Francophiles discussion

Bonjour tout le monde,
I've got a number of ideas for encouraging our Francophile reading, but here's the first challenge:
Reading and knowing France by its départements.
France has 96 mainland (incl. Corsica) départements (we'll leave the overseas départements and territories for another future challenge).
So, the challenge is to find and read a book for every département, and then put a review on Goodreads, as well as listing it on our group here.
The only rules are as follows:
1. Fiction or non-fiction - either works.
2. The book must concentrate on one département in its setting, etc.
3. You must read the book, or have read it in the past, and then post a review.

Paris (75) is open slather, with so many to choose from, so I'm going to wait for a volunteer for Paris.
I am at the outset claiming Lot-et-Garonne (47) with A House in the Sunflowers by Ruth Silvestre, and Dordogne (24) with any of the Bruno series by Martin Walker.
I will post reviews shortly.
In the meantime, happy hunting!!! All the flavours of France await us. Bon appetit et bon courage!
Santé, Andrew

And just to clarify for the challenge, you don't all need to find a book for every département.
We just need one nomination for each. I've covered 47 and 24, so 94 left to go.
Santé, Andrew

I will take Vaucluse #84 "A Year in Provence" by Peter Mayle.

and Paris #75 "Paris to the Moon" by Adam Gopnick

Hi Barbara,
Fantastique! Many thanks for joining in. I haven't read either of your picks, although I did see the film "A Good Year" which I loved and gather was based on Mayle's book. Anyway, great to have 2 more départements covered!
Cheers, Andrew
Barbara M wrote: "I will take Vaucluse #84 "A Year in Provence" by Peter Mayle.

and Paris #75 "Paris to the Moon" by Adam Gopnick
"

Andrew, no, "A Good Year" was actually based on a novel by Peter Mayle of the same name, about a man who inherited a vineyard in France.

Barbara, loved both those books!

I love your idea of reading books from different departements in France! Thank you for a great idea! It will be interesting to learn more about different parts of France and to read the reviews! I'm looking forward to it!

Thanks for letting me know they are good books. Leslie. They both had great reviews.

I've got some books for this challenge, from the Winemaker Detective series. They are light mysteries that really take you to France.

- Bordeaux
Treachery in Bordeaux


- Loire Valley
Grand Cru Heist


- Burgundy
Nightmare in Burgundy


The series has nine other titles in it to date, all but one set in French wine country--more in Bordeaux and Burgundy, but also in Cognac, Armagnac, Paris, Alsace... Find out more here: http://www.lefrenchbook.com/winemaker...

Thanks, Anne. Those look good.

Hi Anne,
Great suggestions, and I've read my first in the series Treachery in Bordeaux and loved it, as per my review.
As for our département challenge...
I'll take the Bordeaux novel as qualifying for 33 - Gironde, Bordeaux being its capital.
For the Loire Valley and Burgundy reads, are you able to nominate specific départements?
Santé, Andrew
P.S. And on this note, must remember to order the next couple in the series!


Anne wrote: "I've got some books for this challenge, from the Winemaker Detective series. They are light mysteries that really take you to France.

- Bordeaux
Treachery in Bordeaux
[bookcover:Treachery in Bord..."

Bonjour à tous
Andrew, I was wondering if it would be OK to add a book I have already reviewed? It’s ‘Song at Dawn’ by Jean Gill, set in 12th century Narbonne (so that would be dept 11, the Aude). It’s a marvelous historical novel, the first in a four-book series. If you give me 'le feu vert', I’ll post the link.

What a wonderful book! I can't wait to see your review!

Thanks Leslie, as a matter of fact it was maybe you who put me on to Jean Gill's books, can't remember now! Anyway, just waiting for green light from Andrew.

I really enjoyed Jean GIll's "Song at Dawn." Beautifully written. I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but this was very much well worth it.

Laurette, I think it probably was me. I love her books. K.S.R., have you read the sequels?

