Weekend Cooking: Champagne Widows by Rebecca Rosenberg

 

I know I am not alone in planning my next trip to France in my head, even though we have no plans to do so just yet. Last time we went to Normandy and the Loire Valley, as well as Paris. Next time we go I suspect we might go back to Normandy and I would love to spend some more time in the Loire, but I would love to go to the Champagne region. Oh, and Paris! Never forget Paris.

One of the things I would love to do is visit one of the great champagne houses. After reading this book, maybe I will ensure that it is Veuve Cliquot.

Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin has grown up in the Champagne region of France, and she has inherited (genetically) Le Nez from her grandfather. Le Nez means the nose, and she is exceptionally sensitive to smells which in turn enables her to be able to smell and taste grapes and wine and be able to tell exactly how ripe they were, where they were grown etc. Her family is keen to marry Barbe-Nicole off but Le Nez is a curse, something to be hidden. Imagine having such a sensitive nose but then being sent off to marry a pig farmer? The only man that Barbe-Nicole wants to marry is her childhood sweetheart, Francois, but he has disappeared while off fighting for Napoleon.

When he returns, he is a changed man. He is haunted by the things he has seen and done, but they marry. Francois wants to make champagne and Barbe-Nicole has the perfect skills to be able to assist in this regard. When he dies, Barbe-Nicole can inherit the business, but the Napoleonic code is clear - if she remarries then all of her assets transfer to her new husband.

This is not the only way that Napoleon impacts the new widow, who is now known as Veuve (widow) Cliquot. With his never-ending march across Europe, the market for French champagne is constantly proving more challenging, bringing her into direct conflict with Napoleon. Fortunately, Barbe-Nicole's chief sales manager is a very canny and clever man who finds a way. With Barbe-Nicole's talent, sheer hard work and determination and Louis' ability to make a sale, they persevere, sometimes more successfully than others.

Years ago I did a wine tasting in California where they talked to us about how you can have different tasting versions of the same type of wine depending on where the grape grew. The harder the vine had to work to survive, the more robust the flavour, and I think this is probably a good way to describe Barbe-Nicole. She had to struggle against her families wishes, against societal expectations, against nature, war and more, but she persevered and today Veuve Cliquot is one of the most famous brands of champagne in the world!

Whilst this is ostensibly Barbe-Nicole's story, it is interspersed with aspects of Napoleon's coalition wars, which provides interesting context for the rest of the story.

I also loved the humour in this story, including the names of each chapter which are sayings that are presented in both French and English. For example, one chapter's title is "Un barbe ne fait pas le philosope" which translates as "A beard does not make a philosopher."

A note about the cover.... I think it is a really fun cover. It gives off 1920s party girl vibes to me, which is great except...this book is not 1920s vibe. So this is definitely a case of don't judge a book by it's cover. Although it would have caught my eye in a bookstore, so it works from that aspect.

I have the next Champagne Widows book here to read at some point. It is called Madame Pommery, Creator of Brut Champagne. I am looking forward to reading it.

I am sharing this post with my fellow participants of Paris in July, hosted at Words and Peace, and Foodies Read, hosted at Based on a True Story. 

Weekly meals

Saturday - Out for dinner
Sunday - Fennel Pork roast and lemon and oregano potatoes
Monday - One Pot Pastitsio
Tuesday - Enchiladas
Wednesday - Pepper Beef Pie
Thursday - Takeaway
Friday - Eggs, bacon on toast

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page

Paris in July/Blog Tour: Poppy's Parisian Patisserie by Daisy James

 

Oh no! I've been seduced into reading the fourth sixth book in a series when I haven't read the first three four books. What was it that seduced me?

Picture of Paris on the cover

Paris in the title

Patisseries

Proliferation of alliteration in the title

And it turns out this is my second book in a row that has a main character called Poppy!

Poppy is having a run of bad luck. Her chocolate making business has closed due to a fire, she still hasn't really moved on from her disastrous last relationship, and she has well and truly withdrawn from dating anyone. When she finds herself with a few weeks spare, her brother asks her to pop over to Paris and help out in his friend's patisseries. Olivier has had an unfortunate accident which left him with two broken arms and so he needs all the hands he can get (pun intended) to keep his patisserie running.

Poppy quickly makes friends with her eccentric landlady, with the her co-workers, and the shop owners from the surrounding shops. Soon, Poppy finds  herself seeing Paris through the eyes of her French friends, enjoying events that would be unusual for a normal tourist to experience. And as for romance, well Poppy is now living in the city of love. Of course there's romance in the air.

