Had some great reads recently
A Bite-Sized History of France by Stephane Henaut and Jeni Mitchell, which traces the history of France from Roman times to the present while simultaneously explaining the history of food and drink in different regions in France. The chapters are short and focused on one food product at a time so it's easy to read for a bit and then come back to it later. There's lots of neat little tidbits like the history of the Laughing Cow or how corks were first used in champagne bottles because the bottles kept exploding. If you want a refresher on French history or if you find food micro-histories fascinating, then this is the book for you.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune is a charming fantasy book starring Linus, a case worker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. Extremely Upper Management sends Linus on a classified mission to investigate an orphanage where Linus certainly has his hands full. This book almost reaches the level of schmaltz, but there's some wry humor and snarky conversation by the magical children that brings it back down to earth. Its tone reminded me of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but more uplifting.
A Bite-Sized History of France by Stephane Henaut and Jeni Mitchell, which traces the history of France from Roman times to the present while simultaneously explaining the history of food and drink in different regions in France. The chapters are short and focused on one food product at a time so it's easy to read for a bit and then come back to it later. There's lots of neat little tidbits like the history of the Laughing Cow or how corks were first used in champagne bottles because the bottles kept exploding. If you want a refresher on French history or if you find food micro-histories fascinating, then this is the book for you.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune is a charming fantasy book starring Linus, a case worker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. Extremely Upper Management sends Linus on a classified mission to investigate an orphanage where Linus certainly has his hands full. This book almost reaches the level of schmaltz, but there's some wry humor and snarky conversation by the magical children that brings it back down to earth. Its tone reminded me of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but more uplifting.
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