Paris in July 2021: A Reading List

 

It's almost time... Paris in July begins in a week. This event has been a blogger favorite since 2010. Hosted once again at Thyme for Tea, Tamara says:

Here, at Paris in July blogging central, we are connecting you with other lovers of Paris through the month long blogging event. Over the past 10 years, participants have used this event to post about new recipes, favourite holiday memories, best books on Paris, set in Paris, about Parisiennes, music from Paris, best cocktails found in Paris, favourite walks in Paris.... almost anything about Paris or France. 

We cant really go to Paris right now, but here we will share many different sides of our love of french things, and Paris. 

July will be a busy month for me. I'll be visiting family for the first half of the month, so my participation may be minimal. However, I still hope to try a new recipe and read a book or two for this event. 

My List of Reading Possibilities:

Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin,  translated by Hildegarde Serle

 Added to my tbr list after reading Diane's review

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

This classic has been on my list for years.

The American by Henry James

Another classic that has been on my list for a long time...

Paris for One by Jojo Moyes

A short story by Jojo Moyes should be fun.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr 

...because I must be the only person who hasn't read this book!

The Pleasing Hour by Lily King

Writers & Lovers  will be one of my favorites this year... this is King's debut novel.

You Me Everything by Catherine Isaac

A recommendation from Sara at Fiction Matters

My Place at the Table: A Recipe for a Delicious Life in Paris

by Alexander Lobrano

This is a new memoir sounds delicious!

Will you be spending Paris in July this year? The sign up post is here.

And just like that, it's the end of July...

July 30th... already. In a couple of days it will be August and here I am posting for the first time in weeks. I didn't mean to disappear for so long, but it's been quite a month: our 4th of July celebration, helping a family member with a medical issue, a trip to Sanibel for my father-in-law's 90th birthday, and my husband's retirement last week. There's been no time to blog, but I have been reading.


For book club//

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

Had it not been a book club selection, I might have abandoned this audiobook. I'm glad I persevered (with increased narration speed) because around the 40% mark, it finally started to grow on me (pun intended) and I ended up enjoying it - especially the life of a scientist/academic aspect. Jahren's personal story was not quite as interesting to me.

My book club's reaction was positive overall, but it's interesting to note that the two of us who listened both struggled. This got me thinking about the unavoidable subjectivity of audiobook ratings. With nearly 1500 ratings, Lab Girl (narrated by the author) averages 4.4 stars... I am clearly out of step. Perhaps I might have enjoyed this more in print.

For Paris in July//

The People in the Photo by Hélène Gestern

An unexpected treasure! The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain was going to be my only book for Paris in July, but goodreads suggested I might enjoy this "dark yet touching drama which deftly explores the themes of blame and forgiveness, identity and love."

Once I picked up the book, I could not put it down. In it, a young woman seeks information about the mother she can barely remember (she died in an accident when her daughter was very young) and about whom her father and stepmother have never spoken.This debut novel, translated from French and winner of multiple literary awards, is mostly epistolary. It consists of letters and emails between two intelligent and extreme articulate people, along with several detailed descriptions of photographs.

"I asked myself what it is that forms the truth of a person, what happens when you grow up without memories, who were those people who had known me and of whom I knew nothing, whether some part of them - a word, an image, a smell - had stayed with me."

This will surely be a favorite of 2017.

Nagasaki by Éric Faye

Translated from French, winner of the 2010 Académie Française award, set in modern-day Japan, and based on a true story, I decided to take a chance on another goodreads recommendation. Publisher's summary:

In a house on a suburban street in Nagasaki, meteorologist Shimura Kobo lives quietly on his own. Or so he believes. Food begins to go missing. Perturbed by this threat to his orderly life, Shimura sets up a webcam to monitor his home.
But though eager to identify his intruder, is Shimura really prepared for what the camera will reveal?

Skillfully narrated by David Timson and Anna Bentinck, this was a short (just over 2 hours), slightly out of the ordinary, listening experience.

For the Jane Austen Read All-a-long//

Sense and Sensibilty by Jane Austen

What can I say? Jane Austen is a favorite and Sense and Sensibility is every bit as wonderful the second (or third, or fourth...) time around. Rereading Jane is always a treat.


