Paris in July - Week 1 Wrap Up

I can't believe the first week of Paris in July is already over! Time flies when you are having fun...
I have finished my re-read of Chocolat (review post to come this week) and have started reading the sequel The Lollipop Shoes which I have to say is a very different book to the first.
I'm really looking forward to reading about and seeing what everyone else has been up to this week so please add all your Paris in July related post links in the comments section below this post so that we can all follow along. Please forgive me for no adding a Mr Linky but my computer skills have abandoned me and although I know it should be easy to work out my brain is just not functioning so well today!!
Remember, it is never too late to join in the fun so please go to the introduction post here if you would like to add your name to the Paris in July 2012 event.
Tamara will be wrapping up Week 2 so head over to her blog, Thyme for Tea at the end of this week to see what Paris/French related fun has gone on this week.
Happy Paris in July everyone!!

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky - Simon Mawer

Mawer’s book, The Glass Room, was a complete winner for me when I read it in 2009 so I had no hesitations in picking up his new book, The Girl Who Fell From the Sky. Even though I finished the book at the end of last month I am going to cheat a little and include it in my Paris in July reading list as so much of the book took place in Paris and rural France.

I can’t say that I found The Girl Who Fell From the Sky quite as captivating and original as The Glass Room but it was still a wonderful read.

The book is set during WW2, the main character Marian Sutro is a young half British/half French woman working for a war department in London when she approached by a secret agency to train for undercover work in France. It all seems a little surreal and convenient the way she is recruited but I guess that is how things were done?? I would like to read some actual accounts from women who had worked in these sorts of positions and agencies during war time to compare - although I am sure Mawer did his research. As well as her role as an undercover agent there is very much a personal side to Marian’s story as her arrival in Paris during the German occupation brings her into direct contact with a past family friend and potential lover, Clement.
There are all the elements of a traditional spy story here with undercover missions, double agents and a feeling on behalf of the reader that we are never really quite sure who’s side everyone is on. But there is also very much the coming of age story of Marian.

Beautiful, tight prose keep the story moving and although this book didn’t hold the same magic as The Glass Room for me it was still a fantastic story with characters to cling to.

Welcome to Paris in July!

Welcome everyone to the start of our Paris in July event for 2012! If you haven't already, head over to this post and add your name to the Mr Linky list for the event, and if you would like to know more about what Paris in July is all about, head over to this post. We try to make everything simple and easy for those wanting to get involved - no targets, no restrictions really - just bring your love of Paris and France and join in! Tamara has already got us started with a post about prize winning French literature which might give you some ideas if you are still looking for books to add to your lists.
I have been looking through my shelves trying to put a reading plan together for the month.
I am starting out with a re-read of one of my favourite novels ever, Chocolat by Joanne Harris and I then plan to move onto the other 2 books in the trilogy, The Lollipop Shoes and the newly released, Peaches For Monsieur le Cure.

I also have plenty of non-fiction books available to dip into during the month as well as a little Sartre in the form of The Age of Reason.

I'm thinking these will probably keep me going for the month but I'm sure I will get diverted when I start reading everyone elses posts...
I will try to do some more blogging in amongst my reading this week but I will definitely be back on Sunday to put up a wrap up post for the week and create a new Mr Linky for you to add your weekly posts to.
Happy Paris in July everyone!

What is it about Paris...

As we move closer and closer to the start of Paris in July it looks like we have about 40 bloggers joining us for the event this year which is fantastic. It is never too late to join in the fun just head to this post and add your name to the Mr Linky post page. We will be adding other Mr Linky pages or comments pages to our weekly wrap up posts for your reviews/writings from that week.
I have been doing some thinking about what I would like to read and watch during this years Paris in July event but I have also been thinking a lot about Paris itself - and what exactly is it about this city that captures the imagination of so many of us...
Unlike my co-host Tamara (who was lucky enough to be in France this time last year) I have only been to Paris once - but it was a trip I remember with great fondness and I can't wait to re-visit there (hopefully one day soon). Before my first visit to Paris I have to admit I wasn't one of those people who dreamt about the city of lights constantly (Italy actually holds that place in my heart) but after seeing the city for the first time I can definitely say I feel in love. I have been looking back over my travel journal from our trip trying to recapture those first impressions;