Leslie wrote: "Laurette, I think it probably was me. I love her books. K.S.R., have you read the sequels?"

No, Leslie, I have not read the sequels! I want to. I also bought her memoir of how she came to live in France (in a village called, wonderfully, "Dieu-le-fit") but have not read that either! So much to read.....;)

Hi Laurette,
Absolutely fine for one you've already read and reviewed. The two I put forward are previous reads of mine, although still need to review them!
The fun object for us is to complete the list of départements though books.
Well done for taking number 11!
Santé, Andrew
Laurette wrote: "Bonjour à tous
Andrew, I was wondering if it would be OK to add a book I have already reviewed? It’s ‘Song at Dawn’ by Jean Gill, set in 12th century Narbonne (so that would be dept 11, the Aude). ..."

OK, thanks Andrew, so here's the Goodreads link for 'Song at Dawn':

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Sorry it's a bit long! Leslie, thanks for recommending. KSR, glad you enjoyed it, I went on to read Book 2, Bladesong, also excellent, though I preferred Book 1, and also, like you, her memoir 'How Blue is My Valley'. But as you say, there's just so much to read, and if you want to write a review as well, better forget the day job ;-)

Re-bonjour everyone, just taken a look at your page KSR and see that your book is in KU, so have just 'empruntéd' it from Amazon fr.
I only joined KU last month, but am finding it excellent so far, anyone else had experience with the scheme?

What's KU, pray tell?

Laurette, what a great review! I hope Jean sees it soon! Why did you prefer Book 1? I didn't read all of Book 2 because I was so upset about what Jean did to Dragonetz, but I picked up again at Book 3.

Leslie, glad you liked the review, and I'm interested in what you say about Book 2, I had the same feeling about our hero (not wishing to disclose more info for new readers!) - so, it changes in Book 3?
KU is Kindle Unimited, which is a monthly subscription programme run by Amazon, a bit like a library scheme, where as a reader you can 'borrow' e-books from Amazon, read them and return them. The books have to be registered in the scheme by the author (if you look on my Amazon page you'll see that mine are registered, so you have the choice of buying or borrowing). As a (voracious) reader, I did a quick count of all the books I'd bought from Amazon in the last six months, almost 100 titles! Of course, some of them were free downloads, but even so... considering all of this I enrolled in the KU scheme last month, now pay 9€99 per month to read as many books as I want, thus permitting me to feed the hungry bookworm ;-) NB Not all authors choose to enrol their books in KU, so the choice of what you can borrow is limited. I'd be interested in feedback from others in the group, do you think it's worth it? Merci!

I don't like borrowing books because if I enjoy a book I'll reread it. So I tend to buy. Amazon often gives me the choice of reading for free, but since the book itself usually isn't that expensive I don't opt for that.

I scolded Jean about what she did to Dragonetz, but she assured me that all was well in the end. So I did read parts of it, but then went straight to Book 3.

Laurette wrote: "Re-bonjour everyone, just taken a look at your page KSR and see that your book is in KU, so have just 'empruntéd' it from Amazon fr.
I only joined KU last month, but am finding it excellent so far,..."

Wow, thank you Laurette! I hope you enjoy it (it is not your "normal" Paris novel). I keep thinking I need to subscribe to KU, too. I seem to spend a lot of money on books....(my husband tells me).

As I said in the recommendation thread, I'm reading The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah, set in the Loire Valley. I can see why this book is a best seller. It's an intriguing, well-written story that stays with you after you put the book down.

