Ce n'est pas deja le fin? Paris in July cant end yet!

 

This week I came down with an annoying headache, and didnt get to as many things as I wished to. But I did pick up an half read book on my Kindle. "My life in France - the life story of Julia Child".  Still not yet finished, but I thought I'd share some new finds. 

Curious if some of the restaurants Julia speaks about in her book still exist, I dived into the web.  So, the restaurant Laperouse is apparently still running, and looks amazing. Their website indicates they've been in operation since 1766!  Julia went here for her 40th birthday, describing it as a three star restaurant. I love the way she honestly confesses that they chose to sit at the back to watch people as part of their celebration. 

She also reports that earlier in the same day, as Paul couldnt obtain a reservation in any other fine dining establismnent, they decided to have a meal at the Rtiz.  So, again, I couldnt help going to have a look. This image seemed to fit the event of Julia's birthday. 

Chez Georges was also one of Julia's favourites, at  1 rue du Mail, Paris. Still operating today, I found this reference in a review from a while ago ... 

The menu contains everything – champignon à la Grecque, foie gras in slabs the size of house bricks, steak au poivre – you need to find here. Outside in Rue du Mail it is 2013. Inside it is always 1946. For here is the thing. Paris is unashamed of its clichés. It works them.

For some reason, Julia Childs references to many Parisian Restaurants, still gets attention. Tourists it seems, love the way Julia talks about her experience in Paris. Perhaps Julia's descriptions made these places more accessible to the english speaking world? perhaps her fame just romantised the Parisienne food scene...  she did invite us into her experience, and maybe ignited something of a dream for many of us... 

I for one, would love to get back to Paris one day - to see some of these long standing transitions - but also visit some of todays most contemporary chefs at play...  Have a look at this article to be inspired for your next foody insired visit to Paris. 

For now, I'm content with watching Masterchef Finale this week in Australia, with our own  French Jean-Christophe Novelli | Chef. ... 

As for Paris in July 2026 - I'm not done yet.. I'll come back soon. 

All the light we cannot see - review for Paris in July

 

From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the stunningly beautiful instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. (Good Reads)

I loved this... which is very unusual for me, as I dont usually enjoy historical fiction or war time novels. However, my love of Paris is for the whole of Paris - including it's difficult history. We all know that its through lifes knocks and difficult times that our character is built... and I believe that it the same for a complex city like Paris... it's rich cultural history is but one of the many influences on its character. War is another... 

Thank you to all my blogging friends, and local friends, who raved about this book.  

I have a very close friend who is blind. He lost his eyesight through a degenerative condition, which means he remembers things he once knew as a younger person. Im frequently astounded that he has such visual recall of our local surounds, and can (far more acuratly) describe things in our city which he has not seen for more than 20 years.. and if we describe changes to him, he will remember them also! 

Marie-Laure's ability to navigate her local surrounds in Paris, and then to learn her new surounds in Saint Malo is amazing.. and I can believe it. But what makes her an endearing character for me, is her curiousity, and stubbornness. She did not hesitate to join the activies of the resistance... blind, young and new to the village - she did not waver in her committment to the cause. 

Werner, the young german boy, was equally endearing. Clever, curious and somewhat emotionally intelligent, he navigated his postiong in the complexity of war with ellegance (in my opinion). I was also learning to appreciate the character of his colleague, Volkheimer. Depicted as a giant of a boy, Volkheimer paid attention to protect Werner throughout their wartime journey, and beyond. 

War, and many difficult events, does create conditions for lasting connections and friendships. 

I wont expose the ending - but I found myself so engrossed in this story, I spent a whole weekend paying attention, concetrating so I could reach the best part - the end of the war!  

Film Review for Paris in July - Little Jaffna

 I may have strayed a little from my ambitions list.... but I couldn't find Le Havre on my free streaming service, SBS.  I found Little Jaffna instead. 

Have you ever been to Sri Lanka? or have you heard things about the Tamil Tigers insurgency?  This occured during my lifetime, and I still dont fully comprehend it. 

This film, directed by the leading actor, is a powerful story of the challenges for displaced Sri Lankans in Paris. Little Jaffna being the suburbs in Paris where the Sri Lankans found refuge and community together. 

During the insurgency, 1983 - 2009, the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, sustained their military capabilities through extensive funding from a global Tamil diaspora network, alongside extortion and illicit trafficking. The story told in this film is about the Killi'z gang, who is portrayed as a powerful and dangerous syndicate that extorts money from local Sri Lankan Tamil businesses to finance covert operations and resistance movements. 