The majority of the day spent in airports, planes and buses but it was definitely all worth it when our bus took us through the city of Paris to our hotel. The trip from the airport took over 2 hours but I didn't care - every turn saw a more beautiful street or building or famous site come into view. It felt like something out of a novel - stunning! Even more amazing than I had dreamt it would be. I can't wait to explore further. I can already tell I will not want to leave...

And I didn't, when our time to leave Paris came only a few short days later I was devastated - that's the way Paris captures you I think.

What are some of your favourite memories or dreams of Paris - and how is Paris in July going to help you re-live them in some way? I would love to hear your thoughts...





The Hare with Amber Eyes - Edmund de Waal

The Hare with Amber Eyes is one of those books I have been hearing/reading/seeing lots of little tid bits about but I hadn't actually read a comprehensive review of the book when I picked it up for myself. After finishing it I can imagine it being one of those books that you either fall in love with - or you don't. I am definitely in the "fallen" category!
The Hare with Amber Eyes is the story of a collection of netsuke - small, ornamental Japanese carvings which were originally collected by a member of the author's family in Paris in the 1800's. The book tells the story of how the netsuke collection were handed down among the generations of the family until the author himself came across them in the home of his great uncle in Tokyo in the 1960's. I actually first thought the premise of the book sounded a little dull - how much story could there really be behind a collection of figurines??  It turns out - quite a big one. de Waal writes beautifully about the history of his family during two world wars, Hitler's rise to power and the persecution of the Jewish people and how the family hangs on to the netsuke, a final symbol of their wealth and prosperity. The geographic range of the story helps to make the book even more captivating as you are taken through Paris, Vienna and Tokyo.
The beginning and ending are definitely the strongest parts of the book and although some of the middle bits sagged a little for me I was still hooked by this story and the way in which it was told.

Paris Memories

Paris in July has given me the opportunity to reflect on my one and only trip (so far!) to Paris in 2009. To say I fell in love with the city at first sight is an over used cliche I know - but it is oh so true! I was completely blown away by the architecture, the style, the food, the art - even the light seemed amazing in Paris. I actually cried when we had to leave after four days (even though we were going to London - another one of my favourite places in the world). My trip to Paris helped to open up a whole new world of literature for me as well - I had never really been interested in French literature before my trip but I find myself drawn to it now - and even though my knowledge of the language is virtually non existent I feel that my knowledge of the history and culture is growing all the time with my reading.

So, I will be using this time during Paris in July to remember my first time in Paris but also to discover new ways of experiencing the French capital from my eastern Australian home.

The Paris Wife - Paula McLain

I did not know much about Ernest Hemingway apart from the legends and I have never read any of his books so I came to The Paris Wife with a little bit of a blank slate - although I have to say my feminist ideals soon kicked in!

The Paris Wife is a fictionalised account of Hemingway's relationship with his first wife, Hadley Richardson whom he met in the United States as a young man and ended up moving to Paris with soon after their marriage.

The book is told mainly from the perspective of Hadley although there are a few small sections where Hemingway's voice speaks for himself.

Ernest and Hadley move to Paris in the early 1920's - the "Jazz Age" and they meet and befriend people such as Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. Hemingway's obsession with his writing is evident from early on but it soon starts to intrude heavily on the marriage and we are able to see how it might have been for an intelligent, independent woman such as Hadley - as her wishes and needs always seemed to come second to the great author (although at that stage Hemingway was still establishing himself as the writer he would come to be known as).

