As the days draw in, what better pastime than reading a Gothic novel about obsession, doomed love and death? This unabridged version with a suitably sombre cover is good quality too. The story jumps straight in, with a prologue by the author explaining why he believes the phantom was real.
The plot then unfolds as a mystery to be solved. The writing is vivid and direct, the descriptions sometimes chilling in their effect. This was originally published in 1909, but has lost none of its power to grab the reader from the first paragraph.
The music mentioned throughout the book foretells the story, and wouldn't it be atmospheric to play the music as you read along? For those who love the musical, this is a more in-depth telling of this much loved tale of intrigue and tragic devotion.
Read on, and the detailed descriptions of the Palais Garnier opera house might start to convince you that the tale is actually based on fact, as the author claimed until his death. For anyone unaware of the plot, the Phantom is a disfigured musical genius who tutors the Opera's soprano Christine Daaé, with whom he is obsessively in love. When Christine's childhood sweetheart Raoul comes back into her life, the Phantom swears vengeance on them both.
In the end… well, if you don't know the ending let's not spoil it for you. Suffice it to say that once hooked, you won't be able to put this book down until you've finished it.
Mastering the Art of French Eating
Mastering the Art of French Eating
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Ann Mah,
Pamela Dorman Books, €15.66
ISBN: 978-0670025992
Intriguingly, the subtitle of this book is 'Lessons in Food and Love from a Year in Paris'; it is the account of an American woman's experience of finding herself alone in Paris. (The author's diplomat husband was whisked off to Iraq for a year almost as soon as they had arrived in France, leaving her to fend for herself.)
Ann Mah's writing flows off the page; it's as if you're listening to a friend fresh from the airport just dying to tell you all about her adventures, and of course food is a central part of her experience. The way she describes even the simplest pleasures, like dipping bits of crusty baguette into hot chocolate, makes your mouth water. And haven't we all done experienced that 'Quelle cuisson?' baptism of fire when ordering steak-frites?
The author has also included a few recipes, but this really is not a cookbook. It's far more an ‘eat book’ with investigations into the history of classic Parisian dishes and the people who prepare them. Reading along is like wandering from café to café trying every single one, just to find the best salade verte, the best crème brûlée, etc.
This follows on from her exploration of Chinese cuisine in her autobiographical novel 'Kitchen Chinese' - her mother is Chinese and taught her to cook Chinese food as well as speak Mandarin. Both books are fascinating reads - just don't even open the first pages if you're on a diet!
French Building Terms Dictionary
French Building Terms Dictionary
Richard Wiles,
Summersdale, €15.32
ISBN 978-1840244946
It is a mystery how no-one ever thought of compiling a French DIY dictionary before. Whether you are doing up a tatty chateau, maintaining a second home or attempting to solve the plumbing problems in your Paris rental, this is an essential reference book. It covers technical phrases and names of tools which you might not even know in English, and which are almost impossible to track down in French.
Originally from Newcastle, Richard Wiles has written extensively about living in France, as well as about home improvement, gardening, social history, photography and hot air balloons. Evidently a person with a broad range of interests, he currently also edits Aerostat, the quarterly journal of the British Balloon and Airship Club.
This dictionary works both ways, so French speakers heading to Anglophone countries to do up wrecks are also buying it with enthusiasm. A handy book to keep by the phone for emergencies, or take with you to the DIY (bricolage) store when tracking down some impossible-to-describe thingamabob which is nevertheless essential to repairing your drainage, electricity, roof, cellar or strange trapdoor to the barn. Every home should have one.
