Mini-Reviews: Memoirs and Biographies

Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo

Heaven is For Real is the story of a little boy who had a near-death experience and went to heaven, where he met Jesus Christ, his grandfather, and experienced many other things. I'm not going to get into the validity of the book -- religion is based on faith, and if you don't have faith, you're going to say this book was a lie, and if you do, you're going to say this book was amazing. For me, I enjoyed the story and thought Colton's experience was very interesting and left quite a bit to ponder. 

3.5 stars

Warnings: None

Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy

Lucy Grealy was diagnosed with cancer as a young child and spent much of her life undergoing surgeries, chemo, and radiation. While she survived the cancer, it left her face transformed -- much of her lower jaw was removed and despite numerous surgeries, was never fully reconstructed again. Grealy explores the way the pain and fear of cancer affected her, as well as the way her face affected the way others treated her and the way she viewed herself.

I read this book after reading Ann Patchett's memoir of her close friendship with Grealy, Truth and Beauty (which I recommend reading first if you plan on reading both books). Thus, I already had an idea of what Grealy had been through and the way her life played out. However, hearing it in her own voice, so to speak, was incredibly powerful. I am a nurse for children with cancer, and reading this firsthand account of the oddness of her early life was so heartrending. For a while, she didn't even know she had cancer -- obviously she knew there was something wrong, but no one gave that appellation. Her family constantly pressured her to be strong and positive, which left her believing that her fear and pain was not legitimate or acceptable. Later, she always noticed people staring at her, and believed herself unworthy of love due to the fact that she believed she could never be considered beautiful. 

These explorations are dark at times, and the end of Grealy's story is not a happy one, but her thoughts do broach many questions that are important in this society -- a society that values physical appearance very highly and makes lightning judgments based on first impressions. I think Autobiography of a Face poses important questions. And it's a bonus that Grealy is a poet, and her writing is gorgeous. 

3.5 stars

Warnings: Some sensuality, language, thematic material

French Milk by Lucy Knisley

French Milk is a graphic novel of a twenty-something's six week trip to Paris with her mother. I love Paris, and I love the idea of graphic novels, but here's the thing -- this one didn't give me enough. I liked Lucy's random observations, her drawings of art and food, and her voice, but the book just didn't feel like enough. I wanted more details. I'm not sure if that is me not appreciating the art of the graphic novel or the graphic novel not doing a good enough job, but it left me wanting. Also, sometimes Knisley made me mad by doing stupid things, like starting to smoke so she would fit in in Paris. It's not just because I'm a parent that is closer to thirty than twenty that causes me to want to shake some sense into her, is it? Doesn't everyone know that smoking is the worst health decision you could possibly, possibly make? Okay, throwing yourself off a bridge is probably a worse health decision, but seriously, smoking cigarettes is the most preventable risk factor in just about EVERY chronic disease. Okay, taking deep breaths, end of rant. Other than that, I thought she was funny and witty, and I liked her honesty about her grumps and enjoyments.

3 stars

Warnings: Language, endorsement of cigarettes!!, some drawings of nude paintings, talking about non-graphic sex

MWF Seeking BFF by Rachel Bertsche

I've heard a lot of mixed reviews of MWF Seeking BFF, which disappointed me, because from what I'd heard about it, I thought I would love it, being a recently married twenty-something in a new city myself. Fortunately, for me, this book was everything I hoped it would be and more. I absolutely loved it. I understand the issues that some people had with the book -- at times Bertsche gets too focused on the letter of her quest, frenetically seeking her 52 friend-dates at the risk of her own sanity and at times even her marriage. She also at times bothered me with her desire to find "the" best friend instead of appreciating the great friendships she had (and she had many), and she had a laundry list of what she didn't want. However, first of all, I think she genuinely grows throughout her quest, learning new things about friendship, its importance to her, and the fact that she is able to be friends with people she never would have approached originally. Secondly, as someone trying to make new friends, I appreciated the insights she had on the best places to make friends as well as the research she performed on what causes people to stay friends and make friends. I thought the entire book was engaging and fascinating, and I adored it. Rachel, be my BFF? (Even though I don't meet your distance requirements?)

