Books about France

www.BooksAboutFrance.com

Another week, another website.

This is one of my own.

I’ve long thought that there was a need for something in between the online bookshops that you can find on some of the expat sites and the vast, immense vastness of Amazon.

A site that was backed by all the power and range of Amazon but, one that was easier to use.

And better suited to its targeted readership…

An online bookselling site that was specific to people living in France or, those thinking of doing so.

A site where the visitors could contribute to the conversations; either via the commenting system or on the forum.

A site where the visitors could participate in the reviews and be rewarded , as a result.

The site is called  www.BooksAboutFrance.com

Please feel free to pay it a visit and let me know if you feel it needs any radical surgery.

Before moving to France (and before my my move to London), I spent six years working in the book trade for Britain’s largest book wholesaler.

Based upon my experiences there, I am hoping to engage the publishers of relevant books to ensure that new titles are sent to France so that “guest reviewers” get a chance to provide pre-publication reviews  for Books About France (and get a free copy of the book for their troubles!)

Perhaps there might be some competitions sponsored by those publishers?

There will also be the opportunity for people with blogs about Life in France to sponsor their favourite book about Life in France; all they need do is write a few words (10 – 20) about that book and I’ll put them on the relevant page of the site with a link to, and mini review of, their blog.

All I ask in return is for a sidebar link back to Books About France.

I’m also hoping to interview writers although I am aware that I may have to be a little bit more polite that I have been in the past (I’m thinking of those interviews on A Taste of Garlic, here.)

I’m in the process of adding another couple of thousand titles to the site; this does take time so, whilst everyone is enjoying the sunny weather, think of me hard at work, slaving away over a hot keyboard!

All the best

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A Blast from the Past!

I’ve just finished moving all my book reviews from the old Breton Diary to the new one.

I’d forgotten what a fan of Jeffwey’s I was!

I also found a link back to the original Breton Diary – although, in those early days I called it My Place in France.

I did a quick check and the site is still there, not updated, unloved and unvisited.

If you want to see how all this started out, take a quick visit to My Place in France.

Archer, Jeffery – False Impression

This is a book by Jeffery Archer.

All the best

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Forsyth, Frederick – The Veteran

A collection of clever, interesting and absorbing short stories by a clever and intelligent writer.

Each of the stories in this collection left me thinking for hours afterwards (unlike the short stories in “False Impression”, by another author – which left me retching for hours on end afterwards!)

There is intricate detail, not only in the research of the subject, but in the clarity and choice of words that the author uses to enchant and entertain us.

I really can’t recommend this book too highly – If you been suffering a diet of Dan Brown and Jeffrey Archer, this will seem like a Gourmet meal cooked by a Michelin 3 starred chef!

All the best

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Brown, Dale – Plan of Attack

Disgraced maverick pilot discovers that the Russians are about to bomb the hell out of the USA and singlehandedly saves the world (against improbable odds).

Not a hint of Jeffery Archer in this book; which has got to be a good thing!

There is, however, a little bit about a Kurdish airbase but…. the author cleverly avoids mentioning missing charity funds (sorry Jeffwrey – I just couldn’t resist that one!)

My hat is off to Dale Brown who has managed to write an instantly forgettable book (which was quite enjoyable to read) without having to lie about going to Oxford, being the youngest MP ever elected or, trying to become the Mayor of London!

Would I read this book again?

Well, upon reflection…. Where are those rusty needles?

All the best

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Brown, Dan – Angels and Demons

Dan Brown is a sort of Jeffrey Archer for grown ups.

This book is very much a Jeffwrey type story with lots of twists and turns and an improbable hero winning the battle (against almost all the evil forces ever thought of), and getting his girl, despite all the odds.

The story describes how a mild academic defeats the Illuminati (a secret religous brotherhood), gets to meet the Pope (and the remains of the last, murdered Pope, as well), saves the world and wins his girl.

Dan Brown carries the story off rather better than Jeffery Archer would have done. This is possibly because….

Dan Brown did actually go to university (and thus, didn’t have to lie about going to Oxford!)
• Has never, to my knowledge, consorted with prostitutes!
• Has never been involved in share purchasing scandals (think of Anglia TV).
• Has never been convicted of perjury (and has thus, never gone to jail!) Or..
• Perhaps it’s because Mr Brown doesn’t attempt to fill his books with all those “Look at me – see how clever I am” bits that Jeffwrey seems to love so much.

All in all, this is the sort of book that you would pack if you had to take a 10 hour ferry crossing from St. Malo, or perhaps, a 12 hour flight to a conference of retired proctologists at Staines.

