Welcome to the Every Day Parisian Book Club! I had the idea last year when I read The Paris Wife and I wanted to share the books that I was reading and make this site more of a community. So I figured why not make a book club? The idea is simple. Each month I will announce a book club choice that has a Francophile theme to it. Read it along with the online community and at the end of the month, I hope to share in a discussion. My hope is that you will encourage your friends to read along with you.
My selection this month is Bonjour Kale by Kristen Beddard. Kristen and I were introduced by a mutual friend Lindsey Tramuta from LostinCheeseland Kristen moved to France with her husband not knowing the language and without a job. The reason I chose this selection is not just because it’s the new year and kale is good for you. I will leave you to decide if you eat kale or not. Bonjour Kale is a love story, a memoir of an expat, part cookbook (kale recipes) and also shares the story of Kristen bringing Kale to Paris.
For those of you who have dreamt of moving to Paris or who have moved to a city without knowing the language, you will instantly connect with Kristen and her challenges. You will be cheering her on as she finds her place in the city of Lights. As Kristen navigates the language and life in Paris she also finds her purpose in her new city. Each chapter finishes with a recipe using kale in traditional and nontraditional ways.
Since I know Kristen personally, I thought it would be fun to create a Q and A about the book as well as life after the book. She was kind enough to say yes! Please email me questions [email protected] that you would like to ask Kristen as you read the book and I will put them all together in one post towards the end of the month for Kristen to answer.
This month I am encouraging you to put down your phone on your train commute to work and stop scrolling before you go to bed. Pick up Bonjour Kale, be inspired by Kristen Beddard’s story.
There are a few ways to get your hand’s on Bonjour Kale this month. You can pick it up at your local library, borrow from a friend, download it on your kindle ($2.99) purchase the hard copy from Amazon.
I am giving away one copy of Bonjour Kale At the end of this post comment below with your recommendation for next month’s book club pick with a French/Paris theme. I will choose a winner on Monday and ship out the book in time for you to read before the end of the month.
My hope is to collect all 12 Book Club books and do a HUGE giveaway as a bonus at the end of 2017. Thank you so much for being a part of this community! I am excited to make this year more about bringing people together and growing this community offline.
For those of you in Chicago, there will be a meetup towards the end of the month. You are welcome to bring the book and we can discuss in person!