5 stars

Warnings: Can't think of any

Taylor Swift: An Unauthorized Biography by Liv Spencer

Okay, okay, laugh all you want. Yes, I requested a Taylor Swift biography on NetGalley. I saw it there and just couldn't resist. Don't tell me that you haven't wondered who all those songs were about. That was definitely my primary motive in reading the book.

It was mildly interesting. I liked reading about Swift's pathway to success, and especially her determination and goal-setting. I think she is a good role model for girls, which is refreshing because most teen/young twenties celebrities are making poor decisions. I also loved learning the details about each of her songs. There are chapters that go through information on who each song is about, how Swift came to write it, and other "fun facts." Because my main interest in reading the book was who all those songs were written about, those chapters (entitled "Swift Notes") were definitely interesting to me.

The writing of the book was pure cheese. The author took an almost worshipful stance at Taylor Swift, calling her "Swifty," "The Swift One," and "The Sparkly One." I might have thrown up in my mouth a few times. Also, when describing a line in the song "Picture to Burn," in which Taylor Swift sings, "That's fine, I'll tell mine you're gay," the author quickly explains that on the radio edit, the line has been changed, because "Taylor would never offend anyone." Okay... but she did write the line. I'm not defending or condemning her -- just thought the line was cheesy.

Basically, it did what I wanted it to. But it was cheesy. 

2.5 stars

Warnings: You might throw up in your mouth when you read about "The Sparkly One."

Mini-Reviews: Classics

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

This was my Classics Spin #2 read, and I loved it. I miss Paris every summer since my study abroad five years ago, and I have been meaning to read A Moveable Feast for  years. It is Hemingway's memoir of his life in Paris. Being Hemingway, he is rather sparse on the details and definitely focuses more on his relationships with people in Paris, rather than the city itself, but I still loved the atmosphere that peeked through Hemingway's experiences, as well as learning how he felt about his writing. Hemingway seems to be a hate-him-or-love-him type of author, and while I didn't enjoy him in high school, I have come to really appreciate his clear, direct style of writing. I tend to associate different writing styles with the way I feel after eating certain types of food (weird, yes?). Hemingway tastes like good steel cut oats with no sugar added but with some good fruit stirred in. Not a ton of flavor, but nourishing and hearty. 

4 stars

Warnings: None

Paradise Lost by John Milton

Paradise Lost is another book I've been meaning to read for years (seems I feel that way about many of the classics). I felt that I should read it because it has influenced so many authors, but I never expected to love it -- I just perceived it as one of those obligatory must-read-to-be-a-literate-book-lover things. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this retelling of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, told in epic poetry style. It definitely took some patience at times, and I didn't get all of the mythological references, having read the cheapy version on my Kindle instead of a footnoted edition, but the beauty of the writing frequently took my breath away. While I don't agree doctrinally with everything in Milton's narrative, I enjoyed the story and was swept away by his fantastic writing.

4 stars

Warnings: Some thematic material but basically clean

Emma by Jane Austen

Emma was a reread for me. I read the book in high school or middle school and was largely unimpressed. At that point I'd read Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice and seen the movies, and I was disappointed in the lack of sweeping romance that I saw in Emma. It was longer than the other Jane Austen novels and the heroine was frequently aggravating. I decided it was just a miss for me and moved on.

However, a few months ago I watched Clueless and loved it even more than I had remembered. I started to wonder how well it followed Emma and decided to attempt a reread. This time, I adored the book. I'm not sure if I understand it better or if my sense of humor has matured, but I found Emma's schemes and character flaws to be endearing. Yes, she was imperfect and nosy and at times judgmental, but she was also genuinely kind, albeit frequently misguided. And the way the romance slowly swelled appeals to me now that I am past my hormonal teenage angst. I loved it.

