A few of the books I’ve picked up and enjoyed this summer — more coming throughout the fall! Bonne lecture!
In the French Kitchen with Kids
This debut cookbooks by my friend Mardi Michels, a Toronto-based food blogger, teacher, and lifelong Francophile, takes all of the complication out of French cooking and baking with step-by-step guidance and tips to make the process fun for the whole family. Mardi brings to the table years of experience running cooking classes twice a week for 7-12 year-old boys from her school (they go by the name Les Petits Chefs!). You can be sure these recipes have been vetted, tasted, practiced a hundred times or more and loved. Spoiler: everyone I know who cooks with their children is getting a copy from me for the holidays!
Travels Through the French Riviera
This is a beautiful, illustrated guide to France’s cinematic coastline by artist Virginia Johnson. Some first land in Paris, others somewhere along the French Riviera, like Johnson. Charmed by the light, « absurd beauty » and abundance of rich colors after a first visit during adolescence, the artist returned to dream up this guide, as inspirational as it is practical.
The Lost Vintage
I first discovered Ann Mah’s work years ago, when she was living in Paris full time and had recently published her first novel, Kitchen Chinese. She went on to write a tremendous reference for the cuisines of France with Mastering the Art of French Eating, equal parts memoir and historical guide. With her latest novel, we’re taken on a much different kind of journey but one that is as historically rich and personally moving as her previous work. Mah’s story largely takes place in Burgundy where her heroine returns to her family’s home to prepare for her Master of Wine exam. Unexpectedly, she finds herself faced with more than just the history of her family’s vineyard; she uncovers WWII resistance relics and wine hidden from the Germans, leading her on a trail to discover the truth about their involvement during the occupation. A profound, exquisitely written book whose end you’ll never want to reach.
The Measure of My Powers
The Paris-memoir genre, as written by foreign authors, generally follows a theme with little variation: whether by luck, circumstance or perserverence, the narrator ends up in Paris. After the intense urban love affair peaks, drama unfolds — heartbreak, rejection, linguistic fails, you name it. Eventually, the city either succeeds or fails to ease the narrator along on the path of self-reflection and integration and we follow them as they grow or move on. What I loved about Jackie Kai Ellis’s book was that Paris wasn’t the headlining star — it was truly Ellis herself, documenting her journey through an unhappy marriage, crippling depression, pastry school in Paris, the success of Beaucoup Bakery, the company she started and eventually sold in Vancouver, and transformative travel experiences in France, Italy and the Congo, to ultimately finding herself and crafting a future for herself in Paris. Though in more of a supporting role, the city ultimately taught Ellis the abiding lessons she needed to learn to shore up her sense of self when she needed it most and nourished her — both figuratively and literally — on the long road to joy. It’s precisely the edifying power of Paris as Ellis describes, with great insight and honesty, that can open our own eyes to an entirely different side of the city.
Paris in Stride
With her new book Paris in Stride, my friend, la très talentueuse illustrator Jessie Kanelos Weiner alongside writer Sarah Moroz, dreamed up a clever and inspiring guide to strolling Paris with must-visits, things to eat and facts to remember along the way. “When developing the idea behind Paris in Stride, I asked myself the question, ‘what makes Paris timeless? What are the little details that preserve its visual DNA, drawing tourists back time and time again?’” explained Jessie when I asked her about the particular challenge she faced in producing a book like this. The result is a book that is as pragmatic as it is beautiful with over 150 gorgeous watercolor illustrations and maps of architectural marvels, gardens, historical highlights, cultural hubs, markets, food and wine favorites, and a host of other elements that draw generations of dreamers and artists to Paris.
You can also listen to my interview with Jessie on Episode 23 of my podcast The New Paris! Stream it HERE (Soundcloud) or subscribe and listen on iTunes.
Eat Like a Local in Paris
Slight self-promotion: I was one of the handful of writers / photographers asked to contribute her thoughts on a whole host of dining options in Paris for the Paris edition of the series Eat like a Local. It came out this summer and is an incredibly useful, visual tool to where to eat and for what occasion! On top of that, it was photographed by my friend Joann Pai, who will be photographing my next book! More news on that coming soon.