The film evokes the gang culture, aspects of the homeland culture, and also a hope for assimilation in the new homeland. 

I did a quick search and found there are nearly 4 million Sri Lankan Tamils globally, nearly 3 million reside in Sri Lanka now, and another 1.2 million living in the diaspora. Major populations abide in Canada, India, Australia, the UK, France and Germany. 

I travelled to Sri Lanka in 2019, and thoroughly loved the people, the food and the incredibly diverse culture and history. 

While Paris in July feels like an invitation to explore all the aspects of Paris & France we love, this film brought to light for me, that immigrants who ended up in Paris, or choose Paris for their dreams, still struggle to make their dreams come true while the past holds them connected.  However, in the end, the young Tamil/ French Police Officer, graduates with his proud Tamil grandmother in the room....  one chapter closes, as his new life begins. 

French Composer, Claude Debussy - the girl with the flaxen hair

I learned this piece as a young music student, mostly on piano, but I also played the trombone back then. I loved the piece, however found it a challenge to learn.. but every time I hear it now, I am drawn right in... 

Apparently, Debussy named the piece after an 1852 poem by French writer Leconte de Lisle. The poem tells the story of an innocent Scottish girl who sings in the fresh morning dew.  What does it call to mind  for you?  I kind of think of waterfalls in a lazy river.. 

While I'm continuing with my Paris in July reading challenge, deep into All the Light We Can Not See,  I thought I'd offer this interlude... 

My ambitions for 2026 Paris in July

 

There's something quintessentially Parisian about a spiral stairway.. It calls us to explore the space around it, and it's destination. I imagine this library space invites us to be still, and to re-create the stories of the past, or invest time in creating new ones. This July, I want to enjoy sitting in the silent space around other's stories, but also to work in creating my own new stories. 

My ambitions for this years Paris in July, include: 

Reading

1. All the Light We Can Not See - Anthony Doerr
2. The Vexations - Caitlin 

Watching 

1. Le Havre (PG), France, Germany 2010.  Director - Aki Kaurismaki
2. Hunting & Gathering (2007) - Starring Audrey Tuatou, Guillaume Cannet

Enjoying

1. Le Tour De France

This might be very ambitions, but I'm keen to try, 

Paris in July 2026 - the evolution story

 Some 15 years ago (I think it was 2010) Paris in July, a blogging event, was born out of a friendship and conversations about all things we love about Paris. Karen and I were keen to invest time into reading, celebrating and enjoying all things French for the month of July, and to share this with the blogging community.  Interestingly, I recently asked an AI tool to define the period of blogging around 2009 - and it noted that the birth of blogging was early 1990's, by 1999 - 2003, blogging tools began to improve and blogging was becoming a tool for sharing thoughts, reflections and reviews more publicly. When Karen and I were ready to go live, blogging was reaching it's 'golden era' (as defined by media scholars and historians). During the early 2000s we noticed mainstream adoption, professional blogs, niche expertise, RSS readers flourish, blogs influence politics and journalism. This was following by the social media transition, and now, blogging occurs in a variety or formats on many platforms, and is using AI to build content. 

However, Paris in July, has always been an authentic space for individuals to continue to share their love of all things Paris/France and the French culture. 

I'm super excited to see that Words and Peace continues to host the event now in 2026!  Emma has been a regular contributor for many many years, and it's a delight to see it lives on.  Everyone has phases in life that come and go, and for me, I needed to step back from blogging to manage my personal, professional and academic pursuits in recent years. But when you have a virtual community around you, and you share the vision for something, it's easy to ask for help, and easy to trust the change over. Thank you Emma. 