I normally try not to read books in a series out of order. I do think this is a book where it would have benefitted to have read the earlier books. It feels like there were a lot of loose ends that were tied up in this book, and there were quite a few references to people where I had to wait to try and figure out what was going on. I guess the gauge is whether I would go back and read the earlier books in the series, and I think I would!

I love escapist reads which take you to somewhere else and Daisy James is great at this. There were multiple times where I caught myself thinking either oh my goodness this brings back such great memories from our visit to Paris, or, oh my goodness I wish we had of visited there. I also loved the way that James spoke about food and books! All my favourite things to read about!

So, while I did really notice the reading out of order thing, I did find the rest of the story to be a lot of fun and entertaining.

I am sharing this review with my fellow participants in Paris in July (hosted at Words and Peace) and the New Release Challenge, hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog, and Foodie Reads hosted at Based on a True Story. Thanks to the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy!

I thought I would finish by sharing a photo that I took the night we went to dinner at the Jules Verne restaurant at the Eiffel Tower.

About the book

Poppy’s Parisian Patisserie

Escape to chic and glamorous Paris!

When Poppy Phillipson loses her chocolate-making business in the Blossomwood Bay fire, she’s heart-broken; all her hopes and dreams wiped out in the space of an hour. As if that wasn’t enough, her last three dates were a complete disaster – one two-hour lecture on the intricacies of the off-side rule, one no-show, and an embarrassing abandonment mid-date – and she’s having a hard time not to take it personally.

So, when her brother asks her to come to the rescue of his friend Olivier Bourdain, owner of Pâtisserie Madeliene, following a freak skiing accident, she decides it’s the perfect way to escape the Devonshire drizzle and enjoy a petit sojourn from all-thing romance exploring the boutiques and boulevards of elegant Paris.

However, when she meets handsome French chef Fabien Dumont, with his sexy accent and dark brooding eyes, her determination to take a dating hiatus is severely tested. Should she concentrate on improving her skills as a pâtissière, or should she throw caution to the wind and embrace everything the City of Light has to offer… including the possibility of love?

Join Poppy as she heads to the dazzling city of Paris, and enjoy a story filled with delicious French pâtisserie and a soupçon of heart-warming romance.

Purchase Link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0CX9N1JLL

About the author  –

Daisy James loves writing stories with strong heroines and swift-flowing plotlines. She especially likes to create sunshine-filled settings in exotic locations - the Caribbean, Tuscany, Cornwall, Provence - so she can spend her time envisioning her characters enjoying the fabulous scenery and sampling the local food and drink.

When not scribbling away in her peppermint-and-green summerhouse (garden shed), she spends her time sifting flour and sprinkling sugar and edible glitter. She loves gossiping with friends over a glass of something fizzy or indulging in a spot of afternoon tea - china plates and teacups are a must.

Daisy would love to hear from readers via her website – daisyjames.co.uk, or her Facebook page or you can follow her on Twitter @daisyjamesbooks, or on Instagram @daisyjamesstories.

 

Social Media Links – https://www.facebook.com/daisyjamesbooks/

https://www.instagram.com/daisyjamesstories/

https://x.com/daisyjamesbooks

Blog Tour: The One That I Want by Sandy Barker

 

After a late night working with her boss,vAnjali, Greta shares that she is a bit lonely and worried that she will never find love. Luckily Anjali has an in with a professional matchmaker at the Ever After agency. Enter Poppy Dean. Of course, Greta cannot know that she is being matched so they need to come up with a cover story. 

Greta is a rising star in the magazine world, and is just about to launch a new online magazine. She is the editor, and the buck stops with her. When her boss suggests that maybe a series of articles on dating would be a good idea, Greta is on board, even though she sees through the ruse relatively quickly, but she cannot let Anjali know she knows. Yes, its all a bit complicated. Of course, it would be no good to go on just one date and meet your dream man so first step is to go on some disaster dates first. Perfect fodder for a column in the magazine. Let the fun begin!

I love the way that Sandy Barker writes female friendships. Greta's best friend is Tiggy and the way they support each other is so good. There's even a surprise reveal of a friendship for Anjali. 

Poppy and her colleagues at the Ever After Agency work tirelessly for their clients, and contribute some fun to the story, especially George with his love of fashion. I am also quite partial to the agency's French PI. I also love being able to see how Poppy's own relationship is going!

