Farewell Paris for another year...

So July has come to an end and as such so has our month long journey to Paris and all things French. I would like to apologise for my absence from the blog over the course of July, efforts of returning to work and planning a party for my ever energetic now 1 year old took its toll on my blogging time - much more so than I anticipated. As I have mentioned in other posts since Baby BookBath's birth - I really seriously underestimated just how much of an impact she would have on my life and I am most definitely still in that period of adjustment - not sure how long that will go on for... But I would like to thank each and every one of you for joining in our event - I hope much French inspired fun was had by you all! I also want to say a huge thank you to my co-host Tamara for taking over all of the organising in my absence - as usual a wonderful job T!
I think Tamara and I will be planning a trip to this gorgeous French Lounge in our area soon to celebrate...
And finally, a photo to show you my main reason for blogging slackness - I'm sure you will all agree - a face that is hard to resist...

Paris in July Week 1



Hello fellow Paris travellers! How has week one in France been for you?
I have to say my mind has been swaying all over the place this week and I can't seem to nail myself down to just one book or piece of music or art - I just keep jumping from one to another! But more about that in a separate post...
I will add a Mr Linky below so you can add the links for your Week 1 posts - so looking forward to travelling around to see what everyone has been up to.

Settling into Paris...

I have to admit that Paris in July has sort of hit me from out of the blue this year! I mean, I knew it was coming up and Tamara and I have spent time talking about how we would like to run the event this year but I think time in general just feels like it is moving too fast for me at the moment!
So, I was a little caught off guard on Monday when it came time to choose a Paris themed book to dive into. Luckily my shelves are well stocked...



I have started reading My Life in France by Julia Child and although I am only a little way into it I am loving her enthusiasm for all things French, particularly the food, and am enjoying being taken into another place and time with her memories of her time in Paris post WW2.



A trip to the library this afternoon also enabled me to pick up another book that I have been wanting to read for a long time - Tete-a-Tete: Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre by Hazel Rowley. I fear this may be a little heavy going but I am so intrigued by both of these amazing people that I want to give it a go.

How about everyone else - what is helping take you to Paris this week?

It's off to Paris we go...



Paris in July 2013 officially kicks off tomorrow - Monday 1st July. Thank you to all of you who have already signed up to the event either through Tamara's blog or through my post here.

 It is never too late to join in so please add your name to the Mr Linky page attached to the end of this post or head over to Tamara's blog and leave your name in the comments section in one of her Paris in July posts. I have had some very helpful suggestions about what I am doing wrong with Mr Linky and why all of our names are not appearing at the end of the post so I will work on having this fixed for my first wrap up post at the end of the week.
I will be posting wrap up posts here at BookBath on Sunday 7th and 21st July while Tamara will be writing the wrap ups on Sunday 14th and 28th July at Thyme for Tea. We will also be posting final wrap ups at the end of the month to cap off our event.

Heading into July has been a very busy time for me - Baby Bookbath will turn 1 at the end of the month and I am busily trying to plan a special party for her as well as heading back to my "day job" as a social worker in the mental health field. Despite this busyness I have been eagerly awaiting the start of July so that I can spend some down time travelling within the beauty of Paris. I am looking forward to sharing this journey with you all and look forward to seeing what you are all reading, watching and listening to as we head off to Paris this week...

Sign up for Paris in July

In just over a week Tamara and I will be hosting a trip to Paris and we would love for you to join us.
I am going to attempt to make a 'Mr Linky' link at the bottom of this post so if you are joining us for Paris in July please add your name and the name of your blog if you have one here.
If you have any problems with the Mr Linky please leave me a comment on this post and I will see what I can do.
Looking forward to heading to Paris with you all!

Packing for Paris...