The book won’t actually hurt you; you may, indeed, learn a bit or two – this, in itself, differentiates it from a Jeffrey Archer novel!

Having said that, if I were on that ferry (or on route to the Retired Proctologists Reunion), and had a choice of this book or a Jeffery Archer effort (chosen at random), I think that I would give them both a miss and spend my time far more productively, sticking rusty needles in my Todger!

All the best

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Some Book Reviews

Because I’ve been ill recently, I’ve had time on my hands to read.

The following are my views on some of the books that I’ve recently enjoyed (or suffered)…

People who know my feelings about a certain author might just wish to give this article a miss and check out this site…. Meet the Author

All the best

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Cookery Books

When I moved over here, I had to make some hard decisions about which cookery books I brought over with me.

The following are the ones which made the grade, and why they did so…

River Cottage Cookbook – Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall

When I visit other English speakers’ houses round here, the one book I know they’ll have somewhere is this one. They may have even tried to do some of the simpler things it describes. Why does this book work so well? Well, I think that the charm of the author came over very well in the TV series (and which of us bought the book without watching the series) and the time is (or was) right for aBritish cookbook which explained the source of the food.

I agree with pretty much everything Hugh says – especially the chapter on pork. I’m not sure that I’m ever going to have a pig butchery weekend but do dream of the day when I will own a smoking chimney!

I suppose that if Hugh has persuaded us to look at what we buy (and thus eat) just a little bit, and think about where it comes from, then he will have done his bit for food quality and animal welfare.

Appetite – Nigel Slater

I bought this in a remainder shop in Greenwich in late 2000. It was a signed first edition (if you can find an unsigned copy, it’s worth an absolute fortune) and cost very little.

Nigel starts from first principles admitting that, whilst he has every kitchen gadget known to man, it is better to have a minimal amount of equipment that you know well.

Some of the recipies don’t work for me (living in France) but his roast chicken is perfect! This is a gentle book by a gentle man – not a word is wasted. His obvious love for great ingredients, not ruined by over fancy preparation means that even if you don’t like the way he cooks something, you can’t help but to understand why he does it that way.

The chapter on What you need in your Storecupboard is an act of genius and something I’ve never seen in any other food book. Possibly the greatest food writer around today?

Practical Cookery – Ceserani & Kinton

If you go to catering college, this is the book you use. It might seem very outdated nowadays in someways, with some of the recipes seeming a bitschooldinnerish.

In other ways it is very modern and nanny state (apparently knives are sharp and can be dangerous !) – the earlier editions weren’t quite so caring (and all the better for that).

Kitchen Confidential – Anthony Bourdain

What can you say about this book? You won’t learn a lot about cooking – no recipes here! You will learn about what goes on in every restaurant kitchen. Go into a restuarant after reading this book and ask for a steak, Very well done. Go on, I dare you!

The one thing that I remember from this book is the quote… “What makes us professional chefs different from you? We use shallots and butter – lots of both!”

Since reading this book, I have always had a little space (you don’t need much) next to the cooker, with all my herbs, knives, oils etc. close at hand. Always in the same place. It works for me, it wouldn’t work for you – you’d want to arrange things slightly differently. That would work for you but, then, it wouldn’t work for me.

I can find what I want without thinking about it, without looking. I learned that from ths book.

Alice B. Toklas Cookbook – Gertrude Stein

Lots of very good recipes and a lot of history as well. Getrude knew everyone in Paris during the 20’s and 30’s and when war broke out, she stayed in France even though she was an American.

Obviously the recipes (and the stories, even) are outdated but her love of food shines through.

Goosefat & Garlic – Jeanne Strang

This book ties with The River Cottage Cookbook as my favourite. It is not just a collection of recipes but a description of life in South-West France – from a cullinary point of view.

However, some of the recipes are great – definately going to try the cream of chestnut soup this year!

The book succeeds because the author neither looks down on the Paysans who created the recipes in the first place, neither does she try to tart up the recipes to meet modern tastes. This is a genuine book.

Worral-Thompson, Antony – Raw

I took a couple of days off work with a cold in early September (difficult working with a cold if your workplace is refrigerated.)

I read this book.

I didn’t learn anything about cookery but did learn a bit about the man.

It’s a shame really; I used to like Mr. WT when I used to see him on the TV (back in the UK) – had I read this then, I wouldn’t have watched.

It’s probably my fault; I think that a celebrity chef should, in his autobiography, describe his (or her) life in the meals cooked (even Anthony Bourdain does that!) and the lessons learned.

By not doing that, Mr WT becomes a celebrity who just happens to cook.

All the best

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Charrierre, Henri – Papillon

I tried reading it in French but, the French he uses is not the French I know.