5 stars

Warnings: None

A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream is also a reread for me. I read it for the Once Upon a Time Challenge. I've always loved this story, but I think now that I am older I can really appreciate Shakespeare's writing. Being significantly less eloquent than the Bard, I don't have the most articulate way to pinpoint the quality that I love about his work. It is just good. It's poignant and apt about human nature and I love it. Hooray for Shakespeare!

5 stars

Warnings: Innuendo

Les Miserables Book 5: Jean Valjean

The last epic section in a book of epic sections, culminating with the pivotal character in the whole cast of dynamic characters. This write-up will have spoilers and will be an analysis and then next week I will write a final review. Book 5 begins where Book 4 leaves off, in the midst of the drama among the barricades. Jean Valjean joins the students as they pit their last defenses against the National Guard and go down in a blaze of glory and martyrdom. This occurs after discovering that Cosette is in love and, to his singularly loving mind, losing her. He decides to save the wounded Marius and transports him through a complicated web of sewers, saving Javert's life and running into Thernardier in the process. Marius is reunited with his grandfather, who, once Marius is healed, permits him to marry Cosette. Jean Valjean is also invited to live in the house, but shamed at his status as ex-convict, he confesses his past to Marius and visits Cosette each evening, slowly decreasing the visits. Near his death, Thenardier reveals the truth of Valjean's saintly actions to Marius. As a result, Cosette visits him, learns the truth of who he is, and Jean Valjean dies.

So, in effect, a very action-packed last section of the book. Jean Valjean is the only character that stays with us throughout the entire book, and is a metaphor for how the human spirit can rise above misery and triumph. He is a Christ-figure, despised by the man who owes him most, but never acting in selfishness after he is redeemed by the love of the bishop of Digne. Jean Valjean's final trials are the hardest to read about because his confessions lead Marius to believe the worst of him. True to his nature, Jean Valjean only reveals the dark parts of his past with none of the redeeming qualities. While Cosette knows nothing of her father's past and is puzzled by his growing distance from her, she is so blinded by her happiness at being married to Marius that she doesn't think much of it. Meanwhile, Marius is distrusting of Jean Valjean and makes him as unwelcome as possible, not lighting the fire and removing the armchairs from the room in which they sit. Once Marius finally learns the truth about Jean Valjean, he is absolutely mortified and crestfallen at how he treated his savior.

The other part of this section that was especially poignant for me was the wedding scene between Marius and Cosette. Their happiness was described as being the most transcendent possible because of the purity with which Marius and Cosette had treated their relationship and their absolute commitment to each other. The description of their joy was so gorgeously written and moving that it brought me to tears. I don't think their relationship was idealized because of the era -- I think it was just treated with care that we seldom see in modern-day relationships. It was inspiring and beautiful.

The last section of Les Miserables is a beautiful ending to a stunning book. I'll post my full review next week.

Les Miserables Book 4: The Idyll of the Rue Plumet and the Epic of the Rue Saint-Denis

Book 4 of Les Miserables, The Idyll of the Rue Plumet and the Epic of the Rue Saint-Denis, is the only book that is not named after a main character. Instead of exploring one particular character, everything comes together. First, Marius and Cosette, after weeks and months of batting their eyes at each other, finally meet and fall in love, and second, the barricades rise and the epic battle that is the climax of Les Miserables begins.

Being more familiar with the musical rather than the novel, I was always fairly annoyed with Marius and Cosette's relationship -- they simply bump into each other on a crowded street and fall into insta-love. The story is infinitely better in the book. I had forgotten how lovely Hugo can make a romance. So much of the book is history, and no matter how well that history is written, it can get a little dry after a few hundred pages. The romance is the perfect dessert after a vigorously healthy, multi-course meal. While Marius and Cosette are attracted to each other from a distance for a long time, once they get to know each other, their relationship is sweet and endearing. I loved the description of their first long talk --

"These two hearts poured themselves out to each other and into each other, so that at the end of an hour, the young man had the soul of the young girl and the young girl had the soul of the young man. They entered each other, enchanted each other, dazzled each other."

