A MOUNTAIN OF CRUMBS * PARISIAN CHIC

A Mountain of Crumbs by Elena Gorokhava - I was halfway through this book, wondering where the story was going and wondering why I was reading it because there was nothing happening to make me turn the pages. I kept at it, though, and when almost finished, realized that it is a memoir, a true story, and not fiction. It's a so so memoir, about a woman who grew up in the U.S.S.R. either middle class or a little higher, since her mother was a Dr., and they had their own apartment in Leningrad, and a Dacha close to the Finnish Sea. It's a little more exciting than the grey that one imagines the Soviet Union to be, but not much. I read it and told you about it, and now you don't have to read it.
Unless you have a connection, interest, or burning desire to know about life in Russia in the 1960s and 70s.

Parisian Chic by Ines de la Fressange - I'm pretty sure that Ines is a french socialite fashionista (actually I just googled her and Wiki tells us that she was a model and is now a fashion designer). Her book is light reading, something an avid shopper might like since she lists her favorite somewhat off beat shops in Paris. To her, all designer matchy matchy is not the best fashion. She says that Parisian chic is a little more funky, converse shoes, skinny jeans and a jacket with the sleeves pushed up. You know the look. You know the drill. There was nothing new here, and it didn't even come close to the entertainment offered by Vicky Tiel in her book. So if you want to read a book about Parisian, get the Vicky Tiel, and she'll tell you her stories, and that will be your Parisian chic.

I am desperate for a good story. I hope at least one of the five books that are lined up on my nightstand will satisfy. You know I'll keep you posted.