I have been spending some time thinking about what I will bring along with me on our Paris in July jaunt coming up very soon.
I have some gorgeous Paris/French related books on my shelves that I haven't had a chance to get to as yet so I would like to make time for some of those, especially these two:

 

The Extraordinary Theory of Objects: A Memoir of and Outsider in Paris

by Stephanie Lacava

 

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

by Vivian Swift

 

 

 

 

And I think my Paris in July treat to myself will be the new Carla Bruni album...

 

 





 

 

I would also love to dive into a really good French novel - any thoughts on what I could read???

 

Looking forward to boarding our Paris bound jet plane in July...



Paris in July buttons

I have spent some time over the weekend being creative (well, as creative as I get!) and have put together some buttons for you to add to your blogs for our upcoming Paris in July event. Please feel free to use as many as you like - just remember to link back to BookBath or Thyme for Tea
I will write an introduction post soon where you can add your name to Mr Linky if you are going to join us on our French trip. In the meantime please leave a comment on this post if you are interested in being one of our guest bloggers for the month - you can choose the topic for your post - as long as it is something Paris or French themed!
Looking forward to July!

It's almost Paris time...

 

Although things have been a little quiet around BookBath of late there is one event that is sure to bring me out of blogging exile - Tamara from Thyme for Tea and myself are once again looking forward to co-hosting Paris in July, a month purely dedicated to reading, watching, eating, listening to and enjoying all things French.

This will be the fourth year that Paris in July has been running and Tamara and I are excited to be once again embarking on our virtual trip to Paris with you all.

The event will run from the 1^st – 31^st July and as always there will be no rules or targets in terms of how much you need to do or complete in order to be a part - just blog about anything French and you can join in. Some ideas for the month might include:

- Reading a French book - fiction or non-fiction

- Watching a French movie

- Listening to French music

- Cooking French food

- Experiencing French art, architecture or travel (or remembering travel experiences

- Or anything else French inspired you can think of...

Tamara and I will be writing weekly wrap up posts throughout the month as well as contributing our own Paris inspired musings. As in past years there will be French themed prizes to be given out to some lucky participants too.

We are also be looking to add another element to Paris in July this year by including special guest posts on our own blogs – if anyone is interested in being an official “Paris in July Guest Blogger” please leave a comment with your blog/contact details on this post and give us some indication of what you might like to write about in your post.

Stay tuned for more details and Paris in July 2013 buttons to pop onto your blogs.

 

Hoping that you will be joining us in Paris this year!

Change is coming...

 

 

 

The past year has been a time of massive change for me, the birth of the delicious Baby Bookbath (who is just about 6 months old now) and the accompanying change from full time social worker to full time/over time mother, the death of my beloved fluffy boy Ewok, the massive restructuring (and sometimes loss) of my reading life and in the next couple of weeks a physical move from our home of the last 10 years to a new house - a very exciting and needed move but a time of sadness too.

In all of this change, re-structuring, loss, challenge, happiness and love my blogging has ultimately taken a back seat - not through choice but through practicality and logistics. I often haven't had the physical time to even turn on the computer - or if there has been that moment of time I have not had the emotional or mental energy to think about formulating a post.

I have missed my blogging. I have missed that connection with other readers and bloggers who share similar interests and passions and I have missed the debate and communication that occurs over differing tastes and opinions. I have missed having the time and space to read and read and then read some more - enjoying the reading for itself but also the thoughts that swirl as I read about how I will interpret this experience through my blogging. Mostly I have missed the people - so many of you have helped to shape by current reading/bookish experiences and have challenged me to be a wider, more open, more adventurous, better reader.

So, I am making a re-commitment to BookBath - but with a twist. I'm not sure that BookBath can continue in its current form. My world has changed and I feel that my blog, as an online interpretation and expression of that world, has to change too. There will still be books - how could there not be??!! But I feel other aspects of my life will also come into play - my hope is that this will once again open up this space and become inviting not only for me - but for all of you as well!

I'm not completely sure yet what this new blog vision will look like - but I am looking forward to discovering it. I'm hoping you will stick around for the journey, wherever it takes us...