Just because//

The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe

It can't be summer without a beach book, right? This one had everything I was looking for... family secrets, drama, love, a beach house, a hurricane, a South Carolina island setting, and even loggerhead turtles. It's the first in a series of four "Beach House" novels, but (thankfully) does not end with a cliff-hanger. And the kindle version is only $1.99! I'll pick up the next installment, Swimming Lessons, when it's time for another low country vacation.

Current reading//

Today I'm listening to Christodora by Tim Murphy, a novel that has been compared to The Nix and City on Fire.  The first three chapters have captured my interest and I may make it a read/listen combination.

Or I might start something else in print...we'll see.

How did July treat you? What have you been reading?



SaveSave

The Sunday Salon: July 9, 2017

Reading, but not writing... that's where I am now. Does it happen to you, too? I finish a book, reflect for a while, rate it on goodreads, and then I'm ready to dive into another. Here is my modest attempt to keep up.

Finished//

Phineas Finn by Anthony Trollope

It took a month, but last week I finished the second book in Trollope's Palliser series, Phineas Finn ... 750+ pages and I was sorry to reach the end. Over the past two and a half years, I've read eight of Trollope's novels and don't plan to stop any time soon. There's nothing like catching a glimpse into Victorian England through his eyes. Trollope was a keen observer of society and his characters allow the reader to enter that world.

The political aspect of the Palliser series initially worried me. Would it be overwhelming or just plain dull? The answer, fortunately, is no. As the church and ecclesiastical life were to The Barsetshire Chronicles, politics is to the Pallisers. It provides a foundation for the lives of men... while women's lives are centered around men - their occupations, finances, and ambition. If a woman is lucky enough to possess money of her own, she may have some degree of power.

For me, the main draw of a Trollope novel is always his characters... and in particular, the women. While I eventually warmed to Phineas Finn, it was Lady Laura Standish, Violet Effingham, and Madame Max Goesler who kept me turning the pages. By the end of the book I was not ready to let any of the characters go. Trollope returns to Phineas in book 4, Phineas Redux, but The Eustace Diamonds is up next.

Thank you Audrey and Lisa for reading with me... should we do this again in the fall?

The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain

It's time for Paris in July again and I decided to begin with this short, sweet, romantic novel. It involves a mugging, a designer handbag, a red moleskin notebook, a Modiano novel, a bookseller, and a bit of a mystery... all set in Paris, of course. At 160 pages, it was a pure delight to read. I highly recommend it.

Have you noticed the emails goodreads sends after finishing a book? Initially I thought they were silly, but after completing The Red Notebook this morning, they suggested I might like The People in the Photo by Hélène Gestern. Winner of fifteen literary awards, this "dark yet touching drama deftly explores the themes of blame and forgiveness, identity and love." The debut novel will be my next stop for Paris in July.  It should be available at the library by next weekend. I'll keep you posted.



Current reading//

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

I'm reading this with James and friends for his Jane Austen Read All A-long. It's been two years since I last read Jane Austen and over a decade for this novel in particular. Last night I read the first chapter and fell in love with Jane's writing and story all over again.

Listening to//

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren 

This book seemed to be everyone's favorite during Nonfiction November last year, so I was glad my book club decided to read it. About halfway through, I'm feeling completely out of sync with popular opinion... it's just okay. The author's narration isn't grabbing me either, despite the overall 4.4 rating on audible. Maybe the second half will be better?

I'll leave you with this photo of Zelda enjoying a cruise around the lake. That's my daughter off to the right... she always brings a book on the boat. What have you been been reading these past couple of weeks?

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Judging from the response on Instagram yesterday, I had to share this photo here:

My caption:
Look what I saw at B&N today! This could be the only way I'll ever read Proust. #instabooks #bookstagram

Click here for links to all of this week's Paris in July posts.

Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan

A strange melancholy pervades me to which I hesitate to give the grave and beautiful name of sorrow. The idea of sorrow has always appealed to me, but now I am almost ashamed of its complete egoism. I have known boredom, regret, and occasionally remorse, but never sorrow. Today it envelopes me like a silken web, enervating and soft, and sets me apart from everybody else.