I also absolutely melted at the letter that Marius wrote to Cosette before their first meeting. If you love a good romantic story, it is worth wading through the history just for this moment alone.

So much for the Idyll of the Rue Plumet. The Epic of the Rue Saint-Denis brings us to the death of General Lamarque and the riots that erupt across Paris as a result. Heading it off, of course, is Enjolras, the man whose only love is France herself. I absolutely love the Friends of the ABC and their various personalities and different ways of relating to the cause. Book 4 generally just builds the tension to a head, bringing in all the main characters -- Eponine, Javert, Jean Valjean, Gavroche, Marius. For the most part the heroic sacrifices are saved for the final book, but we do see Father Mabeuf, old friend of Marius' father, give up his life on the barricade. This second part of Book 4 pales in comparison with the beginning of Book 5, but of course, to have a Book 5 we need a set up.

I've finished the book so I am excited to wrap up my thoughts with my review of book 5 next week and the complete review the week after that. Reading Les Miserables has been an amazing experience!

Chopin's Funeral by Benita Eisler

Title: Chopin's Funeral
Author: Benita Eisler
Genre: Biography, nonfiction
Publisher: Vintage, 2004
Source: Library
Read for: Paris in July

A few of you may know that in a former life, I was a music major. I spent about four hours a day practicing the piano in high school. While I don't play nearly that much now, music is a huge part of my life. Frederic Chopin happens to be one of my favorite composers. I first read this book in high school, and the other day I found myself thinking of it and decided to read it again.

The book begins with Chopin's funeral -- the people who were there, the music that was played, the way his coffin looked, his final resting place in the Pere Lachaise cemetery. It then takes us back to his early life, his beginning fame as a performer and composer, and his troubled relationship with the infamous novelist George Sand. While Chopin had poor health throughout his brief adulthood, it was the ending of his romance with Sand that finally spiraled him down into decline and death.

Chopin and I at Pere Lachaise

This 240-page volume is sparse, even for Chopin's brief life. Eisler does not spend time on the minute details of Chopin's life, instead bringing to her narrative details that I found more interesting -- his relationships with women, family members, and friends; the types of pianos he had; the circumstances he was in when he wrote certain pieces of music. The book read like a novel instead of a listing of details (a trap I find many biographies fall into) and it was smooth and easy to read. Each event on which Benita Eisler focuses is relevant to the next, so that we see many of the events of Chopin's life in a cause and effect relationship. The details themselves of Chopin's life were also interesting -- he lead the life of a romantic artist in a romantic city, dying in the end of a romantic, Bohemian disease. Aside from his tumultuous relationship with Sand, he also had a woman back in Poland that he remembered with a bundle of faded letters bound up with a rose and labeled "My Sorrow."

Eisler's writing is fluid and evocative, adding to the romantic air of Chopin's life with her excellent descriptions of Paris and Chopin's music. There is nothing stiff in her portrayal of Chopin's life, and she writes with a sensitivity and care that indicates to me that she is also a lover of his music.

The one thing that I wish could have been added to this novel is a CD or interactive file of Chopin's music. Compositions are frequently referenced and I was not familiar with all of them. While at times I would search for them on the internet and listen, others I was not near a computer or headphones and wasn't able to connect with the music. I know interactive ebooks are a new "thing" and this book was written almost ten years ago, but this book would be a perfect candidate for a reimagining as an interactive ebook.

While some readers might not appreciate Eisler's minimalist, descriptive rendering of Chopin's life, for me as a reader and a musician it was deeply satisfying. Learning about the man behind the music made the musical legacy he leaves behind even more meaningful. Any lover of classical music and Chopin's music in particular will find Chopin's Funeral an evocative treat.