I really enjoyed this book - I thought it was told in a way that captured my attention and kept it - it wasn't a book I wanted to be away from for long. And although my compassion tends to lean all the way in Hadley's direction in regards to the relationship between herself and Ernest I am very interested now in finding some of his novels and reading them for myself.

Lovely New Things

It has been a while since I have posted about new books and lovely things coming into the BookBath world - but that doesn't mean that they haven't been coming in. My book buying has been pretty constant over the past few weeks - I just keep hearing about wonderful books! So, this might be the first post of quite a few...

The photo above shows three books that have come home with me recently, From top to bottom:

Beautiful Malice - Rebecca James; This book has been getting quite a bit of publicity in Australia recently - mainly due to the large amount that the author received for this, her first book, to be published. The book itself has also been getting some great reviews and not only does the author currently live in my town of origin but I am hoping to hear her speak at the upcoming Sydney Writer's Festival.

Living Oprah - Robyn Okrant; I read about this one in a local newspaper article and thought it sounded really interesting (if a little crazy!). The author spends a year following every piece of advice and using every product advocated by Oprah Winfrey.

Talking About Jane Austen in Baghdad - Bee Rowlatt & May Witwit; The words "Jane Austen" in the title were what first caught my attention but then the description of the book made me actually buy it. It is the story - through letters and emails of May, an Iraqui lecturer living in Baghdad and Bee a journalist and a mum living in London and the relationship they develop while sharing with each other the stories of their lives.

The photos above also show my passion for all things Paris continuing. My partner brought me the perfume when he came back from his recent trip to Noumea and I found the gorgeous book, Paris Secrets - Janelle McCulloch - in one of our local independent bookstores.

The book is currently sitting on our coffee table and I am loving browsing through it's beautiful photos...

Chéri

I recently watched the film version of Chéri starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Rupert Friend. This was another movie that I meant to go and see at the cinema but I just missed it so I have had to wait for it to be released on DVD.

Visually this movie is stunning - the costumes and the sets and locations especially so. But I have to say the visuals were the best thing about the movie for me. I thought Pfeiffer and Friend were great in their roles as the courtesan Léa and young Chéri but something about the whole thing together just didn't gel for me.

I did love the story though and I am now very keen to read Colette's novel which the movie was based on. Luckily I have a gorgeous Vintage Classics Edition of the book waiting on my shelves.

Has anyone read this, or any other Colette books that they would recommend?

The Legacy - Kirsten Tranter

Don't you hate it when you read a fantastic book and it is the author's only or first novel?? All you want to do is go straight out and pick up another book by the same author to keep the magic going but you just can't!! It drives my reading mind mad! This is the exact feeling I had after finishing The Legacy.

I picked this book up a couple of weeks ago based on the wonderful cover which caught my attention and a combination of the description of the book and the praise on the book from another author I have enjoyed reading, Debra Adelaide. I was then pleased to see some really positive reviews about the book in our local media. But even with all of this I was not prepared for how much I would love this book and the writing displayed by Tranter.

The description of the book focuses on the character of Ingrid, a beautiful young Australian woman who moves to New York after marrying her art collector/businessman American husband, Gil Grey. From this description I was expecting Ingrid to be the real focus of the book - and she is in many ways - but the main character focus for me was Ingrid's friend, and the narrator of the book, Julia. Julia and Ingrid are introduced through Ingrid's cousin and Julia's friend, Ralph and the three become close friends during their university studies in Sydney.

The main action in the book takes place after September 11, 2001 when Ingrid is believed killed in the World Trade Tower attacks and Julia travels to New York a year after this event to discover more about the life Ingrid was leading once she had moved from Australia to marry and become a step mother to a child prodigy artist.

I found the writing and character development in this book brilliant. Tranter seems to move the plot and the characters without you really being aware of it as a reader - you just suddenly realise what has happened and the transition has been so smooth you were oblivious in a way. To me this is a sign of a great writer - I become so immersed in the world of the story I don't notice what the writer is trying to do - the action is seamless. The worlds of Sydney, New York and Paris were also beautifully written and described - the cities were clearly characters themselves and contributed so much to the way the human characters developed.

