Photo by Alyssa Palmer, 2003.
Art: Petite danseuse de quatorze ans, by Degas
Tag Archives: photos
The Unabashed Francophile Post, Part 1: Le Bilboquet
I’ve been posting mostly about writing, and books, but I haven’t really posted anything about France. Given the heading of this blog, I’ve been neglecting its subject matter.
Thus far I have only traveled to Paris, though I would eventually like to see as much of the country as possible. I went to Paris in June of 2003 (maybe better known as the year where the summer was so hot, people were dying.) Ten fantastic days wandering the city, seeing museums, cafes, cemeteries, and taking in the sights.
One of my favourite spots was the jazz club Le Bilboquet, which at the time was located on the rue Saint-Benoît, just off of the Blvd St-Germain. (From what I understand, the club is no longer there, but I’m not sure whether it has moved or has closed permanently.) I can’t recall what music we heard that evening, but the look of the club made an impression. Small, dark, with a lot of red walls and dark wood. Smoking hadn’t yet been forbidden (that happened a few years later) and the air was hazy. We sat on the sidewalk outside and the windows had been thrown open, so we could see in and hear the music clearly. The staff were fantastic and friendly and the food was excellent.
As you can see from Google Earth, the sidewalk could hardly even hold a table, yet we sat at a four-top and felt quite comfortable. (The boarded up club is to the right.) I regret not taking more photos of the area when we were there.
I based the club ‘Le Chat Rouge’ in my novel WHEN THE CHIPS ARE DOWN on Le Bilboquet. It seemed the sort of place where gangsters might consort with prostitutes and thieves. (Not that I saw any… that I know of.) Tourists could rub elbows with locals, enjoying the music and the atmosphere. A perfect place for an unexpected encounter.
Old Harlequin romance novels.
Picked up a few old Harlequin romances at work today. (They were sitting forlornly in the lunchroom, ignored and dusty.) I am rather amused by the titles and the covers. Both are Mills & Boon reprints. Did early HQN establish themselves by getting North American rights to Mills & Boon novels?
Trying to get away from a "problem" man in London, Maggie took a job as receptionist in a luxury hotel in Jersey. But the first person she met was a man who was even more of a problem, a rebel who laughed at everything she thought important. Could she ignore him?
Not quite sure what they’re going for here. No pirates in the traditional sense, at least not from the blurb (or the cover, for that matter.) And since when were pirates ‘darling’? I could see ‘daring’, but ‘darling’ is a bit odd.
Lynn loved Keith Donnelly and disliked Brett Paterson. But unfortunately she found herself trapped into the position of having to work for Brett, who was responsible for everything that had gone wrong for Keith.
Dreadful back cover blurb. Who starts a sentence with ‘But unfortunately…’?
These two books will be my bedtime reading for the next night or two. I can hardly wait. 🙂
Feeling voyeuristic?
I don’t have too many photos of my living space, but I have taken a couple of photos of my bookshelves. If I had more space, I would have more shelves, and many, many more books. This apartment has its limitations. If you’d like to take a peek, the photos are below. Or, if you’d just like to snoop at what titles I have on my shelf, check out my Delicious Library created index.