I have now read all three books in this series and I think this was the best of the three. Yes Greta is quite anxious at times, but she is in a stressful job, trying to navigate dating disasters and trying to find love. It's probably understandable. You'll notice that I haven't mentioned much about who Greta ends up with, and that is deliberate, not because he's not a lovely hero, and that it isn't relatively obvious where things are going, but I don't want to spoil too much.

If you follow Sandy Barker on socials you might be aware that she is currently travelling around the world, writing as she goes. I can't wait to see how some of the locations she is visiting find themselves in future books. There are a lot of different locations portrayed through her previous books! Whatever comes next, I am looking forward to it.

Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog

Rating 4.5/5

About the book

The One that I Want

Greta Davies, the features editor at a women’s magazine, is accomplished and successful. That is, in all areas except her love life.

Determined to help, Greta's boss - and friend - secretly enlists the help of the Ever After Agency, and sets out to make her dreams come true.

Work-obsessed Greta is nothing if not stubborn, so it’ll take some creative thinking, which leads to a lightbulb moment: a new column focused on dating in the city.

With date after disastrous date, things are not looking rosy for Greta. But little does Greta know, the perfect man has been there all along. Will she realise it’s more than friendship before it’s too late?

A fun and sexy rom com inspired by the classics How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, Thirteen Going on Thirty and Sex and the City.

Purchase Links - https://mybook.to/theonethatiwantsocial

About the book –

I’m a writer, traveller and hopeful romantic with a lengthy bucket list. I love exploring new places, outdoor adventures, and eating and drinking like a local when I travel, and many of my travel adventures have found homes in my novels. I’m also an avid reader, a film buff, a wine lover and a coffee snob.

Social Media Links –  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandybarkerauthorAU

Twitter https://twitter.com/sandybarker

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sandybarkerauthor/

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/SandyBarkernews

Bookbub profile: Sandy Barker Books - BookBub

Paris in July: Paris songs!

Every year I when I do this post, I wonder if this is going to be the year that I run out of new Paris songs to share, but somehow I always find some more to share, although a few of the ones that I have on my list are now French songs about Paris, but lets start with some more familiar names.

The first is Paris by Taylor Swift

I wasn't all that familiar with Corinne Bailey Rae other than her song Put Your Records On, but this song, Paris Nights, is lovely

Apparently this Elton John song, simply titled Paris, was released as a single in France, but I don't remember hearing it before finding it for this post.

Les Nuites Parisienne by Louise Attaque - You might have been expeecting to see a female singer for this song, but Louise Attaque is actually a four piece folk rock band

And I'll finish with Paris Summer by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood

Top Ten Tuesday: First books

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Debut Novels I Enjoyed (A debut novel is an author’s first published book. You could also choose to share genre or age group debuts if you’d prefer, such as an adult fiction author’s first YA book or a mystery writer’s first romance.) (submitted by Angela @ Reading Frenzy)

I keep track of a lot of things on my two spreadsheets, whether a book is the author's debut or not is not one of them. So I am going to twist the topic a little bit and share the last ten books that I have read where I hadn't read the author before.

Champagne Widows by Rebecca Rosenberg - If all goes to plan I will be reviewing this next weekend.

The Itinerary by Penny Pentley - This was a fun trip through Europe

Family Tree by Susan Wiggs - I can't believe I hadn't read this author before now. (My review)

A New Dawn at Owl's Lodge by Jessica Redland - I would like to read more from this author (My review)

Come Fly With Me by Helen Rolfe - I will be reading my next book from this author soon  (My review)

The French Cookery School by Caroline James -  This was so much fun! Made me want to do a cooking course in France. (My review)

Invitation to Italy by Victoria Springfield - I'd be happy to visit Italy or France. Either one really. (My review)

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman - i can't wait to see the movie of this! The cast looks stellar. 

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa - I have the next book on my Kindle already.

The French Adventure by Jennifer Bohnet - Say yes to adventure! (My review)

This Week...

Life

On Sunday we went to a cafe in the inner city suburbs where they were advertising Parisian Hot Chocolate, and I have to say it was worth  the drive. What is that, you may ask? Well, it was a very thick drinking chocolate that comes with a big serving of cream. We had a ham and cheese croissant and then shared a banoffee cream croissant which was oh my goodness good. The cafe only does the Parisian Hot Chocolate during winter, but all the food looks so good, we can see ourselves going back again.

It did make me reminisce on all the delicious hot chocolates we had when we were travelling through Europe, which I posted about here.