The characters felt solid and believable - they were rounded and full of flaws which always makes for a great story. The story itself could be read on so many different levels I think - for me it was a mystery, a love story, a narrative on the role that art, friendship and family play in our lives and a story of grief and loss but also hope.

I absolutely loved the experience of reading this book - I just hope Tranter is already writing her second!

I Love Macarons - and other pretty things...

I am being fairly strong in my resolution not to buy any new books at the moment but this book - I Love Macarons (which was on sale I must say!) did hook me in. After our trip to the gorgeous Laduree in Paris I am now a macaron advocate - I'm not so sure that I will be able to re-create anything as yummy and beautiful as what we sampled at Laduree but I will give it a go! The reviews for the book on Amazon seem to indicate that the look of the book may be more impressive than the cooking instructions but we will see...

I also picked up a copy of the December issue of British Vogue (yes, we are a bit behind with our international magazines here in Australia!). The cover was just too gorgeous to leave on the shelf I thought and I love reading magazines from the UK - I like to pretend that I am living there!

Coveting...

I just read about this one today and am longing for it already!

Holiday Books - Belated!

I have been very slack in sharing with you the books I picked up while we were travelling in September. So, not including Her Fearful Symmetry and Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day which I have already blogged about, from the bottom of the pile to the top these are the books I bought while away:

The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte - Syrie James, I really enjoyed her first book - The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen so I thought I would give this one a go (I have to admit that I have started it already but just couldn't get into it at this stage unfortunately).

Good Evening Mrs Craven: The Wartime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes - my other Persephone selection - I could have come home with so many more of these!

The Brontes Went To Woolworths - Rachel Ferguson, I just love this title and I have heard so many of you say great things about this one.

Dubliners - James Joyce, I have not read any of Joyce before but I heard a lot about him when we were in Ireland so I really wanted to give one of his books a go.

Chic Shopping Paris - Rebecca Perry Magniant, Just too cute to leave on the shelf really!

Almost French - Sarah Turnbull

Continuing my new obsession with all things Paris I recently finished re-reading Almost French by Sarah Turnbull. In a nutshell the book is the memoir of an Australian journalist who meets a French man while travelling in Europe and ends up moving to Paris to live with him and continue their relationship together.

I had read the book when it first came out a few years ago and I remember enjoying it then even though I had never been to Paris (or even overseas at all) at that time. I have always loved to read stories by people who have picked up their whole life and moved to another country for adventures - it is a not so secret dream of mine to do the same one day and has been since I was young. My friends had photos of pop stars and actors on their walls and I had photos of my far away dream destinations such as New York and Rome.

So, Almost French was a book I was always going to be drawn to - although I think I enjoyed reading it even more the second time after having now been to Paris (however briefly!) myself.

The author is taking a year off from her job with a television station in Australia to travel around Europe and think about where she would like to head next in her career - and life in general. Then she meets Frederic and her plans are pretty much decided for her - the initial spark they feel for each other turns into something more and Sarah moves to Paris to live with him and start a life there. The unique "Aussieness" of the author is a positive in this book for me - I felt I could connect with her stories about home and how different Paris was to her hometown of Sydney in so many ways - and how that impacted on her transition to living and working in the French capital - but also about how she was able to fall in love with her new home:

I used to marvel at Sydney Harbour too, whenever I saw it. Sparkling blue carves the city with coves and inlets; it's a wonder of nature. But somehow in Paris the feeling of being awe-struck is even stronger. Perhaps because it is still relatively new to me or perhaps because it somehow seems preposterous that such beauty could be created by people. The city is a testament to civilisation. Of course, I know from the last year that living in a gorgeous environment isn't enough to make you happy. But breathtaking beauty of any kind is moving. It makes tourists of us all. It anchors your heart to a place. Just like Sydney Harbour, the wonderful sights of Paris inspire emotion, yes, even love.

