Goodbye, Summer, Goodbye!

**Apologies if you have received this email twice - we had a small glitch with our first attempt!**

Goodbye, Summer! It was a shock to my inner-gardener when I stepped out onto to the terrace this morning to find the straw-hat season packing up, moving on. Without so much as a 'by your leave'. How did this happen?

It seems that only yesterday we were celebrating the Fourth of July, anticipating a bounty of Long Island corn, the sweetest corn in all the world. Looking forward to plucking a few juicy New Jersey beefsteak tomatoes off the vine. Cracking open a batch of Maryland crabs. Turning a humble breakfast into a feast with a Connecticut cantaloupe. And tossing a couple of Maine lobsters on the grill for an easy dinner.

New York WalksBarbara DonskySeptember 20, 2017 Comments

At the Guggenheim: The Book Fairy Strikes Again!

Hello and welcome back Guys and Gals!

I hope your summer was refreshing to body and soul, whether you were at-home or abroad, at the seashore or in the mountains. Mine was spent in front of the computer screen, happily researching and writing another memoir. Why leave home if you’re having such a good time?

Missing Mother: International Bestseller HarperCollins Canada!

Hello Guys and Gals!

When I signed off for summer a week or so ago, I had not anticipated so much good news coming my way. First there was the selection of Veronica's Grave as a New York Public Library TOP PICK for Summer 2017, followed days later by the breath-catching news that Missing Mother, the Canadian version of Veronica's Grave, had made the Bestseller List in Canada during its first week in the stores. When I asked my editor at HarperCollins Canada if that entitled me to call myself a 'best-selling International author,' his response was: Absolutely!

New York Public Library: Top Picks!

I'm honored that Veronica's Grave: A Daughter's Memoir made the 2017 summertime reading list of none other than the New York Public Library! The list is comprised of the top picks of librarians throughout the library system. That my memoir was selected by the head librarian at the exciting new Bronx Library Center seems most fitting as I was born in the heart of the once Beautiful Bronx where "the best people live."

Books & ArticlesBeth BeauchampJuly 9, 2017Comment

La Maison du Chocolat: Choc is Chic!

My thanks to those who have inquired as to why there have been so few posts of late. In years gone by, I've taken a break between Memorial Day and Labor Day, as it’s not as much fun bopping around the city in ninety-degree weather, but I always pause to say goodbye, something I’ve not done until now for a number of reasons.

What's the story?

Mainly, it's that I’ve been hard at work on another book, which I hope to finish this summer, a preoccupation that has left me with little time for seeking out French style here in the city. And, more importantly, my favorite wining and dining companion has been under the weather of late. That said, the ‘Comeback Kid,' currently in rehab and not enjoying the cuisine at all, should be fit as a fiddle by the Fourth of July. All of which calls for a celebration, one that this year includes the publication of Missing Mother by Harper Collins Canada. Hooray! Hooray for the Comeback Kid! Hooray for Harper Collins! Hooray for Canada celebrating 150 years of harmony on July 1st! Hooray for Missing Mother! And, lastly, hooray for you and me!

Bread/Cheese/ChocolateBarbara DonskyJuly 1, 2017 Comments

Café Boulud: To Dress or Not to Dress...

It was a brilliant summer day, the temperature climbing into the 80s. Entering the dining room of Café Boulud, I wondered if the air conditioning was working. It wasn’t cool enough for me, but then few New York City restaurants are. Having lived off-and-on in Florida for fifteen years, I can vouch for southern expertise in turning an overheated dining room into a chilly igloo, at the flick of a thermostat. And doing so night after night.

French Restaurants '17-18Barbara DonskyMay 28, 2017 Comments

Meet Me in Paris

One of the seldom-mentioned pleasures of being a published author is meeting other published authors. And the day I had lunch with the convivial Sande Boritz Berger, author of The Sweetness, an award-winning memoir of guilt and survival, was no exception.

Where should we go?

It’s gotta’ be French!

French Restaurants '17-18Barbara DonskyMay 21, 2017 Comment

Breaking News! A Dream Come True...

Publishing a book is a marathon, not a sprint! Or so we writers hear regularly. Patience is not only a virtue, but a necessity. Now, with the one-year anniversary Of Veronica’s Grave coming up May 9th it’s time to take stock.

Barbara DonskyMay 6, 2017 Comments

Cezanne and Zola

Theater/Film/DanceBarbara DonskyApril 22, 2017 Comments

Spring Has Sprung!

