Over at www.BooksAboutFrance.com the great day has finally arrived and it is time to announce the winner of the draw for the review copy of, Toute Allure, that those very nice people at Summersdale have sent to us.

We assigned a number to each of the applicants and put those numbers in a hat.

However, choosing a winner was complicated. Pulling a piece a paper from an old straw hat didn’t really have the style and class that we were looking for.

Not exactly the stuff Oscars ceremonies are made of!

So, I hastily built a random number generator out of bits of an alien spacecraft that had crashed in the garden a few weeks before and tried again.

At first the random number generator would just sizzle and spark and return the number 42 (which may not surprise everyone) but eventually, when it had warmed up, it did what it was supposed to do and supplied us with a winner…..

To find out who it is, head over to www.BooksAboutFrance.com

All the best

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Over at www.BooksAboutFrance.com, the nice, nice people at Summersdale, publishers of Karen Wheeler’s new novel, Toute Allure, have very kindly sent us a review copy.

As Karen sent us a copy herself, we have decided to offer the spare copy to any visitor to Books About France for free.

There is, of course, a catch!

All we ask is that the lucky recipient of the free copy of Toute Allure writes us a little review (perhaps about 200 words), that we can publish on www.BooksAboutFrance.com

We are currently busy contacting Publishers and Authors and hope that this is the first of many great giveaways at www.BooksAboutFrance.com.

If you are interested in getting your hands on a free copy of of Karen Wheeler’s new novel, Toute Allure, please take a look at www.BooksAboutFrance.com for further details.

All the best

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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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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.

]]> http://www.bretondiary.com/blogging/book-reviews-and-a-blast-from-the-past/feed/ 0 http://www.bretondiary.com/books/archer-jeffery-false-impression/ http://www.bretondiary.com/books/archer-jeffery-false-impression/#comments Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:10:40 +0000 Keith Eckstein http://www.bretondiary.com/?p=754 This is a book by Jeffery Archer.

All the best

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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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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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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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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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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.