Top Ten Tuesday: Book That Include the Word Paris in the Title

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Book Titles That Include the Word “[insert word of your choice here]” (Pick a word and share ten book titles that include that word!).

Given that I am currently participating in Paris in July, my favourite annual blogging event, my word of choice is Paris! I have done this type of Paris post before but it has been a couple of years, and I have read more than 10 books that fit this prompt since then so there will be no double ups!

Here are the last 10 books I have read with the word Paris in the title.

In the Paris Fashion by Sophie Beaumont - I have really enjoyed all three of Sophie Beaumont's books. My review for this one will be posted in a couple of weeks.

The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl - I liked quite a lot about this book but there was one thing that bothered me. Here's my review.

A Bakery in Paris by Aimie K Runyan - A bakery? In Paris? Yes, please. Here's my review from last year.

A Secret Garden in Paris by Sophie Beaumont - Yes, another Sophie Beaumont book. Here's my review.

The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods - This one is a bit deceptive because it is set in France, but not in Paris. (my review)

The Paris Dancer by Nicola Rayner - This is a dual timeline WWII novel set in Paris. (my review)

The Paris Bookshop for the Broken Hearted by Rebecca Raisin - I love the way that Rebecca Raisin writes about food, books, and yes, Paris. (my review)

The Paris Chapter by Victoria Walters - This is another contemporary novel set in Paris. (my review)

Midnight in Paris by Gillian Harvey - Gillian Harvey writes a lot of books set in France. This is one of my favourites. (my review)

Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel by Rebecca Raisin - I forgot Christmas on my list of things I like about her list. 

Check out more Paris in July posts by visiting the host, Emma from Words and Peace.

Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Books by Favourite Authors

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is My Favorite Books by My Favorite Authors (Pick your ten favorite authors and your favorite book written by each one of them.) (submitted by Cathy @ WhatCathyReadNext). After going rogue with my topics for the last two weeks, this week I am back on track.

I have broken this into two separate groups. The first five are authors who I have loved for years. The second group are more recent discoveries for me.

The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick - I have gotten really behind on EC books but I still count her one of my favourites. I have given a lot of her books very high rating. At the time I read this one I gave it a 4/5 but this is the foundational book for me, about William Marshal and a several of her later books focus on him or his descendants. 

The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman - This is SKP's book on Richard III, the first one I had read by her and is absolutely a 5 star read.

Voyager by Diana Gabaldon - I loved the first 4 books in the Outlander series, but if you are forcing me to pick a favourite it is the third book in the series

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley - I could not do a list of favourite authors without including Susanna Kearsley. I also could not do a list of favourite SK books without mentioning The Winter Sea. It's a book I have reread 3 times and I am not a rereader.

The Other Bridget by Rachael Johns - Rachael Johns is one of only two authors that I consistently read when I had a years long reading slump a while ago.

Midnight in Paris by Gillian Harvey - This author writes a lot of books featuring people moving to France for a new life. This one was a bit different but I loved it!

Head Over Wheels by Leonie Mack - I don't read a lot of sports romances this day but this one featuring professional cyclists was a lot of fun. And book 2 in this world is coming out soon. Can't wait. I also am enjoying her Wedding Adventures series. And her standalone books. You get the idea!

The Paris Bookshop for the Broken- Hearted by Rebecca Raisin - I love the way that Rebecca Raisin writes about food, books and places, especially when she writes about Paris.

The Beforelife of Eliza Valentine by Laura Pearson - This was my first Laura Pearson and I loved, loved, loved this book!

Summer in Bellbird By by Maggie Christensen - In the last 5 years I have read 26 books by Maggie Christensen. She must be a favourite by definition right? They are my definition of comfort reads for sure.

Do we share any favourite authors? 

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated books in first half of 2026

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2026

I am pretty sure most of us could do at least 20 books that we are looking forward to but the rules say ten. I am sure when I visit other posts I will find even more books that I wish I had included on the list! It happens every year. 

