


French Windows
by Antoine Laurain
Genre: Fiction
Published: June 6, 2024
Page Count: 176 pages
Summary:
"Nathalia, a young photographer, has been seeing a therapist. Having accidentally photographed a murder, she finds that she can no longer do her job. Instead, Doctor Faber suggests that she write about the neighbors she idly observes in the building across the street. But as these written snapshots become increasingly detailed, he starts to wonder how she can possibly know so much about them."
"In the middle of the unevenly cobbled courtyard stands a tall tree. No one has ever quite determined its species; some people in the building see a wild cherry, others an oak, though it has never produced an acorn."
'I veer off in a completely different direction. Another of my techniques:
"Share a thought with me that has occurred to you today, completely unrelated to our discussion here. Something absolutely 'off topic.'"
Silence falls once again, broken only by the beating of a pigeon's wings as it flies past the window.
"I thought...this morning, when I was making coffee...that we should always re-read the epigraph once we're finished a book."
"Go on."
"We read a quote from someone other than the author, which the author has chosen to put on the first page of their book, and then we forget all about it. Except the author went to a great deal of trouble to choose it. It sums up the entire book, and then we forget about it. So we should always read it again once the book is finished. Always. The epigraph is the book's true conclusion. That's what I was thinking about."'
Photographer Nathalia Guitry can't take photos after she photographed a murder, and she goes to see a therapist, Dr. Faber, to help her. Faber assigns Guitry the task of writing down the stories of the people who inhabit each floor of the building opposite Faber's office, and Guitry dutifully pens the stories of the person who lives on each floor each week.
Laurain always takes us readers on a surprising journey in his books between what is real and what is not, all the while firmly planting us in the delight that is France.
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 12th-18th - July is the month for reading by the pool or on the beach. What's your favorite summer beach book, and why is it suitable for a sunny day? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)
Il est Juillet et il est temps pour le merveilleux Paris in July, hosted by Emma at Words and Peace.
What a view my sister and I had from the terrace outside our apartment when I stayed in Paris for the third time in 2023!
During my time in Paris on that visit, I took photos from the window as often as I could and posted them here.
For more photos, link up at Wordless Wednesday, Comedy Plus, Messymimi's Meanderings, Keith's Ramblings, Create With Joy, Wild Bird Wednesday, and My Corner of the World.
Il est Juillet et il est temps pour le merveilleux Paris in July, hosted by Emma at Words and Peace.
If it's summer, we've got to be in France.
How about some book covers that feel like summer in France?
A Bite-Sized History of France: Gastronomic Tales of Revolution, War, and Enlightenment
Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies by Ross King
We'll Always Have Paris by Sue Watson
The Provence Cure for the Broken Hearted by Bridget Asher
Paris, My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light by Amy Thomas
At the Existentialist Cafe: Freedom, Being, & Apricot Cocktails by Sarah Bakewell
Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland
One More Croissant for the Road by Felicity Cloake
The Belly of Paris by Émile Zola
A Breath of French Air by H. E. Bates
Dear Paris: The Paris Letters Collection by Janice MacLeod
My Life in France by Julia Child
Chocolat by Joanne Harris
Waiting for Monsieur Bellivier by Britta Röstlund
The Art of Eating by M. F. K. Fisher
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Paris in Love by Eloisa James
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 Paris Novel
by Ruth Reichl
Genre: Fiction
Published: April 23, 2024
Page Count: 274 pages
Summary:
"When her estranged mother dies, Stella is left with an unusual inheritance: a one-way plane ticket and a note reading “Go to Paris.” Stella is hardly cut out for adventure; a traumatic childhood has kept her confined to the strict routines of her comfort zone. But when her boss encourages her to take time off, Stella resigns herself to honoring her mother’s last wishes.
Alone in a foreign city, Stella falls into old habits, living cautiously and frugally. Then she stumbles across a vintage store, where she tries on a fabulous Dior dress. The shopkeeper insists that this dress was meant for Stella and for the first time in her life Stella does something impulsive. She buys the dress—and embarks on an adventure.
Her first stop: the iconic brasserie Les Deux Magots, where Stella tastes her first oysters and then meets an octogenarian art collector who decides to take her under his wing. As Jules introduces Stella to a veritable who’s who of the Paris literary, art, and culinary worlds, she begins to understand what it might mean to live a larger life.
As weeks—and many decadent meals—go by, Stella ends up living as a “tumbleweed” at famed bookstore Shakespeare & Company, uncovers a hundred-year-old mystery in a Manet painting, and discovers a passion for food that may be connected to her past. A feast for the senses, this novel is a testament to living deliciously, taking chances, and finding your true home."
"She never called her mother Mom or Mommy or even Mother. From the time Stella was very small, her mother insisted she call her Celia. 'I was not born to be anyone's mother,' she explained."
"...she put the napkin over her head and the tiny creature into her mouth. Then every other thought was driven from her head by the sheer physical effort of the hot bird burning her overstuffed mouth. She tried opening it, to cool her tongue off, but her lips were stretched as far as they could go. Her teeth came down and a spurt of juice shot across her tongue. She almost jumped out of her seat; the flavor was so strong, so primal. She chewed again, and the sound of bones crunching clanged in her ears. She swallowed. Now she found the flavor had changed. It was all hazelnuts, sweet edged with bitter. She swallowed again. Figs. Armagnac, blood shot through her body. Another shatter of bone and she was tasting dark meat---the thigh, perhaps---with its gamey flavor.
All her senses were concentrated in her mouth as her teeth crashed down again and again. She felt the skull crackle and tasted what must be brain. It was hot, it was primitive. It was exciting."
My review:
Stella's mother dies, and Stella is left with a message from her mother: Go to Paris.
So, for the first time in her carefully-controlled life, Stella takes a risk and goes to Paris.
Stella finds her way to a world of books and food and art and life that she never knew way out there, and slowly she heals.
This is a foodie novel like no one other than the great food critic Ruth Reichl could write.
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.
5th-11th - Can you suggest a book that you think is inspiring and that examines concepts like freedom, liberty, or individual independence? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)
Il est Juillet et il est temps pour le merveilleux Paris in July, hosted by Emma at Words and Peace.
I traveled for the first time to Paris in July of 2010 with my sister and two nieces. We had a picnic on the grounds of the Eiffel Tower with cheese and bread and wine. I was mesmerized when the tower lit up---I had no idea it was going to do that. Unforgettable.
For more photos, link up at Wordless Wednesday, Comedy Plus, Messymimi's Meanderings, Keith's Ramblings, Create With Joy, Wild Bird Wednesday, and My Corner of the World.
Il est Juillet et il est temps pour le merveilleux Paris in July, hosted by Emma at Words and Peace.
Red, White, and Blue...
A Loose Reflection on Nine Books That Are (Sort-Of) America to Me
Fahrenheit 451...stop them from reading---stop them from thinking---a cautionary tale
Where the Sidewalk Ends...zany humor
The Phantom Tollbooth...the power of discovering the joy of learning
The Rosie Project...all sorts of people make a country
Animal Farm...how easy it is to be led astray by a captivating pig
The Great Gatsby...riches aren't everything
The Library Book...some of our greatest treasures are free
The Hate U Give...the hope that everyone can have a place at the table
Enchanted April...life can get better
AND
Red, White, and Blue: Riffing on Nine Books That Represent My Very-American Idea of France
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.
Il est Juillet et il est temps pour le merveilleux Paris in July, hosted by Emma at Words and Peace.