Sarah talks about the different aspects of her life that she now has to re-learn in the French way, working, dinner parties, pets, fashion and families and relationships to name a few. I really enjoyed this book as an insight into one Australian woman's experience of Paris and the life she created there.

Lovesong - Alex Miller

I am ashamed to say that I have not read any of Australian author Alex Miller's work before - I'm not sure why really. I have certainly heard of him and his work before now but they never seemed to jump out at me. When I saw Lovesong though it's beautiful cover did jump out at me.

Lovesong is the story of a story - or several stories. Melbourne based author, Ken, has just returned from an extended trip to Venice after the release of his most recent novel - a novel he has decided will be his last. He returns home to the house he shares with his adult daughter, Clare, wondering where his life will take him now. Ken then meets John, his wife Sabiha and their young daughter, Houria, who have opened a bakery near to his home. Ken starts up a tentative friendship with John who tells him about his story with Sabiha - how they met in Paris at Sabiha's aunt's Tunisian cafe, Chez Dom and how they built a life and a relationship together there. There is a lot of pain and tragedy to their story - I was completely absorbed in this - it felt real and honest and even though it had the potential to be quite melodramatic this didn't happen.

The structure of the novel sounds so simple but it is really quite complex as Ken retells John's story that has been told to him and we see John and Sabiha's relationship through both of their eyes and perspectives.

I will certainly be looking out for more of Alex Miller's work after reading this one - a beautiful story teller.

True Pleasures - A Memoir of Women in Paris - Lucinda Holdforth

I started reading True Pleasures - A Memoir of Women in Paris before we left for our trip in September and have only just finished it now so my reading has been a little disjointed - but fortunately I think this is the sort of book that lends itself to the "dipping" style of reading.

The Australian author of the book has reached a crossroads in her life - feeling unsatisfied with her career and feeling like there must be "something more" she heads to Paris to spend 3 weeks researching and reflecting on the lives of influential women who have connected with and impacted on that city in some way:

Through this strange period of reading and working and contemplating their past and my future, the women of Paris - wild, noble, brave, bad, strong, foolish - came to represent important things to me: the grand scale that an individual can achieve; the beautiful arc that a finished life can describe; the radiant, limitless scope of female potentiality.

And I found that the individual stories of these women's lives did not exist in isolation, but connected across time and space, like threads in the grand narrative tapestry that is the story of Paris itself.

Holdforth divides the book into chapters with each focusing on a particular woman relevant to the story of Paris - and women whose stories are interconnected with that of Paris. Women such as Colette, Nancy Mitford, Edith Wharton, Coco Chanel, George Sand and Madame de Pompadour are all explored in greater or lesser detail as well as many others.

I must admit I was drawn to this book mainly because I was about to go to Paris for the first time and I was hungry to consume as much reading material as I could about this city before I arrived there - but I an actually glad that I finished this book after coming back from my trip - it somehow meant more to me being able to have images in my mind of some of the places the author describes.

I really enjoyed the way the author talks about her own history with Paris - as well as her history in Australia - for me this provided a great context for her story and why she was on this crusade to discover more about the women of Paris's history and what drove them. However, I am able to see that some of her narrative may be confusing and boring for non-Australian readers. As an Aussie girl I didn't have that problem though and I enjoyed reading Holdforth's comparisons of the two cultures:

In Australia we do girls very well: young, fresh, ignorant, sexy girls. Not that I was one of them. I was pale and bookish and wore black tights in winter and secondhand sixties' frocks in summer. In France they like women, grown-up women. Ellen once said to me that the French don't consider a women starts to become interesting until she is thirty-five years old.

And with my 35th Birthday approaching I am starting to realise why I connected with Paris so well...

I found the stories of the individual women interesting and the little snippets that Holdforth has put into her book have only made me want to go out and read more about each of them. I found the book a great combination of history and fact and personal reflection and thought:

If Paris is a feast, then I'm still hungry. I haven't yet had my fill: in fact, I doubt I will ever be sated. That's why I'll just have to keep coming back.

