Paris, Baby! – Book Review

Sharing the metamorphic journey of a woman experiencing the adventure of having her first-born, author Kirsten Lobe’s memoir Paris, Baby! is an entertaining, honest ride for her readers as her frank, hilarious and cut through the small-talk descriptions are a refreshing change of prose.

The author of novels Paris Hangover and French Trysts, Lobe begins her tale in Paris where she has been living as an expat by way of Wisconsin-Tokyo-Manhattan for the past eight years. With her appreciation and vast knowledge for fashion, the arts and Frenchmen, she doesn’t wait for any initiation and promptly places her readers at the scene of the famed French pastry shop Ladurée where her description of une grande meringue au chocolat and macaroons covered with creamy ganache are enough to cause an impulse airfare purchase to Paris tout de suite.

The fact alone that she is in a pastry shop seemingly wanting to devour more than just a petite nibble is enough to set the stage for her introduction to her life of a soon-to-be single mother living in Paris.

The narration that won readers over in Paris Hangover returns as she infuses a constant comparison of her American upbringing with her adopted and beloved new home, as well as omni-present appreciation for the opposite sex and a the Frenchmen’s love of feminine beauty in all of its stages. But as her reality begins to welcomingly change, she focuses her love and adoration towards her son Oscar. And it is this complex struggle that all mothers have in some capacity or another that Lobe shares first-hand with her readers – the loss of your former life, however, fully and utterly devoted and in love with your child; an instantaneous lioness-like protectiveness of your child and frustration with those who don’t understand it, at the same time realizing that prior to being a mother, ignorance was a very valid excuse admittedly made by the same said mother.

Ultimately, the conflict that must be resolved is whether to raise young Oscar in the City of Lights or in her hometown suburb Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.  And with a hard-fought argument for both sides and many lists in which she shares with her readers, holding nothing back (some may take offense, but I found very refreshing and true to Lobe’s style), the readers will be left uncertain until the last chapter.

While I won’t give away her decision, her goal on how she hopes to raise her child is based on her now Alzheimer's stricken mother who Lobe deservedly praises throughout the book – to be a mother who nurtures her child’s innate choices and gives him the belief that what he feel is of value, unique and meaningful.

Lastly, mothers will find one, if not many, scenarios to commiserate with, and while Lobe’s depictions are something to absorb for women without children, she blatantly points out that such a life is impossible to imagine until you’re living it.

But for now, Paris, Baby! is a grand way to experience motherhood as it is full of laugh out loud worthy anecdotes, sincere insights and impressive flashbacks on a few of her single life experiences. In the end, however, you will still be able to savor your sleep-filled nights.

To purchase or learn more, click here.
Pages: 352
Price: $10.08
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

A Bit of French Nostalgia

This week I have found myself daydreaming about Paris for a handful of reasons: my guest blog on CheckYourParis, reading an old interview of author Kirsten Lobe of Paris Hangover and French Trysts: Secrets of a Courtesan, and the beautiful spring weather we have been having that reminds me of the perfect time to take a leap over the pond to the City of Light.

But, since I am tethered to my job at the moment, as most of us are, I thought I'd bring a little Paris to me and to you. 

I am thrilled to share with you one of my new favorite desserts.  After traveling for the first time in France, I, as many do, fell in love with their pâtisseries and all of the delicious treats that can be found at each one.  What impressed me the most was the attention to detail and the seemingly simple ingredients.  However, upon laying my hands on a recipe, while the ingredients may be simple in certain desserts, the attention to detail is what makes French pastries so attractive to the eye, and more importantly, so difficult to master.

Thanks to Ina Garten, again, I used her recipe for a French apple tart found on page 191 in her most recent cookbook Back to Basics: Barefoot Contessa and found, with her help, it wasn't so difficult after all.

Ingredients:

For the pastry (full disclosure: I use a Puff pastry sheet, and it tastes lovely and saves time too!)

*2 cups all-purpose flour

*1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

*1 tablespoon sugar

*12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

1/2 cup ice water

For the apples:

*4 Granny Smith apples

*1/2 cup sugar

*4 tablespoon (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, small-diced

*1/2 cup apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam

*2 tablespoons Calvados, rum or water

Directions:

*For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.  Pulse for a few seconds to combine.  Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas.  With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together.  Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

(For a really fast apple tart, you can use one sheet of frozen puff pastry, defrosted.  Roll out to 10 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches and then proceed with the apples.)

*Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

*Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 x 14 inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges.  Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

*Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem.  Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baller.  Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4-inch-thick slices.  Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. (Barefoot Contessa tends not to use the apple ends in order to make the arrangement beautiful.)  Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup sugar and dot with the butter.

*Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown.  Rotate the pan once during cooking.  If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out.  Don't worry!  The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine!  When the tart is done, heat the apricot jelly together with the rum and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture.  Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper.  Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

*Enjoy!

(I find it to be a great treat in the morning as well with a warm cup of tea - Yum!)

