Barbery, Muriel "Une Rose Seule"

Barbery, Muriel "A Single Rose" (French: Une Rose Seule) - 2020

I read Muriel Barbery's "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" and found it truly beautiful.

This book was recommended to me as a lovely, light French book. Well, it was light, but perhaps a bit too long-winded for me. Asian thinking is foreign to me, I'm not a yoga or Zen fan, and I can't empathize with myself as much as is often desired.

The author and her protagonist certainly succeeded in doing this, but it wasn't really comprehensible to me. The first few chapters are all about landscapes, flowers, food and drink, temples, etc. I also couldn't warm to Rose, who only thawed out a bit towards the end.

And although I normally enjoy reading philosophical books, this was a bit too much of a good thing for me, too forced.

A Japanese story, a fairy tale, or a fable, was interspersed between the chapters. I found some of them interesting, while others made me wonder what they had to do with the book.

Well, it was nice to read a French book again, and also a good read for our "Paris in July" challenge, but that was about it.

From the back cover:

"From the bestselling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog comes a story about a woman’s journey, in which she discovers the father she never knew and a love she never thought possible.

Rose has turned forty, but has barely begun to live. When her Japanese father dies and she finds herself an orphan, she leaves France for Kyoto to hear the reading of his will. Paul, her father’s assistant, takes Rose on a mysterious pilgrimage designed by her deceased father. Her bitterness is soothed by the temples, Zen gardens and teahouses, and by her encounters with her father’s friends. As she recognises what she has lost, and as secrets are divulged, Rose learns to accept a part of herself that she has never before acknowledged.

Through her father’s itinerary, he opens his heart posthumously to his daughter, and Rose finds love where she least expects it. This stunning fifth novel from international bestseller Muriel Barbery is a mesmerising story of second chances, of beauty born out of grief."

Top Ten Tuesday ~ ThrowBack Freebie Eiffel Tower ~ Paris in July

"Top Ten Tuesday" is an original feature/weekly meme created on the blog "The Broke and the Bookish". It was created because they are particularly fond of lists. It is now hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl.

Since I am just as fond of them as they are, I jump at the chance to share my lists with them! Have a look at their page, there are lots of other bloggers who share their lists here.

This week's topic is a Freebie

There are so many different topics that I missed but sometimes I can't decide which one to take next. This one was easy because it's July and we have "Paris in July" again.

I doubt I will read many books about Paris this month, so I thought I show you a few books with the Eiffel Tower on the cover. Some of them are originally written in another language but I will give you the English link if it is available.

Broerken, Hella "Paris Walks" (GE: Paris-Spaziergänge) - 2013

Clarke, Stephen "A Year in the Merde" - 2004
- "Merde actually" (aka In the Merde for Love) - 2005

Dorling Kindersley "Eyewitness Guide Paris" - 2020

Lundberg, Sofia "The Red Address Book" (SW: Den röda adressboken) - 2015

MacLeod, Janice "Paris Letters": A Travel Memoir about Art, Writing, and Finding Love in Paris" - 2014 (on my TBR pile, Goodreads)

Orwell, George "Animal Farm" "Down and Out in Paris and London" - 1933

Rutherfurd, Edward "Paris" - 2013

Stein, Gertrude "Paris France" - 1940

Wickert, Ulrich "Everything About Paris" (GE: Alles über Paris) - 2004

Find more information about Paris in July here on Emma's page: Words & Peace.

📚 Happy Reading! 📚 

🥐 Paris in July 2024 🥐

Welcome to another exciting month where we exchange reviews about books we read about Paris. Last year (2023), I posted the books I read where Paris is either the topic or at least part of the read and the books I read about France or the French language and the books I read last year for Paris in July.

I found the challenge at Lisbeth @ The Content Reader. Tamara @ Thyme for Tea has been hosting a Paris in July challenge for eleven years. Then, she hosted together with Deb @ Readerbuzz. In 2022, Emma @ Words and Peace kindly took over as the host and she continues to do so. The picture  at the top is also created by her.

I don't have a lot of energy to participate this year by reading new books about Paris, but I tried to take part through the Paris Bingo. I will try to add books etc. I have not used in any of the Paris in July years before (though it is hard and therefore cannot be entirely avoided).