Linda, I just commented on that thread, loved 'The Nightingale', think it was one of the best WW2 books I've read, though my no. 1 favourite has got to be 'Suite Française' by Irène Némirovsky , anyone else read that? What do you think? And, Leslie, I get what you are saying, I bought 'Suite Française' in French first, then in English, both paperback copies, the translation into English was nothing short of brillant. I often buy paper or hardback for any book I read in ebook form first but which I want to keep. But...my bookshelves are creaking under the strain and there's nothing I want to give away. K.S. R., I've finished 'The Paris Effect' , read it in more or less one sitting! Thank you, I really enjoyed it. It's true, it's not 'your normal Paris novel' but tant mieux! It's totally absorbing, Amy gets inside the reader's head as we ricochet from one unexpected event in her life to another. When are you going to tell us what happens to her next? (heh heh, that's a sadistic nudge, I've been procrastinating for months with my latest!) As for KU, well, I'm going to have to do the accounts at some point. I'm wondering if readers on here have a budget for how much they spend (percentage wise) on books? Could be interesting...

Re-bonjour à tous
Andrew, I've just re-read the comments here and I'm feeling very guilty, I seem to have been leading people off-topic with my comments.
This thread is supposed to be knowing France by its 'départements', I just got carried away by the different questions raised in the discussions!
So, Linda, are you suggesting 'The Nightingale' for a département?

All this talk about "The Nightingale" has made me curious -- another thing to add to my TBR list!
And a grand merci, Laurette, for your kind words about "The Paris Effect." So glad you enjoyed it. It means a lot coming from a fellow author. Tell me the names of your books (bringing this convo even more off topic, I guess!).
Time passes....
.Okay, I have just navigated over to your author page. Hot Basque! Great name for a novel. :) Also adding to TBR.....

P.S. Working on sequel even as we speak! It's slow going.....

Bonne chance et bon courage K.S.R! Keep us posted when it comes out. Currently crawling to the finishing post with my latest...(I hope)
Andrew, I've just downloaded 'Before the Sunflowers' by Ruth Silvestre. I know this was not the book you recommended but it was the only one of hers on Kindle Unlimited - am trying to keep my Amazon spending down now that I pay a monthly subscription to borrow books!! Have you - or anyone - read this book in the series?

I've read all of them but a long time ago. I should reread them. As I recall, the last one was sad because she had lost her husband.

Hi Leslie
Well I've just finished 'Before the Sunflowers', it was quite sad too but comes after the book you mention and is written by Ruth Silvestre aged 86, looking back on how it all started. Very absorbing and some really interesting insights, guess I'm going to have to buy the earlier ones after all...

Thank you Laurette. I have just bought & downloaded Biarritz Passion! Looking forward to starting it when I have finished Lord of the Flies (which I am reading for my book club). Meanwhile, am wondering--would you consider posting an Amazon dot com review for The Paris Effect?? Every review helps. I would so appreciate it. Merci infiniment.....

K.S.R. wrote: "Thank you Laurette. I have just bought & downloaded Biarritz Passion! Looking forward to starting it when I have finished Lord of the Flies (which I am reading for my book club). Meanwhile, am wond..."

Sorry for the late reply KSR, yes, your book is already on my TBRev = reviewed list, I know how much reviews count for Indies ;-) May take a while, but I will get there!
Hope you (virtually) enjoy the Basque country and its delights...

Laurette wrote: "K.S.R. wrote: "Thank you Laurette. I have just bought & downloaded Biarritz Passion! Looking forward to starting it when I have finished Lord of the Flies (which I am reading for my book club). Mea..."

Thank you so much, Laurette, for putting "The Paris Effect" on your TBRev list. I so appreciate it. You could even make it easy on yourself by just copying and pasting the words you wrote above ! Merci encore une fois......

K.S.R. wrote: "Laurette wrote: "K.S.R. wrote: "Thank you Laurette. I have just bought & downloaded Biarritz Passion! Looking forward to starting it when I have finished Lord of the Flies (which I am reading for m..."

On Chapter 8 of Biarritz Passion---really enjoying it!

