Saturday, August 1, 2026

The Sunday Salon: Three Five-Star Books Completed

 




Welcome! I am happy you joined us 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. 





I did a little of everything this week. Drove to Dallas. Celebrated Lucy's happy birthday. Visited with my aunt and uncle. Came home. Swam. Visited with my sister. Got paperwork for my attempt to obtain Italian citizenship. Visited with my husband's cousin. Went to my writing group in Galveston. Had a picnic with my friend in Galveston. Ate blueberry pie and ice cream with my dad and his wife. Finished three five-star books: Candide and Zola's The Earth and Ann Patchett's Whistler. Wrapped up Paris in July.






What I Read Last Week:

The Earth by Émile Zola 

Candide by Voltaire

Whistler by Ann Patchett





What I'm Reading Now:

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

The Wide, Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact, and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook by Hampton Sides







I read eighteen books for Paris in July this year.

I didn't really have time to do much more this year than read.








The Earth by Émile Zola (Fiction)

Candide, or Optimism by Voltaire (Fiction in French)

Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes by Robert Louis Stevenson (Travel Memoir)

The Paris Bookshop for the Brokenhearted
by Rebecca Raisin (Fiction)


The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham (Fiction)

My Good Life in France by Janine Marsh (Memoir)

The Shortest History of France by Colin Jones (History)

Toujours la France! by Janine Marsh (Memoir)

The War of the Buttons by Louis Pergaud (Children's Fiction)

Thirty Days in Paris by Veronica Henry (Fiction)

One Summer in Paris by Sarah Morgan (Fiction)


Quartet by Jean Rhys (Fiction)

En Route: A Journey Through France in the Company of Great Writers by Peter Fiennes (Travel) 

Poilâne: The Secrets of the World-Famous Bread Bakery by Apollonia Poilâne (Cookbook)

L'Enfance de Bécassine by Jacqueline Rivière (Children's Cartoon)





I visited to Paris via the Rick Steves' episode, Paris of the Parisians, coupled with the Daytripper's episode on Paris, Texas. 

I practiced my French on Duolingo at least one time a day.

I made my first batch of sourdough bread based on a recipe from Poilâne. It was okay, but I think I'll try a different sourdough recipe next time.

And that's it. Thank you, Emma, from Words and Peace for hosting this wonderful event.






What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:








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:

What do you wear to a dinosaur and snake birthday party?
There are not as many snake shirts out there as you might expect.
But Wal-Mart, I learned, has some pretty cool dino shirts
in the boys' department.



Good Thing #2:

My new reading chair.




Good Thing #3:

My Finch, Zip, visited Paris in July.




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.