Six Degrees of Separation: Lonely Planet: France to Christmas Pudding

Welcome to this month's edition of Six Degrees of Separation, which is a monthly meme hosted by Kate from Books Are My Favourite and Best.  The idea is to start with a specific book and make a series of links from one book to the next using whatever link you can find and see where you end up after six links.  I am also linking this post up with The Sunday Salon, hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz. 

 

This month the starting point is a bit different. Kate's instructions are to "look to your bookshelf – do you see a Lonely Planet title there? Or an Eyewitness Travel title? Or any other travel guide? That’s your starting book."

So, quelle surprise, the only travel guide we own is this one

I wasn't really sure what direction to go with this one. I mean, I have read dozens of books set in France over the years.

Let's see how this goes. Let's go on a French Adventure.

Of course, before we do any kind of planning there is definitely dreaming about the trip!

But before we go on an adventure maybe we should start with some French Lessons. I have started using Doulingo to learn some French. Not sure I will be conversational next time we get to France, but I will have some idea what is going on at least.

When we are planning things to do, then maybe some cooking lessons at The Paris Cooking School might be one of the options.

Maybe I could buy a cookbook from a little Paris Bookshop.

We were in Paris just over a year ago, and this is the book that I actually bought form Shakespeare & Co.

Next month the starting point is The Anniversary by Stephanie Bishop

Top Ten Tuesday: Back to school

 

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This 

week the theme is Back to School. Our school year runs from late January to mid December so it is an unusual time for this theme for us but I am going to stick with it.

So, here are ten books which feature schooling relating words.

Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith - the fourth book in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series

The School for Heiresses - This was an anthology featuring Sabrina Jeffries, Julia London, Renee Barnard and Liz Carlyle. It's such a shame that Liz Carlyle doesn't write any more. Her books were fab. (review)

Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn - I did a joint review with Beth Fish Reads for this book which was so much fun.

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister - This book made me want to take cooking lessons! (review)

Charm School by Nelson De Mille - I read this book back in the early 1990s, as well as several other books by this author. This was a Cold War spy novel. Not sure it would hold up too well now, but I did enjoy his books a lot at the time.

Poison Study by Maria V Snyder - I could have chosen any of the Study trilogy really. (review)

The Piano Teacher by Janice Y K Lee - love the cover of this book!

Teach Me by Olivia Dade - I read this book earlier this year. It won't be my last book by this author.

French Lessons by Ellen Sussman - I don't remember much about this book but to be fair I did read it 11 years ago.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R Covey - I did this as part of a leadership program through work a few years ago now.

Weekend Cooking: Memorable Meals

Josie and Nico feast on mussels and fries. They lick their fingers, they toss shells into the bowl, they sop sauce with the hearty crusts of bread. When they are done the waitress brings a tangy green salad and a cheese plate, and more bread, this time filled with walnuts and cranberries.

From page 54 of French Lessons by Ellen Sussman

Reading this passage took me back in time. The year was 1997, I was living in Sheffield in the UK, and I was on a work social club trip that was visiting France and Belgium for the weekend. The main reason was to visit the Christmas markets in Antwerp but along the way we also visited some of the Commonwealth war grave sites (very emotional).

We were based in Lille for the weekend. One of the descriptions that I had read talked about Lille being an industrial city so I wasn't expecting much, but I had discounted the fact that this was France we are talking about and so was very pleasantly surprised at how pretty the town centre was, particularly compared to Sheffield!

I remember drinking gluwein as we wandered around the Christmas markets in Belgium, and buying a really groovy glass blown Christmas tree that you hung different coloured baubles on (I wonder what happened to that. Must have left it behind when I came home I think).

I clearly remember both dinners that we had in Lille, which is kind of strange given how long ago it is! One of them wasn't quite so good. We (the ex and I) went to a Moroccan place for dinner and the ex embarrassed me. Maybe that is why I remember it? We were looking at the menu and the waiter was talking to us in French and the ex says why can't he speak to me in English. Umm....because you are in France (there are many reasons why he is an ex!).

Better memories are of the other dinner. We wandered around the city and found a bistro type establishment.
It was as if that night, in Lille, was the perfect place to have a dinner of moules mariniere with pommes de frites and lots of bread. I have never really been tempted to try and recreate that meal at all!

It was a really cold night. Despite that we went on the ferris wheel that was in a town square and looked out over the city! All in all it was a good night - a night that lives on in my memories.

I thought I would share one more passage from this book (from page 160). I am not sure why so many of the passages that I share in Weekend Cooking that have a French flavour are about pastries! Just the way it is I guess.

"Will you buy me a pastry, monsieur?" Chantal asks, and that's the first stall they come to, a baker's table, with pastries laid out in delectable rows - croissants, brioches, pains aux amandes, pains au chocolat, eclairs, palmiers.

"What would you like?" he asks, turning to Chantal. It feels surprisingly intimate, this simple act.

She looks for a moment and then points.

"Deux palmiers s'il vous plait," he says to the baker. There is no hesitation in his voice - he doesn't sound like the tourist who's unsure if he's said it right. Usually when he speaks French, his voice is too soft and he is asked to repeat himself.. Simple, he thinks. It's just a question of confidence.

Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads and is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs.

Teaser Tuesday: French Lessons by Ellen Sussman

Paris really seems to be calling me at the moment. The last two books I have finished have both been set in the City of Lights and have used the city really well to the point of making me wish I could go there. Add to that, today an author posted a picture of the apartment she is going to be living in for a few months, and someone I know having just come back, and I have a palpable longing to be there. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen for many years yet, so I will just have to be satisfied with reading more about the city or perhaps going to get crepes from the local creperie or buying a baguette and some cheese or something.

My teaser today comes from page 86 of French Lessons by Ellen Sussman. I am sure that you will be able to guess where they are!

All of Paris is spread before her, from the heights of Sacre-Coeur, down along the banks of the Seine, out to the farthest reaches of each arrondissement. The clouds swirl around her, at eye level, and every once in a while the city disappears and she's heaven-bound. Then a gust of wind pushes away the cloud and like magic, Paris sits at her feet.

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading. Head on over to find out all about it, and how to join in!