The Hobart Hotel by Mary-Lou Stephens (March) - I have enjoyed Mary-Lou Stephens previous books and I think this one sounds good too!

The Model Murder by Amanda Hampson (April) - This is the fourth book in the fabulous Tea Ladies mystery series set in the late 1960s in Sydney

Start at the End by Emma Grey (April) - I read both of Emma Grey's previous books last year and gave them both 5/5 stars. I have high hopes for this book!

Hot Chocolate on Thursday by Michiko Aoyama (February) - I have read a couple of this author's books now. In the first one there was one element which annoyed me but I was charmed by the second one. This is the start of a series!

A Far-Flung Life by M L Stedman (March) - It's been 13 years since M L Stedman's debut novel, The Light Between Oceans, was released! I was very surprised when I saw that she finally had a new novel coming out. 

Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See  (June)  -  I am always excited at the prospect of a new Lisa See book. 

Before I Knew I Loved You by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (May) - This is the sixth book in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series. 

Don't Brake My Heart by Leonie Mack (June) - I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Head Over Wheels, so I am looking forward to this one

The French House Share by Gillian Harvey (January) - Gillian Harvey has become an auto-read author for me over the last couple of years.

The Astral Library by Kate Quinn (February) - I have absolutely loved the last few Kate Quinn novels I have read. Excited for this one!

Are you excited for any of these books?

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books I Read in 2025

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Best Books I Read in 2025

I am generally pretty stingy when it comes to giving a book a grade of 5/5. Looking back over the last 5 years I have given somewhere between 2 to 4 books the top grade each year. For 2025, I have 13! I am pretty sure that is the most ever for me. So what was different this year? The only thing that I can think of is that I wasn't working for the first 7 months of the year, so I was reading purely for enjoyment. I wasn't trying to read on the commute, or before going to bed or during lunch breaks. There's certainly been a drop in the grades since I went back to work.  Other than, it might just have been an extraordinary first half of the year.

So here are my top 10 13 books for 2025

Midnight in Paris by Gillian Harvey - I started off with several books set in Paris. I have read quite a few of Gillian Harvey's books over the years and enjoyed them all, but this one just really worked for me! (my review)

The Paris Bookshop for the Broken-Hearted by Rebecca Raisin - Another author who I have read a lot of books from. I love the way that she writes about places, books and foods, and this one combined those very well. (my review)

The Wedding People by Alison Espach - I had heard such good things about this book and it completely lived up to expectations. (my review)

The Jam Maker by Mary-Lou Stephens - I went to hear Mary-Lou Stephens talk about this book and knew that I was going to enjoy it! (my review)

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley - I don't reread much, but I have read this book about 4 times now. it is still a 5/5 read for me every time. This one isn't pictured in the collage in order to fit all the others in. (my review)

Pictures of You by Emma Grey - I met Emma Grey at a reader's retreat a couple of years go but it took me that long to actually read one of her books. This was the first of two 5/5 reads by this author this year! (my review)

The Women by Kristin Hannah - This book seems to be a love it or hate it kind of book. I loved it! (my review)

Beartown by Fredrik Backman - What can I say that hasn't already been said about Fredrik Backman. I really must find time to read the second book in this trilogy! (my review)

Eat Your Heart Out by Victoria Brownlee - This was a surprise 5/5 book for me! It was just so much fun. (my review)

The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson - I have enjoyed all of this author's books now, but this one is my favourite. (my review)

The Whisky Widow by Karen Brooks - This book had me wondering why on earth I had not read Karen Brooks before. So good! (my review)

The Last Love Note by Emma Grey - The second entry from Emma Grey on this list! Can't wait for her new book! (my review)

An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister - This author is an academic who specialises in romance and popular fiction, and you can tell! This book is now doing the rounds of my book club. Even our octogenarian member enjoyed it! 

One of the pleasing aspects of this is that 7 of these books are by Aussie authors!

I love seeing everyone's best of lists each year! Do we have any in common?

Top Ten Tuesday: V is for...