This follows our visit to a German Christmas Market on Saturday which I am counting as our Christmas in July for this year. It was a bit cold and rainy (it is winter after all) but we got to enjoy some mulled wine and there was a nice vibe. We intended to grab some dinner there but the queue for the Bratwurst sausages was at least an hour long, so we ended up going to the local pub for their Christmas in July menu. We do try to do something for Christmas in July most years!

I also had a work offsite this week which was in a gorgeous location and with great food! It was an enjoyable couple of days but quite full on!

I'm reading

After a slow reading week last week, this was a much better week in terms of the number of books read. I read both Secrets in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen, which I reviewed last week here), and The One That I Want by Sandy Barker which I will review this week. I also started reading Poppy's Parisian Patisserie by Daisy James

I finished listening to Sidelines by Karen Viggers, which was an interesting read. It's not my normal type of read but I did enjoy it in the end. It covered a number of issues. I then wanted a change of pace and so I started listening to Funny Story by Emily Henry.


I'm watching

It was the finale of Masterchef Australia this week. Whilst I am not going to spoil the results, I can say that I wasn't the biggest fan of the winner. Never mind. Bring on Dessert Masters!

I did  start watching a British show called Extraordinary Extensions. The show is basically a home renovation show. It is hosted by rapper Tinie Tempah, which gives the home renovation genre a bit of a twist. The renovations they are featuring are amazing, featuring people who make very brave design decisions and do something different with their houses. Oops...apparently the host just goes by the name Tinie now.

Other than that, I did watch a couple of movies. I watched the new Harry Connick Jr movie set in Cyprus - Finding Me Falling. It was pretty standard rom com and it was ... you know...fine. Harry Connick Jnr stars as a faded rock star who buys a house on a clifftop in Cyprus. When he runs into an old flame, things change more than he could ever imagine.

After our fancy brunch, we went to see Arctic Convoy (Konvoi) which is showing as part of the Scandinavian Film Festival. This is a Norwegian film which tells the story of an Arctic convoy which plied the seas from Norway to the USSR, providing much needed provisions in the depths of WWII. It was a pretty good movie, although it did lose it's way a little bit at times. It was certainly dramatic. Here's the trailer.

Posts from the last week


Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Things I Love About Books Set in France

Blog Tour: Secrets in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen
Weekend Cooking/Paris in July: The Taste of Things

Paris in July: Paris: Impressions of Life 1880-1925




I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date

Paris in July: Paris: Impressions of Life 1880 - 1925

There is a regional city a couple of hours away from us called Bendigo, and it is a place I love to visit. At the Art Gallery, they often have really interesting exhibitions. In the past they have held exhibitions about Elvis, Wedding Dresses, British Royal Portraits and more. This year, the exhibition is called Paris: Impressions of Life 1880-1925 and of course we had to visit.

There were several themed rooms for visitors to walk through, starting from the Market Town Show, through Public Gardens, along The Seine, into Montmartre via the Eiffel Tower and the Champs Elysee. There was a really interesting mix of art, promotional posters, fashion, and historical photos of some of the most familiar landmarks, although they looked a bit different .

My favourite room, and the one that I want to share the photos of today were all the different signs that used to be outside shops to tell people exactly what was sold in the shop! Some of them are more obvious than others! I love the ornate key, and the snails, and yes, the shop sold snails!

The items in this collection come from Musee Carnavalet which is the museum of the history of Paris.  When we visited Paris, I did hear about this museum but we were unable to squeeze it in. We had already added it to the list for the next time we visit Paris. This exhibition has definitely ensure that will be a must do!

After a quick lunch, we were also lucky in that we got to attend a fascinating talk by famous French Australian chef Gabriel Gate.He was talking about both the history of restaurants and food and his own career in food, using some of the illustrations from the exhibition as well as others.

Among the various things he talked about, including the different types of restaurants, and how the movement of people have bought different types of dining to Paris. For example, the Prussian wars which caused people from the Alsace-Lorraine area to move to Paris, and with them they bought brasseries, which originally was where beer was made. He also spoke about other types of restaurants such as bouillon restaurants, some of which are still open today, as well as much fancier restaurants like Le Cafe Riche

The 1900 World Exhibition was another key event bringing millions of people into the city and creating work. He shared a photo of a banquet that was held in 1900 was the Banquet des Maires where 22000 local maires were invited to Paris for a 6 course meal, served over the course of 90 minutes.

