Hi there! I hope the week is going really well for you.
Here is what I’ve been reading lately. The first article linked below is about Anne Frank’s friends. I pulled out a quote from the article because it made me think about life and the people and strangers we interact with everyday.
Actually, I love all of France, but let’s focus on Paris. Paris is my favorite travel destination. I love the food, the people, the language, the museums, the cobbled sidewalks, the fashion, the boutiques….I could go on and on.
Because of my job and other obligations, I can’t travel there as much as I would like. Just once every other year or so. But in the meantime, I like to read books that feature Paris.
Here are a few books that are set (or partly set) in Paris:
Desiree by Annemarie Selinko. This book is a saga of a love trilogy. It’s a fictionalized account of Napolean’s ex-fiancée, Désirée Clary, who went on to become the Queen of Sweden. I love this novel! It’s written in the form of diary entries, it’s fun, romantic and adventurous. There was also a movie based on this book and Napoleon was played by Marlon Brando.
Solitaire by Jane Thynne. This is the fifth book in the Clara Vine series. It’s a gripping spy drama set in Nazi Germany. Clara Vine, an Anglo-German actress, lives in Nazi Germany undercover and spies for British Intelligence. It’s riveting. In this installment, Clara’s work takes her to 1940s Paris.
Love from Paris by Alexandra Potter. This book was a delightful, frothy read. Our heroine, Ruby, travels to Paris where she stumbles upon a mysterious old apartment. She goes on to do some sleuthing and makes a stunning discovery. I assume this story was partly inspired by the real life story of this Paris apartment.
Barefood in Paris by Ina Garten. I love this cookbook. It’s one of my favorites. I’ve tried a good number of her recipes from this book and they’ve all come out delicious. The book includes plenty of anecdotes about her time in Paris. Ina also shares with us her list of Parisian stores for kitchen and cooking-related shopping.
If you have any favorite books set in Paris, I’d love to know! xoxo, Jane
This post contains Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn’t cost you anything extra to use the links, but it’s also ok if you don’t use the links. I’m just grateful you are here and reading my blog. xoxo, Jane
As you set out for Ithaka
hope the voyage is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them:
you’ll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.
Hope the voyage is a long one.
May there be many a summer morning when,
with what pleasure, what joy,
you come into harbors seen for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician trading stations
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfume of every kind—
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to gather stores of knowledge from their scholars.
Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you are destined for.
But do not hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you are old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you would not have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.
And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you will have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.