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Villains (favorite, best, worst, lovable, creepiest, most evil, etc.). 

I did start having a think about villains and a couple did spring to mind, but not ten, so in the end I decided to twist the topic a little bit. V is for villains but it can also be for many other words, so here are my ten V is for....books

V is for Venetia by Georgette Heyer - I couldn't not include this book seeing as I have listened to it at least 4 times. Narrated by Richard Armitage this is an ultimate comfort book to listen to. Aural bliss! (review)

V is for Vintage 1954 by Antoine Laurain - This was such a fun read. A group of strangers share a bottle of wine from 1954 and find themselves back in the past. (mini review)

V is for Voice of the Falconer by David Blixt - I loved, loved, lovedthe first book I read by David Blixt which was The Master of Verona. This was the sequel to that book and I thoroughly enjoyed that one too! (review)

V is for Virgin River by Robyn Carr - I mean, there are a whole heap of books in this series set in a town called Virgin River, and a few of them have the word virgin in the title. I couldn't not have at least one of them in the list! (post about the whole series)

V is for Vision in White by Nora Roberts - I loved this whole series of four books which features a group of wedding planners, coordinators, florists etc who work together and it's their turn to fall in love!

V is for Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik - As soon as I saw this title I knew I would have to have a V for Victory included in the list. This book is the 5th book in the excellent Temeraire series by Naomi Novik which features dragons and Napoleonic history. So much fun! (reviews from earlier books in the series)

V is for The Vineyards of Champagne by Juliet Blackwell - This was an enjoyable dual timeline which tells the story of the Champagne region of France and the events that happened there during WWI

V is for The Visitors by Jane Harrison - This book tells the story of the arrival of the First Fleet in Sydney but from the perspective of the indigenous people who were already here.

V is for The Venice Hotel by Tess Woods - I would love to be in Venice. Sigh. 

V is for The Village Cafe in the Loire by Gillian Harvey - I would, however, be just as content to be sitting at a cafe in the Loire as well! (review)

There are plenty of other words that I could have used for this list, but there are ten books with titles begining with V.

20 Books of Winter - July

 

We are already two months through the 20 Books of Summer/Winter event! Can you believe how quickly that has gone?

Our hosts, Emma from Words and Peace and Annabel from Annabookbel have come up with some fun questions for our end of month recaps.

I think I am a little bit behind at this point and that I am going to struggle to get some of the remaining books read. I read 7 books in June and 5 of the books that I nominated on my original lists in July I did read 19 books in total in June and 18 in July so I do have some opportunities for swaps should I need them later. 

Here's my full list. The ones in bold are the titles I have read. The purple ones are the ones I read in June and the ones in red are the ones I read in July

20 Books of Winter

Beartown by Fredrik Backman - Review will be posted soon

The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn - Review

A Bakery in Paris by Aimie K Runyan - Review

Over the Seas to Skye by Sue Moorcroft - Review

Three Juliets by Minnie Darke

A Secret Garden in Paris by Sophie Beaumont

The Midnight Bakery by Emma Davies

Half Truth by Nadia Mahjouri - Review

The Village Cafe in the Loire by Gillian Harvey - Review

The Storytellers by Sue Heath

The Story Collector by Evie Woods

French Rhapsody by Antoine Laurain

The King's Jewel by Elizabeth Chadwick

The Butterfly Women by Madeleine Cleary - Review

The Last Love Note by Emma Grey

The Library of Heartbeats by Laura Imai Messina

Emily Wildes Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Butter by Asako Yuzuki

The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson

Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee

Our hosts, Emma from Words and Peace and Annabel from Annabookbel have come up with some fun questions for our end of month recaps.

Which book surprised you the most this month?

I think that would have to be Beartown by Fredrik Backman. I knew that this book was going to be good as lots of people I know have loved it. I think what surprised me the most about this book was the way that the tension built throughout the book. There were times when I knew that something momentous was about to happen and the tension was ramping up so much that I had to put the book down for a while to psych myself up for the action. 

