If on a summer night you are driving on the highway and stop at a gas station. If someone in your family had an old mushrooming basket. If you are quietly whispering with family members almost reaching the feet, only sometimes interjecting something. If the spring wind brought the whole family a desire to eat in the field, but it didn't happen. If you came out after a Sunday bath and felt relieved. If you are living, just living, but you remember - here is a reminder.

Those short prose windows are like haikus. Described are moments, small pleasures, insignificant daily things. One can read, skim through, and enjoy. Or sink into one after another deep state of emotions and thoughts. There are such pools in the texts. Perhaps because of this, they are not only charmingly beautiful and naive, but also therapeutic, literary, suddenly expanding the view from various angles. Enjoy, but suddenly you end up where, as Rilke said, "all the angels are terrifying".

And if not - here are those small things that are skillfully described, and it is always difficult to describe them.

I really like the idea that supports this book: pausing on the unnoticed moments of happiness and beauty in the daily flow of life. The fragrance of nostalgia that hovers over the book also creates an atmosphere in which I feel good. However, some experiences already belong to the past for me and have more the effect of a sepia photo set in motion than mirrors of situations I know well.

Finally and above all, not all the poems and all the passages are of equal quality. Maybe the kindness in the writing was only charming in the first poems and it seems to turn into a writing tic later on? In short: a view of the world and an attitude towards life that seduce me but a writing that sometimes disappoints me.

This book has its strengths and weaknesses. The concept of capturing those fleeting moments of beauty and happiness is truly appealing. It makes us stop and look around, realizing that there is so much to appreciate in our ordinary lives. The nostalgic tone adds a certain charm and makes the reader feel a sense of connection to the past.

However, the inconsistent quality of the poems and passages can be a bit of a letdown. Some parts may be beautifully written and touch the heart, while others may seem a bit forced or lacking in depth. It's as if the author had a great start but then lost some of that initial inspiration.

Overall, I still think this book is worth reading. It has the power to make us think and feel, and it offers a unique perspective on life. But it's important to approach it with an open mind and not expect perfection.

Philippe Delerm's texts possess the charm of the 1990s.

In that era, people still used the fax. The telephone booths had their primary function intact, and when arriving at the toll booth, one would search for coins.

However, one can also find something timeless in his works. It's like the freshness of the first sip of beer, the sensation of the small peas rolling under the thumb, and the evident difference between a bike and a bicycle.

Ah yes! His writing seems to transport us back to that bygone era while also highlighting those universal and eternal moments that we can all relate to, regardless of the passage of time. It's as if he has captured the essence of both the specific decade and the more profound, unchanging aspects of human experience and perception.

His words have a unique ability to make us both nostalgic for a time long past and yet also acutely aware of the simple pleasures and distinctions that exist in our daily lives, whether in the 1990s or today.

A book that is perfectly made for a sunny and lazy Sunday morning.

It is composed of small, nostalgic and gentle nothings, and it is a very "sensory" book - the smells, the light, the sensations are all very vivid and it surely recalls memories. It is also very old-fashioned (there are surely things that will mean nothing to younger readers, like a past call from a phone booth...), but this nostalgia and melancholy is like the checked tablecloth in a grandmother's kitchen where she is shelling peas, and it is gentle. I really liked it.

The book seems to transport the reader to a bygone era, filled with simple pleasures and warm memories. The detailed descriptions of the sensory experiences make it easy for the reader to imagine themselves in the scenes described. Despite its age, the book still manages to touch the heart and evoke emotions. It is a wonderful read for those who enjoy a bit of nostalgia and a slower pace of life.

Overall, this book is a gem that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a charming and heartwarming read on a lazy Sunday morning.

There are many things described that evoke certain memories. For example, one of the things is the first sip of beer.

Not all the things brought back memories for me, perhaps because the talk is about France. But there were moments when it was pleasant to read, and at times I even smiled.

The description seems to touch on various aspects of experiences and emotions related to different things. It makes me think about how certain details can trigger memories and how our perception of a story can vary depending on our own personal associations and interests.

Maybe the mention of the first sip of beer holds a special significance for the author, and it gives a hint of a particular moment or feeling. Overall, it's an interesting piece that makes me curious to know more about the specific memories and experiences that are being alluded to.

Une lecture légère et divertissante est un véritable bonheur pour les amoureux de la littérature. Elle permet de se détendre, de s'évader dans un monde imaginaire et de découvrir de nouvelles histoires et personnages. Une telle lecture peut prendre de nombreuses formes, que ce soit un roman comique, une nouvelle fantastique ou un livre d'anecdotes. Elle est accessible à tous, peu importe l'âge ou le niveau d'éducation. Elle permet de développer l'imagination, d'améliorer la compréhension écrite et de découvrir de nouvelles cultures et idées. Une lecture légère et divertissante est donc une activité qui mérite d'être pratiquée régulièrement.

2 stars and a half might not be in the right mood for this book. I found some truly poetic and evocative moments. However, often the description of the moment of pleasure gets lost in something too airy. Despite the brevity of the chapters, it doesn't engage but rather disperses.

The reading is nice but completely forgettable except for a few elements.

"One is born a bicycle or cycling, it's almost political. But cyclists must give up that part of themselves to love - because one only falls in love on a bicycle."

An ode to slowness, to the beauty of the small daily things. For me who am always in a rush for no reason or late, it reminds me of good memories and how precious it is to take one's time to appreciate life! The pen is light and of great finesse. Sometimes I was in unknown lands but more often I had the impression that the author described with great precision and in an almost intrusive way the sensations that one experiences: the cakes of Sunday morning, having a Porto, one could almost eat outside, going to pick blackberries, the Tour de France, a surprise invitation, reading on the beach, the bookmobile, an Agatha Christie novel, pétanque...