One of the statistics shared was that in 1789 there were around 100 restaurants in the city but by 1900 there was around 3500 eateries in the city. A lot of those very early restaurants were opened by the chefs who worked for the aristocracy but the French Revolution saw those chefs moving to the city. 

In terms of his own history, Gate started working in kitchens in 1974 and he talked about how different that world was. When he started work there were still ovens that were heated using fires, you had to break up your own chickens and there were very specific rules about behaviour. For example, he worked in a restaurant where the kitchen was downstairs and under no circumstances were the downstairs staff allowed in the dining room. The only time he even saw the dining room was on his last day working there.

There were so many interesting stories that were shared as part of this session, and I am so glad that we took this opportunity to hear Gabriel Gate speak. I could have listened for much longer!

It was a great day out!

Weekend Cooking/Paris in July: The Taste of Things (La Passion de Dodin Bouffant)

For a couple of years now, I have tried to see at least one movie at each international film festival as it comes to town. For example, recently I watched a couple of Spanish movies, and this weekend I am going to see a Danish movie. Earlier this year, it was the French Film Festival and I managed to see three movies, one of which was The Taste of Things, also known as The Pot-Au-Feu.

The Taste of Things is set in 1899 and tells the story of a passionate gourmand, by the name of Dodin Bouffant and his housekeeper Eugénie. A gournand is defined on Wikipedia as someone "who takes great pleasure and interest in consuming particularly good food and drink."  

For the first 30 minutes or so there is very little dialogue in The Taste of Things. Instead we witness a complicated but well choreographed dance as Eugénie, Dodin, her assistant Violette and a young protege named Pauline work together prepare a lavish, multiple course feast for Dodin and his group of foodie friends. During this whole scene. the only words are directional ("put the veal in the oven" for example. Other than that we watch as vegetables are chopped, broths are made, fish are poached, and love and passion are expressed in the form of food. It is food porn at it's finest.

However, whilst there is a lot of cooking in this movie, it is more than that. Dodin and Eugénie are lovers and have been for many years. He has asked her multiple times to become his wife, but she is content with life as it is and doesn't see the need to change. The life that they have is very comfortable. They live in a gorgeous chateau, where Eugénie oversees the growing of the freshest ingredients.

No matter how content people may be, time passes and things change, and so it is for Dodin and Eugénie. When the latter becomes unwell, it is Dodin who takes care of her and who has to face into a life without her.

This movie was the French submission for the Oscars last year and won a couple of French awards as well, and you can see why. It is a beautifully shot, very emotive story and the two stars shine on the screen. It is interesting that Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel are former partners and share a daughter. I am not sure I could work with my ex for months on end. Actually, I 100% could not work with my ex under any circumstance. 

If you like food, or you like French movies, or indeed if you like both, watch this movie!

I am sharing this post with my fellow participants in Paris in July, hosted by Emma at Words and Peace.

Weekly meals

Saturday - Out for dinner
Sunday -Chicken Kiev, Mash, Broccoli and Gravy
Monday - Beef and Broccoli Noodles
Tuesday - Work dinner
Wednesday - Chicken Stir Fry and rice
Thursday - Butter chicken and rice
Friday - Takeaway

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page

Blog Tour: Secrets in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen

 

Welcome back to Pelican Crossing, an idyllic beach town in Queensland where the waves roll in, the town people are welcoming, and there is love in the air, particularly if you are a bit older and been by yourself a long time. This is the second book in the Pelican Crossing series by Maggie Christensen, which in turn is a spin off from the Bellbird Bay series, which in turn was a spin off from the Granite Springs series. I don't think that was a spin off, but I could be wrong. Granite Springs was where I started my Maggie Christensen journey, and I have been with her all the way reviewing nearly all of her books.

Liz is a divorced mother of two grown up daughters.  She is the practice manager at the local medical clinic, she has a good group of friends, and she isn't really looking for love, although her daughters are encouraging her to try dating. Liz also has a secret she has been hiding for year from everyone.

Finn moved to Pelican Springs from Bellbird Bay when his son in law died in a drowning accident and he needed to move to the town to support his grieving daughter and grandson. He is editor of the local town newspaper  and he also is not looking for love.

Somehow, whilst they knew of each other, they hadn't really met, but when they do sparks fly but the timing is all wrong. Liz's daughter Mandy has just moved back in, and Liz's big secret is about to come out. It could be a blessing or it could completely destroy her entire family. For Finn, he is way too busy looking after his family and trying to save the newspaper.

