Francophile Library – Summer 2018 Edition

Summertime is the best reading season! I feel like it is the time of year (except maybe in comparison with the holidays) that books are being published left and right! That also means there is no shortage of books for francophiles either, so what check out what's new for your summer reading list.

The Lost Vintage

I've been reading Ann Mah's newsletter for nearly a decade. Her Mastering the Art of French Eating has a prime spot in my Francophile library. But her latest book, The Lost Vintage (out June 19th) is a little bit different, it's fiction and a beautiful story that takes place in the heart of France's wine country.

From the publisher:

“Sweetbitter meets The Nightingale in this page-turner about a woman who returns to her family's ancestral vineyard in Burgundy to study for her Master of Wine test, and uncovers a lost diary, a forgotten relative, and a secret her family has been keeping since World War II.”

The Cook’s Atelier

Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith Franchini are a mother-daughter team that runs The Cook’s Atelier in Beaune France. It's a cooking school, culinary boutique, and wine shop. Mr. Misadventures and I used to live 2 hours away from Beaune a mecca for wine – they have a famous wine auction every year, it is just a wonderful beautiful town and The Cook’s Atelier makes it all the more special. I've always wanted to visit them, do a tour, attend one of their private dinners, or just hang out with them for an afternoon (or two). Now I get a little piece of them with their first book. It is gorgeous and a delight!

From the publisher:

“The debut cookbook from The Cook’s Atelier—the international culinary destination and cooking school in Burgundy—is a beautifully photographed resource on classic French cuisine and an atmospheric chronicle of a family’s life in a charming French village.”

Not Quite Mastering the Art of French Living

I don't know about you, but I absolutely love books about foreigners moving to France and trying to make a go of it. France is a culture full of spoken and unspoken code so just about anyone is going to run into one, or two, or a thousand while trying to rent a home, buy a home, heck just live day-to-day! That's why I adore all my Peter Mayle books and several others listed in my books to read before visiting France – it is a great way to (sort of) get prepared. In Not Quite Mastering the Art of French Living, Mark Greenside shares his adventures at making a go of living in Brittany and it is hilarious!

From the publisher:

“(Not Quite) Mastering the Art of French Living details Greenside’s daily adventures in his adopted French home, where the simplest tasks are never straightforward but always end in a great story. Through some hits and lots of misses, he learns the rules of engagement, how he gets what he needs—which is not necessarily what he thinks he wants—and how to be grateful and thankful when (especially when) he fails, which is more often than he can believe.”

Tasting Paris: 100 Recipes to Eat Like a Local by Clotilde Dusoulier

I've been reading Chocolate & Zucchini for a very long time, in fact, I quoted from Clotilde Dusoulier's blog in my own Disclosure page created in 2009! Clotilde has written several wonderful cookbooks, but I am really super excited about this one. Many people visit Paris (or France) eat in a restaurant and think they have experienced French food. But oh my goodness it is really so much more than that. Something that I don't think you can experience unless you live there, or shop the farmer's markets and cook or picnic with truly fresh ingredients from all over France. The recipes that Clotilde have are those that my (French) husband would make (and long for) that my (French) mother-in-law would make, Tasting Paris really truly shows you how to eat Paris like a local!

From the publisher:

Tasting Paris features new and classic French recipes and cooking techniques that will demistify the art of French cooking and transport your dinner guests to Paris. Whether you have experienced the charm of Paris many times or dream of planning your first trip, here you will find the food that makes this city so beloved.

The Room on Rue Amélie

I don't know about you, but I never tire of books or movies taking place during World War II. I love history and I love it when a novel is set in a place I love, like Paris. And that's exactly what I (and you!) get with The Room on Rue Amélie. There is romance, suspense, danger and the light (and darkness) of humankind. It is an absolutely perfect summer read – a real page-turner!

From the publisher:

“This powerful novel of fate, resistance, and family tells the tale of an American woman, a British RAF pilot, and a young Jewish teenager whose lives intersect in occupied Paris during the tumultuous days of World War II.”

Paris Picnic Club

A weekly picnic with friends that turned into a pop-up restaurant, that turned into a blog, that turned into a beautifully illustrated book chronicling the journey and recipes of Shaheen Peerbhai and Jennie Levitt, the Paris Picnic Club is one of my new favorites! Mr. Misadventures and I absolutely love to picnic and do it every week. During our 2 weeks in Paris, we did it nearly every day.

From the publisher:

“In this charmingly illustrated book, Shaheen and Jennie offer a collection of their flavorful recipes, taking inspiration from the diverse cuisines of Paris. You’ll delight in eclectic small plates and sharing platters, abundant tartines, creative drinks, indulgent desserts, and more—to savor and share in your favorite picnic spot or at your dinner table.”

P.S. If you love the illustrations – and I do – take a look at Jessie Kanelos Weiner's Paris in Stride from my Francophile Library – Spring 2018 Edition.

Discovery

I could not put this book down! It is a bit à la Dan Brown, with lots of history some mystery, and a wonderful love story mixed in. I love the balance of old and new stories, the connecting points, and the backdrop of the Languedoc region of France. This is a work of fiction, but it is based on real people and real places – with lots of intrigue and suspense!

From the publisher:

“Abbé François Bérenger Saunière arrives in Rennes-le-Château in 1885 as impoverished as the remote mountain village itself. Inspired by the true story, this unconventional priest amasses a fortune, creates a magnificent estate and brings his ancient, crumbling Church of Saint Maria Magdalena to glory. Dr. Giselle Gélis is resigned to living within the insular world of biblical scholarship until Dr. David Rettig, a gregarious American archeologist, bursts into her life in 2012. He’s more familiar with Shakespeare and poetry than the Gospels; she’s a pragmatist, he’s a dreamer—but it’s kismet, nonetheless. As the threads of these stories intertwine, an intriguing and little known historical mystery is woven through a contemporary tale of sweeping emotional intensity, illuminating the complexities of human relationships—and the power of love.”

How about you? What is on your summer reading list?

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