From the opening paragraph I knew I was in for a treat, and that's exactly what this little gem delivered. The depth of our young narrator's self-understanding (and selfishness), an introspective tone, and engaging writing style drew me in right away and held me rapt through the final page.

A teenage girl, her philandering widowed father, his current girlfriend,  a strict but well-meaning friend of her late mother, and a summer rental on the French Riviera... just imagine the possibilities! And there's a cute guy with a sailboat just a few villas down, too.

Goodreads says: "Deceptively simple in structure, Bonjour Tristesse is a complex and beautifully composed portrait of casual amorality and a young woman's desperate attempt to understand and control the world around her."

I think it's also a cautionary tale of youthful schemes and their unintended consequences.

A near perfect summer read, it's hard to believe the author was only eighteen years old when she wrote this novella in 1954.

My rating:

Click here for links to all of this week's Paris in July posts.

The Horla by Guy de Maupassant

The Horla
by Guy de Maupassant
Fantasy and Horror Classics, 2013
35 pages
originally published, 1887
source: purchased

He is here... the...the...what is his name?...the... it seems as if he were shouting his name in my ear, and I cannot hear it... the...yes...he is shouting it... I am listening... I can't hear... again, tell me again... the...Horla... I heard...the Horla... it is he... the Horla... he is here!

What is the matter with me? It is he, he, the Horla, who is haunting me, filling, my head with these absurdities! He is in me, he has become my soul; I will kill him.

Guy de Maupassant, considered one of the fathers of the modern short story, is a personal favorite and has made several previous appearances on this blog:

• "Farewell" 
• "The Confession" 
• "Abandoned" 

It's been a couple of years since I last read his work, but  Paris in July inspired me to seek out another of his stories. The Horla, written in a journal format, chronicles one man's "descent into madness". Published shortly before de Maupassant himself was hospitalized for insanity, the story seems tame compared to today's psychological thrillers, but was considered ground-breaking at the time.

De Maupassant wrote and revised The Horla over a period of several years. An early draft was entitled Letter from a Madman, while a later reworking tells the same story from a doctor’s point of view.  The Melville House edition (part of their Art of the Novella series) includes both of these variations along with the final version. I would have been particularly interested in reading this story from the doctor's perspective.

I chose the above edition because I liked the cover. If I'd been a little more discerning, the Melville House edition would be on my shelf instead.

The Horla can be read in its entirely here.

Visit Thyme for Tea for links to all of this week's Paris in July posts.

Paris in July

It's time for Paris in July! This event, back for a 6th year, is hosted by Tamara at Thyme for Tea. Here is her quick overview:

The aim of the month is to celebrate our French experiences through reading, watching, listening, observing, cooking and eating all things French!  There will be 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 or Paris, or Paris-like, and you can join in! Some ideas might include:

• reading a French themed book – fiction or non-fiction,
• watching a French movie,
• listening to French music,
• cooking French food,
•  experiencing French, art, architecture and travel

 Sounds like fun, right? I'm not exactly sure what will strike my fancy this month, but I've requested a couple of books from the library:

Bonjour Tristesse by by Françoise Sagan

This book has been on my Paris in July list for a couple years, but Melissa's recent review prompted the library request. 

Clementine in the Kitchen by Samuel V. Chamberlain

Part of the Modern Library Foods series, I learned about this from Audrey a couple of years ago. Glad to find a copy in our library system.

Other possibilities:

The Fortune of the Rougons (Les Rougon-Macquart #1) by Émile Zola

on my kindle and ready to go

The Horla by Guy de Maupassant

That Part Was True by Deborah McKinlay
Looks like this could be a foodie version of 84, Charring Cross Road. I think part of it takes place in Paris.


Would you like to travel with us? Tamara's general sign up post is here. If you write a post about what you might read, watch, cook, etc., link up here.

July, Already?

The month of June was a whirlwind, both on the blog (Pym Reading Week, Audiobook Week, Going Public...In Shorts, and The Literary Giveaway Blog Hop) and on the home front. In the above photo, you see a combination of books waiting to be reviewed and a couple in progress. I finished Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy yesterday afternoon, just in time for the July 1 Classics Spin  deadline. It has left me speechless, but what an amazing book!  It truly redefines my idea and expectations of a tragedy.