As you can probably tell from my intro, I am a big fan of Maggie Christensen's books, and this book was no exception. In fact, this is probably one of the better ones. Some times I find some of the secondary adult characters a bit annoying, and there was definitely the possibility of that with this book, particularly in the way that Liz's younger daughter reacted to her mother's secret. In this case though, I could see how someone would react in that way.

Finn's grandson Sandy was a big part of this book. He was traumatised from seeing his father drown the year before, and the way that this was portrayed was very sensitively handled. His determination and joy at getting a puppy was so lovely!

I feel like I don't even need to say this, but I will of course be reading the next Pelican Crossing book and the one after that and so on. We have already met a number of characters in the first two books in the series who will feature in future books!

Thanks the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog

Rating 4/5

About the Book - 

Secrets in Pelican Crossing

Divorced, frustrated by her daughter's matchmaking, and resigned to staying happily single, Liz Phillips thinks she has her life all figured out… until she meets Finn Hunter.

Having moved to Pelican Crossing twelve months earlier to support his daughter after a family tragedy, Finn finds himself juggling family obligations and a demanding job as the editor of the local paper. He has little time for romance.

When Liz and Finn’s paths cross, there’s an undeniable spark between them. They quickly form a connection which neither of them anticipates.

Amidst the whirlwind of their relationship, a secret from Liz’s past resurfaces, threatening the closeness she shares with her daughters. Having Finn to lean on is a godsend, but Finn is concealing a secret of his own. A secret that once revealed could undermine the trust and understanding they share and destroy any chance of a future together.

Can Liz find her happy ending or is she destined to face the future with only her family for company?

 

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Secrets-Pelican-Crossing-heartwarming-chances-ebook/dp/B0CYSVSKFH

https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Pelican-Crossing-heartwarming-chances-ebook/dp/B0CYSVSKFH

About the Author –

After a career in education, Maggie Christensen began writing contemporary women’s fiction portraying mature women facing life-changing situations, and historical fiction set in her native Scotland. Her travels inspire her writing, be it her trips to visit family in Scotland, in Oregon, USA or her home on Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast. Maggie writes of mature heroines coming to terms with changes in their lives and the heroes worthy of them. Maggie has been called the queen of mature age fiction and her writing has been described by one reviewer as like a nice warm cup of tea. It is warm, nourishing, comforting and embracing.

From the small town in Scotland where she grew up, Maggie was lured to Australia by the call to ‘Come and teach in the sun’. Once there, she worked as a primary school teacher, university lecturer and in educational management. Now living with her husband of over thirty years on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, she loves walking on the deserted beach in the early mornings and having coffee by the river on weekends. Her days are spent surrounded by books, either reading or writing them – her idea of heaven!

 

Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/maggiechristensenauthor
https://twitter.com/MaggieChriste33
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8120020.Maggie_Christensen

https://www.instagram.com/maggiechriste33/

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/maggie-christensen?list=about

https://maggiechristensenauthor.com/

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Things I Love About Books Set in France

 Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Ten Things I Loved About [Insert Book Title Here] (Pick any book and tell us ten things you loved about it!) (submitted by Cathy @ WhatCathyReadNext). 

You know that I like to twist things so, and that we are part way through Paris in July (hosted by Emma at Words and Peace), so my post this week is Ten Things I Love About Books Set in France.

The Eiffel Tower - such an icon for visitors to Paris. I wanted to use one of my own photos. It was super hard to choose just one!

Paris - I mean, I feel like I am cheating a little by saying Paris, but still....Paris!

Chocolate -  If a book features a chocolatier then I am there.

Pastries - What would a visit to France be without a glimpse into the window of a patisseries at all the gorgeous treats.

Cheese - Soft cheese, hard cheese, cheese that you can't get in Australia.

Bread - One of my most memorable meals is fresh baguette with cheese. And I loved that when we were in France, bread was an integral part of any meal.

The language -  I am trying to learn to speak French via Duolingo at the moment

The locations - Yes, there is life outside of Paris - Provence, Normandy, Champagne, the mountains, the Riviera. So many options!

The romance

The history - even in contemporary set novels you find yourself visiting towns with amazing history.

The dreams - every book I read set in France makes me want to go back and visit again!

I am sharing this post with my fellow participants in Paris in July, hosted by Emma at Words and Peace.

This week...

