In this February Literary Mood Board on The Ritual of Reading Podcast, I explore the art of good manners — not as a relic of the past, but as a foundation for modern freedom. Drawing on four books that shaped my thinking — The Downton Abbey Rules for Household Staff, Kazuo Ishiguro’s "The Remains of the Day", Baltasar Gracián’s "The Art of Worldly Wisdom" and Thackeray’s "Vanity Fair" — I reflect on how etiquette elevates character, cultivates dignity and shapes the way we inhabit the world together. From airport queues to quiet acts of consideration, this is a gentle manifesto for living with care, respect and humanity in our fractured age.READ ALONG WITH METhe Downton Abbey Rules for Household Staff : https://tidd.ly/49QcapoKazuo Ishiguro, "The Remains of the Day" : https://tidd.ly/45FyI9SBaltasar Gracián, "The Art of Worldly Wisdom" : https://tidd.ly/4aqHz1SWilliam Makepeace Thackeray, "Vanity Fair" : https://tidd.ly/3Mafu5wMy Policy on Affiliate Links : https://theritualofreading.com/affiliate-policy/CONNECT WITH MEWebsite: ⁠https://theritualofreading.com⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/ritual_of_reading/⁠ Substack: ⁠https://theritualofreading.substack.com⁠ Pinterest: ⁠https://fr.pinterest.com/ritual_of_reading/⁠ SUPPORT MY WORKIf you value this free content, you can support me on Ko-Fi. Every contribution makes it possible to continue sharing these literary reflections.https://ko-fi.com/theritualofreading

Welcome to Season 2 of The Ritual of Reading. In this episode, Alexandra explores the "Gentle January" philosophy. We discuss:

• The serendipity of Marguerite Yourcenar and Emmanuelle Favier.

• Travel memoirs and Russian mysteries with Lesley Blanch.

• Winter nourishment through Ayurvedic beetroot soup (get the recipe here)

• The ritual of the Gratitude Journal.

Featured Books:

'Petit éloge du feu de cheminée' by Emmanuelle Favier

'Journey into the Mind's Eye' by Lesley Blanch

• Buy your copy here : https://tidd.ly/45tcrvL

My Policy on Affiliate Links : https://theritualofreading.com/affiliate-policy/

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Have you ever hesitated to go somewhere alone? This episode is about reclaiming solitude as something precious rather than something to apologize for. I take you through my favorite Paris destinations for being deliberately, deliciously alone—a hidden museum, an ice cream parlour, and a tennis stadium—while sharing what French writers have taught me about the courage it takes to disappoint expectations and embrace your own company. A love letter to solitude, Paris, and the freedom of being alone.

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Welcome to The Ritual of Reading podcast.
This episode is an invitation to walk through Paris in the company of five remarkable women who refused to wait for permission to write. From George Sand’s countryside tenderness to Simone de Beauvoir’s fierce intellect, from Françoise Sagan’s smoky Parisian nights to Muriel Barbery’s lyrical prose and Clara Dupont-Monod’s historical vision—each of these authors claimed her voice in a culture that didn’t always make space for her.

We’ll explore how they lived, what they wrote, and why their words still matter. These are the women who shaped French literature not as muses or footnotes, but as creators in their own right—writing Paris into being, one page at a time.

Pour yourself a cup of tea, settle in, and let’s meet the women who wrote Paris.

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Website: ⁠https://theritualofreading.com⁠

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November wraps Paris in wool and rain, and this month we're celebrating the women who wrote this city into being. After a month devoted to French classic authors—all men, as it happens—I'm turning to feminine voices, both contemporary and timeless.

I share three very different reads for November: Lucy Foley's dark, addictive The Paris Apartment, Nina George's healing Little Paris Bookshop, and Tatiana de Rosnay's atmospheric The Rain Watcher. We explore the essentials of Parisian feminine style—red lipstick as armour, signature scents that announce rather than whisper, and the scarf as the city's greatest fashion statement.

There's a playlist of French feminine voices to transport you to a rainy café, and an intimate evening ritual: writing a letter to your younger self, not as a pep talk, but as an honest reckoning with the path that brought you here.

Join me as we honour the women writers who claimed Paris as their own, one deliberate page at a time.

Episode includes:

• Three contemporary novels set in Paris by female authors
• A curated playlist of French feminine voices (listen here)
• My three Parisian style essentials (and why they matter)
• An evening ritual for November: letters to the self

Stay in touch

Website: ⁠https://theritualofreading.com⁠

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For years, I thought Émile Zola's writing was too dark for me. But this autumn, revisiting The Ladies' Paradise (Au Bonheur des Dames) completely changed how I see something as ordinary as shopping in my city.

Join me on a literary walk through Paris as I explore the grand department stores that inspired Zola's masterpiece—Le Bon Marché, Galeries Lafayette, and Printemps—and discover the fabric shops of Montmartre that still hold the magic of the 19th century.

In this video, we'll explore:

• The history of Parisian department stores and their architectural grandeur
• How Zola spent a year researching Le Bon Marché before writing the novel
• The psychology of desire and shopping that Zola understood over 150 years ago
• The textile shops of Montmartre and the beauty of quality craftsmanship
• Why this classic novel feels surprisingly contemporary

Subscribe to follow along with future Book Walks, and let me know in the comments: What classic have you rediscovered with fresh eyes?

📖 My Parisian Reading Rituals : Discover my favorite hidden corners of Paris for reading, pausing, and daydreaming. Download your free guide here : https://theritualofreading.com/my-parisian-reading-rituals/

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Website: ⁠https://theritualofreading.com⁠

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This October, I'm diving into the masters of French literature—Balzac, Stendhal, and Proust—while embracing timeless Parisian beauty and autumn traditions. From audiobook discoveries to XIXth-century cosmetics, heirloom table linens, and an apple tarte tatin tribute to Maupassant, join me for a cosy exploration of classic literature and slow living in Paris.

📖 My Parisian Reading Rituals : Discover my favorite hidden corners of Paris for reading, pausing, and daydreaming. Download your free guide here : https://theritualofreading.com/my-parisian-reading-rituals/

🔖Connect with me:

Website: ⁠https://theritualofreading.com⁠

Substack: ⁠https://theritualofreading.substack.com⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/ritual_of_reading/⁠

Pinterest: ⁠https://fr.pinterest.com/ritual_of_reading/⁠ 💌

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In this episode, I take you inside a September evening at Librairie Millepages in Vincennes, where I listened to Percival Everett speak about his award-winning novel James. What began as an author talk became something much deeper: a meditation on the subversive power of reading itself.

From Everett’s exploration of language and identity, to the idea that sustained attention is a quiet form of resistance, I share how this encounter reshaped the way I think about books, the rentrée littéraire, and even The Ritual of Reading. Along the way, we consider why art matters not because of how many people it reaches, but because of the lives it transforms.

If you’ve ever wondered whether sitting down with a novel could be revolutionary, this conversation is for you.

📖 My Parisian Reading Rituals : Discover my favorite hidden corners of Paris for reading, pausing, and daydreaming. Download your free guide here : https://theritualofreading.com/my-parisian-reading-rituals/

🔖Connect with me:

Website: ⁠https://theritualofreading.com⁠

Substack: ⁠https://theritualofreading.substack.com⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/ritual_of_reading/⁠

Pinterest: ⁠https://fr.pinterest.com/ritual_of_reading/⁠

💌 Support me on Ko-Fi : https://ko-fi.com/theritualofreading