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The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin
Titled My Last Duchess outside of the US Many reviews of this entertaining novel have mentioned that “If you’re missing Downton Abbey, read this to fill the void” and really this could have been the story of Lady Grantham if she had married a dissembling dirt bag instead of Lord Grantham, who seems like a…
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Library Loot, July 27 – August 2
Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the…
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The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
There’s been an interruption to my scheduled reading plans because I have been stressed at work and needed pure escape. I haven’t read a good British mystery in a while and when I saw a review of this on Book Group of One it sounded like just the respite I needed. I plunged into it…
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Forgive My Absence
I just wanted to let all of my faithful readers (both of you) know that I have been hideously burned out at work and haven’t had the time or inclination to post or read others’ posts this week. I did finish a marvelous mystery a few days ago and will write about that soon. For…
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Library Loot July 13 – 19
Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the…
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My Life in France by Julia Child & Alex Prud’Homme
This winning autobiography by the lively Child is a must-read for anyone who likes food or who likes France. Or both, of course! Child and her husband, Paul, move to France in 1948 to fulfill a cultural officer appointment Paul receives from the US government. From the description of the couple landing at Le Havre to…
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Gigi by Colette
Translated from the French by Roger Senhouse Surprisingly, I knew hardly anything about Gigi before I read this novelette. I have never seen the musical and only vaguely remembered hearing anything about it. I think this was good. It made the story more riveting and delightful for me not knowing the characters or the outcome…
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Enough About Love by Herve Le Tellier
Translated from the French by Adriana Hunter Enough About Love is a contemporary novel that follows two very similar couples and their relationships. In that respect, it reminds me of the last book I posted on, The Odd Women. That novel also charted the parallel relationships of two couples. In Enough About Love our couples…
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My Paris
It’s July and we’re in Paris! Today starts the Paris in July event co-hosted by Karen at BookBath and Tamara at Thyme for Tea. I’ve never been to the real City of Lights, but am delighted to take this virtual trip throughout the month of July. Over on my sidebar under the ‘Forthcoming’ header (the…
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The Odd Women by George Gissing
The Odd Women was not the book I thought it was going to be. The first five chapters or so concentrate on the three Madden sisters, Alice, Virginia, and Monica, who’ve been left somewhat destitute by the death of their father many years before when they were girls. They each have a bit of an…