I'm reading

Isn't it funny how one week you can finish four books and in other weeks you can't even finish one. Guess which it was this week!  That's right...I didn't finish a single book this week. I am still reading and enjoying The Stolen Hours by Karen Swan and listening to Sidelines by Karen Viggers. I have a bit of a drive over the next two days so I think I will probably finish that book soon and start something new.

I'm watching


I haven't been doing much in the way of watching either! I did start watching Maggie Beers Big Mission. Maggie Beer is an Aussie legend and she is leading a TV program about the state of aged care facilities in Australia, and the story isn't great. I will keep watching that at some point this week.

We did watchh the Sail GP grand finale this weekend, as well as the finale of Great South African Bakeoff and it is the Masterchef Australia grand final week this week too.

Life

The nicest thing we did this weekend was visiting the French Bastille Day markets! We tasted a few little treats, listened to some music and generally soaked in the vibes!

We bought some pate, and chocolate bear filled with raspberry marshmallow as well as a print to put up on the wall which is above!

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: Paris Books!

Blog Tour: Daughters of Tuscany by Siobhan Daiko

Blog Tour: A Love Letter to Paris by Rebecca Raisin

Weekend Cooking: The Paris Cooking School by Sophie Beaumont

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: July Stats and the Year So Far!

I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date

Sunday Salon: Historical Fiction Reading Challenge - June stats and the year so far!

For the last couple of years I have been sharing statistics each month for the Historical challenge, and my plan is to continue to do this again this year. I find it interesting to see what are the books that people are reading and reviewing! I think I have visited almost all the reviews submitted during June and have added a couple of books to my never ending TBR list. Given that we are now in July, I thought I would also do a summary of the challenge so far!

But first....let's talk about June's statistics

In terms of the books, there were 48 reviews linked up for the challenge, shared by 18 participants. This is a bit less than we have been tracking over the last couple of months. There were 46 individual titles reviewed, written by 46 different authors. There were 4 reviewers who reviewed more than 5 books each. Thank you to everyone who shared their links whether it be 6 or just 1.

So which books were reviewed more than once in June?  There were two books that were reviewed twice but there were no other authors who had more than one of their books reviewed.

The first was The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson. I read and loved her book Major Pettigrew's Last Stand years ago, so I am definitely interested in reading this one too! I would have been anyway given the title, but still. This book was reviewed by Susan at Reading World and CLM at Staircase Wit.

The other book that was reviewed twice this month was the final book in the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear. The title is The Comfort of Ghosts and it was reviewed by Cathy at What Cathy Read Next  and  Laura at Reading Books Again.

So let's talk about the first six months of the challenge in 2024

In terms of the books, there have been 328 reviews linked up for the challenge, shared by 31 participants. If I compare this last year, this is less than we had at this point last year, but that's okay! There were 305 individual titles reviewed, written by 283 different authors. There were 13 reviewers who have reviewed more than 10 books each. Thank you to everyone who has shared their links throughout the last 6 months.

There were 19 books that were reviewed twice in the first six months, but only one which has been reviewed three times which was The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson which I mentioned above.

I look forward to seeing what everyone reviews over the next 6 months and we will see which books end up at the top of the list later in the year!

I am sharing this post with Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz.

Weekend Cooking/Paris in July: The Paris Cooking School by Sophie Beaumont

When we were in Paris at the beginning of last year, we had quite a few things on our list to do, and not enough time to do them in. One of those things was to do a cooking class. In the end we decided to do a foodie walking tour through the Marais which I thoroughly enjoyed, but the idea of going back to Paris and doing a cooking class is still in the back of mind.

This book takes the idea of doing a cooking class and takes it to the next level!! I mean how amazing would 4 weeks in Paris at a cooking school be?

Sylvie runs a very popular cooking school in Paris. She regularly welcomes groups of new students and each group brings their own challenges and rewards. This time,  among the students there are Australians Gabi and Kate, along with other characters from Japan, USA and Germany

Kate and Gabi are both running away to Paris but for different reasons. Kate's long term marriage has just broken down irrevocably, and led to Kate leaving the family business that has been her life for years. Four weeks in Paris, being basically incommunicado from people in her life, in particular her soon to be ex husband, sounds like bliss. She is looking forward to getting to experience the real Paris, not just the three day rush from one place to another that she experienced the first time she visited the city.

Gabi is an artist, who hit the big time but now the pressure is on to to come up with her next big piece, and she's got nothing left in her. Artist's block has definitely taken hold big time, and she has no self belief at all in her ability to create art, let alone once again be successful!