I was thinking about all the contributors, all the posts, and the community that Paris in July developed, and asked AI to provide some commentary for me.. Here's a few insights: 

• The annual Paris in July blogging event hosted by Thyme for Tea has become one of the longest-running themed community events in the book-blogging world. What began around 2010 has grown into a remarkably durable international community centred on a shared affection for France, Paris, and French culture.
• The event has never been about attracting hundreds of bloggers; instead it has cultivated a loyal core of returning participants, with new bloggers joining each year.
• Across the life of the event, there have probably been 80–100 distinct bloggers participating, although many returned year after year. Regular contributors include blogs such as Bellezza, Books as Food, Brona's Books, The Marmalade Gypsy, Readerbuzz, The Reading Life, A Bookish Way of Life, Mae's Food Blog, The Content Reader, and Words and Peace, among many others
• Over roughly fifteen years it has likely featured well over a thousand individual blog posts from around 80–100 different bloggers.
•  Its enduring appeal lies not in competition or volume but in its welcoming, eclectic spirit and the friendships that developed through many Julys of shared enthusiasm for France.
• In summary - AI noted -  Paris in July is a notable example of a long-lived niche blogging event. While it has never been massive in scale, it has achieved something arguably more valuable: a sustained, international community of readers, travellers, cooks and Francophiles who return each July to celebrate French culture together.

With that, I wonder what the next evolution of Paris in July will be? Will you be continuing, via the new home over at Words and Peace? Don't forget to sign in with the widget Emma provides - because, as in the past, it's being able to follow and link with our fellow francophiles that makes this month and Paris in July the event it has always been... 

I'll be involved this year as a participant. I think I have the time and energy to pop in, visit other bloggers, and contribute some original content on one of my favourite subjects - Paris! 

I'm super keen to invite any of our regular contributors to share some reflections on what it's been like to be involved in this annual event..  why dont you share your memories in a post, or just in the comments below?  As noted by AI, this is one of the longest running community blogging events...... lets support Emma, and keep it alive. 

JLC #19 - Book Review - Sisters in Yellow

 

Well, I finally made it to the end of my Japanese Literature Challenge list! I'm way late on this, but for my own sense of completion, I wanted to close out this series. Thanks to Dolce Bellezza for hosting the JLC for the 19th time! 

This book was actually on my first list, but it wasn't available in paper version when I first went looking for it, so I've read and reviewed it since the Challenge, after it became available locally.  I'm glad I waited for it although it was a difficult one to get into at the beginning. 

Mieko Kawakami isn't a new author to me. In previous JLC's,  I read her "Breasts and Eggs" (2008), which I recall being quirky but quite human. 'Sisters in Yellow' was 'outside' my experience of life, and I could describe the writing style as a bit quirky, but it was a deep and complex storyline. 

Other's in the JLC #19  reviewed this book also. Dolce Bellezza wrote a moving tribute to this book, and the main character, Hana.  

For me, reading this took me back to other stories I've read about the Korean migrant communities in Japan. Pachinko, by Min Jin Lee, provided me with a new understanding of the place of Koreans in the Japanese community. So when Hana (the main character in Sisters in Yellow), was setting the scene for herself and her mother, and the criminal elements of her community, I was reminded of the complexities of living in a country where you have no ID or no name. 

Hana's version of her life's journey is told as she see's it in the moment, however it's not until the end that another version of the story is revealed. 

This is a heart wrenching story of a young person navigating her life with friends, but very little adult intervention. She's a brave young lady, taking on the weight of the world, wanting nothing but to ensure the people around her are safe and cared for. But sometimes the adults aren't capable, or prepared, to protect young people as we might hope. 

I admire that Hana could stay strong, and her internal 'North Star' was for Good... she survived. 

Another JLC closed for now - and I'm reminded that this genre teaches me a lot - about life values, nature, relationship with beliefs and a sense of spirituality, and humanity in different contexts. 

JLT #19 - book review - Exophony

 Exophony: Voyages outside the Mother Tongue by Yoko Tawada

Translated by Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda

This was an unexpected find and addition to my #JapaneseLiteratureChallenge list, however, it's been quite engaging and entertaining, for a work of non-fiction. 

It came to be in my reading pile, when I sent my partner to the bookshop to get me a copy of Mieko Kawakami’s novel “Sisters in Yellow”. The bookshop didn't have it, so my partner and the assistant thought this would be a suitable alternative..  Not sure it was the same camp, but it was a Japanese Author. 

So I've not been reading this work 'in order because I found each chapter to be quite a different piece of work. In Part 1 - she talks about her experiences as a Japanese born but bilingual German resident, and seems to reflect on her experiences as she's been in different cities around her conference or writing lifestyle. The chapters are titles by the cities she's travelled to. Dakar, Berlin, Los Angles, Paris, Cape Town etc..... in each chapter she's reflecting on different 'relationships' people have with language. 

The most powerful quote from Part 1 for me speaks to the power that language has. The author reflects on the juxtaposition of the german words schrei (scream) and Schreiben (to write). 

