Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.
This week theme is Books with Handwriting on the Cover (Or fonts that look like handwriting. Titles, subtitles, covers with letters on them, etc.). There is a publisher that I read quite a lot from who tends to put their author names on the cover in a cursive like font, but I am going to see how far I can get but focussing only books where it is the title that is in cursive. On some covers it might be the whole title but on others it is just words like the or on!
A Venice Summer by Lynne Shelby - I read this a couple of months ago and enjoyed it a lot.
The Palace of Lost Virtue by Anthea Hodgson - This one was sitting on my desk right in my eye line so I couldn't not have this on the list even though I haven't read it yet!
This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page - same with this one really
An Italian Island Love Story by Leonie Mack - This might look more like handwriting if you squint at it slightly but it is there!
Hopes and Dreams at the Chocolate Pot Cafe by Jessica Redland - Isn't this cover fun?
The Seaside Book Club by Helen Rolfe - This is a cute cover too!
The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa - This is such an eye catching cover. I am glad that it is the one that got.
The Cottage at the Edge of the Woods by Jane Lovering - The contrast between the block letters and the cursive is very effective as we can see on several covers in this list.
The Resistance Knitting Club by Jenny O'Brien - It's only one word but it still counts!
The Boulangerie on the Corner by Susan Buchanan - And now I want to eat France and eat lots of fresh bread.
Melbourne weather is notoriously fickle and we have had some really,really hot days this week with more to come. This week it just so happened that I picked up two books set in the Arctic area of the northern hemisphere, so plenty of snow and ice to cool the brain. The first of those books was The Arctic Cruise by Caroline James. Our characters sailed north to Norway chasing the Northern Lights. It was a fun read. (my review)
Then my thoughts turned to France and pastries when I read The Boulangerie on the Corner by Susan Buchanan. As I stated at the beginning of my review...you had me at boulangerie!
I stepped a bit outside of my normal reading this week and read The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. I don't normally read these kinds of psychological thrillers. I picked it up because a friend of mine recently told me that McFadden is her favourite author, and I have noticed how her books are dominated the best sellers lists around the world! Having now read one of her books, I can see why. It was gripping, twisty and turny and definitely made me want to find out what happens next. I have requested the next book from the library but there is a bit of a wait.
Finally, I started Us Against You by Fredrik Backman, which is set in a small town in Sweden. This is the second book in the Beartown trilogy and I'm enjoying it very much. I can't wait to pick it up again today.
I'm watching
I watched the first episode of the Irish show, The Walsh Sisters, which is based on the Marian Keyes books. I wasn't really sure what to make of the first episode. There was lots of drama, but I guess I always think of Marian Keyes as being funny while she tackles heavy issues. I am not sure I got the funny yet. I will keep watching too see if it picks up or not.
Recently, it was announced that the best selling books in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series are being made into a TV series. I thought that it was probably about time that I watched the movie version which was made back in 2018, which is called Cafe Funiculi Funicula. I enjoyed it,, and liked the way that they depicted the person going back in time. It was a bit different to the book, which I guess is to be expected. I liked it, but I am not 100% sure it would have made a lot of sense if I didn't already read the series.
Here's the trailer
Life
It's a long weekend here for Australia Day. It is a bit of contentious holiday. It's not because people aren't proud to be Australian and love our great country, but the date of 26 January is seen as being harmful for indigenous Australians as it represents the day that the British came and took their land and so many of their people in the following years. I would be quite happy to see the date changed to another date that is less painful. It's been changed before and it can be changed again. I am, however, happy to have the additional day off. Work has been pretty stressful so I am grateful for the chance for one extra day to just do not much, especially seeing as we have had some pretty hot days
With the heat comes the threat of fires. Whilst I have never been close to being threatened by a really big fire, I do hate the days that you wake up and all you can smell is the lingering smoke from fires in other parts of the state. It was like that yesterday morning.
Max
Poor Maxxie boy has an eye infection so he looks a bit rough at the moment. It is getting better slowly though. You can also see how bad his blindness is getting. He is, however, still a happy boy. We will see if there is anything that can be done for him this year. With all his other health issues though we are just taking it one condition at a time!
