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Julie’s Year In Books

Julie’s 2024 Year in Books

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Regan

657 books | 42 friends

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910 books | 257 friends

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Julie Scolnik

Goodreads Author

Born

in Lewiston, MAINE, The United States

Website

https://www.JulieScolnik.com

Twitter

https://twitter.com/julie_scolnik

Genre

Memoir, Music, Travel

Member Since

September 2011

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Paris Blue, Julie Scolnik’s debut memoir, is a story which lingered in the corridors of her psyche for more than forty years, and one which she always knew she would have to tell. Set against a magical backdrop of classical music and Paris in the late 70’s, Paris Blue is a true fairy-tale memoir (with a dark underbelly) about the tenacious grip of first love, heartache, and the role of memory in our lives. It has garnered over 18 awards and a quote from John Irving: Not every true story is like a good novel, but this one is. Not every memoir of first love has a satisfying ending, but this one does. The confluence of first love with becoming an artist makes this memoir special.”

Scolnik is a concert flutist and the founding artistic director ...more

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What is the best thing about being a musician?

Julie Scolnik I cannot for a moment imagine my life in any other field! I have been a musician my whole life.
When I was a child, there was always music filling our …moreI cannot for a moment imagine my life in any other field! I have been a musician my whole life.
When I was a child, there was always music filling our home. The gorgeous, poignant records that my mother found for her three daughters became the soundtrack to our childhood, seeped into our DNA, connected us most profoundly as sisters, and very likely influenced the direction of our careers.

Ballet was my first love, but I realized at the tender age of 13 that it was my emotional response to music that made me crave a physical outlet for the deep stirrings it evoked. So off I went to spend three idyllic summers at a music camp in Maine, where Beethoven and Brahms symphonies were broadcast through loud speakers to awaken us in our woodland cabins, as if the trees had burst into song.
I connected deeply with these young peers of mine, each day listening to friends rehearse the Schubert Cello Quintet in the woods before lunch. When I played the recording at home after camp was over, my eyes filled with tears. And then I knew: Music would become my life.
I think that the (slightly urgent) desire to tell a story in writing probably comes from the same place as the desire to share a piece of music in a live performance. I recently discovered a beautiful quote from Maya Angelou, and I feel it encapsulates this same urgency to share art, whether it is a writer’s story or a piece that a musician yearns to perform: “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

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Hello Julie! I'm a book reviewer and freelance editor and I just wanted to reach out just in case you were looking for an editor, proofreader, or book reviewer (I review books on GR, Amazon, B&N, and Bookbub). I can be reached here on Goodreads or at lilylyu7@gmail.com. I also wanted to ask, how did you decide that you wanted to be an author? Wishing you all the best!

Julie Scolnik Hello Lilyyy!
I never "decided" to become an author! For over forty years I knew I had a story that one day I would have to tell. It took me decades to…moreHello Lilyyy!
I never "decided" to become an author! For over forty years I knew I had a story that one day I would have to tell. It took me decades to finally find its truest form but I am thrilled beyond words that I am finally sharing it with the world.
I have always enjoyed telling stories, personal true stories, but I also learned that a memoir is a universal truth as illustrated by a personal story. Once I figured out my truth and my title, I knew I had found my book.(less)

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Julie Scolnik’s books

Average rating: 4.35 · 235 ratings · 102 reviews · 3 distinct works • Similar authors

	Paris Blue: A Memoir of First Love 4.35 avg rating — 235 ratings — published 2021 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Nat Pinkerton: Diez novelas policíacas en lengua sefardí 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	PARIS BLUE: a memoir of first love 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

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Julie Scolnik's Blog

Connecting with my readers!

Hello readers!
I apologize for not connecting with you through Blog posts! I was feeling overwhelmed with all that book promotion entailed. But thank you for your interest in Paris Blue, whether you have read it already, or plan to.

Besides the thrill of seeing this story in print after 43 years of it lingering in my psyche, the most gratifying part has been hearing from readers about how they read Read more of this blog post »

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Published on April 11, 2022 05:01

Julie is Currently Reading

Julie Scolnik is currently reading

Writers & Lovers

by Lily King (Goodreads Author)

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17 hours, 29 min ago

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Calypso

by David Sedaris

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Oct 26, 2025 08:23PM

Julie Scolnik is currently reading

An Exercise in Uncertainty: A Memoir of Illness and Hope

by Jonathan Gluck

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Aug 01, 2025 08:51AM

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Julie Scolnik is currently reading Writers & Lovers by Lily King (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17 hours, 29 min ago · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Writers & Lovers by Lily King. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Writers & Lovers by Lily King <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Julie Scolnik rated a book it was amazing Heart the Lover by Lily King (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 20, 2025 07:36AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Heart the Lover by Lily King. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Heart the Lover by Lily King <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Julie Scolnik liked Andrea's review of Paris Blue: A Memoir of First Love: "From the first paragraph I was captivated by the story, style and prose. Scolnik took me back to my days studying in Paris -but with her own unique and intimate celebration of music and love. We delight as we share her free spirit, her first love rel" Read more of this review »
Nov 13, 2025 04:56AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Paris Blue by Julie Scolnik. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Paris Blue by Julie Scolnik <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Julie Scolnik made a comment on Paris Blue: A Memoir of First Love — Listopia " Hello Goodreads community!, Recently I have been inundated with offers from book marketers who seem to do SUCH a good job pretending to be real, saying ...more "
Nov 09, 2025 04:56AM
Julie Scolnik is currently reading Calypso by David Sedaris	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 26, 2025 08:23PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Calypso by David Sedaris. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Calypso by David Sedaris <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Julie Scolnik rated a book really liked it Every Tom, Dick & Harry: A Novel by Elinor Lipman (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Enjoyed this book, but loved many of her other books even more. She is encredibly talented at creating likeable characters that feel very real. And the complex plots! How does she do it?
Oct 21, 2025 01:58PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Every Tom, Dick & Harry by Elinor Lipman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Every Tom, Dick & Harry by Elinor Lipman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Julie Scolnik liked Christy Taylor's review of Paris Blue: A Memoir of First Love: "This was a powerful memoir. I can see how it would be freeing in a way to share a heartbreak that has stayed with you for many years. I wish I was brave enough to share mine. Julie’s writing was wonderful. I could clearly picture the locations in her" Read more of this review »
Oct 21, 2025 11:32AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Paris Blue by Julie Scolnik. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Paris Blue by Julie Scolnik <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Julie Scolnik and 1 other person liked Susan Ballard (subakkabookstuff)'s review of Paris Blue: A Memoir of First Love: "I loved that this memoir read like fiction. I was caught up in seeing Paris through the author’s eyes since I may never get there myself. And then - the romance: a young American falling for a married Frenchman. The beautiful prose and the dazzling d" Read more of this review »
Oct 21, 2025 11:32AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Paris Blue by Julie Scolnik. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Paris Blue by Julie Scolnik <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Julie Scolnik is now following August Reed and Sabrina Gianguzzi
Oct 21, 2025 11:28AM