To be able to choose the kind of education you want, to have the luxury of writing poems and novels, is quite rare. Most people are not given a voice at all. Instead they die with silent screams on their lips, their eyes flung wide open as they watch the destruction around them. To write is not the same thing as to scream. And yet, if writing were cut off from the act of screaming, it would no longer be literature. The act of screaming is inseperable from the act of writing. though the two words do not share an etymology, they are intimately bound together through a persons lived experiences. 

Part 2 she titles "adventures in German'..  Here I've been taken on some word game play. She mingles her Japanese and German language knowledge.  I've highlighted this little interplay: 

The literal meaning of the Japanese work sakubun (composition) - which is written with the characters for 'to make' and 'text' - is really quite blunt. The image that comes to mind when you think about 'making' something is of gathering materials, using tools, putting things together. But writing isnt at all like that. As you write something invisible flows out of the surface of your skin and language begins to move like a living creature. Your body temperature may become slightly elevates, and you many enter into a slightly euphoric state as you abandon your ego altogether. This process does not at all match the craftsmanlike feeling of the word tsukuru (to make). I wondered if there wasn't another word  that more accurately described the act of writing, something that captured its magical quality. 

It's been these reflections and Tawada's analysis of the interplay of language, words, craft, and the history of words, that has been keeping me diving into different chapters, and returning to some for more. 

One of her reflections has kept me asking my friends about their thoughts on this. Tawada believes you can hold more than one 'mother toungue'. When you speak with people who have more than one language, we often ask then which one they prefer? or we try to comprehend how their brain splits the different language elements. Do they dream in one or another? Well, Tawada is playing with the concept that they need not be 'buckets' but merged, seemlessly.. 

I am enjoyed my deviation in non-fiction Japaense literature, and I dont think this book will be put back into public circulation just yet - there's still room on my shelf for this one. 

To close out - here's an image I asked AI to create for me - that I think expressed how language and life merge - where the birds pass over us, and their shadows travel with us. 

JLC #19 - Book Review - Men without Women

 Some light bedtime reading??  Murakami “Men without women”. 

“stories of loneliness, of men struggling in a world, forced to live their lives for whatever reason without women”.  Review

 In the last short story of the book, I found what appears to be the punch line for me

 Suddenly one day you become Men without Women. That days comes to you completely out of the blue, without the faintest of warnings or hunts beforehand.

Murakami goes on to day “only Men without Women can comprehend how painful, how heartbreaking, it is to become one. You loose that wonderful west wind….

 I’ve been reading the short stories as my commitment to the Japanese Literature Challenge #19. Each one of the 6 short stories comes from the perspective of a man, in different iterations of a mans life and life stage.  I think only 2 of the stories were a little too bizarre for me to see the point, but still, Murakami does write with some magic.. and I keep on reading.  Murakami writes about men who have slept with other mens wives, or other men who have slept with the main character’s wife, and mostly I think women who die. One of the stories is of a man who lives with a disability, and the women in his life are paid carers who also sleep with him, but also bring companionship to his housebound life. In another story, a well to do cosmetic surgeon, with a womanising reputation, ends up starving himself to death over a women he accidentally fell in love with… dramatic ending!!

But I think the take-away for me, is just how men (in Murakami's writings), see women as an integral part of their life journey, playing a variety of roles…  

I ponder, on this International Women’s Day, March 8, my reflections on this book of stories… perhaps dark, moody, and narrowly focused on a particular aspect of men's relationship with women.

 

The front cover of my hard copy depicts a black background with perhaps raindrops or tears.  Seems a fitting visual reference to the sadness this book conjures..

JLC #19 - Book Review - Hunchback

 

I'm still experimenting what what my type of book is... so this recommendation, among other references to this author, made me pick up this copy. 

A literary phenomenon in Japan, Hunchback is an extraordinary and thrilling debut novel about sex, disability and power

 Further more, Ichikawa is the first author with a physical disability to receive the Akutagawa Prize, Japan’s premier literary award. She has congenital myopathy, and uses a ventilator and an electric wheelchair. (ref). In 2025 she was also long listed for the international Booker Prize.

It was definitely something new for me, but so easy to read and get into the space and story, I completed it in 3 reading sittings.. Some reviews referred to it as 'hilarious' or 'up-roaringly funny', but to be honest I must have missed that thread. She does however let us in on her view of life with a disability that is quite provocative, and intense. 

