Born on a Monday
Essay 1- Flesh, failed cake, The City of Light.
Everyone understands the ups and downs of life. I recently read Flesh by David Szalay, a book that unfolds over almost the entire arc of the lifetime of István. I highly recommend it and understand why it won the 2025 Booker Prize.
I won’t do spoilers here, but what I loved about Flesh, what made it special for me, was that it was so normal and human in its exploration of the ups and downs of life. The Booker Prize describes Flesh as, "a propulsive novel centred on an emotionally detached man who is unravelled by a series of events beyond his grasp". I'm not sure I agree that István is emotionally detached. I think István feels very deeply. Like many humans he is selfish, flawed, at times lazy, but I also don't feel he sets out to do inherent harm to anyone.
Flesh showcases moments ranging from the mundane to those that are spectacular. What really struck me was the quiet nature of the book/István's life. There are absolutely some gigantic moments in the book where big things happen. However, Szalay writes in a way where there are many more moments of István's life that are unremarkable- they seem to hover around István like air.
Flesh was easy to read. Szalay writes in a way where time just jumps. Propulsive, used as a descriptor, is very fair here. I literally turned back a few pages at one point because I thought I had accidentally skipped a section of the book. I like this. Szalay uses in media res wonderfully in this book.
My ending take on Flesh is that it isn’t a tragedy, but it’s also not a sugary triumph with a happy ever after- it's life. I cannot stress enough the humanity that just jumps out of this book. Its normalcy in showcasing the day to day of István's life is what made Flesh so enjoyable for me. Read this stunning novel!
I tried to make Thomas Keller’s grapefruit cake from Ad Hoc at Home. It was a total disaster. Potentially because I went off grid and added rose water that I bought last Spring at a great patisserie in Paris, Maison Aleph. They have a shop in Le Marais, next to Alaïa, and a shop in Montmartre (the location I went to). Enjoy their desserts while in Paris and then bring home souvenirs because at this time they don't ship outside of the EU. Let’s add Maison Aleph to things I highly recommend.
On the subject of Paris the NYT recently published Travel 101 Your Guide to Paris. I thought it was a good starting point, especially if you've never been to the city before.
Other personal recommendations for Paris I have include:
-Bar Hemingway at The Ritz Paris. You will be provided top notch service. It's a small, jewel box of nostalgia and class. Go early and mingle with tourists, LOTS of American tourists (please note, as an American tourist I'm not knocking us). Go later and meet Parisiens or the fashion jet set. Have a great time either way. Don't drink? Cool- enjoy a great mocktail. Entering the Ritz Paris on its blue carpet from the Place Vendôme and walking into the depths of the hotel to grab a drink here is a must do!
-Musée de Cluny. Tip on Musée de Cluny- it’s free on the first Sunday of the month! This was a pleasant surprise for me, as I did go on the first Sunday of the month without knowing it would be free to visitors. It’s closed on Mondays like many museums. Many people in the comments section of the NYT article also recommended this museum.
The highlight for many will be the The Lady and the Unicorn, but I personally loved the chapel and the way the light came through the walls. If anything medieval interests or fascinates you, do not skip this museum! It's well worth it and also located in a lovely area of Paris, the Latin Quarter.
If you're really feeling touristy and it's your first time in Paris, pay a visit to Musée de Cluny and then walk to Shakespeare & Co (don't miss it!) and end over to Notre-Dame. Alternatively if you've experienced the aforementioned or want to avoid huge throngs of tourists, walk to the Panthéon and the Jardin des Plantes. I also recommend the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle- it's in the Jardin des Plantes and a stunning museum. It was recommended by a tutor to me while I was at uni and it didn't disappoint. I would think this would be especially a great museum to visit with children!
-Musée de la Chasse et Nature á Paris. I haven’t been yet, so I can’t say yay or nay, but I’d really like to go here the next time I’m in Paris. I’m not into hunting at all. I did start eating meat again this year, I don’t know how I feel about that. I would like to stop eating meat again. Bit of a sidetrack, but if you do cook and want an epic roast chicken, continuing with all things Parisien, I recommend Ina Garten’s roast chicken from her book Barefoot in Paris. It’s perfect and if you follow the recipe, you can’t screw it up.
-The Seine. As the NYT pointed out, being a flâneuse or flâneur is probably the best way to explore Paris and the Seine is such a great place to just walk in reverie.
-Madame Réve- an amazing hotel and my recommendation for accommodation in Paris. Not cheap at all, not the most expensive. Quiet and luxurious, Madame Réve is its own little world in the 1st.
I went to a late show at Crazy Horse and came back to the hotel around 2 in the morning, and walked into this dreamy cocoon of candelabras, warm colors, wood: totally sumptuous, indulgent, and comfortable. I found it to be absolutely worth every dollar, or really euro, I spent to stay there. I’ve been an on and off insomniac for the past several years and laying in the hotel room I had at Madam Réve, in the middle of my second night there, looking out at the skyline of Paris through their skylight windows was unforgettable. Madame Réve is a very special hotel.
In the Northern Hemisphere the darkest week of the year says hello again with a new moon in Sagittarius and winter solstice. My unsolicited advice is take a chance, let things go, welcome the new in. We're in a time of endings. Proceed with love and internal light.
Xx.