Barbara DonskyApril 15, 2017 Comments

Step Right Up! Enjoy the Show!

Throughout the nineteenth century, the ‘fairground’ —loosely translated as the ‘sideshow’ of the traveling circuses of the day—was a popular theme with the press and artists alike.

Anchoring an exhibition of 100 related works on this theme at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a masterpiece of the museum’s collection, the sublime Circus Sideshow (Parade de cirque) painted in 1887-88 by Georges Seurat (1859-1891).

Art in New YorkBarbara DonskyApril 8, 2017 Comments

Happy 20th Anniversary, Balthazar

On St Patrick’s Day, where better to celebrate than at Balthazar, the lively French brasserie in SOHO owned by the restaurateur Kevin McNally.

For twenty years, Balthazar has been packing in the crowds from 7:30 in the morning until 1:00 in the morning, a mind-boggling accomplishment. But what accounts for the on-going popularity in this restaurant-fickle city?

French Restaurants '17-18Barbara DonskyMarch 25, 2017 Comments

Once in Every Lifetime

There's great news this week, but let me start with a fantastic sale. It's hard to believe, but on May 9th Veronica's Grave: A Daughter's Memoir will be celebrating its First Birthday.

To honor all books published by She Writes Press in Spring 2016, the publisher is running a one week sale of those books. Starting now. There are 36 books to choose from, and each can be downloaded for pennies! To be exact for 99 cents each.

If you're feeling reflective, there are a number of memoirs to check out. If you're looking for historical fiction or a riveting mystery, you will find them on the list. All you need do is click here

Beth BeauchampMarch 4, 2017 Comments

Le Coucou: Worth the Trip!

Hello, Guys and Gals!

Thank you so much for all the birthday wishes! It was an amazing day filled with greeting cards, email cards, flowers (even my local florist sent flowers!), phone calls, and emails from relatives and friends all over the country. Many of whom have been celebrating with me for a lifetime.

And, of course, there were messages from Facebook friend, who have entered my life more recently, bringing with them richness and warmth. I’m grateful for everyone who made the day special. Especially for my husband who wined me and dined me at the fabulous candlelit Le Coucou.

French Restaurants '17-18Barbara DonskyFebruary 25, 2017WORTH A TRIP Comments

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine’s Day!

So many of you have read Veronica’s Grave, and I’m grateful for your support—for the outpouring of kind words and, of course, for the glowing reviews you've posted on various platforms.

Now, in this month of love, Amazon has sent me a 'Valentine’ I’d like to share with you...

Barbara DonskyFebruary 13, 2017 Comments

A Snowy Day

New York WalksBarbara DonskyFebruary 11, 2017 Comments

Seduced by Paris

On my last three trips to Paris, I’ve chosen to stay in the Marais, not because of its international clientele, lovely art galleries, and trendy boutiques, but for the glimpses it offers of the history of Paris, dating to the 13th century.

Opening the Travel section of today’s New York Times (Sunday, February 5, 2017), I was delighted to find “My Paris: Seduced by the Past,” by Liz Alderman, the Paris-based chief European business correspondent for The New York Times. Liz has lived in the Marais for fifteen years, and, as you might expect, her choices are personal, well-informed, and dear to her heart. Read on!

Beth BeauchampFebruary 4, 2017Comment

Happy Chinese New Year! It's Nothing to Crow About!

I did not want to pass up this opportunity to, once again, wish you good luck and fortune in the new year. But since the Chinese New Year is something my dear friend Diana Paul knows more about than I do, I am forwarding her insights on what we can expect in the Year of the Rooster.

New York Walks, Books & ArticlesBeth BeauchampJanuary 28, 2017 Comments

Everything Old is New Again

When art critics released their best exhibitions for 2016, "Valentin de Boulogne: Beyond Caravaggio" rose to the top of the most discerning lists. As the show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art will be closing January 16, time is running short. So, drop everything, run right over. If that's not possible, then read on for a fresh look at an old master. And Valentin de Boulogne is an "old master," if one we may not have heard of until now.

Art in New YorkBarbara DonskyJanuary 14, 2017 Comments

Au Revoir 2016, Bienvenue 2017

If you’ve been following this newsletter for a while, you may recall some of the marvelous French restaurants that have come our way this year. And it wasn't all that hard to find them, as French cooking is undergoing something of a renaissance in New York. And while the competition was strong, the standout was Le Coucou, where our dining experiences have been memorable in every way.