I have delayed writing this review while I was processing my take on the book - but what I've come up with is - you need to be brave enough to be questioned when you take on this read. She does provoke the reader to consider what's acceptable or even possible, for someone who lives with a disability to think or do. In her book, Saou, lets us get to know her as a survivor, a resilient and persistent individual, and someone who doesn't what to waste he capacity to live and experience life as she sees it. 

There are a couple of scenarios explored in this short book which provoke the reader to question

• Wow, is this something happening in my city/ state or place? 
• I'm not sure that happens in real life? 
• is that even ethical? 
• Would this happen to an able bodied individual? 

For me, I want to join the author in celebrating the experience we have in our daily life, the hard ones and the joy-filled ones... We are all able to experience things, interpret those events, and choose more of less of them... that's the pleasure of learning to be who we are. 

Be brave, be curious - check out this author and her view on life. 

JLC #19 - Book Review - Murakami

 Plot Reveal Warning: I dont think I can review this without some outline of the plot.. 

Its truly bizarre .... and sooo Murakami! 

An ordinary man, Mr Katagiri, is approached by a giant frog to be a collaborator in the task for saving the city from an earthquake, for which the frog says, is yet to occur but is imminent.

Firstly the frog has to convince the man he has the right man, and that the frog knows what he's talking about. Then the frog explains the plan...

The earthquake will occur when a giant worm has a temper tantrum. .they need to intervene and stop the worm!

Of course! Makes perfect sense!

However, at the critical moment in the plan, it seems the man is stopped in his tracks... and ends up in hospital..
Misses the whole worm & frog event... underground
Earthquake is avoided..

My summary is just the highlights, Murakami takes the reader on a journey.. perhaps its fantasy, but its a captivating read. Fun. Leaves you both entertained and intrigued. 

some typical Murakami moments:

- Mr Katagiri is a proper Japanese business man who insists on call the frog, Mr Frog. But the Frog insists on being called Frog.. this just adds a sense of familiarity which itself is bizarre

- Mr Katagiri, like many of Murakami's character is portrayed as an average citizen - who gets home with "his brief case and his grocery bag with fresh vegetables and canned salmon" .

- there are weird moments when things go into alternate reality. - like when Frog's demise occurs in front of Mr Katagiri (I wont explain it - it was kind of grosse. 

Its s short story, with unexpected twist & turns...
And a trip worth taking with Murakami

The bonus is the graphics on every page.
I loved it.

I couldn't resist..... and perhaps the time is right

 

Hello my friends, it's been a long time. 

Nothing like a little challenge to get oneself into gear. Thank you Dolce Bellezza! I've always loved this challenge. It was through this challenge that I found myself actually enjoying fiction, learning to love surrealism, and even some historic fiction. This challenge has given me virtual escapes to a country I've only visit once, but felt at home in. So it's only fitting I come back to it, when I'm feeling the need for some escapism and a vacation. 

I've found four books to dive into for this challenge, and I hope to review this month. 

"Hunchback" came to me via a podcast I've been really enjoying - BookShelfie: Women's Prize Podcast. Vick Hope interviews women about the books that changed them. 

The Guardian said "The narrator muses on everything from pornography to David Lynch, in this gloriously transgressive debut from Japan"... 

Anyway, I couldnt resist but to pick it up this season. 

"Exophony" was an accidental addition to my list. I sent my partner off to the local independent bookshop to find something by Yoko Tsushima (pen name). I was intrigued by something I read about her work being inspired or informed by her own experience. 

Anyway, what came home from the bookshop was this - a non fiction collection of essays, noted in reviews as "a brilliant exploration of language and its relationship to power, colonialism and history'. I'm getting into this, and finding some great insights.... more review to come. 

Murakami is just one of my go to favourites for escapism.. So this year I've picked one from my previously read pile, and I've started re-reading. Strangely, I usually dont re-read - but perhaps the time is right.... 

Imagine my surprise when I walked through a city bookshop to see this! It was a must have. 

Thanks to #JLC19 - I had my eye's open for a new Murakami. The girl in the bookshop said she didnt think the story was new, just that this book is illustrated... I dont recall reading the story before, so this addition to my list was a must have.  Review to come, but here's a glimpse of the fabulous illustrations... 

So after years of non-blogging, I make my re-entry through the portal of the Japanese Literature Challenge now in it's 19th year!