• Home
  • About
Bethany Keats

Bethany Keats: Adventures through, of, and around.

books

Book review: Tiptoeing Through Paris, Picnic on the Print, and Pushing the High Note, by Barbara Johnson Chase

March 24, 2022 by Bethany Keats
Three books on a white fabric background

Barbara Johnson Chase’s three books of art and poetry are books to have on hand for a quiet moment of reflection or escapism. Some poems are a single stanza, while others go for multiple pages, allowing the books and artwork to fill the down-time available to the reader. As a combination of art and poetry, they … [Read more…]

Posted in: Books Tagged: book review, books, France

Book Review: The Hanged Man’s Tale by Gerald Jay

January 26, 2022 by Bethany Keats
Close up of the book cover showing the title words

This is one for the crime fiction fans. ‘The Hanged Man’s Tale’ follows the police investigation of a murder where the victim is found hanging inside a canal tunnel in Paris with a tarot card in his pocket. The book is written by Gerald Jay, the nom de plume of the late creative writing academic … [Read more…]

Posted in: Books Tagged: book review, books, France

Book review: Love’s Legacy by Daniel Fallon

October 14, 2021 by Bethany Keats

When Daniel Fallon’s father died, he inherited two letters sent to his great-great-grandfather by the French romantic writer François-René de Chateaubriand. The letters aligned with a family story about his great-great-great-grandmother Mary O’Neill showing kindness to Chateaubriand when he was in London – and Fallon wanted to know more. Love’s Legacy is Fallon’s investigation into a … [Read more…]

Posted in: Books Tagged: book review, books, France

Book Review: French Connection, by Alexis Bergantz

September 18, 2021 by Bethany Keats
looking down at the book on top of a striped shirt and next to a red beret

“French Connection” is a non-fiction work about the history of French migration and French migrants in Australia in the late 19th and early 20thcenturies. It’s particularly concerned with identity; a young Australian nation finding its identity, and French migrants to Australia finding theirs. Although it’s non-fiction, it’s highly readable for general interest and non-academic audiences. Author … [Read more…]

Posted in: Books Tagged: book review, books, France

Book review: Kylie the Crocodile in Paris by Oliver Gee and Lina Nordin Gee

July 28, 2021 by Bethany Keats
Book Kylie the Crocodile surrounded by bougainvillea and a plush crocodile

Kylie the Crocodile lives in a canal in Paris. She used to live in an apartment with a Parisian lady until she grew too big and was released into the canal. Now, she enjoys people-watching and exploring the city’s sights at night when the city is quiet. I love a book that starts with a … [Read more…]

Posted in: Books Tagged: book review, books, France

Interview: A mother-daughter duo using books to bridge the Atlantic

July 5, 2021 by Bethany Keats
Two women hold a copy each of a children's book and smile at each other

Ongoing creative collaboration on children’s books across the Atlantic Ocean has helped bring Patti Lecron and her daughter Marianne Lecron closer together while achieving a family goal of leaving their children a literary, artistic, and entrepreneurial heritage.  Patti likes to say that curiosity brought her to France but it was a smile that kept her … [Read more…]

Posted in: Books Tagged: books, France

Book review – A Genuine Little Mouse / Une Véritable Petite Souris, by PB Lecron

July 5, 2021 by Bethany Keats

Iris, the mouse wants to be the tooth fairy. That’s because, in France, the tooth fairy isn’t a fairy at all but a special mouse that collects children’s baby teeth when they fall out. A Genuine Little Mouse, written and illustrated by PB Lecron, and available in French as Une Véritable Petite Souris, is about … [Read more…]

Posted in: Books Tagged: book review, books, France

Book Review – The Return of Martin Guerre, by Natalie Zemon Davis

March 27, 2021 by Bethany Keats
Looking down at a patterned marble coffee table with the book and a cup of coffee on top of it

In 1548 Martin Guerre left his wife, left his son, and left the village of Artigat in southwest France. 12 years later, “Martin” returned. Many people may be familiar with Martin Guerre’s story from various creative works, including a film with Gerard Depardieu from 1982. For those who aren’t, it’s a fascinating story of how … [Read more…]

Posted in: Books Tagged: book review, books, France

Book Review – Rodham, by Curtis Sittenfeld

December 10, 2020 by Bethany Keats
Book: Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld, Snugglepot bookmark peering over the top, dark timber background

Asking the question, What if Hillary Rodham hadn’t married Bill Clinton?, Rodham speculates a future for Hillary and explores what contemporary politics in the US could look on the other side of a sliding doors moment. This is one of those rare books where if you’re not feeling it at the start, it’s worth persevering. … [Read more…]

Posted in: Books Tagged: book review, books

2020-1 Summer Reading Recommendations

November 22, 2020 by Bethany Keats
Copy of the book "Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands" on a colourful background

A “summer reading list” is a list of wishful thinking. A pipe dream of lazy summer days by the beach or the pool, or even on the couch with a cold beer. The reality? More of the same we’ve had for the rest of the year, just hotter (and in 2020, less covid lockdowns). But, … [Read more…]

Posted in: Books Tagged: book review, books
1 2 Next »

Recent Posts

  • On the Run: French convicts in North Queensland
  • Book review: Tiptoeing Through Paris, Picnic on the Print, and Pushing the High Note, by Barbara Johnson Chase
  • Book Review: The Hanged Man’s Tale by Gerald Jay
  • Book review: Love’s Legacy by Daniel Fallon
  • Book Review: French Connection, by Alexis Bergantz

Archives

  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • January 2022
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • July 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • April 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • January 2019
  • February 2018
  • July 2017

Categories

  • Books
  • Life, the universe, and everything
  • Uncategorized
  • Who am I?
  • Wisdom
  • Writing

Copyright © 2022 Bethany Keats.

Omega WordPress Theme by ThemeHall