4 stars


Warnings: A few sordid affairs are alluded to.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books that Take Place in Paris

This week for Top Ten Tuesday, The Broke and The Bookish are giving us a little freebie. In honor of Paris in July, I thought it would be a perfect time to discuss my top ten favorite books that take place in Paris (or France, because there are a few outside of Paris I also love). Some are books I've already read and loved, while others are books I am eager to get my hands on.

Books I've read:

1. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo -- Yes, I've been embroiled in this one for months and months, and it's not over yet. But it isn't because the book isn't amazing -- it is because it is demanding. And rewarding. I almost don't want to finish, because I am enjoying the experience so much.

2. The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo -- This one is right up there with Les Mis. I actually had the opportunity to read Hunchback while I was in Paris and it was an unbelievable experience. As I climbed the towers of Notre Dame there were inscriptions from the book every few flights of stairs. And the backstory of Hugo's novel saving the giant cathedral is both inspiring and romantic.

3. Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald -- I love F. Scott madly. In fact, just a few days ago I had to give my husband a severe scolding when he told me that The Great Gatsby was boring and that he couldn't get through it. However, I think Tender is the Night is an even greater masterpiece, if not quite as universal. Taking place in the south of France, it is semi-autobiographical and about a psychiatrist, his troubled wife, and the other woman he meets there. It is wrenching and amazingly written, as per all of Mr. Fitzgerald's works.

4. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton -- Okay, if we are being honest here, hardly any of this book takes place in Paris. But the last scene, which does, brought me back to Paris more than any other book I have ever read. The descriptions were so evocative for me and brought back vivid memories. In addition, the end is the most wrenching, gut-punching ending ever (in a good way). So read it.

5. The Last Time I Saw Paris by Lynn Sheene -- If I'm being honest, I have to tell you that I didn't particularly love this book. However, if we are being Paris-philes, this book has fabulous descriptions of Paris itself and also brought back very vivid memories.

6. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly -- You've all heard me fan-girl about this one. Going between Andi, a troubled teen forced to spend a few weeks in Paris with her father, and Alexandrine, a girl in the court of the doomed Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the story builds into a sweeping adventure that I just couldn't get out of my mind once I had finished.

7. Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran -- This was another gripping book taking place during the French Revolution. It was fascinating in its exploration of a commonly known pop culture symbol (Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum), but the history behind it is much more sinister.

Books I haven't read yet:


8. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway -- I have no excuse for not having read A Moveable Feast yet. My grandma gave me a gorgeous leather-bound hardcover last year and it has been waiting patiently for me ever since. I am planning on getting to it this summer.

9. French Milk by Lucy Knisley -- I've heard that this graphic novel is entertaining and fantastic. While my experiences with graphic novels are limited at this point, this is one I am definitely hoping to try soon.

10. Paris, My Love by Eloisa James -- I've seen this one floating around the blogosphere lately and I am very intrigued. I hope to read it soon!

Poetry Corner: "For My Old Self, at Notre Dame" by Marie Ponsot

For My Old Self, At Notre Dame:

Fluctuat nec mergitur

By Marie Ponsot

The dark madonna cut from a knot of wood

has robes whose folds make waves against the grain

and a touching face – noble in side view,

impish or childish seen head-on from above.

The wood has the rich stain of tannin, raised

to all-color lustre by the steep of time.

The mouths of her shadows are pursed by time

to suck sun-lit memories from the wood.

Freezing damp and candle-smut have raised

her eyebrows into wings flung up by the grain,

caught in the light of bulbs plugged high above.

She stands alert, as if hailed, with beasts in view.

