Introducting: The French List, A New French Lit Feature!

That's right.  I decided to start a biweekly feature on my blog called the French List, where I'll do a quick recap of a French (as in lit from all French speaking countries!) book/poem/play etc. that I have read and why I think you should read it.  Remember a few years ago I wanted to make a list of essential French lit?  It was taking me too long, so I'm doing this instead.  That way, I've read everything that's going on "the list", and not just using word of mouth.  Everything that goes on my French List will then be linked up on the "My Essential French Lit List" page on my blog. 

This is going to be a fun way for me to quickly summarize a piece of French lit and tell you why I personally think you should take the time to read it.  If I don't like the book or don't see a reason why it should be read, I won't include it.  Of course, that doesn't mean it won't get a review explaining exactly what I didn't like about it.

Here is the format I'm going to use for all of these French List posts:

The important stuff: in which I just say who the author is and when it was written, and maybe what literary period it's from
What it's about in a nutshell: in which I give a very brief summary of the work so you sort of know what it's about without me giving away tons of info
Why you should read it: in which I give my personal opinion about why this piece should be read.  Examples: I cried my eyes out, the writing was fantastic, I couldn't put it down because the story was so engrossing, I fell in love with the main character, so and so character was so stupid that it was entertaining, it captures the time period and what was going on in whatever city/country/place at the time.

So there you go :)  This feature will be starting soon!  I hope you enjoy.

Reading to Travel

I have been reading/am going to be reading quite a few books that take place in France.  It's great because it's a way of "being there" when I can't actually travel there.  But sometimes I get so nostalgic for France that I have to stop what I'm reading and clear my head.

I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. 

Sometimes reading a book that takes place in a city or country you really want to go to makes you amost feel like you're really there.

Sometimes though it makes you realize how very far away you really are.  And that is sometimes a little bit sad.

I'm currently reading a really awesome book called Sepulchre by Kate Mosse, which of my best friends lent to me because she knew I'd adore it.  I do adore it.  I really do.  But the writing is so good and so descriptive that I feel like I'm in Paris, yet it's also making me so completely aware of how far away from France I really am. 

So here I am, listening to Edith Piaf, going through my finances, trying to pinpoint when I can start planning to take my next trip to France.  This time as a tourist, not a student.  Much more fun will be had!  Much less studying will be done!

It'll happen. 

Eventually.

Giveaway Winners!

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway of Jasmine Nights and Let the Great World Spin!  I used Random.org to the get winners. 

Congrats to:

Deanna for winning Jasmine Nights!

and

Laura for winning Let the Great World Spin!

Enjoy!  I'll be mailing the books out within the next few days :)

Fun French and Francophone Stuff Coming Up!

So first, Paris in July is back again this year!  I'm definitely participating, though I don't really know how many France-related posts I'll have.  I had a blast doing this last year.  If you are interested, stop by Karen's blog Book Bath or Tamara's blog Thyme for Tea!  If you love France, this is the perfect blogging event for you!

And next is what's sure to be a ton of fun for anyone interested in la litterature quebecoise (please excuse my lack of accents.  I can't get accent codes to work on my laptop and I am not copying and pasting..).  Karine over at Mon Coin Lecture is reading/posting all about books by Quebec authors!  I am so excited.  I have a bunch of Quebec authors on my TBR list and now I finally have an excuse to read them!  Even better and this was totally already planned before I found out about this event, Boyfriend and I are probably taking a trip to Quebec (most likely to Montreal) in September!  Yay!  If you are interested, stop by Mon Coin Lecture.  The blog is in French though.  So you might not understand.  But if you want to read Quebec authors in translation, I'm sure that totally counts!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! 

Review: Jasmine Nights by Julia Gregson

Don't Forget to Enter my Giveaway of Jasmine Nights :)

Jasmine Nights was one of those books that just sucked me in.  Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down.  It is the story of Saba, who has a gorgeous voice but whose family does not want her to be a singer.  And it is the story of Dom, a pilot still recovering both mentally and physically from a plane crash that nearly killed him, and the memory of his dead friends.  World War II is in full swing, and both of them end up getting out of England into Egypt to help the war effort.  Dom is finally flying again.  Saba is working with the ENSA singing for the troops.  When Saba gets a chance to really help the war effort by going undercover, she worries about keeping the secret from Dom.  And all the while the war is still going on, and Dom could die any day on one of his many flights. 

I so loved this book.  I loved that it was told from a different perspective.  I've read many books that take place in the US on the homefront, and even about the men at war, but I've never read a book in the perspective of an English woman in Africa during the war.  It was so interesting.  I also loved that she entertained the troops, because I always hear stories about the performances that singers and dancers would put on for troops, but I've never read a book about those people. 

