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.
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)
My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life by Janine Marsh (Memoir)
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)
My Year in Paris with Gertrude Stein: A Fiction by Deborah Levy (Fiction)
Quartet by Jean Rhys (Fiction)
Moveable Feasts: A Story of Paris in Twenty Meals by Chris Newens (Travel)
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)
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.
I loved the Hampton Sides book, reviewed it here:
ReplyDeletehttps://maefood.blogspot.com/2024/06/in-captain-cooks-footsteps.html
Your three good things all look very GOOD… a new reading chair is great. I wore out one reading chair, had to change my habits. The stuffing was coming out of holes in the very comfortable arms of the chair.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I wore out a reading chair, too!
DeleteToujours la France 🇫🇷 looks very intriguing.
ReplyDeleteI'm so impressed with your Paris in July reading. No wonder you didn't have time for much else. :D Although I didn't find Candide as brilliant as you did, I'm still very glad to have read it again--and in French. But next year I'm going to let someone else choose the readalong book! Have a great time in your cozy reading chair.
ReplyDeleteYour new reading chair looks so comfy! And great job on your Paris in July books. Ooh! I hope your Italian citizenship works out. Keep us apprised of the process?
ReplyDeleteGood luck with getting your Italian citizenship. Seems like a wise decision to me.
ReplyDeleteI love your passion for reading, and I enjoy that you share the covers for the books you're talking about. Covers are so important.
ReplyDeleteHow are you finding Duolingo? I tried a free version of it a while ago but didn't get into it. I'm trying Babble now.
I had a free version for two years and then a friend offered to let me participate in her paid version.
DeleteYou've had a frantic week. I love the idea of the Italian citizenship.
ReplyDeleteOh nice, I love those t-shirts! I have never grown out of loving dinosaurs, haha.
ReplyDeleteI hear you in the sourdough dept.! I've killed several starters over the years and am currently making my own from scratch as advised, using the local, wild ambient yeasts captured in the air here. We'll see. :)
ReplyDeleteI am in awe of your reading, especially since my own has been so slow this year. I'm going to try to pick up the pace through the remainder of the year. Love those dinosaur shirts!
ReplyDeleteLove the new reading chair. I need something more comfortable for my reading -- I usually read eBooks on a laptop, sitting on a love-seat. Would be nice to have a tablet, or a little table next to a more comfortable chair for my reading. Will see what I can find in Siem Reap.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
DeleteI see you are reading Peace Like a River. Are you loving it?
ReplyDeleteYes, a friend in RL told me several years ago that this is her favorite book, and I've been meaning to read it ever since.
DeleteCitizenship in Italy?! That is exciting and nerve-wracking all in one. I hope the process isn't overly long to know whether or not they approve your paperwork.
ReplyDeleteWhoops forgot to log in. :D
DeleteI suspect it will take years and years! LOL
DeleteYou had a very productive Paris in July!
ReplyDeleteI love your week! I am on hold for Whistler and I keep hearing good things.
ReplyDeleteThat reading chair looks great! Just big enough to lounge/curl up and get really comfortable.
ReplyDeleteWhat a busy week! You even had three - five star reads. That's great. I hope you have another great week.
ReplyDeleteWow, you had a busy week and a lot of fun! Hope this week is just as good!
ReplyDelete18 books for Paris! I read 1 - ha! I do like you went with old and new tho. Moveable Feast is so good. Razor's Edge I didn't like as much as most but my mum loved it. I prefer his "Tales from the East' etc.
ReplyDeleteI have not read that one.
Delete5 star reads are always a special thing. You're putting me to shame with the French. I was supposed to brush up mine this year but haven't done it. And we go to France in Sept, aargh!
ReplyDeleteIt's not too late.
Delete18 books for france is an impressive delve into a single subject. I assume with stats like that it's a reading challenge of some sort, and you're doing a great job.
ReplyDeleteIt's an event. Emma of Words and Peace blog hosts.
DeleteIt sounds like you had a wonderful week filled with family, books, and even a little travel! Eighteen books for Paris in July is an impressive accomplishment, and your new reading chair looks like the perfect reward. Happy Reading!
ReplyDeleteGood idea on getting an Italian passport. I have an Irish one, it is my back up plan.
ReplyDeleteVery nice reading chair to curl up in.
You put a whole lot into one week!
ReplyDeleteYour chair looks lovely.
As for the bread, sourdough breads seem to turn out different in every part of the world, a recipe which works in one place might be wrong for another.
Wow, finishing three 5-star reads is a huge win.... not to mention all of the other fun things you did! What a great week!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Three five-star reads is a definite win! I love the dino shirts, and your Finch is adorable! And that reading chair does look so comfy :)
ReplyDeleteMoving to Italy sounds like a dream! I would love that. Lol. Or Scotland. I could do Scotland too.
ReplyDeleteYour chair looks so comfy.
What a wonderful week you had! Good luck with the Italian citizenship.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on a successful #ParisinJuly! Good sourdough is often reliant on a mature starter, you might want to ask around your friends to see if they have some they’d share..
ReplyDeleteYour new reading chair looks very comfortable!
Thanks for sharing your week, happy reading
You had a very successful July exploring Paris!!!!
ReplyDeleteMoving to Italy!! Let me know.i may be in Europe next year for my nephews wedding
ReplyDeleteWow, really was a busy week for you! I hope the Italian citizenship process goes smoothly!
ReplyDeleteYay for 3 5-Star reads! Are you thinking of moving to Italy? I might have missed something. Those dino shirts are cute!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a good week. I love your new reading chair.
ReplyDeleteYou have awesome reading chair! And a really busy week for you.
ReplyDeletewell, that's a goodly amount of reading there Deb. Love the reading chair!
ReplyDeletesherry
Glad for your reviews of the France books on GR. I was wondering about the Debora Levy novel (seems like I should get it) .... and I need to do a reread of The Razor's Edge sometime since I read it like in my 20s. Looks like you have a good reading chair ! and nice pic in the dino shirts.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good busy week. Great looking chair. I read mostly on my couch where I sprawl out. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteYou are busy, busy, busy! And 3 of those great reads. Good for you! Love that reading chair! Hope you have a great week this week!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great week to me! Your shirts are so much fun and your chair looks super comfy! I liked Hampton Sides's book, In the Kingdom of Ice, a lot. I haven't read this one yet. I'm planning to post about Finch soon. My birb, Jilly, visited Paris a couple of months ago. She's currently in Delhi. Peace Like a River is one of my favorite books of all time.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you had a wonderful week, Deb. Lots of family time, which is so good. Nice work on Paris in July, too. And blueberry pie with ice cream sounds delicious. Yum! I agree that Whistler is a 5-star read. I absolutely loved it.Your new reading chair looks very comfy! Have a great week, Deb.
ReplyDeleteWOW! WOW! This post blew my mind!!!!
ReplyDelete