June 30, 2018

Paris in July

It's that time of year! I rarely take part in any book challenges anymore, but Paris in July is one I still enjoy, whether I contribute to the group postings or simply read from my collection during the month of July. Here's what I've selected for this year's event. 


Paris in July 2018

It's a less ambition stack compared to previous years, but as you will see there are a few holdovers from 2012 that I hope to finally read this month. Now to decide which one to begin with.


2012 Paris in July Challenge

Paris in July is hosted by Tamara at Thyme and Tea. The challenge is a French themed blogging experience running from the 1st – 31st July this year.

The aim of the month is to celebrate our French experiences through actual visits, or 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 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
For more instructions how to share your posts go to Thyme for Tea.

29 comments:

  1. I love books set in France. Have fun!

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    1. Thanks, Kathy. We'll see how many I actually read. ;)

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  2. I liked Little French Bistro, and I have enjoyed Peter Mayle’s books very much. You have a lovely stack (from both pictures!), and they encourage me to peruse my own. This is a great challenge. xoxo

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    1. I always enjoy putting together lists (and photos of book stacks) of the books I'd love to read, but I'm usually far too ambitious with my goals. I'm averaging about 1-2 books a month, so we'll see how many of these I actually read. I've read a couple of Peter Mayle's books, but that was many, many years ago. Good to know you liked Little French Bistro. I think it's one that opinions have been divided.

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    2. Sometimes, the right book comes at the right time; while I found it a bit light, I needed light. In fact, as I consider my reading, it's become more of a challenge and less of a pleasure. I enjoy these books in translation very much, but they often have such dark subject matter, or require extra concentration which even then is not necessarily sufficient enough to guarantee I'm grasping what I ought. It's time to simmer down, read more for pleasure, get some monkeys off my back. Did I tell you I've stopped coloring my hair?😳

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    3. Yes to reading more for pleasure!! I'm reading Rules of Civility and absolutely loving it. Have you read it?

      You probably won't be surprised to learn that I've stopped highlighting my hair. :) We'll see how it looks after next winter when it's had a chance to grow out and I'm not in the sunshine as much.

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    4. I haven't read Rules of Civility, but you know how much I loved Gentleman in Moscow. I'll try Rules sometime soon, as I don't have to go back to work in the fall!

      You will have beautiful highlights naturally from your time outside. I'm so white around my face I had to have a dose of lowlights to help with the outgrowth. But, at least i'm not in a dye every four week situation. Trust me to turn a book blog into a "beauty" issue. Sorry. ;)

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    5. Can you hear me saying, "Amen, sista," from the sidelines? I'm all about reading for pleasure this summer. And I also stopped coloring my hair.

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    6. I'm so glad you are joining in, btw. It's an ideal challenge, I think; we read what we want.

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    7. There must be something about retirement that made us all think it wasn't necessary to keep coloring our hair! :)

      Yes, Deb. This is an ideal summer challenge. I'm hoping to finish my current book (set in NYC) and begin my Paris reads!

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    8. Yes, it must be retirement!

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  3. Les, welcome to Paris in July 2018. Im envious of your reading list and will look forward to your reviews. Im also feeling a little nostalgic for real books. As I spend alot of my time traveling for work, i do everything on digital devices.. i might just have to find a hard copy to ready this month.

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    1. Thanks, Tamara! I've participated unofficially on and off over the years, but hope to share more this year (even though I'm still reviewing books from 2017!). Ah, I love real books. I have several ebooks on my Nook, but always forget about them. Too many unread "real" books on my shelves still that are calling to me. :) Thanks for hosting the event!

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  4. Your list looks quite achievable to me. I’ve read three of your five, and they are quite easy reading.
    I like the Luke Barr, the Julia Child, and the Judith Jones.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. Mae, we'll see. I'm slowing down with regards to my reading now that we're traveling so much. I think I'll start with the Judith Jones book since it's been in my stacks the longest. Glad to hear they're all quite easy reading.

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  5. This sounds like one I might like to participate in!

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    1. Pam, I've been to England and Germany, but never France. I figure this is the next best thing! Hope you join in. I'd love to see what you read. Or cook! :)

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  6. I can recommend My Life in France - it makes a good double act with the movie Julie and Julia :-)

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    1. Thanks for the recommendations, Brona Joy! I've had My Life in France on my shelf for YEARS. I'm eager to re-watch Julie & Julia. It's such a great movie. I watched it after reading the book, which was also very good. Thanks for stopping by.

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  7. Nice variety of challenges. Looking forward to exchange views.

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    1. Thank you, Lisbeth. I'm eager to get more recommendations for this challenge in the future. Thanks for visiting my blog.

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  8. Got me curious about the Tenth Muse. Happy Paris in July.

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    1. vvb32, I tried The Tenth Muse but couldn't get interested so I moved on. I may go back and give it another try later. Thanks for stopping by!

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  9. My first year joining Paris in July. I look forward to seeing all the posts and now you've got me thinking of some French books I can read this month!!

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    1. Linda, I hope some of these appeal to you. So far, I'm enjoying Julia Childs' memoir about living in France.

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  10. I have Tout Sweet in my to-read stacks and I'm hoping to read it for Paris in July!

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    1. Angela, I read Tout Sweet in 2012 and only thought it was ok, but nothing special. I reviewed it here. Hope you enjoy it again! Nice to see your comment here. Hope all is well.

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  11. I thought about doing this then couldn't think of a single book I have set in France right now. But thanks for the reminder that there are so many other things I can be enjoying and play along.

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    1. Lisa, I've finally settled on the Julia Child memoir after sampling the others in my stack (none of which grabbed my attention). It was nice, though, to finally pick up the Child book that has been on my shelf for a very long time. Nothing like a challenge to nudge me along.

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