If your July reading experience was a weather forecast, what would it be and why?

Dreamy with a chance of snow - winter was very much the setting in both Beartown and Emily Wilde! The dreamy comes from both Dallergut and Emily Wilde.

Name a setting from your July books where you’d love (or hate) to take a summer vacation.

Well......I don't think it would surprise anyone if I say France. I would love to wander the streets of Montmartre to find the Bakery in Paris and then I would be more than happy to find a cafe in the Loire Valley to sit and watch the world pass by!

If you could turn one book into a summer festival, what would the main event be?

I think that the Dallergut Dream Store would be a perfect theme for a summer festival.  The idea of the book is that when we are sleeping we visit the store and choose to buy our dream themes, and there are even dreams for your pets. You could do an amazing festival with all the different types of dreams. 

Choose your own adventure—recap July in the style of your choice:

I am not terribly creative so here is my cover collage

Blog Tour: The Village Cafe in the Loire by Gillian Harvey

 

When advertising whiz Becky Thorne has a meltdown at work and is signed off on stress leave for a month, she can't believe it. She certainly doesn't believe that her twitching eye and trembling legs are physical signs of stress. What is she going to do for a month? How on earth is she going to tell her driven, successful mother who doesn't believe in poppycock like burn out?

Part of the trigger for her stress is the fact that she has inherited a cafe with an apartment from her Aunt Maud who she hasn't seen in years after there was some kind of family fall out. The cafe is in a small French town called Vaudrelle in the Loire. Becky just wants to get it sold so that she can use the money to buy a fancy new flat in London and get on with her life. 

The fact that there is a tenant is causing some problems and so Becky goes to France so that she can get to the bottom of it all, much to her mother's dismay. There she meets the tenant, Pascal. He is a writer who has been keeping the cafe going. He shares a letter with Becky from her Great Aunt Maud, asking her to at least spend a month working at the cafe before she makes any major decisions. Understanding that with French bureaucracy things are going to take time anyway, Becky agrees to stay but she starts renovating the cafe in preparation for when she can sell it. 

Thankfully, she has the support of her best friend Amber who she can call on at any time. However, when Amber isn't as available as Becky needs she is somewhat perplexed. Amber always helps her navigate her difficult situations, including her difficult relationship with her mother. 

Becky isn't really that nice a person for the first part of the book. She is very self-centred and not a great friend to Amber who keeps on trying to tell Becky that she has issues of her own. She also kind of bulldozes her way into town, making decisions about the cafe before she truly understands the town and it's people. 

As you would expect though, taking some time out turns out to be exactly what she needs. She begins to understand who her aunt really was, and what prompted her to move to France all those years ago. She is also reminded that underneath her brittle shell of ambition and drive, there is someone who does appreciate different aspects of life including art and taking things slowly.

It is interesting to see the topic of burnout addressed in fiction. I have taken a few months off of work and whilst I haven't really used the term burnout. there's no doubt that my mental health has improved as a result of taking some time out.

I love Gillian Harvey's books about people making a new start in France.  I didn't get the same sense of place that I normally do with this one though. I guess I was thinking that given that the setting was in the Loire Valley there might be a visit to a chateau or two or a mention of the river. I was looking for the Loire that I visited a couple of years ago in the pages.  

I loved all of the film and pop culture references that were scattered through the book such as all the quotes from Jerry Maguire. There was also a bit of twist in the second half of the book that was as much of a surprise to me as it was to Becky. I liked how this really helped Becky understand a few things about her family.

Gillian Harvey is an auto-read author for me these days. Her books are always very readable, and this was no exception. I galloped through it in a couple of hours. I am already looking forward to her next book. I do have a couple of her earlier books that I still need to read in the mean time!

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews and with Paris In July hosted by Words and Peace. This was also one of the books I nominated for 20 Books of Winter.  Be sure to check out other stops on the tour shown below. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. 

