Sensational Summer Reading

Cara BlackYou should just the stack of Summer books on the front table in my foyer I’m reading these days! And every one of these books was written by someone I know or whom I have met, since writers, aspiring writers (and non-writers who think they are writers), are systematically drawn to the City of Light where it seems the ink in their proverbial pens flows like the River Seine.

I’m almost finished reading Cara Black’s latest murder mystery, Murder at the Lanterne Rouge, which takes place in my “quartier” and is a page turner “extraordinaire.” Last year when I assisted Cara in finding a good place to hide a body in the 3rd arrondissement (a strange, but fun task), I had only an inkling how far she would take the story. Now I see what amazing insight she has to life in Paris and a profound knowledge of the quirkiness of the streets, not to mention the denizens within them, to keep you yearning for more of Aimée Leduc and her sidekick, René.

Learn more about Cara Black’s books by visiting our Books Page and then click on the link to order your copy.

Harriet Welty RochefortOld friend, Harriet Welty Rochefort, just sent me an advance reading copy of Joie de Vivre: Secrets of Wining, Dining, and Romancing Like the French, her newest exposé of the French. You may remember her other great reads, French Toast and French Fried, both spot on about the French. This one is even more insightful! Harriet is one of those women who has been successfully married to a Frenchmen (not all are ultimately so compatible, read Polly Platt’s Love à la Française!), and clearly her husband, Philippe, has contributed to her profound understanding of the French.

Within the first few pages she had me cracking up with her description of how Nicolas Sarkozy was a “sterling example of what happens when the famous French flair isn’t tempered by ‘savoir-vivre’ (the art of good manners, which he singularly lacks)” long before he lost the election as a result of it! This woman gets it, and you will, too, if you get your copy hot off the press.

It’s on our Web page at About Paris and France, then click on the link to order your copy. Or if you must wait, Harriet is speaking January 8th 2013 at Parler Paris Après Midi. Visit the page for more information.

Sheron LongI’ve never met Sheron Long, but we’ve been corresponding for a while now about her newest book. Dog Trots Globe, To Paris and Provence starts out with Have Dog, Will Travel and recounts how her nine-year-old Sheltie, Chula, witnessed France — from the dog’s perspective. It’s an inventive idea to say the least, particularly for dog lovers who can’t leave home without them.

Chula sees lots of beautiful things in France, pictured in color in the book, so no doubt, you’ll be charmed by Chula, the sniffling she does through Provence and the adventures she finds in Paris.

To get your copy, visit Books Set in Paris and France, then click on the link to order your copy.

David YaleDavid Yale came to Parler Paris Après Midi recently (when Timothy Smith was speaking about Cooper’s Promise) and dropped off two of his books, neither of which have anything to do with France, except for his own love of our adopted nation. Pun Enchanted Evenings is the kind of book I’m putting on the new shelf in my Powder Room for a fun read that you can pick up time and again. For wordsmiths, this stirs up the creative juices for their next project.

Want a laugh now? Try out: “What’s the leading cause of divorce in long-term marriages? A stale mate!” Or “What was the mathematician’s reaction when a hidden short in his calculator made the add key subtract instead? He was nonplussed!”

Find it here on our Web site book page: Miscellaneous Favorites, then click on the link to order your copy.

His other tome is quite different — Saying No to Naked Women. Guess that’s not hard for many of you out there, but for some, it’s tough as nails! This is a story about how one man freed himself from porn values and sexual addiction. Women, this may explain it all — why it’s so hard to find a great guy with which to share your life. And guys, maybe insight into Jack Derritt’s problems will help you free yourself so that you can find that special woman, too. It’s almost 500 pages, but those pages could change your life.

Click on Miscellaneous Favorites to find it and again, then click on the link to order your copy.

Timothy SmithCooper’s Promise is a must read for those who like action from a good-looking gay guy that makes friends and enemies everywhere he goes. Tim Smith told us all about him in our last Parler Paris Après Midi which had one of our biggest turn-outs. Cooper may not be ‘my kinda guy’ but he’s a great character and a it’s a great page-turner.

To get your copy, visit Miscellaneous Favorites, and then, naturally, click on the link to order your copy.

Meanwhile, I scored big time. Some foolish person left their Kindle in the pocket of the plane seat in front of my seat! So, guess what I did first? I downloaded my own guide, the Adrian Leeds Top 100 Cheap Insider Paris Restaurants for only $2.99! Before you set out for Paris, be sure to have it with you! Visit
Adrian Leeds Top 100 Cheap Insider Paris Restaurants (Amazon.com) and learn how to eat well for very little dough in the City of Light!

So, that’s a good start, no?? Enjoy them all while traveling in Paris and France!

A la prochaine…

Adrian Leeds
Editor, Parler Paris

Respond to Adrian

P.S. Congratulations to Interior Architect Martine di Mattéo on eight color pages devoted to her design work in two of our Parler Paris Apartments in this month’s issue of Viva Déco — Le Château de Violette and La Musique! To get your copy, visit Viva Déco. To read the article about Martine, download our pdf: Viva Deco July, 2012