Fireworks and the French

In honor of the Fourth of July, our national holiday celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, I read such document and was amazed at the list of grievances - I thought it was mostly about taxation without representation.

But no, Thomas Jefferson, the primary author of this historic document, uses phrases as "opposing with manly firmness his (the King's) invasions on the rights of the people"; "exposed (us) to all the dangers of invasions from without and convulsions from within" and accuses the King of Great Britain of  "repeated injuries and usurpations."

And this:
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

Jefferson was really, really mad. As were the representatives of the Thirteen Colonies who approved the measure unanimously.

On another note, I read two essays in Paris Was Ours. (After all the French did help us win the Revolutionary War.)

The first, by Veronique Vienne,  L'argent Is No Object, is her tale of moving back to Paris from America after her divorce. She is confused to discover that the French don't want to talk about money, in fact refuse to discuss it, unlike Americans who can think and talk of nothing else.

But, she asks, if the French don't talk about money, what do they talk about over those long, lingering dinners and lunches?

The asparagus season, the Tour de France, Japanese art, the films of Jean-Luc Godard, photojournalism, Yoko Ono, how to silence creaky floorboards, women's sports, the wonders of foot surgery, Cartier-Bresson, revisionist history, great radio programs, the latest Grand Palais contemporary art exhibition, and, last but not least, best recipes for beef bourguignon.

Just in case you were wondering.

In the second essay Diane Johnson, author of Le Divorce and Le Mariage, takes a look at Learning French Ways. She discovers that French hostesses have been known to buy pre-prepared food from Marks and Spencer and make use of frozen dinners and the microwave. That everyone in Paris wears a scarf (we knew that) and that French women buy two or three very good pieces and put them on to go to the store.

She wakes up one morning and realizes that women in Paris were all carrying the sort of handbag she had never thought of having in her wardrobe.

She writes: Last week I noticed that every French woman was carrying a big, brown leather, rather rustic-looking handbag with wide straps and lots of buckles and studs.  The ultimate version is from Bottega Veneta and costs two thousand euros.

But of course no French woman would ever discuss the price of such a prize.

Mais, non!

Un petit album photo

I spent a week in Paris in September 2010 and then went off to spend a week in Florence and a week in Tuscany, Italy.

Since I am still not quite ready to hit the streets of Paris with my July reading, I thought I would post a few of my photos of the City of Light.


Courtyard of Hotel de Varenne
7th Arrondisement
I loved this hotel. The courtyard was a quiet place to rest after a day of sightseeing.

In the mornings I would enjoy a second cup of coffee at this courtyard table before hitting the streets. The hotel is in a very quiet neighborhood near embassies, the French National Assembly, and government ministries.

Believe it or not, this was the view from my hotel room. My own very own La Tour Eiffel. Every night at 9 of the clock, the tower lit up with a fantastic light show. It glimmered and glittered before wishing me bonne nuit.

This guy, The Thinker by Auguste Rodin, lived just up the street from my hotel. The Musée Rodin is one of my favorite places in Paris. For one euro, I could wander the gardens, rest by the pond, enjoy the roses blooming, and appreciate the creativity of one of my favorite sculptors.

The Swerve and a bit of Paris

My trip to Paris has been delayed because I am caught up in reading The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt. It is a fascinating book about one poem written 2000 years ago, lost, then found in the 1400s and how the ideas and philosphies of the poem helped usher in the Renaissance.

The main guy, an Italian named Poggio Bracciolini, was a book-hunter and was on the quest to find Greek and Roman books that were rotting away in monastery libraries. The poem he found was On the Nature of Things written by Lucretius, based on the philosphy of Epicurus.

There is much talk of the books of antiquity: how they were made, who had them, who read them, and how they were lost.

Here is a warning tale: As the Roman empire crumbled...

..the whole Roman system of elementary and higher education fell apart. What began as downsizing went on to wholesale abandonment. Schools closed, libraries and academies shut their doors, professional grammarians and teachers of rhetoric found themselves out of work. There were more important things to worry about than the fate of books.

Those 'more important things' included decaying cities, declining trade, and barbarians at the gate.

Why does this sound like something out of today's newpapers?

Anyway, on to Paris. One of the books on my list is Paris Was Ours which I bought in March and read a story here  and here. I have read quite a few books this year that regale the wonders of Paris and if you have not read The Greater Journey by David McCullough I highly recommend it. It will have you swooning.

Paris en juillet (Paris in July)

Un petit cafe, s'il vous plait!