Rating 3.5/5

About the book

The Village Cafe in the Loire

High-flyer Becky Thorne cannot believe what she’s being told. She doesn’t need to be signed off for burnout! Life has been a bit chaotic lately, that’s all. As if dealing with her enviable job and permanent meddling from her mother aren’t enough, she’s also inherited a café in the Loire from an estranged great-aunt, complete with sitting tenant who refuses to budge.

But nobody stands in Becky’s way! Ignoring her best friend Amber’s advice, she decides to storm over to France and sort the tenant out. Then she can finally get the café sold and jump back on the career ladder.

What she doesn’t count on is the tenant being Pascale, who is six feet of tall, dark, handsome and extremely grumpy about her plans for change. Not to mention the village and the secrets it holds about her past.

Becky’s path to success is all planned out. But the Loire has a magic she might not be able to resist…

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/VillageCafeintheLoire

About the Author 

Gillian Harvey is an author and freelance writer who lives in Norfolk. Her novels, including the bestselling A Year at the French Farmhouse and The Riviera House Swap, are often set in France, where she lived for 14 years.


Social Media Links –

Facebook: @GillianHarveyAuthor

Twitter: @GillPlusFive

Instagram: @GillPlusFive

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

Bookbub profile: @gillplusfive

This week....

I'm reading

I mentioned in last week's post that I had started a few books. I still have a couple of those books in progress.

I did finish A Bakery in Paris by Aimie K Runyan. This is the current Cook the Books selection so now I just have to decide what to make before I post my review this weekend.

I also finished The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl. I did like this one, but there was something that bothered me about the book. The review for this one will be up soon where I will elaborate!

I read The Village Cafe in the Loire by Gillian Harvey for a blog tour this week. I do have another blog tour later in the week but I haven't started reading that book. I best get onto that.

I also started Adam and Evie's Matchmaking Tour by Nora Nguyen. I have no idea where I saw this book which then prompted me to then request it from the library. It's a romance that is set in Vietnam which is interesting.  I am enjoying visiting lots of the famous sites of Vietnam through the book.

We had our read on a theme book club meeting on the weekend. The theme for this meeting was war and I actually read 4 books that fit the theme. They were The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn, The Lost Story of Sofia Castello by Siobhan Curham, The Girl from Normandy by Rachel Sweasy and A Bakery in Paris by Aimie K Runyan. The picture above shows some of the books that were read by the whole group. Next month we are doing something a little different for us as a group and that is we are all going to read the same book. The book we have chosen to read is Butter by Asako Yuzuki.

I was very excited this week. I got some physical book mail from a publisher for the first time in forever! So excited! I have booked to go and see this author at an event soon so I will be trying to read the book before then!

I'm watching


We watched a documentary that was produced by the Sail GP team called Uncharted. Basically it was about Australian sailor Jimmy Spithill leaving the US team and starting a new Italian team and how both teams fared following the changes

I stumbled across a TV show on Disney called No Taste Like Home with Antoni Porowski. I had no idea who the host is (apparently he is the food and wine expert on Queer Eye), but the show certainly looked interesting. The idea is that he takes a special guest through their family history but also focusses on the food that their ancestors would have eaten. Think Who Do You Think You Are but foodie. The first episode was with Florence Pugh and I really liked it. I will be watching more this week.

We finished watching the first season of Murderbot. I was pleased to see that the series has been renewed for a second series!

I also saw that there is an adaptation of Before the Coffee Gets Cold announced. Will definitely watch that. There is already a Japanese language adaptation but I haven't been able to watch it yet. I might see if I can find it on any of the streaming services this week.




Life



After being sick for weeks, I finally feel better although I do still sound a little croaky.

My first social outing in weeks with anyone other than family was to go and see the play Julia, which is a two woman show which tells the story of Julia Gillard who was the Prime Minister of Australia from 2010 to 2013. The show builds up to the famous speech that she gave in Parliament on 9 October 2012 about misogyny. It was an exceptional play.

