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Paris by the Book
Paris by the Book: A Novel | Liam Callanan
41 posts | 30 read | 31 to read
A missing person, a grieving family, a curious clue: a half-finished manuscript set in Paris. Heading off in search of its author, a mother and her daughters find themselves in France, rescuing a failing bookstore and drawing closer to unexpected truths. Once a week, I chase men who are not my husband. . . . When eccentric novelist Robert Eady abruptly vanishes, he leaves behind his wife, Leah, their daughters, and, hidden in an unexpected spot, plane tickets to Paris. Hoping to uncover clues--and her husband--Leah sets off for France with her girls. Upon their arrival, she discovers an unfinished manuscript, one Robert had been writing without her knowledge . . . and that he had set in Paris. The Eady women follow the path of the manuscript to a small, floundering English-language bookstore whose weary proprietor is eager to sell. The whole store? Today? Yes, but Leah's biggest surprise comes when she hears herself accepting the offer on the spot. As the family settles into their new Parisian life, they can't help but trace the literary paths of some beloved Parisian classics, including Madeline and The Red Balloon, hoping more clues arise. But a series of startling discoveries forces Leah to consider that she may not be ready for what solving this mystery might do to her family--and the Paris she thought she knew. At once haunting and charming, Paris by the Book follows one woman's journey as her story is being rewritten, exploring the power of family and the magic that hides within the pages of a book.
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Scochrane26
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Mehso-so

This is between a pick & a so-so. It‘s been on my kindle for a long time, so I picked it as a “book about books” prompt in a challenge. It centers around the books The Red Balloon & Madeleine series, the books & authors. I haven‘t read either of these, but some of it was interesting. Premise is that a husband leaves his family, they love to Paris, & are trying to find if he is living or dead.
Loved—Paris
Story went on too long, mystery was meh

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tpixie
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I‘m a day late, but:
1. Paris by the Book- audio
2. Vintage 1954- ebook
3. 3 out of five, maybe 4 for Paris ( so far) ; just started Vintage
4. I like to highlight, underline, & write in the margins

Thank you for the tag @ Ddzmini

#thoughtfulthursday

MoonWitch94 Thanks for playing 📚☺️ 2y
37 likes2 comments
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CrowCAH
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#ABookThatBeginsWithParis #NewBeginnings

A tale of a mother and her two daughters traveling to Paris to find her husband who disappeared.

Eggs Sounds engaging 👏🏻📚 2y
CrowCAH @Eggs it wasn‘t quite what I was expecting. Not my typical genre. 2y
66 likes2 comments
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Loreen
Paris by the Book | Liam Callanan
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Once a week, I chase men who are not my husband.
#firstlinefriday
@ShyBookOwl

tpixie It was a pretty good first line 2y
13 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Jen2
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Pickpick

A nice escape. I seem to need more of these lately.

MsLeah8417 🤣🤣🤣🤣 3y
Reviewsbylola 😂🙃🤣 3y
75 likes3 comments
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emmaturi
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I have chosen quite a few books for November. These ones I have had for a while, so hope to get through them all! #tbr

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vlwelser
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Mehso-so

This book is a bit of a slog. It had a lot of potential. But I just didn't like the main characters.

The husband disappears. So obviously the wife and the two daughters move to Paris and work in a bookshop. Is he dead? Are they really seeing signs of him so far from home? Is he really just a selfish a$$hole? Meh.

#BookSpinBingo square 1
@TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4y
37 likes1 stack add1 comment
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vlwelser
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#BookSpin #DoubleSpin #BookSpinBingo list for August.
@TheAromaofBooks - Thank you for doing this. It's super fun and my TBR is slightly less atrocious as a result.

1-5 are the dregs of my Goodreads currently reading
6-10 are books from Netgalley that I keep meaning to read. Super late. Very embarrassing.
11-20 are newly acquired
21-25 are books I'm going to read anyway.