Outside on the jeweled river-ship, I view

a girl’s back, walking off. Oh. Just in time

I shut up. She’d never hear me shout above

the tour-guides and ski-skate kids. How I would

have liked to see her face again, the grain

of beauty on her forehead, her chin raised

startled; her Who are you? wild, a question raised

by seeing me, an old woman, in plain view.

Time is a tree in me; in her it’s a grain

ready to plant. I go back in, taking my time

leafy among stone trunsk that soar in stone woods

where incense drifts, misty, lit pink from above.

She’s headed for her hotel room then above

Cluny’s garden. She’ll sit there then, feet raised

notebook on her knees, to write. Maybe she would

have heard, turned, known us both in a larger view

and caught my age in the freshness of its time.

She dreads clocks, she says. Such dry rot warps the grain.

They still say mass here. Wine and wheat-grain

digest to flesh in words that float above

six kneeling women, a man dressed outside time,

and the dark madonna, her baby raised

dangerously high to pull in our view.

Magic dame, cut knot, your ancient wood

would reach back to teach her if it could. Spring rain.

Through it I call to thank her, loud above

the joy she raised me for, this softfall. Sweet time.

Paris My Sweet by Amy Thomas

Title: Paris My Sweet
Author: Amy Thomas
Genre: Food, memoir
Publisher: Sourcebooks, 2012
Source: NetGalley
Read for: Fun, Mixing it up Challenge

A lover of desserts, when Amy Thomas is offered a job in Paris, she feels as if she should be jumping at the chance. She's already visited multiple times, including what she calls her "tour de chocolat," an excursion when she planned out the best chocolatiers in the city along a bike route. However, she is in love with her home in New York as well. As you can probably tell from the title, she chooses to take the job in Paris and has a bittersweet -- but mostly sweet -- experience there.

There were things I adored about this book and things that were mediocre for me. I like to end on a positive note, so let's start with the aspect that didn't quite work for me. Throughout the book, Amy is having a conflict of Paris vs. New York that translates into some other life decisions as well, such as her status as a single woman as her friends get married and begin their families. She tried to connect these emotions and experiences with specific desserts. I really love the idea -- as a devoted food-lover myself, I know how much emotion can be tied to different foods -- but it didn't quite work for me. Some of the comparisons seemed strained, trying too hard to make a connection. I did enjoy reading about what Amy went through -- I think traveling can cause a reevaluation of priorities because the world is being seen through a new lens (whatever Emerson might think). When I lived in Paris I had my own bouts of insecurities and sadness. Living in a foreign country is hard, no matter how wonderful that foreign country is. Basically, I enjoyed both parts of the story, but at times it seemed as if the author were trying too hard to connect them together.

As far as the food goes, it was sheer, unadulterated delight. I absolutely loved reading the descriptions of deliriously good desserts in both Paris and New York. I highlighted countless patisseries and dessert bars, being sure of course to include the recommended treat. I had only visited a few of the locations Amy mentioned in Paris, and now I am determined to return and try more (for the record, I am a Laduree person. She doesn't pick a side, but it sounded to me as if she were a Pierre Herme. But that's okay).

In a nutshell, I enjoyed this book, especially the descriptions of food. While at times the structure seemed a bit contrived, it was an enjoyable read, and will certainly appeal to all travelers and gourmands.

3 stars

Warnings: Brief strong language

The Last Time I Saw Paris by Lynn Sheene

Title: The Last Time I Saw Paris

Author: Lynn Sheene

Genre: Historical fiction

Publisher: Berkley Trade, 2011

Source: Library

Claire Harris Stone runs from her loveless marriage to a former lover living in Paris. However, she arrives on the cusp of the Nazi occupation and finds her former lover married. Despite her cold welcome to the city, Claire falls in love with Paris' elegance and constructs a life there. However, when friends who have helped her demand her help in return, Claire must transform her elegant and simple life and reach for her reserves of strength and resourcefulness.