On Sunday went to the Bastille Day Festival at the Queen Victoria Markets. We were only able to be there for just over an hour but loved the vibe. We wandered around drinking hot chocolate, having a very nice macaron, listening to music and we bought some delicious pate which we will find an opportunity to eat soon.




Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: Rereads

Blog Tour: The Magic of Provence by Alison Roberts
Paris in July: A Secret Garden in Paris by Sophie Beaumont
Paris in July: Three Books by Antoine Laurent
Weekend Cooking: The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods
Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: June Statistics (and for the first 6 months of the year!)



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

Paris in July/Top Ten Tuesday: Books with the Eiffel Tower on the Cover

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Freebie/Throwback (Come up with a topic you’d like to do or go back and do an old topic you missed or just want to do again!). Given that today is the kick off for this year's Paris in July event (hosted by Emma at Words and Peace) how could I resist doing something Paris-y? My theme today is Books with the Eiffel Tower on the Cover.

That gives me another chance to share one of my favourite photos of the Eiffel Tower although deciding which one was a challenge!

Some are books that I have read earlier this year. Some are books that I found when I searched the word Eiffel on my blog. The reality is that I could probably do this topic again without too much difficulty.

A Secret Garden in Paris by Sophie Beaumont - I have really loved both of the books set in Paris by this author! I am looking forward to the next one which is out later this year. I will be sharing my review of this book at some point in July!

The Paris Bookshop for the Broken-Hearted by Rebecca Raisin - This author actually has a lot of books that I could have chosen for this theme. I think this is her best book yet! (My review)

The Anywhere Hotel by Gisele Stein - Unlike the rest of the books on this list, only a tiny part of this book is set in Paris. However, I love the cover, and the Tower is there so it counts for this theme!

The Dressmaker of Paris by Georgia Kaufmann - Haven't read this one yet, but I love the way that the Tower is represented here.

Die for Me by Amy Plum - This is an older book which might count as romantasy these days. It features revenants and numas who are fighting their age old battle in the modern streets of Paris. And the cover is gorgeous! (My review)

The Last Train from Paris by Juliet Greenwood - A WWII story that I read and loved a couple of years ago now. (My review)

Twenty One Nights in Paris by Leonie Mack - The first book I read by this author. Now she is an auto-buy. (My review)

Midnight in Paris by Gillian Harvey - I have loved all of Gillian Harvey's books set in different parts of France. I read this one earlier this year and loved it. I think it is my favourite of hers so far! (My review)

The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain - Another case where I had my pick of several covers! And it's nice to have an actual French author on the list as well!

The Little Paris Toyshop by Lauren Westwood - I will take any opportunity I can get to talk about this book which I read and loved a couple of years ago. (My review)

I am pretty sure that there might be another French themed Top Ten Tuesday this month, but I haven't quite decided just yet! Who am I kidding! Of course there will be! It's just a question of what it will be!

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 of my 20 Books of winter

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week is a Summer/Winter Freebie so there is no set theme.

Recently it was announced that Emma from Words and Peace and Annabel from Annabookbel have taken over the 20 Books of Summer event that was previously hosted by Cathy at 746Books. It was an event that I always intended to participate in, but it's winter here and so it just didn't happen. This year though, there is even a 20 Books of Winter graphic, so my post this week is 10 of the 20 books that I intend to read for the Books of Winter event. I haven't decided if I am going to aim for 15 or 20 books and chances are that I won't review everything even if I do read them. We'll see. We also have a Books of my Winter TBR topic coming up in a couple of weeks so I will probably share the rest then. 

The books themselves are a combination of old and new books, books that I want to read for events, and some that I have been meaning to read for the longest time but just haven't gotten to yet.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman - I know a few people who LOVE Fredrik Backman. So far, the only thing I have read from him is a short story called The Answer is No. 

A Bakery in Paris by Aimie K Runyan - This is the current Cook the Books selection and also will be one of my posts for Paris In July.

Half Truth by Nadia Mahjouri - I heard Nadia speak at the Rachael John's Readers Retreat last month, and I just had to buy the book straight away. I am really looking forward to this one! In fact, I have hold myself back from starting this one too early in case I finished it before 1 June.