I was enchanted by the Egypt brought to life in this book.  There is a constant fear of being attached by Germany, yet the people there still have lives, still work, still try to find happiness and entertainment wherever and whenever they can.  The descriptions bring Cairo and Alexandria to life.

My favorite character was actually not Saba (though I really did love her!).  Arleta, Saba's friend in ENSA, was just so extravagant and out there and I just adored her.  She reminded me of main character's blond haired English friend in the movie Under the Tuscan Sun (do you know the lady??  I can't remember her name..).  Anyway, Arleta seemed so superficial in the beginning but turned out to be quite the lady.  Saba also changes throughout the book.  She is kind of scared to get out there and be herself in the beginning, but the slow transformation was so much fun to see. 

I highly recommmend Jasmine Nights.  While it wasn't perfect, it was a really wonderful book.  Definitely the kind of book that you could read on the beach or on a porch swing in one day. 

A favorite quote:

Page 406 (on my Nook): Sometimes you are happy without knowing it, and sometimes you are happy and completely aware of it-its preciousness, its fleetingness."

Oh, and for the record, I imagined Saba sang like Jo Stafford, my favorite female vocalist from back in the day.  Here she is singing "You Belong to Me", one of my favorite songs ever.

Title: Jasmine Nights

Author: Julia Gregson

Date of Publication: June 5th, 2012

Number of Pages: 432

Genre: Fiction

Source: Ebook from Netgalley

Armchair BEA: The Future of Book Blogging!

Don't Forget to Sign Up for my Giveaway!  Ends June 15th!

 

I'd like to end our very fun week of Armchair BEA with a tip from none other than moi ;) I'm sure everyone is going to say this, but for real, it's true:
If you want to stay interested in your blog and keep it true to yourself, then you have to blog what you want to blog.
Sure, someone else might have a really interesting, fun, attention-getting feature or writing style on her blog, but that doesn't mean you need to have something similar. Just because other people do memes doesn't mean you have to. Basically, if blogging starts to feel like a chore, maybe you should sit back and think about what you're writing, what you're reading, and what your blogging style is.
Personally, I love reading memes on other people's blogs. But I know that I would hate to have to come up with something to post every week or whatnot. And I just really can't be bothered. I also know that I'm NOT going to post something every single day, and maybe sometimes I'll go weeks without any posts (like recently..), and once I accepted that that was just how my blog was, I was a much happier blogger.
So just listen to yourself and have fun is what I guess I'm trying to say. If you don't think blogging is fun, then maybe it's just not for you :)
I've had a blast all week reading everyone else's posts! I've met some great new bloggers too!

Armchair BEA: Beyond the Blog!

Don't Forget to Sign Up for my Giveaway!  Ends June 15th! 

So today's topic is sort of to discuss if/how have we taken steps with our blog to meet a certain goal, like freelance writing, monetizing, etc. I don't really have any good stories to tell with this :) Because my blog is just a hobby and I really don't have time right now to focus a lot more time on it. I know a lot of bloggers are able to use their blogs as a way to eventually get work within the book community, which is amazing. I'd like to take today to discuss what my goal is and how I'm planning on getting there.

I don't really plan on using my blog to get starting freelancing or anything like that. I know lately I haven't been reading much French lit, but I have a whole bunch of French books sitting around right now that are just waiting to be read. And I'd like to use my blog to encourage me to read those books and really think about them. So that when I go to grad school eventually, I have a pretty good knowledge of a lot of French authors and their major works. Soooo, I guess my beyond the blog post is all about my blog helping me become a more rounded French scholar.
I'm sure many of you have insanely more interesting thinks to say! So I can't wait to read your posts for today!

Armchair BEA: Books and Real Life

Don't Forget to Sign up for my Giveaway!

Today's Armchair BEA topic is to share a positive real-life experience with books. That one is easy and something I've actually been meaning to share with everyone!

This year I participated in World Book Night. (WBN is actually not the positive real life experience I'm getting at here, though it totally was one as well) I had to pick my books up at a local bookshop that I had never ever been to. And it is literally right around the corner from the house I have lived in my entire life. I guess it's just one of those things where you see it everyday so you never even think about going in. You know what I mean?

Anyway, before WBN, the store (called B is for Books) hosted a little cocktail party for the book givers, and I decided to go. I met some very wonderful women there, and I had so much fun talking about books with them. I love blogging about books, but there's something different about talking books in person with a bunch of other people who love reading as much as you!

One of the women there has a book club that actually meets at that bookshop once a month, and she invited me to join. I was ecstatic! I have been trying to find a book club to join for forever. I heartily accepted the offer. I haven't been able to attend any meetings yet because I was suckered into playing on my work's softball team, which is on the same night of the week as the book club. But you better bet that as soon as softball is over, I will be at the bookshop for book club!