Hopefully I get a new job and don't finish the whole card this month.🤞🤞

TheAromaofBooks Great list!!! 4y
39 likes1 comment
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LeslieO
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First official day of reading on the deck. Unfortunately the awning isn‘t going up until late June 🙁. Oh well, summer reading at the table will have to do . #summerreading #summer

wanderinglynn Looks like a great place to read 👍🏻 4y
35 likes1 stack add1 comment
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LeslieO
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My next two Paris both briefly compare The Red Balloon and the Madeline books in the first few pages. #bookserendipity #buzzwordbookathon #paris

Lcsmcat I really liked Paris to the Moon. I haven‘t read the other. How does it compare? 4y
LeslieO @Lcsmcat The other book is fiction, I‘ve only just started it but no comparison at all! (Except for the mention of the picture books and being set in Paris.) I‘m excited to read Paris to the Moon because I loved Through the Children‘s Gate by Gopnik. Have you read that one? 4y
Lcsmcat @LeslieO No, I haven‘t but I‘ll look for it now. 4y
28 likes3 comments
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Clwojick
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Pickpick

I decided to spend the day out and about, since I have a few days off and the weather wasn‘t too bad today. I managed to finish off an another audiobook while wandering the aisles at the shops, which will help to scratch off a few more prompts for the multiple reading challenges in doing this year. ♥️

Although I enjoyed this one, it certainly wasn‘t an instant favourite. I almost gave it a so-so, but I was feeling generous lol. #JumpStart2020

91 likes1 stack add
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Clwojick
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And straight into the next one 😉 #JumpStart2020 @Lizpixie

Lizpixie You‘re flying through this!🦅 4y
80 likes1 comment
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LinesUponAPage
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Meeting Liam Callahan in Washington D.C. at Politics and Prose bookstore was a highlight of mine in the last 2 decades. It was such an enjoyable chat to hear why he wrote Paris By The Book and what inspired it. It‘s a beloved Parisian children‘s book?? Any guesses on what book it is and no cheating by googling it. 😋

Also, super cool to learn a few tips from him on my own pursuits of writing.
#fiction #oneofmyfavoriteauthors #travelreading

Lindy Is it 4y
LinesUponAPage @Lindy good guess but not correct. I‘ll narrow down a little more- a 1970-ish beloved Parisian children‘s book. They made a like after school special t.v. show off of it. I loved it, although, it‘s joyful and gloomy. 4y
Lindy @Lifeisasnap I know little about tv shows, but the 1970s is a good clue. Is it (edited) 4y
See All 8 Comments
Fazzahmdan Hello my dear how are you 4y
LinesUponAPage @Lindy you got it!!!! such a cute book and show. You‘re well connected to the 70's I see. :)
(edited) 4y
Lindy @Lifeisasnap You've made me curious about the show. It's available through my library so I will watch it when I've fully recovered from my concussion. 🎈 4y
LinesUponAPage @Lindy oh goodness a concussion?! Heal quickly!! 4y
Lindy @Lifeisasnap Thanks! 4y
53 likes8 comments
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CrowCAH
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#RedRoseSeptember #GroundsForDivorce

Grounds for divorce: a husband who goes off the grid for several years, then stalks you in Paris, only to have a moment with you to perhaps maybe try to explain, only to disappear again. You might as well not be married, when your husband chooses to “die”.

Cinfhen Eeekkk, he sounds awful!!!!! Hope the book was better 5y
arlenefinnigan I mean, there's worse places to be stalked, but still... 5y
CrowCAH @Cinfhen it was alright. Written well. 5y
CrowCAH @arlenefinnigan I agree, a very selfish man. 5y
75 likes4 comments
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REPollock
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I‘m trying to get into this but the narrator is just such a pretentious bore. 😕

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Insightsintobooks
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69 likes2 stack adds
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MrBook
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Replenishment for my #BeachReads Display 😁!

Have you read any of these?!

#LitsyLovesLibraries #MrBooksDisplays

DivineDiana Not yet! 😉 5y
66 likes1 comment
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Pamwurtzler
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Pickpick

I liked this book - some family drama, a mysterious disappearance, a bookstore in Paris. The timeline is back and forth, and there were times I wasn‘t sure about the reliability of the narrator. It‘s a good read though - I read it in one sitting.

