As part of Bas Bleu’s 2014 Book a Month program, each month we’re offering discussion questions about the featured work—for book clubs as well as thoughtful individuals. You may use the questions to reflect back on each book once you’ve finished it or to guide you as you read. Either way, we hope these features will enrich your reading experience. (We’ll do our best to avoid plot spoilers, but you should proceed with caution!)

In a 2011 edition of the Guardian, journalist Rachel Cooke wrote, “I am not going to lie. There are times—they grow more frequent as I get older—when I find that I would much rather read minor Mitford than major Other People. Times like right now, for instance, when the days are too short, and good jokes—or any jokes at all—are in such pitifully short supply.”  Continue reading →

As part of Bas Bleu’s 2014 Book a Month program, each month we’re offering discussion questions about the featured work—for book clubs as well as thoughtful individuals. You may use the questions to reflect back on each book once you’ve finished it or to guide you as you read. Either way, we hope these features will enrich your reading experience. (We’ll do our best to avoid plot spoilers, but you should proceed with caution!)

If you’ve already read this month’s Book a Month selection—The Horologicon: A Day’s Jaunt through the Lost Words of the English Language—you know it’s not your typical reference book. So is it any wonder that today’s blog post isn’t your typical Book a Month post? Continue reading →

As part of Bas Bleu’s 2014 Book a Month program, each month we’re offering discussion questions about the featured work—for book clubs as well as thoughtful individuals. You may use the questions to reflect back on each book once you’ve finished it or to guide you as you read. Either way, we hope these features will enrich your reading experience. (We’ll do our best to avoid plot spoilers, but you should proceed with caution!)

Picturesque small town filled with hidden secrets? Check. Thoughtful yet charismatic detective? Check. Rich cast of supporting characters? Double check. We know you bluestockings love a good mystery novel, and September’s feature, Still Life, is one of Bas Bleu’s recent favorites. Continue reading →

As part of our 2014 Book a Month program, each month we’re offering discussion questions about the featured work—for book clubs as well as thoughtful individuals. You may use the questions to reflect back on each book once you’ve finished it or to guide you as you read. Either way, we hope these features will enrich your reading experience. (We’ll do our best to avoid plot spoilers, but you should proceed with caution!)

For our August Book a Month feature we’re taking a different tack than usual. This month’s selection, Ten Trees and a Truffle Dog: Sniffing Out the Perfect Plot in Provence, is the entertaining real-life account of British ex-pats Jamie and Tanya Ivey, who set out to find their own little corner of heaven among the picturesque vistas of Provence. Continue reading →

As part of our 2014 Book a Month program, each month we’re offering discussion questions about the featured work—for book clubs as well as thoughtful individuals. You may use the questions to reflect back on each book once you’ve finished it or to guide you as you read. Either way, we hope these features will enrich your reading experience. (We’ll do our best to avoid plot spoilers, but you should proceed with caution!)

Sometimes it’s difficult to pinpoint why, exactly, a story hooks a reader and refuses to let her go. That was the case for Bas Bleu reviewer KG when she read our June selection, Tigers in Red Weather. “I read this novel over the course of a single weekend and proceeded to rave about it to anyone who would listen. My mother, my friends at book club, and my editor all responded by excitedly asking ‘What’s it about?’ My response: ‘It’s hard to explain, but it’s amazing!’” Without giving too much away, we can tell you it’s a masterfully written, slow-burning family saga that draws you deeper into its dark heart with every page you turn.  Continue reading →

As part of our 2014 Book a Month program, each month we’re offering discussion questions about the featured work—for book clubs as well as thoughtful individuals. You may use the questions to reflect back on each book once you’ve finished it or to guide you as you read. Either way, we hope these features will enrich your reading experience. (We’ll do our best to avoid plot spoilers, but you should proceed with caution!)

“The one thing to remember about an adventure is that if it turns out the way you expect it to, it has not been an adventure at all.” In our March selection, The Map of Lost Memories, Irene Blum embarks upon the journey of a lifetime after a crushing setback threatens to destroy her dream of becoming America’s first female head museum curator. Debut novelist Kim Fay drew on her own experience living in Vietnam and traveling through China and Cambodia to pen this thrilling tale of adventure, obsession, history, and self-discovery, set against the vivid backdrop of southeast Asia in 1925. Continue reading →