Be on the lookout for a Shopping Indie post about that local bookstore!  It should be up within the next few weeks!

I still get excited when I think about that day :) What is your positive real life experience with books??

It's a Giveaway!!

So today's topic is the best of 2012.  Two of my favorite books I've read so far this year I haven't even reviewed yet.....but those reviews will be up soon!  Here they are:

I'm giving away 2 books, to 2 people. And it's INTERNATIONAL!!

Book # 1:
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
This was my favorite book so far, and quite possibly one of my favorite books ever. I loved it. I adored it. I cried. I laughed. I highly recommend it if you haven't already read it.

Book # 2:
Jasmine Nights by Julia Gregson
I read this one on my Nook because I got it through netgalley, and it involves some of my favorite topics: WWII and love. Best part is that the main characters are English, and it takes place in Africa during the war, which I have read very little about. Even better, I just realized (I swear this wasn't planned..) that it actually comes out today :)

When you fill out the form, let me know which book (or both) you would like to be entered in to win! Giveaway ends next Friday, June 15th. (which is funny because that's the day the tightrope walker is walking between the falls in Niagara Falls, not far from me. And there's a tightrope walker in Let the Great World Spin!) 

(also, this is my first time using one of these nifty forms for a giveaway, so if it doesnt' work, let me know and I'll fix it!)

It's Time for Armchair BEA!

So, I've never participated in Armchair BEA, and I wasn't going to this year.  But I am in desperate need of something distracting right now.  I miss my dog like crazy and it's almost Father's Day.  So.  Like I said.  Distractions.

Armchair BEA is the perfect way to think about other things!!  Like books!!  So I'll be participating all week :)  I even have a giveaway coming up because I want to give away some of my favorite books of the year to my readers.

Today is all about introductions.  We were given a list of 10 questions and could answer any 5.  So here are mine:

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?

-My name is Kelly and I am a 23 year old college grad with a French degree. I have a job where I am actually kind of sometimes using that degree, which is pretty awesome. I have been blogging since 2009, but back then the blog was about my time living in France, as a way to keep my family and friends up to date on what I was up to. In 2010 I switched over to reviewing books when I got home from France and missed blogging. I got into book blogging because I needed an outlet to gush/rant/rave about the books I was reading. My family is all big into reading, but if they haven't read a book, they don't want me talking about a book. So I started the book blog.

2. Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.
-I have a twin sister who looks pretty much just like me?  I actually think most of my readers know that though. I love visiting Naval Parks. Especially when there are submarines involved. When I was growing up, I wanted nothing more than to join the Navy and live on a submarine. The only problem with that is that I wanted it to be a WWII sub, not a nuclear sub :) Now I still am pretty much obsessed with submarines, but I get my fix by visiting naval parks and reading about them. And watching my favorite movie, U-571.
 
3. If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why?


-Hands down that would be Dustfinger from Cornelia Funke's Inkheart trilogy. I LOVE DUSTFINGER!! He was such an interesting character. He seemed to only care about himself, but proves that that is completely not true. Author wise, I would ADORE to have dinner with Cornelia Funke. She is my favorite writer. I don't usually read middle grade or YA books, but there is just something about her stories that gets to me.

4. What literary location would you most like to visit? Why?


-Once again I'll have to go with Inkheart. The world that Cornelia Funke was able to bring to life in that trilogy enchanted me. When I read those books, it was like I had actually entered the story and was in the Inkworld. I would walk around in a daze for weeks daydreaming about that place. I would LOVE to visit it. As long as I had Dustfinger by my side.

5. What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? Is there anything that you would like to see change in the coming years?


-What I love most about our fun book blogging community is that everyone reads! And no one is ashamed of it! You find a place where you really fit in. And it's so easy to find others with similar tastes. If you like literary fiction, you will find a lot of bloggers with the same tastes. If you read YA, there is a community for that. If you read scifi or fantasy, there are other bloggers who read that. It is a big community, but within it are smaller communities. And it's been so much fun finding other people who have similar reading tastes as me. As for changes, really I would just like to see more blogger interactions online and offline. The community as a whole I think is very friendly and open, but sometimes it seems like some bloggers are only commenting etc to get more traffic to their blogs. I love commenting on blogs because I love getting to know the other bloggers. I would also love to see more "offline" things. There is of course the whole book blogger thing at BEA, but we can't all get there. That of course is something that has to happen more locally. But it would be so much fun to have more real-life book blogger interactions :)

And that is that!  I can't wait to get home from work later and read what you all have to say on your blogs :)