In addition to Tess, reviews are in progress for Cooked by Michael Pollan, Still Alice by Lisa Genova, and The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell.

My current audiobook is The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier. I picked up a print copy from the library in case I decide to read, too.

In print, I'm loving The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud. Unfortunately, we were away for several days and I forgot to bring it along. Can't wait to get back to it tonight. I've also just started The Whole Fromage by Kathe Lison.

July marks the beginning of a new era - life without Google Reader. I've switched to Blogluvin' and have added  a button to my sidebar if you'd like to follow me. Keeping up via Blogluvin' does not seem to be quite as easy as with Google Reader, but I have found the iPad app less cumbersome than accessing the main website from my laptop. Commenting is a problem on a handful of blogs though.

Events for the month:

Paris in July

... is hosted once again by Karen and Tamara. The rules are the same as in years past, but I have not officially signed up yet. I hope to read Gigi  by Colette (for The Classics Club) and The Whole Fromage by Kathe Lison. Watching Midnight in Paris,  yet again, is also a given.

Brookner in July 

...is hosted by Heavenali.  I picked up a copy of Hotel du Lac  at the library book sale last summer and plan to read it later this month.

These plans may be derailed by my current literary fiction binge. I can't remember the last time I've read so many recent releases, and now it seems all my library holds are coming in all at once. Life After Life  by Kate Atkinson and The Astronaut Wives Club  by Lily Kopell are ready for pickup, and I've also just received notification than an e-book of The Dinner  by Herman Koch is available for download.

However... all my reading and blogging will have to wait as the 4th of July approaches. The holiday is a very big deal in our little village -  a road race, parade, concerts, sidewalk sales, and, of course, fireworks over the lake (without a doubt the best display around). Our oldest daughter is coming home from NYC tomorrow, Twin A's boyfriend has already arrived, and preparations are well underway for our annual Independence Day bash. I'll be closing up shop here for the rest of the week so I can fully enjoy the festivities.

Happy July!

Tuesday Intro: Tender is the Night

"On the pleasant shore of the French Riviera, about half way between Marseilles and the Italian border, stands a large, proud, rose-colored hotel. Deferential palms cool its flushed facade, and before it stretches a short dazzling beach. Lately it has become a summer resort of notable and fashionable people; a decade ago it was almost deserted after its English clientele went north in April. Now, many bungalows cluster near it, but when this story begins only the cupolas of a dozen old villas rotted like water lilies among the massed pines between Gausse's Hôtel des Étrangers and Cannes, five miles away."

Tender is the Night
by F. Scott Fitzgerald

My 'Paris in July' reading continues this week with Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a book I loved in high school and have been meaning to reread for years. So far, the language is a more flowery than I remembered and the plot isn't even vaguely familiar yet. High school was quite a few years ago...

Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the opening paragraph (sometime two) of a book she decided to read based on the opening paragraph(s). Feel free to grab the banner and play along.

Paris in July is hosted by Karen and Tamara.

Artist Birthday: Marc Chagall

From today's Writer's Almanac:

It's the birthday of artist Marc Chagall, born in Vitebsk, Russia (1887). He was one of nine kids in a family of modest means; his father worked for a salt herring factory, and his mother ran a shop. He wanted to be an artist, and he moved to St. Petersburg, where he failed his first entrance exams but eventually was accepted to art school. It was in Paris, surrounded by other artists, that he really began to develop his style. Though he was homesick and could not speak French, he later said, "My art needed Paris like a tree needs water." Chagall is known for bright and complex colors, and his fantastical images from Russian-Jewish folklore and his childhood: ghosts, livestock, weddings, fiddlers, scenes of his village Vitebsk, a couple floating in the sky, and fish.

Tuesday Intro: Le Road Trip by Vivian Swift

Last week, we celebrated audiobooks. This week I am reveling in the visual.

Le Road Trip: A Traveler's Journal of Love and France

by Vivian Swift

Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the opening paragraph (sometime two) of a book she decided to read based on the opening paragraph(s). Feel free to grab the banner and play along.

Paris in July is hosted by Karen and Tamara.