Three Juliets by Minnie Darke - I have really enjoyed everything I have read from Minnie Darke so I have high hopes for this one too!

A Secret Garden in Paris by Sophie Beaumont - I really liked The Paris Cooking School, and I have been intending to read this one ever since it came out. Sophie Beaumont has just announced her next Paris book which will be out later in the year.

French Rhapsody by Antoine Laurain - I have read a number of Antoine Laurain books over the last couple of years. This year I think I will read this one.

The French Kitchen by Emma Davies - Unsurprisingly this will likely be a Paris in July books too.

The Village Cafe in the Loire by Gillian Harvey - I am on a blog tour for this book in July, and it will also be a Paris in July book. 

The Story Collector by Evie Woods - I have read two Evie Woods books now. I thought one was fine but the other was fantastic so I am keen to read this one to see where it lands!

The Kings Jewel by Elizabeth Chadwick - I have had this on several lists as a book I really want to read. I am determined to read it soon!

Top Ten Tuesday: Surprise!

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Books that Surprised Me (in a good or bad way)

I wasn't sure how I was going to go about this topic, but in the end I found ten books which surprised me in different ways

The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley - I was recently looking through the reviews that I have written for Susanna Kearsley books, and I came across this review for The Rose Garden where I said that I gasped in surprised when I read the big twist!

My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult - This was a surprise in a bad way. That ending made me want to throw the book against the wall. And I have never read another one of her books in the 20 years since.

White Mulberry by Rosa Kwon Easton - The surprised for me in this one was that I didn't know that Japan had occupied Korea for so long! I knew that they had invaded Manchuria in the years before WWII but not Korea.

The Lost Love Song by Minnie Darke - I searched my blog for the word surprise and this is one of the books that came up. I do love this book! (my review)

Undercover Billionaire by Amy Andrews - The surprise for this one was that I forgot to add it to my blog tours list and suddenly realised I had to read and review it in the space of a couple of day! Surprise! (my review)

Return to Virgin River by Robyn Carr - I was surprised that this book was released 8 years after the previous book in the series. Still haven't read it!

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson - I am a bit surprised I haven't read any more of Helen Simonson's books given how much I loved Major Pettrigrew's Last Stand which I reviewed here. I will be reading this one soon!

A Christmas Surprise in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen - I was surprised I had so few books with the word surprise in the title! (my review)

Midnight in Paris by Gillian Harvey - I am a bit surprised I have had so many 5 star reads so far this year. Normally I have two or three but so far this year I have had 6! This was the first. (my review)

Pictures of You by Emma Grey - And this was the most recent!

This week...

I'm reading

It's been a busy reading week!

I finished my first 5 star read for the year! Midnight in Paris by Gillian Harvey. I was already a fan of this author, and this book took it to the next level for me! You can read my review here.

Next up was The Storyteller's Daughter by Victoria Scott, which features a WWII mystery, an old house and so much more. My review is here. 

I also read the third book in the Skylarks series by Helen Rolfe which is called Something in the Air. My review for this will be up later this week. 

My current read is An Italian Island Secret by Victoria Springfield, which has whisked me off to the Italian island of Ischia. I wish I could visit for real, but alas, it isn't to be as we have other travel plans for this year.

I'm watching



I am very excited as Bake off : The Professionals is back for another season! I love this particular version of Bake Off which features professional bakers being set the most amazing and difficult challenges. There are some amazing creations. There are also some disasters!

Another thing that was back this week was Sail GP. They changed one of the key elements on the boats for this race and it led to some very exciting racing!

I started watching the TV adaptation of Beth O'Leary's book, The Road Trip. I will get back to that next week I think.

We watched a new movie on Netflix this week called The Six Triple Eight, which tells the story of an all African American female battalion who are tasked with the almost impossible task of clearing a huge backlog of 17 million letters and packages during WWII. It stars Kerry Washington, and features a couple of notable cameo appearances. We really liked it and thought it was pretty well done.