I didn't know much about this book when I picked it up - just that a friend of mine whose judgment I trust was planning to read it. I began reading it during Paris in July (as you can see, I am a little behind in my reviews...). While the book didn't leave a lasting impression on me, it does have a few fantastic moments.

Claire goes through some interesting transformations in the book. She begins her life as a girl on a farm during the Great Depression, eager to escape her family and her former life. She then becomes a(n obnoxious, in my opinion) socialite, married for money and connections. I think Claire's socialite phase is probably what keeps me from fully investing in the book. She is very shallow and materialistic and at times almost amoral, serving her own devices. When she gets to Paris she slowly begins to soften, learning to love something other than herself by first getting entangled in a love affair with the city herself and then expanding her horizons to include many other types of relationships, from romance to almost maternal love. It was at this point in the story that I started enjoying her character a bit more. At first she is a confused, albeit determined woman in a fancy evening gown, but she transforms into a woman who will defend the people and the city she loves at all costs. There were a couple of scenes that might have led to a silent fist-pump or two from me. I never got to the point where I loved Claire, but by the end of the book she had earned my respect.

An element of the book that I loved was, of course, the depiction of Paris. This book referenced several of my favorite locations in Paris, most notably Parc Monceau, a gorgeous and slightly wilder park than some that are more well-known in Paris. Sheene characterized the feel of Paris very aptly, describing its understated elegance and the understanding of the need for small fragments of beauty in day-to-day life.

An element of the book that I didn't enjoy as much was the fact that as a spy, Claire's main way of getting out of danger or obtaining information was through feminine wiles. You know, expose some leg, make some promises, sometimes follow through on those promises. That section of the book was pretty unappealing to me, not just because of my personal beliefs but also because of the objectification there. I understand that she was doing something heroic to try and help people she cared about, but it pushed things a little too far and left me with a bad taste in my mouth instead of admiration at Claire's heroics.

The plot was interesting but slow moving - to be honest, after reading the first seventy pages I almost put down the book for good. I didn't enjoy Claire's characters and very little was happening in the plot. The lovely descriptions of Paris and the moments when Claire truly starts kicking you-know-what and taking names are what got me through. If you are a fan of Paris or WWII, you will probably enjoy this book more than the average reader, but for me, it was just barely above average.

3.5 stars

Warnings: a few f-bombs, a few "scenes" that I had to skim, violence

Scenes of Paris: The Food

It's the last day of Paris in July! I wasn't able to do as many posts and reviews as I had hoped - many of my planned Paris in July reviews will actually be occurring in August. However, I have enjoyed this event immensely and will be participating again next year! I am closing with pictures of what for me was one of the best parts of Paris - the amazing food. Enjoy.

Gyros - our favorite Latin Quarter snack and something we returned to again and again. The restaurant worker hand-feeding us fries dipped in tzatziki sauce didn't hurt.

Une tarte framboise pour l'anniversaire de Lisa. :)

One Sunday, we stayed in Versailles for hours after church because one of our church leaders, President Uchtdorf, was coming to speak nearby. We packed a lot of snacks and got creative. These are oranges dipped in Nutella.

Millefeuille au chocolat from Paul, a chain that was everywhere and delicious.

Lisa found some ratatouille at a little corner shop and had to get it because of the Disney movie.

Beautiful macarons from Pierre Herme. My favorite were actually from Laduree, but I sadly didn't take any pictures there.

Gelato from my favorite gelaterie. I always got lychee and white chocolate.

The first of many paninis in Paris, but this was the best - olive oil and salmon.

Strawberry millefeuille from Paul - the first pastry we got. You can tell we are pretty excited.

We always split our pastries so we could try two different ones.

Gelato from everyone else's favorite gelaterie, another chain that was everywhere. While I liked my place best, this place did have style, sculpting the gelato into pretty flower cones.

A delicious raspberry treat from Angelina's. They are actually famous for their hot chocolate, but I couldn't choose cocoa over a pastry. This was delicious. I was actually really sick on this day, but I ate the pastry anyway. It was the only thing I ate all day!

