Top Ten Tuesday: October Reads

 Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is How My Reading Habits Have Changed Over Time (submitted by Lydia @ https://lydiaschoch.com)

Occasionally I do a look back at books I have read in this month over previous years and this theme seems like it would work for that quite well. So, here are some books that I have read in October over the last few years

2023 - The Christmas Love Letters by Sue Moorcroft - Reading Christmas novels is something I would never have done 10 years ago

2022 - A Year at the French Farmhouse by Gillian Harvey - This was my first Gillian Harvey book, but I have now read a further 6 books by her, and consider her an auto-read author

2021 - The Summer Cottage by Viola Shipman - In October 2021 I read two books by Viola Shipman. I would have read more but his books are a bit tricky to get on e-book here.

2020 - Beach Read by Emily Henry - I did read my first Viola Shipman in October 2020, but it was also the first time I read Emily Henry, who I definitely consider and auto-read author now, or rather auto-listen as I tend to listen to her books.

2019 - The Pearl Sister by Lucinda Riley - Another series I tend to listen to. I really must listen to the last couple of books in this series. They are a big commitment though.

2018 - Lethal White by Robert Galbraith - I really enjoyed the audiobooks of this series, but these days I don't really read this series.

2017 - A Letter from Italy by Pamela Hart - So I have been reading about Italy for a while now

2016 - The Art of Keeping Secrets by Rachael Johns - Even during my biggest reading slump, Rachael Johns was an author I read..

2015- Taken with You by Shannon Stacey - I used to read a lot of books from this author, but this was  the last one I read, and I have no idea why.

2014 - Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins - Back in the day I used to read and love the occasional YA book but it has been a while now

Top Ten Tuesday - Happy!

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Books I Had VERY Strong Emotions About (Any emotion! Did a book make you super happy or sad? Angry? Terrified? Surprised?), I am focusing on books with variations on the word happy in the title.

The Happiest Refugee by Ahn Do - Ahn is pretty much a national treasure at this point but he started his life in Australia as a refugee.

The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku - This man went through so much but still knew how to be happy.

Happy Ever After in Bellbird Bay by Maggie Christensen - Book number 9 in the Bellbird Bay series (review)

Happy Place by Emily Henry - I must get to the new Emily Henry book.

The Recipe for Happiness by Jane Lovering - I read this a while ago and really enjoyed it. (review)

Isla and the Happy Ever After by Stephanie Perkins - This was the follow up to the hugely successful Anna and the French Kiss!

The Lost Recipe for Happiness by Barbara O'Neal - I doe enjoy Barbara O'Neal's books.

Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith - Book number 7 in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency (review)

Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts - The covers for this series are so gorgeous!

Happy People are Annoying by Josh Peck - No, I haven't read this one! But it did amuse me to include it in this list.

Six Degrees of Separation: Kitchen Confidential to The Burning Island

 

 

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's starting point is 

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain.

I am going to go with my first thought and see where that leads us, so my first pick is Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto.

I am planning to participate in Japanese Literature Challenge which is hosted at Dolce Bellezza so whenever I go to a bookstore I am looking for books that I might read. One of the ones that caught my attention in the City Lights bookstore in San Francisco was Days at the Marisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa. If anyoone has any recommendatons of books to read for the challenge I am taking suggestions.

Recently I read another book set in a  bookstore that was originally published in a different language which was the Door to Door Bookstore which was originally published in German.

The most obvious jump from here is to another book about a bookstore, but instead I am focusing on the word door. I am also jumping to another genre and selecting the YA book Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

One of the characters in Lola is named Cricket, so my next choice is The Rules of Backyard Cricket by Jock Serong. I read this book for my old book club and didn't mind it, but to be honest his later books are more appealing to me.

I am therefore choosing his book, The Burning Island, which won the 2021 ARA Prize for Historical Fiction.

Next month's starting point will be Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Top Ten Tuesday: Books Set in Paris

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

A couple of months ago, I did a TTT post all about books set in places I would like to visit. The surprising thing was that there were no books set in Paris on that list, but there as a reason for that. I already knew that for this freebie topic I was going to combine Top Ten Tuesday with Paris In July and feature books I've read set in Paris.

Die for Me and Until I Die by Amy Plum - These are the first two books in a YA paranormal series set in Paris. This is one of those cases where the cover gods smile on an author not once or twice. I did enjoy the books but haven't read any more.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - This is another YA book but no vampires or werewolves in sight. In this book a young girl moves to Paris to go to school. A while ago someone on a TTT post mentioned that there is going to be a special edition cover so I just had to buy it.

For the King by Catherine Delors - I read this book years ago and enjoyed it. It is set in Paris when a police inspector must investigate a failed assassination attempt against Napoleon.

Paris, My Sweet by Amy Thomas - A New York girl moves to Paris for a year and goes on the hunt for the perfect dessert! This is one book that made me yearn to go to Paris.