I couldn't agree more.

Love At First Sight...

Unlike many others Paris has never been my dream destination - Italy did have that place taken - but since laying eyes on Paris for the first time in our recent trip I might have to do some re-thinking. As soon as we entered the city I fell in love - the history, the architecture, the streets, the people, the clothes, the patisseries! I was totally enchanted by everything I saw and experienced - can't wait to go back.
I am now really keen to read more about the city - both fiction and non-fiction - so if people have any recommendations please, please let me know!

Home Again

Back at home following our amazing 4 weeks away. Sometimes it feels like we have been gone for ages and at other times (like returning to work!) it feels like we have never left.

I think my body and mind are still trying to work out which time zone they are in but I am really looking forward to catching up on reading all of your blogging from my time away - I feel so out of the blogging loop right now but hopefully I will catch up soon. Please let me know if you think there is something in particular I should track down to read - and any great reading recommendations from your own reading over the past month - I can never have too many recommendations!

I'll also get around to letting you know what I have been reading while I was away - and the books I picked up on my trip (all I can say is that I am glad that Emirates had a 30kg allowance for checked in luggage!!).

I'm also looking forward to sharing some of my favourite moments and memories from my trip - when I get them all worked out in my own head! But for now I'll leave you with this photo at the top of my post - from the balcony of our hotel room in Paris. Ahh Paris!

Buying A Piece Of Paris - Ellie Nielsen

I'm keeping up my reading of books that are helping to get me in the mood (not that I really need any extra assistance for that!) for our upcoming trip.

Buying A Piece Of Paris caught my eye with its cute cover but I'm afraid that was about the only thing I truly enjoyed about this book.

As the title of the book suggests, the Australian author is telling the story of her experience of buying an apartment in Paris with her husband and young son. I was prepared for some details of the practicalities and realities of this experience but I wasn't prepared for EVERY detail to be shared and gone over in such a painstaking way. I would have liked to have heard more about the background to the story - why was the author so intent on buying an apartment in Paris? Why did it mean so much to her? The author does touch on these things but not enough to make the book feel like it has any real substance or heart to it for me.

If you are planning on buying a place to live in Paris this book may be helpful in terms of hearing about another persons experience but for me just wanting to connect with the author and her story it really didn't do it for me unfortunately.

The Flâneur - Edmund White

As we continue to prepare for our trip overseas (less than 2 months to go now!) I am seeking out books about the places we are visiting. I have actually had The Flâneur on my shelves for a while now but it jumped out at me last night when I was looking for something to help get me focused on our trip. In one respect I am a little sad about our time in Paris as we only have 3 nights there and all that I am reading and taking in is making me want to cancel every other part of our trip and just stay there for the whole time! However, I also know I am very lucky to be going there at all so I will take my 3 nights and be happy!

In The Flâneur: A Stroll Through The Paradoxes of Paris, Edmund White takes us to his "secret" Paris - the parts of the city and that stories from its history that may not always be mentioned in mainstream guidebooks.

White introduces the concept of the flâneur as "a stroller, a loiterer, someone who ambles without apparent purpose but is secretly attuned to the history of the streets he walks". With only 3 nights in Paris I am not sure how much "flâneur" behaviour I will be able to indulge in - but I would like to think I could give it a try!

Now my knowledge of French history, people and language is very limited, some would say non existent (especially regarding the language) so I am sure that some of what White writes about goes above and beyond me. Having said that though I really enjoyed this book and the journey through Paris that it takes you on. White has divided the book into 6 chapters each one focusing on an element of the city and its history that White has found significant to his experience of Paris and its people. There is a chapter on the multicultural society of the city, gay Paris, Jewish Paris, the royalist tradition and the writers and artists that have called Paris home. There is also a really comprehensive section at the end of the book suggesting further reading in each of these areas.