This is the story of a man who just would not give up.

All the best

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Follett, Ken – Pillars of the Earth

Ideal holiday reading (so I read it on my hols).

About the fourth time I’ve read it – and just as enjoyable as the first.

A tale of a stone mason who gets the chance to build a cathedral.

Pack it for the summer holidays – you might learn a bit of history as well.

All the best

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Graham, Louise – Future Homemakers of America

Lovely holiday reading!

The story of 4 American women, living on an American air-force base in Norfolk, just after the second world war.

They befriend a local woman and the story traces their trials and successes over the next 30 years.

The reader gets a real feeling of the mundane souless lives of the post-war generation of Americans.

One for the beach bag!

All the best

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Hemingway, Ernest – Islands in the Stream

I read Islands in the Stream once a year.

It is definately not the best Hemingway but is my favourite.

In a way it is an apology for his life.

The first book describes Tom Hudson, a painter of some fame, living on an island in the gulf stream; content, at last, with his life.

A summer visit of Hudson’s sons shows him happy, in control of the deamons that had troubled his earlier life (in Paris in the ’20s).

The second book, after Hudson’s sons have been killed is darker, concentrating on drinking & deceipt.

Too autobiographical for me.

The novel finishes with an almost pastiche of To have and to have not.

In the end, Hudson dies.

It is the first book that I like.

The film of it was made down to a budget, was tacky in places and I love it.

Interestingly, one of the books in the sequence was published on it’s own as a novella - The Old Man and the Sea.

All the best

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Hoeg, Peter – Miss Smillas Feeling for Snow

Strange to be sitting in the garden in my shorts, getting sunburnt whilst reading about snow in Denmark & Greenland.

I did struggle to keep up a bit – might have been due to the beer.

A detective story where new characters are introduced at a relentless speed.

Somehow I ignored it when it first came out – having read it now, I’m not sure why.

All the best

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King, Stephen – Misery

I read this sat in the garden, drinking beer and getting sunburnt.

Obviously, I’ve read it before but it was worth re-reading.

King was addicted to drink and drugs when he wrote this and, knowing this, aids to the feeling of entrapment by a psychotic fan.

Poor man but good book.

All the best

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Parker, Dorothy – The Penguin Collected Dorothy Parker

Obviously very much of her time but, everything in this collection is good; the short stories, the poems and the reviews.

I would not have liked to have got on the wrong side of this woman.

Her reviews are the bitchiest I have ever read.

See… This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.

Totally confident - I don’t care what is written about me so long as it isn’t true.

And hopeless with money… Take care of the luxuries and the necessities will take care of themselves.

All the best

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Steinbeck, John – Grapes of Wrath

A harrowing tale, beautifully told, of one of America’s greatest disasters.

There can be few Americans who can feel anything other than shame of America’s Year Zero.

The end of the book is, quite simply, the best ending of any book I have ever read.

It made me cry.

All the best

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Hornby, Nick – How to be Good

Yet another one bought during visit to Briony’s in March (the sportsbag she lent me to bring my books home ended up weighing in at 20KG.)

Obviously, I’ve read it before.

It works well on a second reading.

The final line is so brave… I can imagine the writer spending hours, days, if not weeks, pondering over that finish.

“Is that how I do it?” He must have asked himself.

Yes Mate. That’s the only way to do it. That’s the only way it works.

In a way, this is an upsetting novel (I think that the author intended that) as the reader realises that the writer has ‘Oh, my God… Grown Up.’

The reason that this is upsetting is that we have either (A) Grown Up with The Author or (B) Not Grown Up At All.

I’m not sure which is worse.

All the best

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Baddiel, David – Whatever Loves Means

Baddiel’s first novel, Time for Bed, was very much the Comedian writes first novel, type novel (similar, in many ways, to Ben Elton’s novels).

Whatever Love Means is more grown up.

It starts with the main character committing adultery with his best friend’s wife for the first time on the day that Princess Diana died.

The following story encapsulates that time; the way we thought then; the way we changed our thinking afterwards.

For me, the best thing about the book is that I have discovered that I am not alone – there are other people who dislike the royal family as much as I do.

Now, where did I put that Guillotine?

All the best

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Heller, Zoe – Notes on a Scandal

Another one bought during visit to Briony’s in March.

I can’t understand how I missed this when it first came out.

It’s gorgeous!

And such a nasty ending!

If you’ve ever been a teacher, you need to read it.

If you’re thinking about becoming a teacher, you need to read it.

In fact, if you’ve ever had a teacher, you need to read it.

Magnifique (and I quote from French for Beginners) est trop petit un mot.

All the best

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