Ann Mah's newsletter / Sept 2019
September 2019 newsletter
Bonjour!
After the heatwaves of June and July, it was wonderful to cool down with a seaside holiday. This year, we went somewhere new in France: La Baule, on the Atlantic coast, where the Loire river empties into the ocean. La Baule is not technically in Brittany, but it identifies with the region very strongly, so we ate a lot of oysters, buckwheat galettes, and salted butter caramel seasoned with the famous flaky sea salt of Guérande, a local village. The landscape is very flat and we were able to borrow bicycles to ride to dinner, which felt very old-fashioned and idyllic. Best of all, the wide and sandy beaches were peppered with playgrounds and cafés serving chilled Muscadet, which was a win for everyone.
Now we are back in Washington DC and ready for la rentrée – my favorite season when folks head back from their summer vacations ready to tackle the new year with sharp pencils and crisp notebooks. I am eager to get back to work, fortified by my time away and excited to dive into my new book project.
Here's what else I've been up to...
What I've been eating
–We ate these little sea snails (photo above) as an amuse bouche at a restaurant in La Baule. Called bigorneaux (periwinkles in English), we used a metal pick to pry them from their shells. They were served with rye bread and seaweed butter made by my favorite French butter producer, Beillevaire. (If you're curious about how to eat and cook sea snails, you can read more at Serious Eats.)
–Melon granita is my new favorite granita and I love this recipe from Emiko Davies, which adds a pinch of chile pepper for an unexpected kick.
–Got a zucchini glut? This recipe for spaghetti alla Nerano (spaghetti with zucchini sauce) from Food52 is summery, slurpy, and totally kid approved.
–Last month I mentioned I wanted to try this gaspacho. I've now made it three times! It's amazing.
What I've been reading
–I had a great time with Oliver Gee on the Earful Tower podcast, chatting about books, Julia Child, and all the things I love most – and least – about France.
–Do foreign words add ambiance and texture to fiction, or are they distracting? I took a closer look at Writer Unboxed.
–While researching the aforementioned Writer Unboxed post, I came across this essay from The Toast, which made me laugh so hard I cried: The Best Part of Jane Eyre is Guessing What the French Is
–My first novel, Kitchen Chinese, is currently only $1.99 across all e-book platforms! Structured around the regional cuisines of China, it's "the story of one woman's search for identity and purpose in a far and distant land." I have no idea how long this sale will last, so get it while you can!
–Just this week, the BBC released a new archive revealing their role in World War II including secret activities, coded messages, and replacing Big Ben's chimes with a recorded version so Germans didn't know where their planes were flying over London.
–This weekend I'm heading to Winston-Salem for the annual Bookmarks Festival! I'll be part of a panel discussion with historical fiction authors Sarah Blake (The Guest Book), Martha Hall Kelly (Lost Roses), and Lauren Willig (Summer Country) on Saturday, September 7 from 4:30 to 5:30pm. Details here. I'd love to see you!
Books from friends
I love helping my writer pals spread the word about their new books. Here's what's new in stores this month:
On the heels of her bestselling novel All the Ugly and Wonderful Things, Bryn Greenwood has written another spectacular story: The Reckless Oath We Made is an unlikely romance between a tough Kansas woman on a crooked path to redemption and her unlikely champion.
Elisabeth Bronfen is a renowned academic and cultural critic – and she also loves to eat. Her newest book, Obsessed: The Cultural Critic's Life in the Kitchen, recounts her cherished food memories, her recipes, and tips on cooking. The result is a magnificent spread of tastes and textures, family memories, and brilliant reflection. This book made me very hungry!
In Monique Truong's newest novel, The Sweetest Fruits, the voices of three women weave the life story of one extraordinary man: Lafcadio Hearn, the 19th century writer and traveler who was the first Westerner to write about Japan.
In 1977 Georgia, Greer Michaels returns home to care for his dying mother. But what awaits him is the devastating secret that drove him out in the first place. Sion Dayson's debut novel, As a River, is an exploration of family secrets rooted in the turbulent history of the segregated South.
I met novelist Kerri Maher last month and I can't wait to read her book The Kennedy Debutante, now in paperback, which tells the story of Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy, the rebellious daughter of the Kennedy clan who died in a plane crash in 1948.
Finally, a special shout-out for The Gifted School, one of my favorite books to recommend this summer!
A bientôt
This weekend I'm heading to Winston-Salem and I'm also making a stop in Chapel Hill on the way. I can't wait for all the ham biscuits, okra, and cheese straws in my future. If you have any suggestions of things to eat or places to go, please send them my way!
Thank you so much for reading and see you in October!
XO,
Ann