The Chocolate Kiss by  Laura Florand (or really any of her books)- I mentioned The Chocolate Thief last week, but all of her books are set in France and often feature lots of food. If you like a bit of romance featuring hot French guys with delicious food, this is an author for you!

French Milk by Lucy Knisley - This is a graphic novel about a young woman's trip to Paris with her mother. It's not my favourite Lucy Knisley book but it did make me want to visit. Then again, you're possibly noticing that is a theme for all the books in this post!

The Little Bookshop on the Seine by Rebecca Raisin - A bookseller swaps her life in small town America for a busy bookshop in Paris. This was my first novel by Rebecca Raisin, but I have read another couple since, and will read more.

Almost Paris by Sarah Turnbull - An Australian woman makes an implulsive decision to move to Paris to live with the French man she has just met. This book explores the cultural differences that she encountered. (review here)

The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B by Sandra Gulland - Sandra Gulland has written a number of historical fiction novels set in France. This is the first in the trilogy focussing on the life of Josephine Bonaparte.(review here)

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo - I am not sure what I need to say about this book other than it is a story of the French revolution.

Best books of 2011 (includes international giveaway)

Today I thought I would share my favourite reads of the year - the books that had me enthralled from beginning to end and that have me anticipating the next book from that author! Over the weekend I will have some stats about my reading year in 2011, how I went achieving my reading resolutions for this year and my reading resolutions and most anticipated reads of 2012!

The books are listed in the order that I read them (except for the last one which I read earlier in the year but have put at the end because I am giving away a copy of the book)

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - I didn't realise it when I read this book early in the year, but this year was the year that I got a bit obsessed with all things French! I also read Lola and the Boy Next Door this year and really, really liked it. Looking forward to Isla next year. (My review)

The Last Letter from your Lover by Jojo Moyes - A few years ago I read The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes and really liked it. I had meant to read more from her but didn't actually do so until I read this book this year and really loved it! I wouldn't have thought that I would enjoy a book where infidelity played such a central role but the story was handled so beautifully. I just learned on Twitter last night that Moyes has another new book out now so I had to request it straight away!

The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley - I made a comment somewhere recently saying that I thought I was genetically predisposed to liking Susanna Kearsley's books, and this book was no exception! I loved it from beginning to end and literally gasped out loud at the twist in the tale. Whilst The Winter Sea is still my favourite maybe because it was my first read by her, this one comes close in terms of favourites. (My review)

Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick - Elizabeth Chadwick is one of my favourite authors, so it isn't a surprise to see her appear on a best of list, but I do think that she is getting better and better! This book is about the war between Empress Matilda and her cousin Stephen, but it is also about so much more. No one brings medieval times to life like Elizabeth Chadwick. One of the not so great things about 2012 is that there isn't going to be a new Chadwick book. We have to wait until 2013 for the first book in her Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy.

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson - Before I read this book I had only read one book by Maureen Johnson and had thought it was okay, but didn't get the fuss. After reading this book, I got it. I really did! This book is set in contemporary London but the events surrounding Jack the Ripper heavily influence the plot. Oh so good!

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness - Witches, warlocks, vampires, time travel, a cantankerous house... this book has it all! The follow up book, Shadow of Night, is due out next year and will be one of my most anticipated books for 2012. (My review)

Giveaway details

To celebrate the paperback release of A Discovery of Witches, I am thrilled to be able to offer a giveaway copy of this book! And even better, the giveaway is open worldwide! The paperback is lovely with a picture of the Oxford sky line down the spine.

To enter, please complete this short form by clicking on the link below! Good luck!

Entry Form

The giveaway closes on 8 January 2012!

Thanks to Penguin for the giveaway copy.

To whet your appetite, here is a video of author Deborah Harkness doing a walking tour of Oxford, which is where the beginning parts of the book are set.





And here is the synopsis:

A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.

Paris in July: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna was looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she's less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Etienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Etienne has it all . . . including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss? Stephanie Perkins keeps the romantic tension crackling and the attraction high in a debut guaranteed to make toes tingle and hearts melt. 

When a book is so beloved across the blogosphere there are really two things that can happen - it either lives up to the hype or you are left scratching your head wondering what can everyone else see that I just can't. I have had my fair share of the latter over the years, but I am very happy to say that this was not one of those experiences! I loved this book!

The book opens with our title character, Anna, being informed that she is going to be going to a boarding school in Paris for her final year, and to say that she is not best pleased is an understatement. She doesn't want to go to Paris, she doesn't want to leave her friends behind, especially not the guy who could be, might be, her boyfriend, maybe, and it certainly doesn't help that she doesn't speak a word of French.

In the end, Anna is given no choice by her father who is deliciously portrayed as a Nicholas Sparks like author who most definitely doesn't write romances, but who has had his five hankys required movies adapted for the screen and is now a really big deal. Anna and her father have a lot of father-daughter issues that are familiar territory - divorce and the associated hurts for starters, but even worse is that Anna is something of a film buff and she is mortified by his movies.

In fact, there is quite a bit of familiar YA territory covered in this novel. I have mentioned the parent child relationships, but others include the fish out of water scenario, young love, friendship. Don't, however, let this be off putting because it is all extremely well done, and the voices of the characters are fresh and compelling.

Alone in her room after being delivered to Paris, Anna is crying in her bedroom when she is interrupted by her next door neighbour, Meredith, who along with her friends, adopts Anna. In the group are Josh and his girlfriend Rashmi, along with Etienne St Clair.

Now, I need to get this out of the way early. I know that I am more than old enough to be his mother, and I know it is kind of wrong of me to be drooling over him, but Etienne St Clair is by far one of the best YA heroes (for want of a better word) that I have read in a long time. The author hasn't made the mistake of making Etienne perfect, although he does apparently have pretty fantastic hair, is funny, has a British accent, speaks perfect French and more.  He most definitely has flaws and his own set of issues including parent issues, and there is of course the fact that he already has a girlfriend to contend with as well.

**Sigh**

Anyway... back to the book. Anna struggles to adapt to life in a strange city. It is really only once she is forced to leave the safety of the college that she begins to appreciate living in Paris and to realise that just because she is away from home she doesn't have to leave behind the things that she loves. Along the way, Anna experiences growing feelings for Etienne, betrayal, self discovery and so much more. She experiences life.

This novel takes a familiar premise and builds from there with excellent characterisation, believable situations for the characters and believable character growth, and grows into an excellent read. All of this means that Perkins' next book, which is a companion novel to this one and is called Lola and the Boy Next Door is one of my most anticipated new books over the coming few months.

For an example of Perkin's writing, check out the quotes that I included in a Weekend Cooking post I did about this book a while ago where Anna's visit to a Paris patisserie is described. I am off to reread the quotes myself so that I can salivate over the descriptions again.

This book is one of those books that I would suggest that you could give to people who don't normally read YA as an example of example of excellent young adult literature, and is one of the few books that I have rated as 5/5 reads this year.

Weekend Cooking: A visit to a French patisserie

For this week's Weekend Cooking post, we are visiting a patisserie in Paris through the eyes of the characters from Stephanie Perkin's YA book, Anna and the French Kiss. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, not only because of the Parisian setting, but also because it is a really well told story. Just briefly, the book is about a young American girl who is sent to an international school in Paris against her wishes. She starts out very unhappily, but she gradually finds a group of friends, one of whom is the droolworthy Etienne St Clair (not that I am drooling over him. He is 17 for goodness sake, and I am, well, not.).

These excerpts all come from Chapter 17.

The patisserie has thick planks of creaky hardwood and a chandelier draped with tinkly strings of topaz crystals. They glow like drops of honey. The women behind the counter lay extravagant cakes into brown-and-white-striped boxes and tie each package with turquoise ribbon and a silver bell. There's a long line, but everyone here is patiently basking in the ambience.

Mer and I wait between tiered displays as tall as we are. One is a tree made from macarons, round sandwich cookies with crusts as fragile as eggshells and fillings so moist and flavourful that I swoon on sight. The other is an arrangement of miniature cakes, gateaux, glazed with almond frosting and pressed with sugared pansies.

And then a bit further on

We're almost in viewing range of the display case. I see a hint of golden apple tarte tatins. The edge of a glossy chocolate-and-raspberry gateau.

At first everything seemed too sophisticated for my tastes, but three months into this, and I understand why the French are famous for their cuisine. Meals here are savored. Restaurant dinners are measured in hours, not minutes. It's so different from America. Parisians swing by the markets every day for the ripest fruit and vegetables, and they frequent specialty shops for cheese, fish, meat, poultry, and wine. And cake.

I like the cake shops the best.

And again further on ...

...we reach the front case. It shimmers with neat rows of square shaped tarte citrons, spongy cakes swelling with molten chocolate, caramel eclairs like ballet slippers, and red fruity cakes, with wild strawberries dusted in powdery sugar.

And more macarons.

Photo credit

Bin after bin of macarons in every flavor and color imaginable. Grass greens and pinky reds and sunshine yellows. While Mer debates over cakes, I select six.

Rose. Black currant. Orange. Fig. Pistachio. Violet.

And then I notice cinnamon and hazelnut praline, and I just want to die right there. Crawl over the counter and crunch my fingers through their delicate crusts and lick out the fragrant fillings until I can no longer breathe.

I've never actually tried macarons myself, but I have to say, I am definitely feeling the need to do so now! And just looking for pictures of them online was loads of fun because they just seem to look so gorgeous most of the time!

 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.

Currently Reading: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

As a result of starting Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins this morning, I would now like to:

Be here:

Photo credit

Be reading this:

Be eating this:

Here's a fan made trailer, just for fun!