PARIS in title
Rutherfurd, Edward "Paris" - 2013

FRANCE in title
Stein, Gertrude "Paris France" - 1940

BOOK set in France
Ernaux, Annie "The Years" (FR: Les années) - 2008

MOVIE set in France
Leroux, Gaston "The Phantom of the Opera" (French: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) - 1910

French FOOD
Drinkwater, Carol "The Olive Farm" - 2001

French FASHION
Guiliano, Mireille "French Women Don’t Get Fat" - 2004

French MUSIC
Francis Cabrel "La Corrida"

French FLAG
Hugo, Victor "Les Misérables" (F: Les Misérables) - 1862

French HISTORY (not just French but funny)
Shaw, Karl "Royal Babylon: The Alarming History of European Royalty" - 1999

TRAVELS in France
Mayle, Peter "A Year in Provence" - 1989

PLAY set in France
Ionesco, Eugène "Rhinoceros" (French: Rhinocéros) - 1957

OTHER!
Voltaire "Candide, or Optimism" (F: Candide, ou l'Optimism) - 1757

EIFFEL TOWER
Dorling Kindersley "Eyewitness Guide Paris" and "Top 10 Paris" - 2020

CROISSANT
I haven't read a book that has a croissant on my edition but I found one that has a croissant on the Portuguese one:

Clarke, Stephen "A Year in the Merde" - 2004 - Um Ano Em França

French ART
Chevalier, Tracy "The Lady and the Unicorn" - 2003

French LANGUAGE

Némirovsky, Irène "La Proie" [The Prey] - 1938

I am looking forward to seeing many posts by other Paris enthusiasts.

🥐 Joyeux Juillet 🥐

🇫🇷 Paris in July 2023 - Summary 🇫🇷

Another Paris in July has passed. This year, Emma @ Words and Peace has kindly taken over as the host. She has given us the opportunity to link all our posts concerning the topic and you can find the results here. The picture  at the top is also created by her.

The books I read this month that concern Paris (or France in general) are:

Canetti, Elias "Die Blendung" (Auto-da-Fé) - 1935
Ernaux, Annie "The Years" (FR: Les années) - 2008
Guiliano, Mireille "French Women Don’t Get Fat" - 2004
Orwell, George "Down and Out in Paris and London" - 1933
Wickert, Ulrich "Frankreich muss man lieben, um es zu verstehen" [You have to love France to understand it] - 2017

Films
I haven't watched all of these this year but I thought I add a list of the movies I know that take place in Paris.
"Amélie" w. Audrey Tautou - 2001
"An American in Paris" w. Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron - 1951
"The Aristocats" - Disney - 1970
"Before Sunrise" w. Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy - 1995
"Before Sunset" w. Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy -  2004
"La Boum" (The Party) and "La Boum 2" (The Party 2) w. Sophie Marceau, Claude Brasseur - 1980 + 1982
"Charade" w. Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant - 1963
"The Da Vinci Code" w. Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou - 2006
"Un éléphant ça trompe énormément" (Pardon mon affaire) w. Jean Rochefort, Claude Brasseur - 1976
"L'Etudiante" (The Student) w. Sophie Marceau, Vincent Lindon - 1988
"Forget Paris" w. Billy Crystal, Debra Winger - 1995
"French Kiss" w. Meg Ryan, Kevin Kline - 1995
"Funny Face" w. Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire - 1957
"Gigi" w. Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan - 1958
"Jules et Jim" from François Truffaut w. Jeanne Moreau - 1962
"Madeline" w. Frances McDormand, Nigel Hawthorne - 1998
"Maigret" w. Rowan Atkinson - 2016-17:
"Maigret Sets a Trap"
"Maigret's Dead Man"
"Maigret: Night at the Crossroads"
"Maigret in Montmartre"
"Maigret" w. Michael Gambon (internationally probably most widely known for his role as Professor Dumbledore in the Harrry Potter movies) - 1992-93
"Les Misérables" by Victor Hugo w. Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway - 2012
"Moulin Rouge" w. Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor - 2001
"Paris, je t'aime" w. Juliette Binoche - 2006
"Ratatouille" - Disney/Pixar - 2007
"Sabrina" w. Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart - 1954
"Sabrina" w. Julia Ormond, Harrison Ford - 1995

🇫🇷 Paris in July 2023: Book Giveaways 🇫🇷

As I mentioned in my earlier post (see here), July is with us again and so is Paris in July. This year, Emma @ Words and Peace has kindly taken over as the host. The picture  at the top is also created by her.

Now, she has arranged some interesting giveaways with novels about France, books about French artists, French cooking. The  that are open to all, not just to #parisinjuly2023 participants, so be sure to head over to Emma's page (here) and see whether you can't win one of those books.

🍀 Good Luck! 🍀 Bonne Chance! 🍀

🇫🇷 Paris in July 🇫🇷

July is with us again and so is Paris in July.

Welcome to another exciting month where we exchange reviews about books we read about Paris. Last year (2022), I posted the books I read where Paris is either the topic or at least part of the read and the books I read about France or the French language and the books I read last year for Paris in July.

I found the challenge at Lisbeth @ The Content Reader. Tamara @ Thyme for Tea has been hosting a Paris in July challenge for eleven years. Last year, she hosted together with Deb @ Readerbuzz. This year, Emma @ Words and Peace has kindly taken over as the host. The picture  at the top is also created by her.

