Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Yes You Have a Story to Tell… Giveaway

 Eighteen century paper back books

 

 

 

Worn, faded covers.

Tattered, spotted pages,

Chapters that speak of a familiar story.

Aged beauty.

A page turner.

No matter the century, the stories gathered echo today

Eighteenth century paper-back books gathered, what do they say? They speak of love, betrayal, forgiveness, hope, longing, sadness, faith, illness, courage, family, desire….

 

 

Un-cut-book-pages old book

 

 

On the pages of my life what is written? Do I like the story that is unfolding? Is the voice of the critic heard? Are there chapters I'd like to skip? Dog-eared pages? Notes on the side? Stories left untold?

 

 

Old books tied together

 

 

What is the title of your book? What chapter do you like best? Who would you dedicate it too? Tell me in the coment section, I will pick a few tomorrow and send the winners an old French paper back book.

 

 

Comments

47 responses to “Yes You Have a Story to Tell… Giveaway”

  1. Rosemary

    I think my book would be titled Against Many Odds. There are for sure some chapters I would have skipped if I could, but they do say that difficult times make you stronger. Why don’t I feel that strong? I would dedicate the book to my sisters and my dearest friends. They have seen me though the really tough times. A dedication to my kids and grandskids too, as they are my blessings.
    I’d love to have one of the old books!

    Reply
  2. pattwolverton71@comcast.net

    My book would be titled “My Many Blessings” It would be dedicated to my husband Kim. There are chapters that would not be so easy to re-read however, all chapters make my life what it is today. As Oprah’s quote goes “When you know better you do better” Lessons learned, My many blessings have been a most wonderful husband of almost 39 years, Two great daughters who have been a complete joy to raise. A son in law and boyfriend in law that I absoultly adore and two teenage grandchildren who come an visit almost daily just because they want to. All of this and more I enjoy with and because of my wonderful husband.
    I would very much enjoy a book for my library.

    Reply
  3. Jill Flory

    I would title my book ‘Sew a Fine Seam’. And dedicate it to my Mother, Father, Husband and girls. It would be about my life with a heavy thread running through it about sewing. Sewing is one of the top things i do but is by no means ALL I do! But it does define me in a lot of ways. And in everything we do we should always do our best to do a ‘fine’ job. Whether it be sewing or otherwise!
    I may just start writing some of that ‘book’ on my blog. It’s already got the title!

    Reply
  4. Kathie B

    As a translator I deal with other people’s book chapter titles. One of my favorites is in Dr. Eduardo Mayone Dias’s brief history of our people, Corey: “The Portuguese Presence in California.”
    The chapter is titled, “The Role of the Portuguese Tuna Fishing Boats During World War II”!
    Who knew?

    Reply
  5. Amy Kortuem

    My book is called “Amy the Harpist Goes to Paris.” It’s dedicated to her mother. Chapter 12 is my favorite: she’s invited to play for Christmas Eve midnight Mass in Notre Dame.
    That light everbody sees hovering above the cathedral that night? It’s Amy the Harpist’s very happy soul, levitating right out of her body.
    (P.S. Chapter 12 hasn’t happened yet. I’m still working on the “moving to Paris part” – a.k.a. Chapter 1)

    Reply
  6. Tamara {Delish Mag}

    Ohhh I wish I could tell you! I can’t share it right now though because it’s 100% unique and brilliant and I am pitching it as a book title one day when I write my first book! It’s actually a phrase my husband coined, and it is so funny…so…I guess you’ll just have to wait on that one til I get my butt in gear and write a book! This is supposed to be the year, though, so I’ll get on that. I’ll let you know when it’s ready for eyes!!
    🙂
    Tamara

    Reply
  7. Rae Lange

    Hi Cory!
    what a great Giveaway!!
    ok, the title of my book should be:
    “On and On and On…” (I have not stopped talking since I was 2)
    the best chapter would be titled: “What will She Say Next?”
    I would dedicate my book to: my only granddaughter who is forced to listen-I love you CC

    Reply
  8. Fiona

    Mine would either be The Return of the Death Mask, based on the real life travels of Napoleon’s death mask to an east coast Scottish town ( true by the way ). Or maybe it would be The Panda Ramifications, a quote in today’s Times that just begs a book to be written! As an archivist, I can say I truly adore 18th century paper nothing else feels like it.

