The Ritual of Reading Podcast

I began this series with a question: are good manners still worth defending? After spending a month with nine books on etiquette from across the globe, I’ve realized that I wasn’t looking for rules—I was looking for philosophies. In this final chapter of "The Art of Good Manners," I am taking you on a sensory journey through the Latin world. We’re moving beyond the "architecture&quo...

Why do the French ignore you when you sneeze? In this episode, we cross the Channel to explore the "Savoir-Vivre"—the sophisticated, sometimes baffling world of French manners. From the official Republican protocol of Jacques Gandouin to the modern "self-care" approach of Le Petit Larousse, we’re deconstructing how a country that decapitated its monarchy managed to save its ele...

Is etiquette a tool for exclusion, or the secret to social harmony? Join me as we journey through 100 years of American and English manners—from the rigid social blueprints of the 1920s to the digital etiquette of today. In this episode of "The Art of Living Among Others" series, we dive into the fascinating evolution of British and American etiquette. We explore three iconic voices: the...

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 "...

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 d...

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 expecta...

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 a...

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...

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 t...

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 : Di...

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 re...

🍂 Join me for a September walk along the Seine as I rediscover Paris through the pages of Ruth Reichl’s The Paris Novel. This book walk is both a review and a love letter—to the city I chose as my home, to the power of reinvention, and to the quiet rituals that make Paris endlessly new. In this video, I’ll take you with me along the riverbanks, sharing how The Paris Novel mirrors my own Parisian...

Join me as autumn settles over Paris and the literary world comes alive with the Rentrée Littéraire—France's beloved back-to-school season for books. In this episode, I'm sharing how I'm experiencing this quintessentially Parisian tradition through my own lens: discovering French translations, embracing cozy reading rituals, and choosing curiosity over literary pressure. From The Lost...

August has been my month of Italian inspiration, and I’m closing it with a literary passport: 10 books that transport you straight to Italy . From Ferrante’s vibrant Naples to Baricco’s lyrical seas, from a seamstress’s Sardinian dreams to the bold, sprawling life of Modesta in The Art of Joy , these stories capture the many faces of Italy—its beauty, its chaos, its irresistible charm. Whether you...

In this episode of The Ritual of Reading , we leave Italy’s bustling cities behind and step into the quiet charm of the countryside. Through three evocative books — Phil Doran’s The Reluctant Tuscan , Alba Donati’s Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop , and Paolo Cognetti’s The Wild Boy — we explore the rhythms, beauty, and wisdom of rural life. From sun-dappled hills and mountain solitude to small villages...

What if August could teach us how to live all year long? In this episode, I explore the beauty of the Italian lifestyle through three evocative books and a series of beloved rituals—from Ferragosto to aperitivo, from gelato to il dolce far niente . These are stories and reflections on joy, presence, and the quiet art of celebration. Featuring: – You Deserve Good Gelato by Kacie Rose – Bella Figura...

This August, I stayed in Paris but longed for Italy—the warmth, the language, the luminous beauty of long vowels and late afternoons. So I took my books for a walk and followed the scent of Italian summer into the heart of the Marais. In this episode, come with me on a slow literary stroll through Rue du Roi de Sicile, where I discovered La Tour de Babel , a hidden gem of an Italian bookshop. With...

This month on The Ritual of Reading , we’re heading south — in spirit, at least. August brings with it a golden haze, and I’m letting it take me straight to Italy: a place of memory, language, heat, and beauty. In this episode, I’m sharing my personal literary mood board for the month — filled with rituals, reading, and sensory details that summon the spirit of la dolce vita. No travel needed. Jus...

Whether you garden with muddy hands or simply admire from a sunny windowsill, this episode explores the quiet joy of tending to green things. I’m sharing seven books—spanning memoir, history, and fiction—that celebrate the poetic, healing, and thoughtful nature of gardens. We’ll travel through English estates, tulip-filled Dutch fields, and meditative Japanese landscapes, discovering how gardens g...

In this July episode of The Ritual of Reading , I explore the quiet harmony between two deeply restorative practices: gardening and reading. One engages the hands, the other the mind—but both nourish the spirit and help us create balance in a busy world. This reflection unfolds in three parts: – How reading and gardening complement one another to soothe and center us – The quiet courage of beginni...

In this summer episode of The Ritual of Reading , I take you along on a gentle walk through one of Paris’s most beloved parks: the Luxembourg Gardens . Our literary companion is Elvire de Brissac , whose book Le Long du Luxembourg paints the history of the gardens not through timelines, but through stories—anecdotes, characters, and quiet moments that bring centuries to life. As we walk, we meet M...

July arrives like a soft breath in the middle of the year — slow, shimmering, and in-between. In this episode of The Ritual of Reading , I’m sharing the inspirations shaping my summer: early morning walks in Paris, quiet rituals that soothe the heatwave, and books that bloom like gardens on the page. You’ll hear about the reads accompanying me this month — from Penelope Lively’s meditations on gar...

What role does reading still play in our modern, screen-saturated lives? In this reflective episode of The Ritual of Reading , Alexandra explores that question through the lens of Jojo Moyes’ bestselling novel The Giver of Stars . What begins as a search for mountain-side escapism turns into a deeper meditation on literature, empathy, and the quiet magic of stories that shape us. We’ll talk about...

Welcome, summer. 🌞 In this special solstice episode, I share the story behind The Summer Reading Ritual — a free digital guide I created to help you shape your midsummer mindset through books, small seasonal pleasures, and soft joy. You’ll hear about the rituals that anchor my own summer days, why I once thought summer wasn’t for me, and how reading can become a gentle form of presence this time...

In this episode of The Ritual of Reading , I invite you to join me for a walk along the windswept beaches of Normandy and into the world of Tracy Chevalier’s Remarkable Creatures . Part travel reflection, part book meditation, this episode explores how the quiet presence of the sea, the act of noticing, and the overlooked lives of women like Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot can inspire our own da...