49 likes1 stack add
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TheBookgeekFrau
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Bailedbailed

And that's about all the annoyance I can take

Buh-bye

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TheBookgeekFrau
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Time for a break from cleaning 😖

#CurrentRead

45 likes2 stack adds
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Rachbb3
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Mehso-so

It took way too long to get to the resolution of this book. I got bored about half way through. I appreciated the Paris setting though and the idea of Leah and her daughters making it on their own in a foreign city. Other than that this is a so-so borderline pan.

kspenmoll Felt bored after awhile reading this book. Not a winner. 5y
72 likes1 comment
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Rachbb3
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Barnes and Noble #bookhaul 😀

Boooooks I really need to read pet sematary especially with the film coming out soon! 5y
Hooked_on_books Both Larson books are great. I have been happy with everything I‘ve read from him. 5y
Reagan Oh I love Erik Larson! Those books are both excellent. 5y
112 likes3 comments
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Autumnscribe
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Pickpick

This is a quick read, a nice little escape book. I loved all of the odd bits of trivia the author managed to intertwine into the story, & the fact that it tried, in a distinctly American way, to emulate the style and pacing of a French film. I also appreciated that he didn‘t try to tie everything up with bow: Life is messy & painful sometimes, it doesn‘t always makes sense, or meet one‘s expectations, but can be good - even in the midst of it all.

9 likes1 stack add
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kspenmoll
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For whatever reason is book feed into anxiety that I was feeling today. I finally put it aside; have no idea why this was my response. 🤔😲Finished The Johnstown Flood instead. much better!

BookwormAHN For whatever reason putting it aside was definitely the right call. Hugs 🌹 5y
kspenmoll @BookwormAHN Thanks for the hugs & support! 5y
75 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Autumnscribe
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I bought this yesterday on impulse at the Costco yesterday. How could I not, it has the words Paris and Book in the title. So far (just a few pages in) I am really liking it. It is a different style of narration than I am used to, which is sharp, almost to the point of being cutting. But mostly the book looks to be a love letter to Paris. Hope this turns out to be the case as the book continues on. :)

17 likes4 stack adds
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kspenmoll
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#booksandwine #JohnstownRead
Was reading The Johnstown Flood, & suddenly felt I needed a change. Not sure this tagged book is it. Just grabbed it off a shelf. Indecisive mood. Nothing much is calling out to me.

CareBear That‘s the worst feeling. But that looks heavenly and I love those crackers! 5y
kspenmoll @CareBear I finally gave up & went to bed! I am addicted to those crackers! 5y
70 likes2 comments
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JSW
Mehso-so

Torn between a pan and a so-so, only because I wanted to see it through to the end. Should have been 100 pages shorter; I really got tired of the back and forth of is he alive or not. Much of the inner dialogue Leah had, while it felt wrenchingly real, felt way too intimate to read. And not even enough Paris to feel like an atmospheric read. Meh.

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shikha.sourav
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A homecoming read 😃 amidst festive season.

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emtobiasz
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Well, my horrific passport picture aside, I‘m excited to be planning a trip to Paris with my partner this fall! 🇫🇷 Plane tickets are bought, hotel booked, but Littens, I need suggestions: what Paris and France-themed books should I be reading to get myself hyped for the trip??

49 likes4 comments
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LMJenkins
Bailedbailed

Bailed. Really wanted to jump into this....a bookstore...in Paris....a romantic mystery...what‘s not to like? However, the sentence structure is very chopped up and doesn‘t flow. After several pages of having to re-read sentence after sentence because they were pointlessly convoluted.....I bailed. 😞

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JoyBlue
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Yesterday was crazy, and I was having trouble keepin' it together. Enter a mystery package.... Thanks, @BookNAround—you *really* made my day! 📚💙 [P.S. My orchid doesn't usually look so forlorn. It's just getting back at me for being away for 3 weeks in March/April, when I usually feed it every 2. It'll have to get over itself.]