When you bring together an eclectic group of people for such a long time, there are bound to be times when not everyone gets along, but at least they all have 

Whilst I quite liked the Kate and Gabi storylines, the most interesting aspect for me was the story of what was happening with Sylvie. She has worked really hard to build her business over the years whilst also singlehandedly raising her son. So, it is very perplexing when it becomes apparent that her business is being targeted and she has no idea why. Someone is writing anonymous bad reviews, and spreading misinformation to the media, and it is impacting her business. She has worked too hard to let everything come crashing down now.

The other issue that she is facing is that her relationship with Claude seems to be coming to a natural end. The red flags are waving. He's jealous of the time that her business takes up, and yet he won't do what needs to be done in order to take their relationship to the next level. Thank goodness that Sylvie's neighbour and best friend is willing to help her to try and work out why someone is targeting her business.

Of course, Paris is known for its sights and sounds, for its food and culture and so much more. It is also known as the city of love, and so it probably isn't unexpected that there is some romance in the book as well.

So many delicious passages about food, and describing Paris. I could quote whole passages about cheese, and desserts and so much more!

I thought I would share a passage from the book for you all to get a small taste of the book. The problem I had is that there were so many options to choose from. Should I share something about amazing sounding food  like cheese or gateaux, or beautiful sights (including a visit to Giverny) or something else. In the ended I decided to share a passage from the very beginning of the book, where the students have first come together in the class.

Sylvie told them the Paris Cooking School was not about teaching cordon bleu cooking, but about helping people discover and apply the French way of home cooking to their own lives. "The French way of home cooking is not fancy, or difficult," she said, "or even necessarily time-consuming. In this school you will find what may seem like an unusual way of learning, and which may not always seem serious. But it's designed to immerse you immediately, and help you understand what underlies the French approach to food. Understanding needs to come not only through the mind, but also the heart and the imagination. And the hands, of course!"

Kate wasn't the only one smiling at that, as Sylvie went on, "I know you all already love to cook, and a couple of you -" nodding at Misaki, who was a retired chef from Japan, and Ethan, who ran a gastropub in England - "are actually professionals. You already have a good understanding of cooking. And you have your own ways of doing things. We don't ask you to forget any of those things. But we encourage you to go beyond. To start with an open mind and be willing to be surprised." She gestured to Damian, who disappeared into the pantry. "And that is why we're starting this first session with a bit of a game. Humble and simple this food item might be, but without it, French cooking could hardly exist. Can you guess what it is?"

Everyone stared at her, then a chorus of voices threw out ideas. "Garlic!" "Cream!" "Herbs!" "Wine!" "Butter!" "Bouillon!"

"Snails," said Ethan, in his posh drawl.

"Frogs' legs," put in Mike, the burly American who had introduced himself earlier with a twinkle in his eye as Ethan's partner or kept man - take your pick.

Chuckling, Pete, the fiftyish Canadian who already reminded Kate irresistibly of Tigger from Winnie the Pooh, contributed, "Je ne sais quoi," making everyone laugh.

"All right," Sylvie said, breaking into the hilarity, "then, as we say in French, will you give your tongue the cat? It means to give up," she explained, smiling.

"But in English we say, if the cat's got your tongue that means you have to keep quiet," said Kate, cheekily.

Everyone laughed, including Sylvie. "Very true," she said, giving Kate an appreciative look. "Okay Damien, show them." Her assistant came out from the pantry, arms full of egg cartons. The room erupted in exclamations and cheers.

"This is my contention: that the humble egg is a cornerstone of French cooking," Sylvie said, when the noise had died down. "Let's talk, then, about the egg and its many stories."

I could keep going as from this point the class learned to make ouefs mimosa and eggs en cocette, an then to cook their own recipes.

Now, who wants to help me convince my husband that we should spend a month in France? I've planted the seeds.

Sophie Beaumont is a pen name for prolific Australian author Sophie Masson, who is herself half French. I will definitely be reading her next book which is out in November which is called A Secret Garden in Paris. Can't wait!

I am sharing this review with my fellow participants in Paris in July, hosted by Emma at Words and Peace, and also with Foodies Read, hosted at Based on a True Story.

Weekly meals

Saturday - Roast Beef, potato, carrots, peas, mushroom gravy
Sunday - One Pot Pastistsio (new)
Monday - out for dinner
Tuesday - Honey/char siu chicken, rice, broccoli
Wednesday -out for dinner
Thursday -Pizza
Friday - Takeaway

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page