It's a girl! It's a book! It's a new Paris garden!
And it's three new episodes on The Earful Tower podcast!
Hello everyone!
Life has changed dramatically since my last newsletter.
Two weeks ago we welcomed a little girl into the world, Astrid. Everyone is happy and healthy and now we’re a family of four. And as you might expect, both Lina and I have been laying a little low as we adjust.
But also, lots of other things have been happening on the Paris front since my last newsletter, so here’s a look at what you may have missed.
Our new book is here!
This week we got an advanced copy of The Animal Games in Paris, our fourth children’s book. It turned out wonderfully, we really love it, and our three-year-old gave it the seal of approval with back-to-back-to-back requests for readings.
If you pre-ordered a copy and you’re in the US, it’s maybe in the mail already! If you’re anywhere else in the world, we’re printing your copies in Europe, so you’ll have to wait until June to get yours.
If you didn’t order one, you can only get it via my online shop, for now. This is the link for US and French addresses, here’s the link for the rest of the world. Postage is included in those prices. I can’t wait for you all to read it!
On the podcast
Meanwhile, there’ve been three new podcast episodes since my last newsletter, all wildly different.
First, Financial Times journalist Simon Kuper talked about his new book about his 20 years in Paris and how the city and its suburbs have changed. Read more here and listen below.
Then, we had an episode with a Danish rock climber called Daniel who explained how the trend of bouldering is gaining traction in Paris (and of course, in Fontainebleau where it all started). Read more here and listen below.
Then, this week we had Virginie Dubost, a quadriplegic Parisienne talking about how this city simply isn’t accessible for people in wheelchairs. Her story about how her life changed in the blink of an eye was very powerful. Read more here and listen below.
A new Paris park!
Also this week, the Paris mayor named a part of the Luxembourg Gardens after Charles Aznavour, who happens to be my favourite French singer of all time.
Yes that’s right, you can now visit the Jardin Charles Aznavour, which appears to be not too far from the Medici Fountain in the north east corner of the gardens.
Did you know Aznavour released 1,200 songs in nine languages and was one of the best-selling artists of all time. When Bob Dylan saw him live in London in the sixties, Dylan said “he just blew my brains out”.
To honour the great man (Aznavour, not Bob Dylan), I dusted off my blog post listing Ten Great Charles Aznavour songs to Frenchify your Life. That link has explanations, pics, and a touching YouTube video from his funeral. But look, I can even embed the full playlist below!
What I can’t embed is the top secret “Hacking French” playlist that we released this week for Earful Tower Patreon members. It’s a list specially curated by my wife Lina with songs that she likes, which are slower and more clearly pronounced, ideal for improving your French comprehension :)
You can unlock this playlist, and hundreds of other members-only posts, by signing up here. If you’re a paid subscriber here on Substack, I will email you separately with this top secret playlist, plus another bonus piece of content you haven’t seen.
Thanks to all members! This is still a little small family business, and your support is the one and only reason we’re able to keep creating The Earful Tower and everything that comes with it!
Have a lovely weekend.
Oliver
Congratulations on the new member of your family. I am also a huge Aznavour fan and saw him perform several times in the U.S. I have tickets to see a program of Aznavour music performed by la philharmonie de Paris, at la cite de musique in Paris on Sept 28, 2024 at 20:00. You should come too !
Are you doing any walking tours, etc. on June 29 or 30? My husband and I will be in Paris then.