So, I'm off to have a nibble and reminisce about my days in Paris and the Loire Valley.  Some day, some day, I will return. 

To all of my readers, have a lovely weekend and thanks so very much for entering my most recent giveaway, becoming a new follower or continuing to follow, following me on Twitter or simply taking a moment to revel in a few simply luxurious discoveries on Simply Luxurious.  I thoroughly enjoyed hearing from you this week, and don't forget, to stop by tomorrow for Saturday Style and a quick recap of the week.

Au revoir for now!

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What to Read?

Every once and awhile I find myself without a book in which I can’t seem to put down.  Thankfully this is not the case right now, but just in case you’re currently in limbo, looking for a book to read and unable to find one that grabs your interest, I thought I’d share a few that I would gladly read again and would be happy to lend you if you only lived nearby.

My selections are each from a different genre or category, and each, in their own way, offers a bit of pleasure, a smile or two, or additional contentment to your already fantastic life.

 So read on to maybe find the book you’ve been looking for to add to your nightstand.  Fingers crossed.

1. Take It Up A Notch

Happiness that is.  The word “project” looks and sounds a bit daunting, but do not be deterred.  Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project is for anyone who already knows that the life they have is quite all right, but they just don’t feel they are appreciating it enough, or feel that with just a few tweaks and adjustments they may find their life more enjoyable.

Some excerpts:

“Act the way I want to feel. This . . . sums up one of the most helpful insights that I’d learned in my happiness research: although we presume that we act because of the way we feel, in fact we often feel because of the way we act.”

“Even a modest pleasure can be a luxury if it’s scarce enough – ordering coffee at a restaurant, buying a book, or watching TV – which is why deprivation is one of the most effective, although unenjoyable, cures for the hedonic treadmill.”

“It is easy to make the mistake of thinking that if you have something you love or there’s something you want, you’ll be happier with more.”

“Enthusiasm is more important to mastery than innate ability, it turns out, because the single most important element in developing an expertise is your willingness to practice.”

2. Inspiration to Start Anew

Kristen Lobe’s novel Paris Hangover has been available for a handful of years, but I had to include it.  I have revisited this book a number of times, and I still find myself being mesmerized by the main character’s gumption and tenaciousness. 

If you’ve ever wanted to find the courage to pack up just enough of your belongings (and your furry-haired friend) in a couple of suitcases and relocate to the city or locale of your dreams, this novel will give you the nudge to make your dream a reality.  The protagonist, a bit whimsically, begins the novel by deciding to start her life fresh in Paris after having lived in New York City most of her adult life.  The adventures and loves she encounters make for a scrumptious tale.

3. A Light-Hearted, Enjoyable Caper

When picking up a book to dive into, I need to feel better after having read a chapter or two, not disturbed.   And while I love mysteries, sometimes the violence involved is too much. 

Well, if you are of the similar mind, I have an author for you to begin reading – Peter Mayle.  He, like the aforementioned protagonist in Paris Hangover, up and moved from the states to Paris and currently resides in the south of France.  The majority of his fictional books involve a mystery, but death is not the crime.  In The Vintage Caper the mystery lies in “who stole the wine?”  Other subjects in earlier books included the seeking of the beloved truffles, and stolen artwork as well.  Light-hearted, yet still illegal activities nonetheless.

What you will find in his most recent work (pictured below) is savory descriptions of French cuisine, brief, yet interesting schooling on wine and vivid imagery of beautiful chateaus and wine cellars in France.  Needless to say, this novel piqued my interest immediately. 

4.  Common Sense Repackaged

Bethenny Frankel has kind of taken Bravo by storm lately, and I must admit I jumped on the bandwagon.  Her first book, Naturally Thin, came out last year, and she has since followed it up with a book of even more recipes, as well as a book of rules for remaining naturally thin – The Skinnygirl Dish and The Skinnygirl Rules.  Before you skip over this book because it involves “dieting”, read a few of the excerpts because it might just catch your attention.  As much as we all pride ourselves on knowing what we should do, this book reiterates and gives specifics to make sure we do indeed do what we know we should do.

Excerpts:

“I think everybody deserves to be healthy and get into the best shape of her life.  That’s why I’ve collected all the simple facts that have taken me twenty years to learn, and crystallized them into ten simple rules.”

“Your diet is your bank account. Don’t eat too much of any one thing, don’t eat the same thing twice, balance starches with proteins, vegetables and fruits with sweets, and always balance a splurge with a save.”

“Dieting is not helping you; it’s hurting you and subtly undermining your own personal power.  It also negatively alters your metabolism.  I’m serious about this.  Diets, by definition, tell you what to eat. Why should anybody else tell you what to eat?  What does anybody else know about what you need and desire?  It’s your body, your taste buds, your preference, your life.”

Hopefully, your curiosity has been teased a bit regarding at least one of these books, and if not, please share what you would gladly read again or pass on to a friend.  I’m always in search of my next new book.

Here’s to a lovely treasured Thursday.  Happy reading!

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