SilversReviews Love the photo. 6y
JoyBlue @SilversReviews Thanks! That's my only itty-bitty orchid. I have 3 normal sized orchids, too. The wall showing is the only orange wall in my office/music room (drums). The other 3 are red. All have purple baseboards (like the visible bit of window trim). My office is fun (when it's not messy, which it is currently)! How's that for TMI? Sorry about that. 😂 6y
SilversReviews @JoyBlue Love the info. Thanks. 6y
GypsyKat That orchid in the background is lovely! 6y
JoyBlue @GypsyKat Isn't it? I hope it recovers fully. 6y
71 likes5 comments
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LinesUponAPage
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"every book, is a way to say, look, there‘s a new way, a different way. Every book in a bookstore is a fresh beginning. Every book is the next iteration of a very old story. Every bookstore, therefore, is like a safe‑deposit box for civilization"

keys_on_fire Welcome to Litsy!! 📚❤️ 6y
RaimeyGallant Lovely quote! 6y
RaimeyGallant And welcome! 6y
8 likes1 stack add3 comments
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ForstRose

I‘m a bibliophile + Francophile. I read the description of this book and thought cool! Paris, mystery, books what‘s not to like? The premise is great and the writing leaves little to be desired. However, I found myself feeling like something really was lacking for me in this book beside the ‘missing person‘ that is intrinsic to the plot.

Chelleo Nice feedback! Welcome to Litsy! New book friends are the best! We hope you‘re loving it here! Checkout these #Litsytips: http://bit.ly/litsytips and #LitsyHowTo videos: http://bit.ly/litsyvideos There‘s so many fun things to do: book exchanges, buddy reads, photo challenges and more! Check out #LitsyHappenings for details.
6y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Welcome to Litsy!! 🎊🙌🏻📚🎉 6y
ForstRose Thank you for the Welcome and info @Chelleo Thank you for the Welcome @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 6y
See All 6 Comments
Jess7 I want to read this one. Welcome to Litsy! Checkout these #Litsytips: http://bit.ly/litsytips and #LitsyHowTo videos: http://bit.ly/litsyvideos #LitsyWelcomeWagon 6y
EJG31 @ForstRose I picked it up for most of the same reasons and I am having a hard time making it through the first chapter. 🤔 6y
ForstRose @EJG31 I did finish the book but it almost ended up a dnf. My review is on my blog at http://www.bibliophilesretreat.com/2018/04/15/auto-draft-2/. I still need to work on the formatting to get a few things like the book cover and author bio to show but the main review and my ratings are there. 6y
5 likes6 comments
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BookNAround
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Waiting in the school parking lot for my son to finish practice and absolutely inhaling this book.

ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled I have finished oh-so-many books waiting in the car at practice! 😂 I know how that goes! 6y
72 likes4 stack adds1 comment
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ChrisM
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Is there any better way to start the day than a few minutes with a book? It's going to be hard to get out the door this morning because I'm so close to finishing the book!

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BlueStockingReviews
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Pickpick

3⭐️ Paris by the Book is the story of a woman whose life has been usurped by her husband‘s disappearance. Leah‘s character is well developed and you can easily understand her struggle of not knowing if he is dead or alive. The mystery of Robert‘s disappearance most definitively propels the narrative. Parts of the story are brilliant and fun, while a few parts https://lharvey250.tumblr.com/post/172239867674/paris-by-the-book-liam-callanan-...

72 likes1 stack add
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Lidia
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Friday night plans 😊. This is starting to get interesting. #Firsttoread

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alisahar
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At the Salon du Livre de Paris today, tagging along with my husband who is in heaven since he can read books in French. I‘m looking for a graphic novel in French for my first book to read in French. Such beautiful editions at this booth!

DrexEdit This looks like heaven! 😍😊 6y
batsy So many pretty covers 😍 6y
alisahar @batsy so many beautifully designed and printed book covers everywhere 6y
45 likes3 comments
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Rhondareads
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A book set in a Paris bookstore a missing person a half finished manuscript a missing husband a mother and her two daughters searching for him wind up running this bookstore how delicious does this book sound,😁

rubyslippersreads 😍😍😍 6y
14 likes1 comment