In the end, I read two books this year:
Leroux, Gaston "The Phantom of the Opera" (F: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) - 1910
Némirovsky, Irène "La Proie" [The Prey] - 1938

The books about France and/or Paris I read or posted this year, so far, are:
Gray, Martin "For those I loved" (F: Au nom de tous les miens) - 1971
Illies, Florian "1913: The Year before the Storm" (GE: 1913: Der Sommer des Jahrhunderts) - 2012 (not just about France but it does take a big part in the non-fiction book)
Stein, Gertrude "Paris France" - 1940

For this month, my plan is to read:
Orwell, George "Down and Out in Paris and London: A Gritty Memoir on Life & Poverty in Two Cities" - 1933

Two years ago, I mentioned the Maigret series with Rowan Atkinson. Unfortunately, the four episodes they filmed seem to be the only ones, although, who knows, maybe someone convinces the makers that we need more of them.

But, do not despair, I found some older ones that are also quite good, The inspector is played by Michael Gambon here, and there are twelves episodes made in 1992 and 1993. See here. I think I might rewatch all of them, maybe not all in July but over the next couple of months.

If you are looking for more books about France, have a look here.
And for my other Paris in July years, see here.

Also, if you have read an interesting book about Paris or France or a book taking place there, please, let me know. If you have reviewed it, I'd be grateful for a link.

🇫🇷 Joyeux Juillet 🇫🇷

🇫🇷 Paris in July 🇫🇷

July is with us again and so is Paris in July.

Welcome to another exciting month where we exchange reviews about books we read about Paris. Last year, I read three books and posted about the movies I have seen about Paris (see here).

I found the challenge last year at Lisbeth @ The Content Reader. Tamara @ Thyme for Tea has been hosting a Paris in July challenge for eleven years. This year, she hosts together with Deb @ Readerbuzz. She has been posting lovely Paris pictures for the last couple of weeks on her Wordless Wednesdays. Check out her page here.

Before July starts, maybe some of you would like some ideas. Here is a list about all the books I read where Paris is either the topic or at least part of the read.

Barbery, Muriel "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" (F: L’Elégance du hérisson) - 2006
Beauvoir, Simone de "She came to stay" (F: L'invitée) - 1943Broerken, Hella "Paris Walks" (GE: Paris-Spaziergänge) - 2013
Clarke, Stephen "A Year in the Merde" - 2004
- "Merde actually" (aka In the Merde for Love) - 2006
Dickens, Charles "A Tale of Two Cities" - 1859
Doerr, Anthony "All the Light We Cannot See" - 2014 
Gavalda, Anna "Hunting and Gathering" (F: Ensemble c’est tout) - 2006
- "I Wish Someone Were Waiting for Me Somewhere" (F: Je voudrais quelqu’un m’attende quelque part) - 1999 (short stories)
Gopnik, Adam "Paris to the Moon" - 2000
Hugo, Victor "Les Misérables" (F: Les Misérables) - 1862
Mak, Geert "In Europe. Travels Through the Twentieth Century" (NL: In Europa: Reizen door de twintigste eeuw) - 2004
McLain, Paula "The Paris Wife" - 2012
Modiano, Patrick "La Place de l'Étoile" (F: La Place de l'Étoile) - 1968
Némirovsky, Irène "Suite Française" (F: Suite Française) - 2004
Rutherfurd, Edward "Paris" - 2013
Sadler, Michael "An Englishman in Paris" - 2000
Savage Carlson, Natalie "The Family Under the Bridge" - 1958
Schmitt, Éric-Emmanuel "Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran" (F: Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran) - 1999
- "Oscar and the Lady in Pink" (F: Oscar et la dame rose) - 2002
Schwarzer, Alice "My Life" (GE: Lebenslauf) - 2011
Serreau, Coline "Pilgrimage in French" (F: Saint-Jacques... La Mecque/Pilgern auf Französisch) - 2008
Simenon, Georges "Maigret Sets a Trap" (Maigret #48) (F: Maigret tend un piège) - 1958
Slimani, Leïla "Adèle" (F: Dans le jardin de l'ogre) - 2014
Wickert, Ulrich "Everything About Paris" (GE: Alles über Paris) - 2004
Camus, Albert "The First Man" (F: Le premier homme) - 1994

