; and a community-oriented business that believes a Katy that reads is a stronger Katy.

Katy Budget Books sells both new and used books.

The bookstore hosts many book clubs and a few author events each month.

Staff members are eager to recommend books they have enjoyed.

What I bought.

10+ Books I Hope to Read for Paris in July (and More)

 Paris in July 2025

#parisinjuly2025

(Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter)

Am I just imagining it? Or do I hear...French music? Are those French books I see in my current TBR stack? Have I been carefully searching for French movies to watch? And why are there bookmarks in my French cookbooks? 

Could it be...is it time again for...Paris in July?!

Hurray!

Yes, Paris in July begins today, and, happily, Emma of Words and Peace will be hosting again this year.

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

There are 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 nonfiction;
  
• watching a French movie;
  
• listening to French music;
  
• cooking French food;
  
• experiencing French, art, architecture, and travel;
• tasting French wine, or testing French cocktails;
• celebrating le quatorze juillet or Bastille Day.

Whatever it is that you love about France---share it with us all. And pass the word...

So what are my plans for Paris in July? Here are some of the things I might do...

I have seven books in French I could read in July. Six of them are from the 1001 Children's Books You Must Read list: 

L'Enfance de Bécassine

Les Six Compagnons

Fantômette et la maison hantée

Les pilleurs de sarcophages

Oh, boy!; Quatre sœurs. 

I also have Une rose seule, a group read with Emma and others during Paris in July.

I have three picture books I've saved for almost a year: 

Claudine

Claudine and the Bridge of Two Hearts

Bonjour, Mr. Satie.

I have several versions of A Tale of Two Cities:

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

An Annotated A Tale of Two Cities

Great Illustrated Classics: A Tale of Two Cities

Illustrated Classics: A Tale of Two Cities

A comic book version of A Tale of Two Cities. 

I will conquer you, A Tale of Two Cities.

A couple of random books: 

The French Art of Living Well

Finding Joie de Vivre in the Everyday World

The Propagandist

Paris for Two

Do Not Go Gentle---Go to Paris.

I shall dial Duolingo to French for the month and browse 50 French Phrases; 15-Minute French; and Say It Right in French.

I have a lovely French music playlist.

I have some French films at the ready: 

The Rules of the Game: La règle du jeu
Monsieur Hulot's Holiday: Les vacances de Monsieur Hulot
Cousin Jules: A Farmer Living in the French Countryside

The Count of Monte Cristo (2024)

And, maybe, just maybe, I will try to do some French baking.

I hope you will be joining in, too.

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: Runnin' and Gunnin'

Welcome! I am happy you joined us 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. 

Busy week.

Sewing Retreat. Spent the night with my son and his family after the retreat. Our grown granddaughter came to visit after I got home. Swam. Writing class in Galveston. Swam again. Met my sister and her husband in Houston for dinner. Took a field trip with friends to the new bookstore in Galveston. Went to Brenham to the Blue Bell Creamery with a group from the senior center. Attended a lecture in Galveston on The World's Most Difficult Poem. Celebrated our great-nephew's first birthday. 

Whew. 

What I Read Last Week:

The Swish of the Curtain by Pamela Brown (1001 Children's Book; Classics Club Spin)

What I'm Reading Now:

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor

The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot

What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:

The 2025 Houston Bookstore Crawl: LIT Bookbar in Richmond, Texas

Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2025

The Sunday Salon: A Sewing Retreat

Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor: 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:

The quilt I made 

at the Sewing Retreat.

Good Thing #2:

A new-to-me butterfly

I saw in East Texas:

Red-spotted Admiral

Good Thing #3:

At the Then and Now Bookstore

in Galveston

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.