    Reply
  9. Janell

    What a creative prompt Corey…
    1. Title: “To Be Continued”
    2. Best Chapter: Peeking Ahead
    3. Dedicated to: My Parents
    Ingrained by career, I lived too many days ticking off ‘to dos’ in a day-planner — where I now endeavor to live everyday life looser, letting the day reveal priorities as it will. It’s funny how I see even the past in a ‘to be continued’ way, as it is constantly being reinterpreted in the light of new days.
    Janell

    Reply
  10. Erin Perry

    The title of my book would be “After 50 Life Sparkles” which is the tag line on my e-mails. Ten years ago I finally found the courage to leave a horrendous and abusive husband and 30 year marriage. For the first time in my adult life I was able to be my real self. Every day since I left has been a miracle. My favourite chapter is the new one I start everyday. I would dedicate the book to my lovely wife of 7 years, my precious Margot who has brought me joy, kindness and love. I’ll be 60 next month so will be looking for a new tagline – that will reflect the abundance and happiness that fills my life.
    Erin in Morro Bay

    Reply
  11. Leslie

    The title would be “Scattered Soul”
    My favorite chapter…would be new beginning’s
    Dedicated to My Grandfather who loved unconditionally and who left from my young life way too soon..

    Reply
  12. Patti

    My title would be “The Joy of Living”. My favorite chapter would be “Second Decade: Abundant Joy Through Faith” and I would dedicate to my husband and children. Fun to think about! Thanks!

    Reply
  13. smee

    I love your challenges!
    Book Title: Do Overs, The continuing Saga of a Successful Woman
    Best Chapter: Oh The Things You’ll Learn When You Fall Down a Flight Of Stairs in a Red Dress!
    Dedicated To: All of those wonderful women who think they’ll never get it right, but do, every single day!

    Reply
  14. Kathy Barrick

    Oh my….my book would be called “A Work in Progress” and it would never end cause (hopefully) I’ll keep making progress. My favorite chapter would be called “Who She Loved” cause that’s the best part of all of us. I would dedicate my book to my daughter Liz and other artists who have influenced my artwork along the way.
    You do indeed make us think!
    Kathy

    Reply
  15. Denise

    Kiss each day, would be the title. and i would dedicate it to may grandchildren, because they are my best buds. it probably would be just like many of your readers,but it would my very own sweet memories as a child. my happinesses and sorrows as a kid and till present. but i would only choose the more signifcant thoughts. not a rambling of words.and now that i am older,but not old, i have learned how to live and enjoy and appreciate. that includes even major health problems. all the more reason absolutely enjoy every teeny little thing. trying to be what God made. and of course, i would have to reserve many pages at the end to acknowledge those that i would want to thank and that would be a slew of them. after all they did have a great deal of how i developed. Bestest,Denise

    Reply
  16. Marilyn

    Love this give away. Mine would be A Story Yet Untold, dedicated to someone that once loved me.

    Reply
  17. Jeannie

    “With my Grandmother’s Eyes” or “The Girl with the Hummingbird Mind” would be my titles. Even though they sound different, they go together. My Gram taught me to see beauty in nature and to appreciate the world around me. I also received her love to learn and create. So, I am like a hummingbird flitting from flower (hobby) to flower trying to find the sweet nectar to feed my soul. Although there are some chapters that have not been enjoyable, they are was on my path. To take those away, regardless of how painful, would be to take away the lessons and triumps that have made me the way I am. I don’t know how the story ends. I hope it is like my Grams, learning something new everyday and being thrilled with the journey. Thanks Corey!

    Reply
  18. Chris Wittmann

    My story would be “Life in an Old New England Farmhouse” by a flat lander.
    My favorite chapter would be about the bitter cold winters during our first decade here. The frozen toothpaste, the burst pipes causing the old kitchen faucet to break spewing water all over the old enamel kitchen woodstove, putting it out of course….sitting up in bed watching the plastic I’d covered the old windows with billow in and out against the frigid wind. Watching my cats huddle around a cold stove in the early morning, waiting for me to toss in more wood.
    I would dedicate it to the memory of my parents, especially mom, whose family had so little and endured so much in Germany during WWII. She would smile, probably laugh, and call me her “little trooper.”

    Reply
  19. g

    my book would be called – CAN’T YOU HEAR ME KNOCKING
    best chapter–The Fork In The Road- and most important lovingly dedicated to my mom – who always taught by example- i have always been of the belief that there is a book in each of us…looking forward to tomorrow’s post!

    Reply
  20. Kathie B

    P.S. I dedicated my translation work on the above book to my two closest cousins, both lifelong half-Azorean Californians. Others have been dedicated to two teachers (including my Portuguese professor, without whom I obviously wouldn’t be a translator!) — and, of course, to Farmboy Husband. Am trying to decide to whom I should dedicate my next two book translations. Any suggestions?

    Reply
  21. Betty K

    1. Title: Laughter Really Is The Best Medicine: A
    Collection of True Stories
    The stories would range from lighthearted to sad, but all would show how important and helpful laughter is.
    2. Sample chapter: Awkward Dating Situations, which
    would include the time that I got a straw stuck up my
    nose in a posh restaurant.
    3. Dedication: To all the people with whom I have
    shared a laugh, even if I don’t know your name.
    How fun and thought provoking this was!

    Reply
  22. marlis

    T’wixt and Between – a satirical accounting of what really goes on between birth and death. My favorite chapter would be When the House is Quiet – the kids are up to something. I would dedicate this to my the women in my life. How exciting.. I would photocopy the pages and create art!!! Thanks for the chance.

    Reply
  23. Franca Bollo

    “Frankly Speaking” a book comprising illustrated short stories about our dearly departed cat, Frank.
    Favorite chapter would be about how he would wait for us to come home in the evening with his head peeking out from under the gate … for me at the front gate, and for Ken at the back.
    Dedicated to all those who understand what it’s like to fall insanely in love with a cat.

    Reply
  24. Plumes d’Anges

    Corey, today a surprise for you on Plumes d’Anges… Belle journée. brigitte

    Reply
  25. Mary

    I would have to say “Mary nary Quite Contrary…” lol.

    Reply
  26. Mary

    Mary Mary quite contrary – geez!

    Reply
  27. Laura @ 52 FLEA

    The title of my book would be:
    “Adventures At The Brocante “. The best chapter would be the one where Corey and Mimi come upon a huge box of antique monogrammed linens stashed under a table and get into a huge fight over who saw them first. It would involve lots of bitter tears, ripped and torn antique sheets,a guest appearance by Brad and Angelina and a hero wearing a pony tail who swoops in and saves the day. The ending would be happy of course. It would be dedicated to Yann and Alain …who would enjoy it immensely.
    I adore old French paperbacks! 🙂

    Reply
  28. Pauline

    My book would be called
    “A Little Of What”
    The chapters would deal
    with subjects like,Food,
    People,Places,and
    Brocanting..for as we
    all know…a little of what
    you fancy does you good!

    Reply
  29. deb

    Mine would be “Creating Yourself” because that’s what I finally figured out we are supposed to be doing. It took me several chapters to be able to think for myself, decide who I wanted to be and get the courage to make it happen.

    Reply
  30. J

    My book could be titled, “Falling from Grace: Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary Lives of Five Generations of Women”
    Fave Chapter: Family Recipes for Pastry, Love and Laughter
    Lovingly dedicated to Grace, Naomi, Linda and Ksenija… three extraordinary women and one well on her way to continuing their legacy

    Reply
  31. cynthia wolff

    “Your gonna Make it after all” or “how I climbed out of the gutter to become the fabulous person I am today.
    That morning began like any other…my head in the toilet bowl…my damp, cold , shivering body aching from another night of drinking cheap liquor bought for me by some sinister eyed, evil looking creton. All I wanted was a drink…all he wanted was a piece of me…all I wanted was to be left alone…all he wanted was what was left of me.
    I wanted to me Mary Tyler Moore. A career girl…throwing my hat up in the air after I found out I landed my dream job in the big city…little did I know that my bright promising future would end up in a filfty, sleazy bar…night after night…to drown myself and the memories that haunted me.

    Reply
  32. Karen C

    Mine is “A Stick and a Basket of Eggs” an expression my mother used and it is about how the decision of one woman affected 4 generations.
    If anyone can tell me where this expression comes from I will mention them in the dedication.

    Reply
  33. Lorrie

    Book Title: Life is short but wide
    Sub title: The length of my life is determined by God, and he gives me the opportunities each day to live as wide a life as possible
    Best chapter: smiling at the future
    Dedicated to: My wonderful family – parents, husband, children who have enriched my life and forced it wide open

    Reply
  34. Liz Mathews

    Good questions! My book is a real page turner, and each chapter is getting better and better. I can barely stand to put it down, but a girls got to sleep:)
    I would dedicate my book to the “old Liz”. Someone very different than the Liz I am now. I would tell her to remember that EVERYTHING happens for a reason that that you can create any life you dream of. Maybe throw in my favorite quote: “Go confidently in the direction fo your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined”.
    My favorite chapter was the one where I fell deeply in love with myself. That’s when the story got REALLY good.
    It’s rumored that I move abroad in chapter 32, and I can’t wait to find out where and how!

    Reply
  35. Elizabeth

    My book that I am wrIting is called “The Lampkeeper’s Apprentice” It would be dedicated to my friend Les who taught me that it is not enough to simply dream – you must go do as well. Those two things go hand in hand and cannot be separated. It would be a whimsical sort of way to put all the wonderful lessons he has taught me into a pretty story.
    And the best part goes something like this:
    “You will love” said the Lampkeeper, as she sat at his feet. “Someday you will love, like I had loved, and the sunsets will light up the sky. They will have tongues and they will all speak his name to the far reaches of the earth. And when you love, do not be afraid of it. All love belongs, in a way, to both joy and hurt. But above all things, the remainder of love is peace, and when you place the stars in the sky those nights the world will slumber knowing only beauty and kindness. You will give your love to the world.”
    She listened somberly, her starry robe falling weightless on her shoulder. She fingered the star silk, the threads of it radiating the gentle, kind light of the stars, the sacrifice of the stars evident in it.
    “And someday,” he said “because you will exist as long as the stars, you will know loss. And the sky will turn from day to night in a grey sweep. Your stars will be placed in accordance to your grief and loss. They will weep, and the whole earth will know that there is something missing. They will cry and you will be blind to their pain, only seeing yours but eventually you will hear and comfort them. Your love for the whole earth will blanket them, and your love heal your grief. And the color will slip in again. Your sun sets will speak again. Do not be afraid of either. Your love is light and grief is a measure of your love.”
    Because that is true, and because all of the wisdom that he could have given me is wrapped up in those few fictional paragraphs.

    Reply
  36. Betsy

    I would call my book “The Adventures of Becoming Me,” and the best chapter would be the one about this very moment. I would have to dedicate it to so many people, because of them, I am who I am, unfinished as I turn 59 on Tuesday…

    Reply
  37. Cynthia Burja

    My book would be titled “Baa Baa Black Sheep” and I’d dedicate it to my deceased mother, the first real artist in my life. My favorite chapter would be the one I am writing now about giving life to my fiber art business.

    Reply
  38. Paula S In New Mexico

    My title is ~
    “Pinch Me, This Is Too Good To Be True”
    It would the recollections of my life with my Grandmother Elenore and then of course the flip side, life with my Grand daughter Iris.
    My favorite chapter would be “The Quilt” where I would write about the profound love of grandmothers and grand daughters for one another. My grand mother, my grand daughter, and me in the middle. How lucky and blessed I am to be held in the eye of this storm called Love.
    I would dedicate my book to all the women in the world. What a group we are.

    Reply
  39. Brother Mathew

    Love my cat Smoke.

    Reply
  40. Brother Mathew

    Wallpaper Wonderland: My Brocante Adventures
    Book one of the exciting new seven book series by Brother Mathew.
    Dedicated to you.
    Chapter One – Fancy Foil Found

    Reply
  41. Robin

    The Name of the Rose by Umberto Ecco is my all time favorite book. The story is set in a medieval monastery and the main character, Brother William, is a gifted older monk who is the unwilling detective sent to solve a mystery. The story is told through the eyes of an elderly monk who is remembering the story from his youth as an accolite under Br. William.
    The books is so wonderfully written and the characters to real that I actually cried when I finished the hefty tome. I wanted to know what happened to them after the mystery was solved. Each character was so carefully drawn, the theological arguments between Christianity and Greek philosopy was fascinating and the picture of medeival Europe was heartbreaking.
    I have never cried from sorrow at finishing a book until this one. It is a masterpiece.

    Reply
  42. Nancy from Mass

    my book would be called “Really?” (Apparently one of my favorite sayings when I was younger.) My favorite chapter would be “The Younger Years”. fishing and swimming at the cottage on the lake, playing cribbage often with Memere and my Dad, riding the Alpine Slide at Attitash. Eating Tourtiere at the Reveillion (sp?). Hearing my Dads’ voice.
    Oh, and the fact that I was a size 2 petite.

    Reply
  43. Teddee Grace

    The title of my book would be Better Luck Next Time and my favorite chapter would be What Doesn’t Kill You and I’d dedicate it to my 95-year-old mother without whose “efforts” I would not be living what has turned out to be quite an interesting episode in my life in a one-room uninsulated cabin in Colorado. Teddee

    Reply
  44. diane

    ‘The Night Uncle Ed Gave The Dog An Enema’ Favorite chapter, ‘Why Don’t We Just Pack Up And Go To Candyland?’
    dedicated to everyone who thinks they have a crazy family and to my best friend, Reen, who thinks God must hate her or he’d give her a boyfriend.

    Reply
  45. Nancy

    Title: The Best Times Of My Life
    Chapter: Motherhood
    Dedicated to: My Only Son
    Thank you Corey for this opportunity.

    Reply
  46. Annie v.

    “La fataliste”
    I believe that you are born with a book and pass your life following the pages.
    Annie v.

    Reply
  47. Pamela

    I guess the title of my book would be, “I Heard That”! Any time I heard anything objectionable coming from a family member, be it word, or deed, that was my response. They marveled at the fact I could be WAAAYY in another room (ears in the back of my head!). What is hilarious, is now my daughter and 3 year old granddaughter say it also. Part DEUX and THREE!

    Reply

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