Years ago I made my own master packing list to avoid creating a new one each time I packed, saving time and minimizing the chance that I’d forget something. It is so easy to remove what I don’t need each time I have a new trip to plan for- I’ve never looked back! It may take you a trip or two before you think of everything you will want to have on your list, but once you have it you’ll…
Bonjour and happy Wednesday. I am recently back from a nine-day road trip to Montana and Wyoming and a weekend trip to Victoria, BC. I’ve been spending as much time at home as possible to recharge my batteries and don’t have any trips planned until New England in October. BookOne of my favorite food bloggers, Audrey from Pardon Your French, has a cookbook coming out in October. She has created my favorite quiche recipe and I’ve heard there’s a savory…
I’m pretty surprised at how many books I read (12) and reviewed (10) this month. Now that I look back it’s fewer than I read in June but I guess July was busier for me. We’re getting ready to head out on a summer road trip. I’m only bringing my kindle so I won’t be putting a dent in my physical TBR pile but I have an even worse problem digitally because of so many free or really cheap books….
Bonjour and Happy Wednesday! I have been busy planning the road trip that we leave for in less than two weeks. We’ll be camping (in a campground, nothing too extreme) eight out of nine nights so my packing list is the longest it has ever been. It’s going on two pages but hopefully that means it will be impossible to forget anything. I’ve also actually been working on photography (also in anticipation of the trip) and reading, reading, reading. BookThis…
I was delightfully surprised with how much I enjoyed Sparrowhawk. Artemisia has had a difficult time (mostly with her stepmother and one of her half sisters) growing up as an illegitimate child. Set in mid-nineteenth century England, Artemisia has spent her time as a lady’s maid for her sister Elizabeth, who has just died. Fortunately the sister she is close with, Caroline, is still alive. Elizabeth was set to marry someone who would help their family’s financial situation, but now…
The Little Shop of Found Things by Paula BrackstonI really like many aspects of this book. Xanthe is an antiques dealer who can “hear” certain pieces telling her their story. She discovers one piece that causes her to travel back in time and ties her to an angry ghost who is looking for her daughter’s name to be cleared of a crime. My issue with this book is that it seems a few great ideas (time travel, ghost, magical realism)…
Bonjour and happy Wednesday. We’re all doing well on our small plot of PNW land, still bundled up and trying to stay warm while it seems that this week Paris is having an early heat wave. Seattle is notorious for not getting summer weather until after July 4th and it looks like it will be at least that long again this year. We don’t have AC in our house so I don’t mind the delay. I’ve been reading a ton,…
Somehow each day in Paris was better than the one before, which means that the last day ended up being my favorite. We went to Holy Belly for breakfast and I think this is our new favorite breakfast spot, sorry BIA. I got two scrambled eggs with baked beans, hash browns, bacon, and a carrot-orange juice. Joe got the savory pancakes and a cafe filtre and we loved everything. If you’re looking for more than a croissant for breakfast, this…
Sunday morning meant that it was time for the second of two things (the first was Père Lachaise) I absolutely had to do on this trip: go to the market. Specifically, Marché Bio Raspail in Saint Germain, which is a big part of the novel I’m working on. I woke up really early in order to go before breakfast before a 10:30am bike tour and when I got there some vendors were still setting up. It was a smaller version…
BookI recently finished French Twist by Catherine Crawford. I don’t make a habit of reading parenting books but I do make an exception for French ones, naturally. The French seem to know when they’re doing when it comes to kids and this book shed some light on mysteries to me, like how one gets a child to behave. It’s always entertaining to hear how people or families adapt to a French lifestyle and I was glad to hear that these…