Bonjour!
Everyone has their rituals of homecoming and I guess mine is the Breton butter. The first thing I do when I get to Paris is go to La Grande Epicerie and buy the special butter and then I know I’m home again. Guess what I did today? Friends, I’m home again!
It has been more than two years since I was last in Paris. I’ve thought of it every day – the voices like birdsong, the women in thick scarves and droopy coats at the grocery shop, the brisk click of heels walking up the pavement behind me. Today it all became real again and the realness felt almost natural, like I’d turned away for a moment and then swiveled back again. Of course, there are changes – everyone wearing masks, restaurants closed or replaced, poke bowls everywhere (why) – but the pure, elegant lines of Paris remain and they’re still mine, know what I mean?
Here’s what else I’ve been up to…
My new book!
Friends, I promised extra special sneak peeks in this newsletter and now I’m thrilled to share one! Here is the cover for my new novel, Jacqueline in Paris!
From 1949 to 1950, Jackie Bouvier was twenty years old and a student living abroad in Paris – an experience she called the high point of her life, her happiest and most carefree year. I love the way this cover depicts her as a young woman on the cusp of self discovery. The book will be in shops on September 20, 2022, and in the meantime you can read more about the story here – or add it to your to-read list, or even pre-order! Thank you so much for your support of my work – I am sincerely grateful.
What I’ve been eating
–I know I’ve mentioned Vietnamese egg coffee before (it’s sort like a silky sweet coffee custard) but now my friend Cameron Stauch has an excellent video showing you how to make it at home.
–I loved Skinny Taste’s twist on mac and cheese, with pureed pumpkin (or butternut squash) standing in for some of the cheese sauce.
–I can’t get over how much I love the Simply Recipes apple pie recipe. I’ve made it twice and both pies were perfection.
What I’ve been reading
–Looking up some Robbie Burns poetry for Burns Day, I came across this article on the native “wild haggis” of Scotland, which had me in stitches. The photos!
–Margaret Wise Brown, the children’s author who wrote Goodnight Moon (among many other books), sounds like a fun and feckless free spirit, very much ahead of her time. I enjoyed this New Yorker profile.
A bientôt!
Tomorrow I’ve got a very important rendezvous with someone who keeps me warm – the boiler repairman! Here’s hoping he’ll get the radiators cranking again :) Thank you so much for reading and subscribing to my newsletter – I am so grateful for your support. If you’d like to see more from Paris, I’ll be posting on Instagram, and I hope you’ll join me there. I always love hearing from you!
Amitiés,
Ann
I LOVE this newsletter - you're in PARIS, your book cover is exquisite and I pre-ordered it!!
So much good news! I love the book cover and cannot wait to read it. Félicitacions!