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Paris, My Sweet:

A Year in the City of Light

(and Dark Chocolate)

by

Amy THOMAS

280 pages

Published by Sourcebooks today, Feb 1 , 2012!

Ebook received for free from Netgalley and Sourcebooks

I read this book for the following Challenges:

MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS BOOK

The ad for this ebook was so alléchante (appetizing) that I could not resist. And this was indeed a treat!

Amy, from New York, is sent for her work in Paris. As she had discovered treasures of bread and mostly sweets some years before, her tale of two cities is organized by chapter each dedicated to some great French and/or American sweet, from la madeleine to cupcakes.

It is both the story of her struggle in finding her place as an expat in the French society, and that was rather tough at the beginning, and the revelation of her deepening love for the city of light – for instance on  a vélib, the bicycles you can rent to go around in Paris.

This book is a treasure trove of fantastic places in Paris and New York if you have a sweet tooth. At the end of each chapter, she recapitulates a few key places in both cities where you can find what she presented in the chapter.

Also, at the very end of the book, you will find a long list of those amazing sweet houses in both cities.

This is irresistible, but really dangerous if you are on as diet. This book made me hungry all along, even though I’m not really a fan of sweets.

It is also a very good presentation of the French mentally, and this book may rightly debunk some of your too romantic ideas about the French people.

But all is well that ends well, Amy calls now Paris her home.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT

Part love letter to New York, part love letter to Paris, and total devotion to all things sweet. Paris, My Sweet is a personal and moveable feast that’s a treasure map for anyone who loves fresh cupcakes and fine chocolate, New York and Paris, and life in general. It’s about how the search for happiness can be as fleeting as a sliver of cheesecake and about how the life you’re meant to live doesn’t always taste like the one you envisioned. Organized into a baker’s dozen of delicacies (and the adventures they inspired) that will tempt readers’ appetites, Paris, My Sweet is something to savor. [Goodreads]

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amy Thomas is a writer based in Paris and New York.

It was during her junior year abroad at the American University of Paris that Amy’s infatuation with the City of Light (and Dark Chocolate) blossomed into true love. But when she finished her degree at Babson College, it was to San Francisco that she moved. There, she started a career in advertising at J. Walter Thompson and Foote, Cone & Belding, working on accounts such as Levi’s, Amazon and the YMCA.

Along the way, her interest in the editorial world evolved into a second career and a move to New York brought her closer to home (and Madison Avenue). While her copywriting portfolio expanded to include Redken, BMW and Dove, her magazine and newspaper writing brought her to Sydney, Dublin, the Caucus mountains and the Connecticut coastline.

In 2008, fate or luck came her way with a job offer to work on Louis Vuitton’s digital advertising in the Paris office of Ogilvy & Mather. With a full-blown éclair addiction and an imaginary closet filled with only Vuitton, Paris is where Amy now calls home.

Here is her website, and her great blog on Paris.

REVIEWS BY OTHERS

“”A sweet and charming tale of Paris through the eyes of a cake-lover. Willie Wonka for grown ups — and a guide to some of the sweetest destinations in the City of Light. ” – Karen Wheeler, author of Tout Sweet

“”Such a charming, heartfelt book. Paris, My Sweet is as dainty and decadent as a box of pastel macarons, a bewitching tale of a young woman’s love affair with two iconic cities and the confections found in each one.”” – Ann Mah, author of Kitchen Chinese

“”Amy Thomas’s descriptions of the delicious delights in Paris and New York had me almost licking the pages.”  ” – Rachel Khoo, author of Little Paris Kitchen

“”Dessert lovers will devour this one… Amy Thomas draws the reader into the comfort of sweets seemingly found on every street corner in Paris, creating a delectable fantasy world. As a self-professed sugarholic, this memoir/travelogue/dessert guide to New York and Paris is a rare, nostalgic treat – equal parts charm, style, and wit.”” – Pichet Ong, chef and author of The Sweet Spot [amazon]

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