Talking Location With… author Joanna Glen: TROMSØ
Tell us your book of the year (so far) and win this fabulous Paris inspired prize!
16th June 2015
This month’s prize consists of two great novels, The Ingredients of Love by Nicolas Barreau and Murder in the Bastille by Cara Black. The Ingredients of Love is the mysterious story – beautifully told – of Aurélie, who discovers a fictional book clearly based on herself and on her Paris restaurant. She tries to track down the author but it is not an easy task. Murder in the Bastille is a great mystery. In a restaurant, Aimée Leduc sits next to a woman wearing an identical jacket to the one she has on, and as she leaves at the end of the evening she is attacked in a case of mistaken identity. The other woman is murdered…
In addition to these two books the prize also includes a tote bag from Shakespeare and Company, the famous left bank book shop, plus a bar of perfumed Parisian soap, a Parisian postcard, and a selection of tea from Fauchon (the Paris equivalent of Harrods…). All the prizes are packed together in an attractive Eiffel Tower book box!
To win this brilliant prize, all you have to do is write in the Comments box below the title of your favourite read so far this year. That’s it!
The competition closes at midnight UK time on Saturday 27th June, and the winner will be the first name out of the hat on Sunday 28th June.
The very best of luck!
The TripFiction team
The winner of our June competition – the first name out of the hat yesterday morning – was Yelena Lopez who nominated The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George as her book of the year to date. Congratulations to Yelena!
My favourite book so far this year is The Thread by Victoria Hislop. It is set in Thessalonika in Greece and is the story of a young Anglo-Greek visiting his grandparents’ home town and finding out how they came to live there. I read it while on holiday in Turkey and could visualise the setting.
I love all Victoria Hislop’s books which feature different countries and are based on recent events.
Yellow Crocus
I read Beautiful Ruins on holiday and thought it was lush.
Not just my book of the year so far, but the best book I’ve ever read. Lindsay Hawdon’s ‘Jakob’s Colours’. It’s fantastic. https://lindasbookbag.wordpress.com/2015/04/18/jakobs-colours-by-lindsay-hawdon/
‘Beauty Tips for Girls’ by Margaret Montgomery
https://neverimitate.wordpress.com/2015/02/24/book-review-beauty-tips-for-girls/
@velogubbed: I think it would have to be Akhil Sharma’s Family Life.
Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller
I read a new book weekly so I have lots of favorites. However, nothing has compared to Rachel Keener’s The Memory Thief.
has to be The Red Notebook
Death in the Rainy Season by Anna Jaquiery is a compelling, clever and captivating thriller that vividly brings to life the atmosphere, culture and politics of its Cambodian setting.
“A Life Apart” by Mariapia Veladiano. Translated from Italian, a beautiful story of a young girl who “doesn’t belong” but with the help of true friends finds her talent and happiness.
I absolutely loved A Desperate Fortune
by Susanna Kearsley. The audiobook of The Martian by Andy Weir was also soooo good!
I loved Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey. I struggled initially because of the subject matter but it was very worth while sticking with it.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins was a favorite this year.
This is like having to choose your favourite child – can I pick two? A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale and Letters to the Lost by Iona Lewis.
Church of marvels – Leslie Parry is probably the one which has stayed with me the most
The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan has been my favorite book of the year so far. An extremely evocative tale of one man’s life ranging from his upbringing in Australia to his time spent in the mountains of Thailand as a POW where he worked on the “Death Railroad” during WWII. I had goosebumps through the entire story, it was so gripping and heart wrenching.
Hard to choose, but so far I have especially loved A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. It was a number one bestseller in the author’s native Sweden and has done very well worldwide. I read it on a friend’s recommendation and I can see why it has been so popular.
Istanbul, Rome and Jerusalem: Titans of the Holy Cities by Simon Sebag Montefiore. Short chapters about key figures in the histories of these cities – very accessible and interesting!
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George. Beautifully written, quirky story set in some of my favourite places.
my favorite book of the year so far is the goldfinch by dona tartt!
have a nice week
xo
I think it would be The Cellist of Sarajevo x
Me Before You – Jojo Moyes Location: UK and Paris
Still Alice – Lisa Genova Location: America
Health and social care delivered amazingly in both books!
The Confectioners Tale, Laura Madeleine, set in Paris. I loved the history, the romance and the mystery and intrigue in this novel and I’ve always wanted to visit Paris, and this has heightened my desire, especially to visit a patisserie and sample the macaroons. Great book.
The Villa by Rosanna Ley
A lovely story set against the backdrop of Sicily, just made me want to visit. A great summer read.
The Forgotten Garden – Kate Morton.
Well written and easily read. A child mysteriously found in Australia with no adult company from an ocean liner arriving from England. It follows her lifetime search for her origins and her granddaughters success in finding them .
So many excellent books this year so far
#1 SnowBlind by Ragnor Jonasson based in Iceland
#2 The Abrupt Physics of Dying by Paul E. Hardisty based in the middle east
Big Little Lies by liane moriarty. Another great read set just outside Sydney, great twist at the end. More than your average chick lit
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
My favourite read so far this year has been In the light of what we know by Zia Haider Rahman. Its set in UK, US, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. Its quite hard to describe what its about, to truly understand its beauty, you’ll have to read it!
The Three by Sarah Lotz
“Cutting for Stone”, Abraham Verghese. Set in a hot dusty Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, around the time of Haile Sellasie. An incredibly well-written first-person narrative. Humour, tension, politics, love, rebellion and above all a personal story of two brothers, sons of a nun who dies in childbirth. Amazing story with twists and turns.
Funny Girl – Nick Hornby
Tiger Milk by Stephanie de Velasco (originally written in German and follows the lives of a group of Berlin teenagers over one summer – fantastically written and amazing all round, even when I finished it I couldn’t put it down!)
The Sunlight Night by Rebecca Dinerstein. I’m looking forward to Go Set A Watchman though!
The Red Notebook Antoine Lauren, i simply loved it and have raved and recommended to all. it is my book of the year
Tough one, but Last Chance in the Pyrenees by Julia Stagg. It kept me on the edge of my seat, I ooh’d, I aah’d and at times I screamed ‘no!’, but I enjoyed every page!
1. The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure
2. A House Called Askival
by Merryn Glover
The Book of Strange New Things
by Michel Faber
The Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson