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The Alliance strives to provide a full range of activities for its members, students and guests: from French films to lectures to wine tastings and cooking classes, as well as art, photographic and didactic exhibits, and social events, including conversational get-togethers. For more details, call 713 526-1121. |
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Events |
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427 Lovett Blvd. Houston, TX 77006 Contact us by E-mail at frenchalliance@sbcglobal.net
THE FRENCH ALLIANCE/Alliance Française de Houston Phone: 713-526-1121
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The Wine School at the Alliance
By Charles M. “Bear” Dalton of Spec’s
The Wine School continues classes at the Alliance through the summer. Please call Jessica in Bear Dalton’s office at Spec’s, at 832 660-0250, for details on classes and reservations.
Click here to see the Houston Chronicle’s video of Bear Dalton, caught in a calm moment at the wildly successful Rodeo Houston Wine Auction, as he explains how to taste wine.
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More Mystery set in France: Peter May
Scottish novelist Peter May visited the Alliance last year for a wonderful presentation and reading at the Alliance. The internationally acclaimed thriller and mystery writer and former journalist lives in France with his wife, writer Janice Hally. The evening was enhanced by a tasting of wines of the region, especially the Gaillac wine Domaine Sarabelle Saint-André, which was tasted for the FIRST time in Houston. This wine and the Gaillac region are featured in Peter’s latest book, The Critic. Spec’s Fine Wine Buyer, Charles M. “Bear” Dalton, dropped by to taste with us, and announced that the will soon be on the shelves at Spec’s.
May is best known for his series of China Thrillers, set in contemporary China, which feature a clash of cultures and personalities between a complex and acerbic American doctor and a wry and enigmatic Chinese policeman, as they work together-with two distinctly different approaches- to solve the crimes they are investigating.
His new series, the Enzo Macleod files, is set in France, a landscape May knows well, and revolves around seven unsolved murders. French journalist Roger Raffin has published a book, embarassing to the powers that be of course, detailing these unsolved crimes, and Enzo Macleod sets out to solve them. In 2006, the first book, Extraordinary People, was published. This “cold case” takes us from the hallowed halls of l’ENA to the depths of the catacombs beneath the streets of Paris, all the while winding through the Enzo’s complicated personal life.
The Critic deals with the murder of a world-famous wine critic, and his newest Blacklight Blue is a dark, intense mystery in which Enzo tries to solve his third cold case described in a book by Parisian journalist Roger Raffin; a 16-year old murder. May makes the French settings sharply real, while creating a seething tangle of emotional conflicts between Enzo and the people around him.
Peter May’s work is available at Houston’s favorite independent mystery bookseller, Murder By The Book, 2342 Bissonnet. For more on Peter May (and Enzo) see http://www.enzomacleod.com/ Peter may gives us not only enthralling mysteries, but an enlightening and up-to-date tour of France’s cultural institutions. Bonne lecture!
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Peter May |
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BOOKS Mystery set in France
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Alliance favorite, author Cara Black returned to Houston in March to present her most recent novel in the Aimé Leduc series Murder in the Latin Quarter which has just been published and is available now at Murder by the Book.
You may want to add Cara Black to your reading list, as the Alliance staff has done, following her wonderful presentation here on the arrondissements of Paris and some of the events and locales that have inspired her stories. Cara, author of the Aimée Leduc series, which chronicles the adventures of a female investigator in Paris, spends a lot of time in Paris, but lives in San Francisco with her husband, a bookseller, and their teenage son. She is a member of the Paris Société Historique in the Marais and an accomplished photographer. All of her books in the series are available at Murder by the Book, where manager David Thompson reports that this “arrondissement by arrondissement” series of books is very popular with Francophiles and mystery lovers alike. For more on Cara Black, visit her website here. Interview with Cara Black click here. Pour lire un article en français sur son Murder on the Ile Saint-Louis, cliquez ici.
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"Famously French"
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"Famously French" is a multi-part television documentary series devoted to revealing some of the great things about France to English-speaking audiences. Written and directed by Alliance Board member, Malcolm Pepper, the show is hosted by French media celebrity (news anchor, correspondent, journalist, writer, director) Philippe Labro and French TV star Sandra Lou. The first installment is devoted to the region of Alsace, and had its Houston premier at the Alliance. "Famously French" presents France in English, at its best, striking a balance between old and new, traditional and cutting-edge, simple pleasures and high culture, unique old-world craftsmanship and the latest technology. Each part of the series will focus on a different region, highlighting specific points of interest, regional specialties, geography, art, food, wine, and much more. "Famously French" illustrates, in the most spectacular way, what the most informed travel guides just allude to. Click here to see “Famously French” on-line.
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News from Alliance members |
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Alliance member Gina Liuzza is the proprietor of Méli-Mélo at 5617 Morningside in The Village, and an active member of Les Dames D’Escoffier, an international organization dedicated to supporting and promoting the achievements of women in the culinary professions and to fostering excellence through educational and charitable activities.
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Since 1993, Méli-Mélo has brought its own interpretation of Les Arts de la Table to the city and beyond. Gina travels to France regularly to make purchases for the boutique: an exclusive array of hand-painted French faïences and pottery, glassware, beautiful French table linens for both casual and formal occasions, santons and provincial fabrics, and accessories. One of the latest arrivals is the Joli Paris series from Gien, (see below) sure to be a big hit with francophiles! You are invited to stop by the store and browse, or click here to see the Méli-Mélo website.
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Art Exhibition Samuel G. Longoria |
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Artist Samuel Longoria is also an Assistant United States Attorney with the Department of Justice. His outstanding exhibition of paintings has been held over by popular demand and will be on view through the summer.
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Rendez-vous pour septembre La Fête de la Rentreé
Our traditional fall celebration of the return to classes and the new season of cultural events will take place Thursday, September 17. The accompanying exhibition “Horizon de femmes” will be a wonderful new treat: Four French women share their artistic vision-Isabelle Dupuy, Karine Parker-Lemoyne, Maylis Curie et Valérie Owhadi. Watch the website for details!
Ces quatres artistes françaises vous invitent à découvrir leur nouvelles œuvres.
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Murder by the Book’s latest recommendation for mystery set in France is Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker, a wonderful new series that follows the exploits of Benoît Courrèges, a policeman in a small French village in the Périgord where the rituals of the café still rule. Available now at Murder by the Book, 2342 Bissonnet.
“Martin Walker has not only written an engrossing roman policier, but he has written a book that goes the the very heart of what small town, rural France is like. It’s a thriller, and full of surprises, but it will also appeal to anybody who loves France. Bruno, Chief of Police is a wonderful creation” -Michael Korda |
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Cara Black |