3 things for a chilly fall day

When we came back from Corsica, we were greeted by a fog so thick the majority of the weekend we could hardly see across the street. The trees would peek out only occasionally.

The gloomy, grey mist and sharp cold were the perfect welcome back to fall reality.  All I wanted to do was curl up with a book on the couch, huddle under thick blankets and slurp hot soup to try to shake the chill. I guess, sometimes the best way to greet the cold weather is to simply submit to it.  The thick brume has  since left us so I'm looking forward to spending lots of time outside this weekend. No matter the weather though, I hope you find a way to keep warm this weekend!

Here are my three picks for keeping cozy:

1. Curling up with a good book -  Bringing up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel, the only woman to win the Man Booker prize twice, it looks easy to get lost in the pages. On a fluffier, chick-lit note, 50 Shades of Grey has arrived in France.  Thinking I might just have to add that to my book pile, too. Have you read it?

2. Homemade soup on the stove - One of my new favorite recipes for tomato soup. If you still have a couple good tomatoes left, it's easy and delicious.

3. Bundling up with lots of layers -  Really pretty scarves keep you warmer.  It's a proven fact. I like these from fashionABLE, not only do they look good and keep your neck warm, they also help create sustainable business for women in Africa. It's a win-win.

By the way, these are not sponsored links, just things I like and couldn't help sharing.


So don't hold out on me, what are your picks for enjoying a chilly, fall weekend?

what are you reading these days?

Summertime is peak reading time for me. I love it all,  chick lit reads for the beach, epic tomes to make travel times pass quickly, and riveting novels for an afternoon inside during a summer rainstorm.  What are you thumbing through these days? 

My most recent reads, with a few additions from Clover of course, from top to bottom are:

1. Big Dog and Little Dog. Clover likes to have us read this book at least 6 times in a row every time we open it. It's hard to resist his little voice asking, "Encore?" as we turn the last page.

2. It's a Book. Another current favorite of Clover's. Very cute. Has the word "no" on every other page.  As you might imagine, it's a huge hit with the toddler crowd.

3. Ma Vie pour un Oscar. Rated a great beach read by Elle magazine, I rate it a mediocre beach read.  It's the fictional, very thinly veiled adaptation of the author's life as the assistant to an unnamed Hollywood star.  The magic of google confirms that it is in fact, John Cusack, her former boss.  The star-system narcissism is strong, inescapable and the sole premise of the book it seems. It's a good read for putting the glitz and glamour of Hollywood into a more sad and solitary perspective.

4. Le Nœud en Huit, a great, quick read. The fictional story of guides that were hired to help nazi soldiers fleeing the country after the war and the lives that were shattered by the experience.  It takes place in the Alps, Saint Gervais even, before embarking to warmer climates. Written by a local mountain guide. Always fun to read something set locally.

5. She Walks in Beauty. A selection of poetry on marriage and motherhood curated by Caroline Kennedy. This was a gift from  my mom a while ago.  I pick this up often. It has some really great poems that speak straight to my heart.

6. The Brain That Changes Itself.  Not my typical beach read but so, so interesting. As someone previously unaware of the studies in neuroplasticity, I found the subject fascinating.  There is case after case of the brain's incredible capacity to heal and adapt. Mindblowing, in the best possible way.

7. Bringing Up Bébé. An American journalist in Paris (self-described as a reluctant expatriate)  presents the differences of raising a child in France rather than the United States. This book raised quite a bit of controversy in the USA.  I found it to be written with a lot of humility. It was an interesting comparison of the cultural differences in child-rearing between the two countries.   For me it feels like a bit of a cheat sheet of the expectations for raising a child in France. A well-researched handbook for things that I would have had to learn by trial and embarassing error on my own here.  She does make a few sweeping generalizations that I don't exactly agree with,  but that seems unavoidable in a book like this.  Like all parenting books I think it's important to pick and choose what works for one's family without feeling any pressure to implement everything exactly to the letter.

So, please spill your favorite titles in the comments! What are you reading these days? 

between bookends

We've been reading L'Inventeur by Jean-Francois Martin lately. It's a sweet book with beautiful illustrations. I only get about one sentence read aloud before Clover feels the need to turn a page. Which turns out is quite nice, since it means that we spend most of our time looking at the delightful drawings over and over.

The inventor, Monsieur Félix, creates one invention per week, 52 inventions per year. But, when the Man in Green arrives demanding that Monsieur Félix come up with a new invention to turn millionaires into billionaires, he leaves our favorite inventor stumped and distraught.

I won't giveaway the wonderful ending, but don't you love these illustrations?

What are you reading these days?

Or, maybe you're in the same boat as us, mostly perusing pictures over and over again?