Hope you aren't too hungry! I also wanted to make a small announcement - I am one of the guest bloggers today at Pepca's Bookie Blogger Brunch, so stop by and check out her question and the answers!

Book to Movie: Midnight in Paris

Okay, okay, it isn't really a book to movie. However, Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris is definitely for the bookish. An engaged writer, Gil, who is dissatisfied with his lucrative life writing comedy screenplays and wants to work on his novel, falls in love with Paris as he spends time there with his fiance's family, who have traveled to Paris on a business trip. After a night of walking and avoiding his fiance's didactic and pompous friend, who has taken to tourist-ing with them, Gil is swept away to the Lost Generation, where he meets Hemingway and Fitzgerald, has Gertrude Stein critique his book, hears Dali wax bizarre on painting, sees Picasso womanize away, hears Cole Porter perform live, and meets a lovely woman who shares his nostalgia for the past.

First of all, the real star of this film is Paris. My husband had to essentially clap his hand over my mouth because the first several minutes of the film were a montage of places I knew and loved and I was freaking out. I could sit and watch the movie with the sound turned off (okay, maybe not in the Cole Porter scenes) and still be happy.

The book also appealed to me with its inclusion of bookish characters (and others from that era). I love Fitzgerald and have been learning to love Hemingway (and can't help but love his character... especially the way his lines are written to sound just like him). Cole Porter is one of my favorite jazz composers. Shakespeare and Co. is one of my favorite spots in Paris. It was exciting to see each new character come on the screen and to see them expressed (and at times parodied).

The movie had two weak points for me. First, Rachel McAdams' character was so inexpressibly awful that I couldn't stand when she was on the screen. I know that I profess to really enjoy those love-to-hate characters, but she was such a witch that I wanted to plug my ears and sing until she went away. I usually love Rachel McAdams, but she did a little too well at playing a selfish upper class brat in this movie. Secondly, while everything came together neatly, the climax or "a-ha!" moment had a little too much cheese for me. The moral was a little blatant. This isn't a huge glaring flaw - I still enjoyed the movie. It just felt a little contrived. I am by no means a film critic - these are entirely my own opinions.

However, overall, this was a fun movie - definitely one I would buy if it were five dollars at Target. I might go see it again in the dollar theater. I certainly want to see those breath-taking scenes of Paris again.

Scenes of Paris: Signs

From the beginning of my stay in Paris, I was fascinated by the different signs everywhere. I think our advertisements and other signs really say something about our culture. Here is just a small sampling of what I saw in Paris.

"Lawns forbidden." In France, they forbid the grass entirely in parks or else rotate the areas where you can go on the grass. This was at Versailles.

This little tavern was described in my tour book as one of the meeting places of the Revolution. I didn't go inside, unfortunately, but had to take a picture.

All of Paris' street signs look like this. This street also happens to be the narrowest street in Paris. "Fishing Cat Street"

Metro sign.

The most welcome sight after being out all day. Free toilets!

These sexy Orangina ads were all over the place.

This was at the Eiffel Tower. Shortly after taking this picture, I took a picture of my roommate Lisa and I sticking our heads out of the fence. Immature, yes.

"Taking care of the baggies is your job. Therefore, preserve our living spaces."

Another lawn sign. This one says that the lawn is not authorized and shows it sleeping - one of the rotating lawn areas. This was at the Luxembourg Gardens

"In this house Vincent Van Gogh lived with his brother Theo from 1886-1888." I loved finding these little historical notes on buildings, especially when it was unexpected.

"The Green Fairy. The absinthe of Montmartre, at the Montmartre museum April 1 through June 30 2008 (Address)." I actually just took a picture of this because I thought the sign was pretty, but now having seen Moulin Rouge, I get what it is talking about.

Just in case you didn't get enough with the Orangina ads, here's one more for you.