Blogging Anniversary - 10 years

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A while ago I checked when I did my first blog post, in order to celebrate with an anniversary post. Well, that day came and went without any reaction from me. Better late than never, so here a reminder of my very first blog post from 24 October 2012.  The book was New Finnish Grammar  by Diego Marani. Marani is an Italian novelist, translator and newspaper columnist. While working as a translator for the European Union he invented a language ‘Europanto’ which is a mixture of languages and based on the common practice of word-borrowing usage of many EU languages. It was a suitable book to start with, being a book about letters, languages and memories. With a beautiful prose, the novel went directly to my heart.  "One night at Trieste in September 1943 a seriously wounded soldier is found on the quay. The doctor, of a newly arrived German hospital ship, Pietri Friari gives the unconscious soldier medical assistance. His new patient has no documents or anything that can ide...
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Paris in July 2019

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Tamara at Thyme for Tea is hosting another Paris in July event this year. One of my favourite events, so can't really stay out of it.

Paris in July is a French themed blogging experience running from the 1st – 31st July this year.

The aim of the month is to celebrate our French experiences through actual visits, or through reading, watching, listening, observing, cooking and eating all things French!  Here's a link to some of my previous reviews.

There will be no rules or targets in terms of how much you need to do or complete in order to be a part of this experience – just blog about anything French and you can join in! Some ideas might include;

reading a French themed book – fiction or non-fiction,
watching a French movie,
listening to French music,
cooking French food,
experiencing French, art, architecture and travel

I have not really decided what to do yet. Watching a French film and/or TV-series is one option. Listening to some French music should be good. Maybe cooking some French food. Looking at my TBR shelves I have two books of French authors (not read).

That is Histoire amoureuse des Gaules by Bussy-Rabutin. It is in French so not sure I will be able to finish it in one month. It will take me a long time to read. Maybe a few chapters at least.

The other one is Stendahl's The Red and the Black. A huge book, at least in English, but might be too much for one month.

The aim will be to read something from these two books at least. There might turn up a few other French books as well. But, not Zola ...!

The name of Philippe de Commines has popped up two times recently. Never heard of him before, but that is serendipity.

"He was a writer and diplomat in the courts of Burgundy and France. He has been called "the first truly modern writer" (Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve) and "the first critical and philosophical historian since classical times" (Oxford Companion to English Literature). Neither a chronicler nor a historian in the usual sense of the word, his analyses of the contemporary political scene are what made him virtually unique in his own time." (Wikipedia)

He turned up in a TV-series about Maximilian I which I saw recently. Had to look him up, because these kind of historical fiction series do not always stick totally to real events. To my surprise his name also turned up while reading John Ashdown-Hill's non fiction on Eleanor, The Secret Queen (The Woman who put Richard III on the Throne - review will follow). I found his Memoirs on-line on Richard III Society - American Branch. Would certainly be interested to read part of his memoirs.

Comments

  1. Emma at Words And Peace / France Book Tours21 June 2019 at 01:17

    Can't wait to see what you do for this! And maybe you could talk about my French Book Box!: https://francebooktours.com/french-book-box/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lisbeth25 June 2019 at 22:32

      Why not, it is another way of learning about Paris and France. Are you joining Paris in July? I can't find anything on your web-site. Hope to see you there.

      Delete
  2. Jeanie22 June 2019 at 15:46

    I'll be joining in Paris in July again too! I'll look forward to seeing what you post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lisbeth25 June 2019 at 22:32

      Great! It is one of my favourite challenges and always brings a lot of new information on everything French.

      Delete
  3. Tamara30 June 2019 at 12:24

    Hi Lisbeth, It's time. I've just posted the first week Mr Linky for Paris in July. I'm really looking forward to it all. Lets have fun.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lisbeth9 July 2019 at 12:47

      Thank you! Yes, looking forward to it, and planning what I should do and write about.

      Delete

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