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Paris in July 2024 - A Wrap-up

Thanks to host Emma @ Word and Peace we had a fabulous Paris in July this year. Unfortunately, for me, I was rather busy during June and July and could not participate as much as I wanted. Anyway, there were enough participants with various themes on Paris and France. I still have to read some of your posts. I wanted to make a wrap-up of my own participation, and here is what I did achieve in July. There will be a few more reviews from the books I am currently reading.


A Moveable Feast - Only the title referring to Hemingway's take on Paris, but I thought it was a good way of showing you my library-on-the-road.


The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl - a wonderful tale of a girl living a rather strict and boring life and how it changed once she visited Paris.



A Little Bit of France in Sweden - by accident finding a sculpture by Picasso in a small town in Sweden.



Gisèle Freund, photographer - By chance find a documentary on TV about this fascinating woman.


My French dinner - I did manage to create a French six-course meal to celebrate my husband's 65th birthday. It was celebrated with friends. I was so busy with the menu, so I forgot to take photos.



La vie secrète des écrivains by Guillaume Musso - I did manage to read another book. It was not difficult since Musso is one of my favourite thriller authors. Another enigmatic story by him.



Stealing the Mona Lisa - podcast - A few days ago I listened to a podcast from History Extra about the stealing of Mona Lisa. This happened in August 1911 when a handyman walked out of the Louvre with the painting under his arm. Can you imagine that? The author of The Theft of the Mona Lisa Dr. Noah Charney is interviewed in the podcast. Fascinating story, and I would really like to read the book as well.



Still on the agenda

I see I did manage six posts, so not that bad. I just wanted to have had time to read more. However, I am still intend to reading a few books and other cultural things connected to France. Here is (part of) my list before the event, and which I am thinking of pursuing in the near future.


  • Marie Antoinette's Head, The Royal Hairdresser, the Queen and the Revolution by Will Basnor

  • The Billionaire, The Butler, and the Boyfriend is a French docuseries which follows the lift of L'Oreal heiress Lilianne Bettencourt and the scandals around her. How did a conflict between the world's wealthiest woman and her daughter spiral into national scandal? Sounds intriguiging enough. Although it is a series I might go for a French movie as well.

  • Under Paris - In order to save Paris from an international bloodbath, a grieving scientist is forced to face her tragic past when a giant shark appears in the Seine. Not exactly my cup of tea, but I will keep an open mind. Both on Netflix.

  • I am thinking of a biography of Napoleon.

  • French Windows by Antoine Laurain


Thank you so much to Emma for the hard work holding it all together. Always nice and interesting to read participants accounts of Paris/France and to find new acquaintances.


Future reading

What is coming up in the future? I am still thinking of how I could improve and develop my blog, both with content and definitely with design. I don't follow so many challenges anymore, although I love them. They just seem to block my ambition to lower my TBRs. Although Umberto Ecco, who had 50 000 books in his library said:


"It is foolish to think that you have to read all the books you buy, as it is foolish to criticise those who buy more books than they will ever be able to read. It would be like saying that you should use all the cutlery or glasses or screwdrivers or drill bits you bought before buying new ones.

"There are things in life that we need to always have plenty of supplies, even if we will only use a small portion.

"If, for example, we consider books as medicine, we understand that it is good to have many at home rather than a few: when you want to feel better, then you go to the 'medicine closet' and choose a book. Not a random one, but the right book for that moment. That's why you should always have a nutrition choice!

"Those who buy only one book, read only that one and then get rid of it. They simply apply the consumer mentality to books, that is, they consider them a consumer product, a good. Those who love books know that a book is anything but a commodity."


So well put, and I will take it with me next time I worry about my TBR shelves. There are a few favourite challenges coming up in November; Nonfiction November, Novellas in November and German Literary Month. I will have to see if I can follow all of them or just two. Are you following any of these three?


That was my Paris in July wrap-up and a little bit of my future reading plans.


2 Comments


Debbie Nance
Debbie Nance
Aug 16, 2024

I usually do Nonfiction November, but I haven't heard any announcements about the event yet.


I especially liked your post about the six-course dinner you prepared for your husband's birthday. I hope you will do that again next year---but with pictures!

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Guest
Aug 10, 2024

Thanks for all you did during Paris in July. Glad to see you are staying in France for a while more, lol. Emma @ Words And Peace

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