Books I read about France or the French language:
Camus, Albert "The First Man" (F: Le premier homme) - 1994
Conrad, François "Why German Barks and French Purrs" (GE: Warum Deutsch bellt und Französisch schnurrt) - 2021
Delacourt, Grégoire "The List of My Desires/My Wish List" (F: La liste de mes envies) - 2012
Drinkwater, Carol "The Olive Farm" and further Olive Farm Books - 2001-2010
- "The Olive Harvest" - 2006
Dumas, Alexandre "The Count of Monte Cristo" (F: Le comte de Monte-Cristo) - 1844-46
Kennel, Odile "What Ida says" (GE: Was Ida sagt) - 2011
Mayle, Peter "A Year in Provence" - 1998
Philippe, Daniele "My Europe Began in Normandy" (J'avais quinze ans en juin 1944 en Normandie) - 1988
Sand, George "Fadette" (aka Fanchon, the Cricket)) (F: La Petite Fadette) - 1849
Stendhal "The Red and the Black" (F: Le Rouge et le Noir) - 1830
Stevenson, Helen "Instructions for Visitors. Life and Love in a French Town" - 2001

In the end, I read two books this year:
Leroux, Gaston "The Phantom of the Opera" (F: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) - 1910
Némirovsky, Irène "La Proie" [The Prey] - 1938

If you are looking for more books about France, have a look here.
And for my other Paris in July years, see here.

Also, if you have read an interesting book about Paris or France or a book taking place there, please, let me know. If you have reviewed it, I'd be grateful for a link.

🇫🇷 Joyeux Juillet 🇫🇷

Paris in July - Maps

Since we are virtually visiting Paris this month, I've been trying to think about where I would go first. Of course, the Eiffel Tower is one of the first places I could think about (even though it is also closed at the moment due to Corona). But to make better plans where to go on certain days and to see what is in the area, we all need maps. And, for my next visit to this wonderful city, I have put together a list of sites where you can download them for free:

Google
Introducing Paris
Mapz
Paris City Vision
Planative

So, happy travelling, at least in your mind.

More ideas, watch this space and Paris in July.

P.S. The card was made by me, that's one of my other hobbies.

Paris in July

I saw the "Paris in July" challenge the other day on "The Content Reader". "Thyme for Tea" has been hosting a Paris in July challenge for ten years. This is the first time I heard from it. "Brona's Books" also posted about it a couple of days later. If that isn't a sign that I should join, I don't know what is.
Here is the introduction:

    "Paris is alluring for so many reasons - the incredible culinary adventures you can have, its lens into history through its architecture and art museums, its walkability and world-class shopping. There is a lot to see and do in Paris and first-timers can have a hard time fitting it all in.

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

    The aim of the month is, and always has been, to celebrate our French experiences through reading, watching, listening, observing, cooking and eating all things French!

    There are 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 and you can join in! Some ideas 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 (lucky Tamara!)
•    Or anything else French inspired you can think of..."

So, I'm looking forward to a virtual trip to Paris with my friends. Here are my plans:

Books

I searched my TBR pile for books that take place in Paris and found the following (I'm probably not going to be reading all three of them in July but I'll start):
Clarke, Stephen "Merde actually" - 2005
McLain, Paula "The Paris Wife" - 2012
Simenon, Georges "Maigret Sets a Trap" (Maigret tend un piège) (Maigret #48) - 1958

Which reminds me, I should probably review the first French book I ever read. Or re-read it soon:
"Bonjour Tristesse" by Françoise Sagan. (Goodreads)

Films
We have a couple of movies on our shelf that we like to watch again and again, I'll put them in alphabetical order since I can't judge which ones are my favourites. I will probably rewatch the Maigret series with Rowan Atkinson again since I haven't seen them that often:
"La Boum" (The Party) and "La Boum 2" (The Party 2) w. Sophie Marceau and Claude Brasseur
"Charade" w. Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant
"Un éléphant ça trompe énormément" (Pardon mon affaire) w. Jean Rochefort and Claude Brasseur
"L'Etudiante" (The Student) w. Sophie Marceau and Vincent Lindon
"French Kiss" w. Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline
"Funny Face" w. Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire
"Gigi" w. Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier and Louis Jourdan
"Maigret" w. Rowan Atkinson:
"Maigret Sets a Trap"
"Maigret's Dead Man"
"Maigret: Night at the Crossroads"
"Maigret in Montmartre"

Music
One of my favourite French singers is Jacques Brel. I know, he's not French but he's lived there for a long time. I also love Georges Moustaki and several other singers from that genre and time. So, I'll probably get out my old CDs and listen to them during the month.

Art
Monet is one of my favourite artists, so I'll check out my art books and souvenirs I brought home from several visits to museums and Monet exhibitions.

If you are looking for more books about France, have a look here.

My Paris in July posts this year:
Eyewitness Guide Paris
Maps

Books:
de Brunhoff, Jean "The Story of Babar" (Histoire de Babar le petit éléphant) - 1934
Simenon, Georges "Maigret Sets a Trap" (Maigret #48) (Maigret tend un piège) - 1958
McLain, Paula "The Paris Wife" - 2012
Clarke, Stephen "Merde actually" - 2005

And for my other Paris in July years, see here.

🇫🇷 Paris in July 2022 🇫🇷