Sweet October: Books and Cinnamon
I've done a taste test of various chai tea lattes. You'll be happy, and surprised, to learn that the big winner is...
I know. I'm as surprised as you. I thought I'd have to search far and wide, but baby business has kept me close to home to investigate nearby chai. The key is to brew it in hot milk. NO WATER. Add sugar. Boom! Sorry Starbucks.We had a snow storm yesterday, so you know... indoor activities. The soul is quiet when the weather is dramatic.
I, like so many, love autumn. If you look in my book A PARIS YEAR, you'll find the October chapter draped in autumn.
If you know anyone who loves autumn and/or Paris and/or pretty books, A PARIS YEAR makes a great gift. Add gift cards from my shop and you've got yourself a pretty Paris kit:
Speaking of books, my other delightful book PARIS LETTERS is New York Times bestseller. Astounding good luck.
Another reason to love October!I've been reading THE LITTLE PARIS BOOKSHOP, which is about a bookseller who doles out books as medicine for the soul.
His bookshop is on a little boat in the Seine. I'd like to think he has a view like this photo I took once on a cool autumn day:
I bought THE LITTLE PARIS BOOKSHOP ages ago, but then I had a baby and I spent every waking hour of her nap time asleep. But recently I read the sample of Nina Georges new book THE LITTLE FRENCH BISTRO and loved it. I thought I should read what I've got before buying the new book.
Other smashing news...I was interviewed on Smash Pages, a comic book website for my book A PARIS YEAR. They called it "comic adjacent" which pleases me greatly. I was so enthusiastic that I drifted into other topics:
"I just love the word “adjacent.” I love that sneaky silent D. I’m a writer first, a visual artist second, so I have a collection of words I love. Five that come to mind: adjacent, capture, trinket, paraphernalia, haberdashery. I like how they feel when spoken. Haberdashery is like a full sentence."
Added a little charm...
"Living in Paris for a visual artist is like living inside a jewelry box. Each corner seems prettier than the next."
And a little neurosis...
"The search for the perfect font is a long, arduous journey. And I’m the graphic designer of the book as well as the writer so you know I was a control freak about the whole thing."
A few secrets....
"Every sketch requires some digital jiggery-pokery... All visual art is really a balance between highlighting the good and hiding the bad."
And a nice tie-in to this here blog post when asked about my preferred season in Paris...
"Autumn. Without question. Autumn. Old cities have old trees, which makes for a lovely place to witness nature’s most brazen costume change. Plus, by autumn the tourists have thinned out, the locals are fresh since their return from their big vacations in August, and fall fashion is draped all over shop windows. It’s a gleeful moment when the new warm coats and boots arrive to Paris."
Read the full article here.Now back to my chai latte and my pile of books. Cheers!