You know that I am always up for a foodie read, and books set in France, so a foodie book set in France is my jam. Or should I say confiture!
When Lia breaks up with her up to no good partner Freddie, not only is she now single, but she also has to sell her apartment and find somewhere new to live. Deciding that she needs a holiday, she goes to see her boss to ask for some time off only to find out that she is likely going to be losing her job as well due to being made redundant.
Lia is naturally devastated, but Jules encourages her to think about where her happy place might be and to try to go there. It doesn't take Lia long to remember how much she loves France, particularly the Toulouse region where she spent 3 months living with a French family fifteen years previously. She has kept in touch with the Molins family, and they would love to see her, so it is quickly arranged that she will go and visit.
The Molins run the village boulangerie. It means early mornings to get the baking done, and long hours in the shop with customers. But life happens and everyone gets older, and for the Molins family this means that their parents/grandparents are getting older and have significant health concerns. Shortly after Lia arrives there are some health emergencies, and she finds herself helping out in the boulangerie, just getting by with her very rusty French.
Fresh off a break up, the last thing that Lia is really thinking about it is a new relationship, but she soon catches the attention of not one, but two very handsome French men. Theo is flashy, a bit pushy and wants to take Lia to the most expensive restaurants in town. Jean-Luc is more down to earth and owns the fromagerie that is right next to the boulangerie. Soon Lia finds her life getting a bit complicated, especially given that both men have history with the Molins family.
Lia finds that spending time with the family, even with all the challenges they are facing at the moment, and in France makes her realise that perhaps her current circumstances give her the chance to choose what she wants for the future, rather than just following her existing path. As the pressures rise on the Molins, could it be that Lia can find a new path for herself and help them overcome their own challenges.
I loved the Molins family. This is a family that is having a serious run of bad luck. The have worked hard over the years building a successful family run business that is an important part of the local community. I think if I had to get up at 2am to do the baking everyday I would end up seriously over tired and grumpy, but together they are able to support each other both with the boulangerie and through their current trials.
I also enjoyed the Toulouse setting. I loved the sound of some of the places that Lia visited, and the fact that Carcasonne is just down the road is a real temptation for me as that is a place that is on my bucket list.
There is lots of baking in this book, and plenty of references to delicious sounding treats like chocolatines (which is what pain au chocolat is called in the South of France), baguettes and other less familiar sounding pastries such as pastis Gascon which is apple pie with a hint of Armagnac.
One of the sections that I really loved was when the team from the boulangerie decide to enter a regional competition for new products, and they decide to develop a fig and cheese fougasse. I had heard of fougasse before, which is kind of like foccacia but it has distinctive cuts in it which form slits in the bread making it both crunchy and soft and pillowy. It is traditionally flavoured with olives which I don't love, but the idea that there are lots of other flavours out there is very appealing. Here's a video to show what they end up looking like
I have making foccacias on my list of things to try one day. Maybe I will try fougasse instead.
In the blurb below it says for fans of Gillian Harvey, Jo Thomas, Rebecca Raisin and Veronica Henry. I really enjoy those first three authors, and now Susan Buchanan, so I guess I should go and find some Veronica Henry books. Oh, and read some more from Susan Buchanan as well! This is the first in her new European Escapes series and I will be looking out for the next one.
I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews, with Foodies Read hosted at Based on a True Story and of course with Weekend Cooking which I host. Thanks to the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. Be sure to check out other stops on the blog tour below.
Rating 4/5
About the Book
The Boulangerie on the Corner
🥖🥐🥖🥐 Grab your passport for the first in the European Escapes series 🥐🥖🥐🥖
No home. No job. No boyfriend.
When Lia loses her job straight after a break-up, she escapes to the Molins’ family-run boulangerie in Toulouse – the place she was last happy, far away from her cheating ex.