Temperature in Paris: 64 degrees
Temperature chez moi: 100 degrees

Bonjour and welcome to Paris in July at Belle, Book, and Candle or as they say en français: Belle, livre, et la bougie.

In preparation for this month-long event, I scoured my own bookshelves for Francophile readings. I found:

Paris Was Ours: Thirty-two Writers Reflect on the City of Light edited by Penelope Rowland;

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway;

Monet at Giverny by Caroline Holmes,

For a Flower Album by Collette with watercolors by Manet; and,

Paris Was a Woman: Portraits From the Left Bank by Andrea Weiss.


I also discovered two home decor books: The French Inspired Home, with French General by Kaari Meng; and, Bringing It Home: France by Cheryl MacLachlan. These I will leave out on the living room table open to the most gorgeous photos. Just to inspire me.

I found a couple of English/French dictionaries and how-to-learn French textbooks as well.

As you can see, I already have a touch of Francomania to go along with my bibliomania.

I do believe I will begin with Paris Was Ours and then dive into A Moveable Feast which will be a reread for me but oh so perfect for this event.

I took a look at Wikipedia under French films and there are lists by year (from 1892) so quite a bit to choose from. I do love French Kiss with Kevin Kline and Meg Ryan. Not only the movie but the soundtrack.

And then I have planned a visit to a new French restaurant in town and I signed up for a cooking class where I will (perhaps) learn to make coq au vin.

Quoi! Only 31 days in July??

June Recap and Paris in July

Here is the June recap:
Books read: 8
Books started and not finished: 3 - Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt; Eye of the God by Ariel Allison (Nook); Frost at Christmas by R.F. Wingfield
Books abandoned: Dead Tease by Victoria Houston
Authors met: 1 - Gail Collins

In other news, I signed up for the Paris in July event started by Book Bath and Thyme for Tea. This is its third year and my first. The point is to read, eat, watch and listen to anything that has to do with Paris and France. I already have one book and a cooking event planned. I am excited about participating.

I have visited Paris twice; most recently in September 2010. I spent the week walking everywhere. My toes had bruises. But that is definitely the best way to see this beautiful city. The first time I visited, in 1994, I took the Metro a lot because I was jumping from one famous site to the next. I saw many individual places but missed the big picture.

This last time I also visited Monet's gardens at Giverney. I spent hours sitting, sketching, and just relishing the stunning fall French weather. I had seen so many photos of the house and garden, and of course Monet's paintings as well, that I felt like I had been there before. It was a glorious adventure.

So I am inspired by the Paris in July event. Be prepared for many stories about my times in the City of Light.

As Texas Goes...by Gail Collins

Last night journalist and author Gail Collins spoke to a full, full house at a program put on by the public library. This was part of her book tour for As Texas Goes...How the Lone Star State Hijacked the American Agenda.

Collins had some funny things to say about Texans, their politics, their education system, their influence, and just their general crankiness. There are 26 million people living in this huge state that has the second highest birthrate in America. Utah is first. The population has an enormous sense of self-identity and still clings to the idea that before it was a state Texas was a republic for nine years. And they are still riding on the sentiment of the soldiers at the Alamo: Victory or die.

Collins is a very engaging speaker. She is short and her head barely made it over the top of the podium. She spoke for about 45 minutes and then took questions from the audience. She has an explosive laugh and says she loves writing for the New York Times op-ed page twice a week and doesn't plan on going anywhere soon.

This is not her first book. She has two books out about the women: When Things Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present (2009) and America's Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines (2007). She also wrote a biography of President William Henry Harrison as part of the American Presidents Series (2012). Another of her books is Scorpion Tongues: Gossip, Celebrity and American Politics (updated 2007).

I had no idea she was so prolific. I think the first two listed above will go on my To Be Read list.

I did not feel the urge to buy the book. As a matter of fact, I kept wondering how she could stand to constantly immerse herself in the malfeasance and misadventures of those in the political scene. I wouldn't be able to take it.

Hotter Than a Texas Biscuit

Gail Collins

It is 102 degrees at six o'clock in the evening. A bit of a heat wave.

Heat or not, I am on my way to listen to Gail Collins speak at the library. Before the New York Times started charging to read 'into' the paper, I used to relish her op-ed columns along with those of Maureen Dowd. I do think Collins is wittier.

Tonight she will speak on her book As Texas Goes... How the Lone Star State Hijacked the American Agenda. I am not much of a political junkie, but I just couldn't pass up a chance to see and hear her in person. I will give a full report tomorrow.

How fitting that it is hotter than a Texas biscuit tonight.