Life

Last week was a pretty quiet week really. 

My thoughts have turned towards actively looking for a new job! Wish me luck!

Max

A couple of  months ago, Max was really sick, but he is pretty much like he was before now. He still has quite a few big patches of hair missing which you can see on his head and belly, but he is wanted to play tug of war, chase the ball and so much more, which is quite a relief.

Here he is lying on the cool of the tiles because it is hot here at the moment!

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: Books and Blogging Goals for 2025

Blog Tour: Widows Waive the Rules by Julia Jarman
Blog Tour: Midnight in Paris by Gillian Harvey
Weekend Cooking: What We Ate on Holidays - South Australia

Sunday Salon: 2024 Year in Review

Blog Tour: The Storyteller's Daughter




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

Blog Tour: Midnight in Paris by Gillian Harvey

 

Gillian Harvey! You made me cry, smile, wish I could visit Paris, and given me a book hangover! This was 5/5 read because ...... All the Feels!

I am not sure how to review this book, because there are a couple of twists in it that it is best to not know about before you read it. I'll give it a go though!

Shortly after Sophie and Tom got together, he surprised her with a weekend trip to Paris. For Tom, it's no big deal. He's had quite a privileged upbringing where money is no object. Sophie comes from more humble beginnings and so it feels extravagant, especially given that she is struggling to get by with a part time job while they are students. However, she has always dreamed of Paris, and so off they go. Tom has no interest in visiting the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, Sophie must! He doesn't like standing in the queues with other tourists, but Sophie wants to visit all the places.

This is just the beginning of what becomes their thing - an annual trip to Paris, visiting all of the places that become theirs, but most especially the Pont de Carrousel at midnight.

There are multiple timelines in the book. We see Sophie and Tom as they visit Paris each year, but then we have a two weeks ago timeline as well, where Sophie is visiting Paris alone, hoping that Tom will show up. 

It is only as the two timelines converge that we get more of an idea of what is going on. Life and it's struggles have worn away some (but not all) the uninhibited joy that they feel with each other, and sometimes the trips to Paris aren't as exciting as others. As you are reading the book, there's a word or phrase here or there that makes you go....hold on. And then, well then you realise that this book is something other than the book you thought you were reading!

I first read Gillian Harvey back in 2022, and I have read everything that she has had published since then. I really enjoy the way that she writes about the expat lifestyle, people moving to France and following their dreams, something that she has done herself. And to be honest, I was expecting the same from this book. Instead, we got something completely different and at a whole other level! 

By turns beautiful and heartbreaking and hopeful, this is a book that I will cherish, and it is my first 5/5 read for the year.

If I lived in Europe, I can guarantee you I would be visiting Paris on a regular basis! As it is, I can't quite convince my husband that it is worth 24 hours on a plane (plus the cost) to visit every year! It's probably going to be another couple of years before I get to visit again. In the meantime, I will continue to read Gillian Harvey's books to give me that taste of France that I crave! And look at my photos from when we last visited just to torture myself that little bit more.

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted by The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour shown below. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. 

About the book

Midnight in Paris

Ten years. Two people. One last visit…

Sophie and Tom first visited Paris together as students. During their weekend away in the world’s most romantic city, falling in love – with the place, and each other – was simply inevitable.

They resolved to return every summer and kept their word, until something happened that changed their world forever.

Five years on, Sophie’s travelling to Paris alone to meet Tom again in their special place, on the Pont du Carrousel at midnight.

Because life has torn them apart. And now Sophie has something to tell Tom. Something that will change everything…

The most heartbreaking, uplifting and powerful novel you’ll read all year. Perfect for fans of David Nicholls, Kristin Hannah and The Notebook.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/midnightinparis

About the author

Gillian Harvey is a freelance journalist. She has lived in Limousin, France for the past twelve years, from where she derives the inspiration and settings for her books such as A Year at the French Farmhouse and A Month in Provence.



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Bookbub profile: @gillplusfive