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Parisian Capers: A Fashionably French Murder & Love (and Trouble) in Paris

30 Apr

A Fashionably French Murder
by Colleen Cambridge
A Fashionably French Murder is the third in the charming American in Paris series. The series focuses on Tabitha Knight who grew up in America, but is now staying with her French Grandfather and his companion in Paris. Tabitha tries to help out by cooking for the two gentleman, but is only slowly gaining skills from her famous ex-pat best friend, Julia Child. The novels bring in interesting details from history and about Julia Child and other notable Parisians lives as well featuring interesting mysteries. In this story Tabitha is helping translate for a mother of a bride at a haute couture salon where the rising star designer is murdered. Could the infamous Dior be involved? I enjoyed learning more about the history of French fashion such as the fact that the models at the designer’s studios were referred to mannequins. Although I was originally interested in the series because of Julia Child hook, Tabitha and the other original characters are so engaging that I enjoy the series even when she is taking more of a background role such as in this story. You can read my previous blog posts about books one and two. Book one in the series for today, 4/30/25, is part of Hoopla’s Bonus Borrows, which means you can borrow it without using one of your Hoopla checkouts for April until midnight!

Love (and Trouble) in Paris
Love (and Trouble) in Paris is a fun French Rom-Com from 2022 that will appeal to Francophile fans of Sex and the City. Thirty-six year old chronically (and comedically) clumsy Julie, played by Maud Baecker, is tired of fielding questions from her family about when she will be getting married. On a cab ride home from her sister’s wedding she hears a message from her dream guy declaring his love, unfortunately it isn’t her phone but that of another woman left in the cab. That doesn’t stop Julie from trying to hook up with her ideal Mr Right played by François Vincentelli. Meanwhile Nicolas, Paul Deby, has moved in with Julie, who believes he is one of the candidates from a website designed to match straight women with gay male roommates, but secretly Nicolas is straight and beginning to develop a crush on Julie. Added to this over the top chaos are Julie’s two bffs: Ava, an overwhelmed mother, and Manon, the queen of hook ups. Manon is played by Isabelle Vitari and Ava is Nadia Roz, who also played a mom in Louis XXVIII. If you enjoyed Emily in Paris, you may enjoy seeing this French take on romantic comedy set in the City of Love. The first two episodes have me hooked and I look forward to binging the rest when I have some time.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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What Will You Discover?: Friends of the Museum and Museum Passes

16 Apr

Friends of the Museum
by Heather McGowan
Friends of the Museum is Heather McGowan’s latest novel after almost a decade. The story takes place over one day (we are given the time throughout) with a cast of colorful characters who work at a notable New York Museum putting on a special gala event. I did find myself early on flipping back to the character list at the beginning of the story to keep track of everyone and their relationship to the museum and each other. Those vignettes that were most compelling were about the museum director who has hit a rough patch in her marriage, a security guard who is suffering with symptoms of early onset dementia, and one of the staff members who has become pregnant from a one night stand and is debating what her next step will be. Amongst all of their personal dramas are larger ones impacting the museum such as suspicious provenances for art work, possible fakes, hesitant donors, and food poisoning at the museum café. It is interesting how the different relationships and character behaviors inform each other; the friends in the title is definitely used with heavy irony for this tragicomedy. You can also borrow McGowan’s previous novels Schooling and Duchess of Nothing from BCCLS libraries. Her original screenplay for Tadpole was made into a movie starring Sigourney Weaver and Bebe Neuwirth. The film won Best Director at the Sundance Film Festival in 2002 for Gary Winick.

Museum Pass Program
If you are looking for your own interesting day at the museum, New York City and North Jersey have plenty of choices. The Hoboken Public Library Friends and Foundation, a membership-based organization that funds special Library programs and services, sponsors the Museum Pass program. Our Museum Pass program gives Hoboken Public Library cardholders, who are Hoboken residents, free admission to several of the area’s most popular museums and other attractions. Many of the passes can be printed or downloaded onto a phone to be used that day including Guggenheim Museum, Hoboken Historical Museum, and Intrepid Museum. Other passes may be picked up in person at the Main Library (500 Park Ave.) the day they are reserved and returned two days later including: Brooklyn Botanic, Cooper-Hewitt Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art. Passes vary with number of guests included as well as benefits such as discounts at the museum store so make sure to check what each has to offer; you can learn more and reserve a pass here.

What is your favorite museum; let us know in the comments!

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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