K.S.R. wrote: "K.S.R. wrote: "Laurette wrote: "K.S.R. wrote: "Thank you Laurette. I have just bought & downloaded Biarritz Passion! Looking forward to starting it when I have finished Lord of the Flies (which I a..."
Very pleased, KSR! Well, yesterday I uploaded my new book to Amazon. OUF. So, no more excuses for procrastination. Books to be read, books to be reviewed ;-) life in SW France to be enjoyed to the full now that autumn's here. Vivent les francophiles!

That's a huge accomplishment. Congratulations ---- you must tell us title of new book!

It's called The Passage of Desire: French Summer Prequel. I just downloaded it!

Is it a prequel to Biarritz Passion? Interesting.....

No, it's a prequel.

Leslie wrote: "It's called The Passage of Desire: French Summer Prequel. I just downloaded it!"

Thank you Leslie! As I've said in other group discussions, think you are going for Gold in the number of books that you read. Santé, et bonne lecture!

K.S.R., sorry about that. I was reading quickly and thought you asked if it was a sequel. And yes, it's a prequel to Biarritz Passion.

Leslie wrote: "K.S.R., sorry about that. I was reading quickly and thought you asked if it was a sequel. And yes, it's a prequel to Biarritz Passion."

I kind of figured that was what you meant! Am reading BP now.....

Laurette, I have finally posted a review of Biarritz Passion! So sorry it took so long and also so sorry that it doesn't anywhere near come up to the standard of your review of mine. Writing reviews is not my talent, obviously. But I figured you would want one, even if it's not as thoughtful and well written as those you produce!! Really enjoyed your book. I know nothing about that region of France so it was fun for me.

K.S.R. wrote: "Laurette, I have finally posted a review of Biarritz Passion! So sorry it took so long and also so sorry that it doesn't anywhere near come up to the standard of your review of mine. Writing review..."
Thank you so much Karen! Your review was lovely, so pleased you discovered a new part of France to fall in love with. Maybe it's now on your list of unmissable French destinations? Glad you liked Aunt Margaret and the British connexion as well. It is such a treat to discover a new review from a reader, this is an early Xmas present for me. I only discovered your post today, so apologies for the late reply and...Joyeux Noël to you and all the Francophiles!

Bonjour tout le monde,
I am back! My sincerest apologies for being on the quiet side for a few weeks, some life events intervened. Plus I am now having issues with my Goodreads account - lots of stuff has just disappeared from my account. Goodreads tell me there is a bug in their systems and they are working to fix everything, but still I wait. So, aside from lots of ratings and reviews I had which have evaporated, I'm not sure what else may have. If any of you have tried to message me and have had zero response, I grovel in advance, but I have not received anything. On that note, if someone would be kind enough to respond to this message, that would be much appreciated as then at least I know this has got through.
So, anyway, our départements search.......
Any additional numbers out there, please let me know. I'll put out an updated list tomorrow.
Santé,
Andrew

And on a reading note, I have still been plugging away, although nothing to add to our départements. I've read two contenders in recent weeks, one being Bird in a Cage by Frédéric Dard set in Paris, and we already have 75 covered. Mind you, it was a great noir read. It was the first of his I've tried and I've now bought two more. The other one was Dirty Snow by Georges Simenon - it's not explicitly set anywhere, but it is a city under German occupation in WW2. The commentators suggest it is Paris, and I have to say it is a stunning depiction of the darkness of life under occupation. I was used to Simenon's crime novels, especially the Maigret series, and whilst Dirty Snow does have crime aplenty, it is so much more. It's a real tribute to Simenon's skill as an author.

And yes, I know Simenon was Belgian, but given he lived in France and wrote in French, I think he qualifies for our Francophile group.

Laurette wrote: "K.S.R. wrote: "Laurette, I have finally posted a review of Biarritz Passion! So sorry it took so long and also so sorry that it doesn't anywhere near come up to the standard of your review of mine...."

I have just bought "Hot Basque"! At least I hope I have; it doesn't seem have downloaded yet. Looking forward to it. Have a lovely holiday season and une tres bonne annee..... (sorry for lack of accent marks). k