Sworn off men, she isn’t prepared for the spark she feels for charming cheesemaker Jean-Luc, nor for things heating up at the family’s country home in Gascony when handsome, self-assured vineyard-owner Théo asks her out.
Torn between the two and her connections to the Molins family, Lia has some tough decisions to make.
Lia loves being back in France with the people she cares about, helping in the boulangerie. On discovering it is under threat of closure, she is devastated and resolves to do everything in her power to help it stay open.
Will she succeed? And will she be able to choose between the two handsome Frenchmen and live her happily ever after?
For fans of Gillian Harvey, Rebecca Raisin, Jo Thomas and Veronica Henry.
Susan Buchanan writes contemporary romance, women’s fiction and romantic comedies, usually featuring travel, food, family, friendship, community – also Christmas!
Her books are Sign of the Times, The Dating Game, The Christmas Spirit, Return of the Christmas Spirit, A Little Christmas Spirit, A Taste of Christmas Spirit and Just One Day – Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn, The Leap Year Proposal, You Can’t Hurry Love and The Boulangerie on the Corner.
As a freelance developmental editor, copyeditor and proofreader, if she’s not reading, editing or writing, she’s thinking about it.
She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Society of Authors and the Alliance of Independent Authors.
She lives near Glasgow with her husband, two children and a crazy Labrador.
When she’s not editing, writing, reading or caring for her two delightful cherubs, she likes going to the theatre, playing board games, watching quiz shows and eating out, and she has a penchant for writing retreats.
Giveaway to Win a signed and dedicated paperback of The Boulangerie on the Corner (Open to UK Only)
*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Gleam box below. The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
Saturday - Away for the weekend Sunday - Away for the weekend Monday - Away for the weekend Tuesday - Chicken Schnitzel and chips Wednesday - Mexican chicken and rice Thursday - Chilli con carne 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
Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Bookish Wishes (List the top 10 books you’d love to own and include a link to your wishlist so that people can grant your wishes. Make sure you link your wishlist to your mailing address or include the email address associated with your e-reader in the list description so people know how to get the book to you. After you post, jump around the Linky and grant a wish or two if you’d like. Please don’t feel obligated to send anything to anyone!).
I always feel a bit uncomfortable with this topic. I don't really have a wishlist and I would feel uncomfortable putting one up in the hope that someone would gift me something, and feeling uncomfortable if no one did!
Instead, I am bringing you 10 books with titles that remind me of a song. And you are welcome for any earworms that you might receive as a result of this post. I certainly gave myself some!
Best Days of Our Lives by Helen Rolfe - This phrase reminds me of the chorus of Thank You by Dido where one of the lines is I want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life. (my review)
Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens - Makes me think of the Joe Jackson song that was released in 1978. It's a very catchy tune!
Girls Just Want to Have Sun by Jo Lyons - This is an obvious play on the title Girls Just Want to Have Fun by the fabulous Cyndi Lauper
You Can't Hurry Love by Susan Buchanan - Phil Collins anyone? And look, there's a sloth on the cover.
Someone I Used to Know by Paige Toon - The song title is actually Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye and Kimbra, but it's close enough to make me thing of the song.
I Knew You Were Trouble by Sandy Barker - Now we are in our our Taylor Swift earworm era. I feel like if I went looking hard enough I would find quite a few Taylor adjacent titles. (my review)
Don't You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane - Back to the 80s with Simple Minds for this one!
Over the Sea to Skye by Sue Moorcroft - The title of this song is actually The Skye Boat Song and it is a very old song, originating in Scotland in the 19th century. You may also be familiar with it as the theme song for the Outlander TV series. I will have my review up for this book later in the week.
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow by Claudia Carroll - Not quite as old given that it was originally released in 1960 the title of this song by The Shirelles is sometimes shown as Will You Love Me Tomorrow but the lyrics include the word still.
Suspicious Minds by Martin Edwards - Edwards has a whole series featuring detective Harry Devlin where several of the books have song titles. I chose this one because I love both the Elvis and Fine Young Cannibals versions.
Can you think of other titles which remind you of a song. I am sure there are lots!
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