These simple yet charming details paint a vivid picture of a life filled with small joys and pleasures. It makes me realize that in our fast-paced world, we often overlook these precious moments. We are so focused on getting things done quickly that we forget to stop and smell the roses. But as this text shows, taking the time to enjoy the little things can bring us so much happiness and fulfillment.

Whether it's savoring a delicious cake, reading a good book on the beach, or playing a game of pétanque with friends, these are the moments that make life worth living. So the next time you find yourself in a rush, take a step back and remember the beauty of slowness. Appreciate the small things in life and you'll find that you are richer for it.

I was presented with this as a Christmas gift by one of the teachers I collaborate with. And indeed, I have already completed reading it.

Truly, it was an excellent book for those desiring to enhance their French skills. Each chapter was concise, and there was an abundance of new vocabulary, yet it remained easy to read and understand. There were several remarkable passages that I thoroughly relished the vivid imagery they evoked. However, there were also others that were not as favorable. Some were outdated or offensive, while others were so distant from my own experience that I found it challenging to fully immerse myself in the text. Despite that, I truly valued the format of the book, and it reminded me of Ross Gay's The Book of Delights.

The short chapters made it accessible and allowed for a quick read, which was great for my busy schedule. The variety of vocabulary helped to expand my language knowledge, and I could see myself using some of the new words in my own conversations. Overall, it was a worthwhile read, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to improve their French or simply enjoy a light-hearted book.

This book is very good. It is good in that by reading people's reviews according to it, one can recognize a) those who seem to be happy and b) those with a healthy mind and happy.

This book is similar to Facebook posts.

"Look, I am now sunbathing on the beach."

"Look, I am now with friends and we are all happy."

"Look, this Lithuanian film is very good because, well, it's Lithuanian."

"Look, someone drew a heart on my coffee, how original."

"Look, I am very happy here, despite having split up with my partner."

"Look, I slept a long time today, chi, chi, how extreme."

"Look, I am without makeup and I am very happy."

"Look, here is a tree and it has leaves! Ohoooooo! If you love trees, click like, if you don't like people and want the end of the world - ignore."

Well, basically.

This book was published in a print run of 110,000 copies, while the average in Lithuania is about 1,500 copies...

...I just don't know if there is something very special here, because this book is so short that, without using bold font, it can be condensed into less than two A4 pages. Two. That's 2 pages.

This book was recommended to me because they said it was very positive.

You know what it reminds me more of?

Those Facebook posts that are supposedly meant for others, but in reality - only for oneself, to feel praised because you got a vacation on some island.

This is not a book.

This is pornography.

I'm just masturbating not my sexual organs (I hope), but my emotions. The described situations (eating a bagel, reading a magazine, the first sip of beer) are supposed to give memories of how wonderful it is here...

...But instead of glorifying happiness (so that you feel happiness everywhere), you get a bit of pornography. "Let me tell you what happiness is for you."

If you want to feel happy - feel it.

Don't read Facebook posts where someone says that it's very wonderful here, for you.

This book is pornography of happiness.

Malonumai, what a wonderful theme! The French, so to speak, are experts in these matters.

I just read this book within an hour. It's truly a small delight. I feel guilty for simply devouring it. One can learn from this. I think that nowadays we almost consume everything in this way, without stopping to think about what we are doing and without paying attention to those actions. And yet our days are like a holiday, and they will pass quickly and never return.

This book, of course, is about that. It has that.

And about what it means. So don't say that it's a waste when I write that this book is so wonderful that while reading it, I was able to feel that first sip of beer, even though I haven't drunk beer in my life. Well, maybe I imagined it, but there were just such imaginings that you then try to forget because you are charmed. This book allowed me to taste the dreamy beer that everyone tells me about but I never found myself. Well, maybe I'm not a beer drinker. It's better that I can still enjoy it. Oh, who can say that our world of fantasies is less real than the physical one?

It can be said that after reading this book, I felt many things as if for the first time.

If a book is easy to read and provides pleasure, it is not automatically considered entertainment literature, and entertainment literature -> low quality. I don't agree with this rule and will never agree, I just say so. This book is both easy to read and provides pleasure, but I think it is truly "good", even though I don't have a refined taste.

I think that people should read such books over and over again. And write them. I really want to do that myself. I would make such a "scrapbook" of the beautiful moments of life. It would be like a photo album, but here - photos made of words. And I tell you, it's not easy to paint a picture with words, at least to do it well. Monsieur Delerm does it amazingly. I'm not a visual person, I mostly think in lines of words, as if in codes, hehe. But if this book has forced me to see, touch and feel things, then here it is.

I dream, I imagine an unreal thing: such books full of delights become popular, become a tradition or a cultural phenomenon, people start writing them and reading them to each other, to their families and friends, sitting in the evening, perhaps during Christmas, when guests come and so on. C'mon people, let's do it. Cultural renaissance!

I'm already half asleep in the white sheets, but what do you want, it's already late at night. When it gets dark, some strange thoughts come, which seem impossible in the morning light.

I hope to return to this book again. Like to a serial watched many times.

Life is beautiful, although there is a lot of this and that in it. But beauty is, so to speak, in the eye of the beholder. One has to learn to see it. From now on, I will try to train my inner eye.

Merci beaucoup, Monsieur Delerm. C'a été un énorme plaisir.

A carousel of quick pictures about the little pleasures of life.

During the reading, the basic idea of the book becomes repetitive and the pleasantness is lost, especially for those anecdotes more related to French traditions or a distant past.

It is held up by a wise and evocative use of the language that, in the fragments closest to one's own personal experience, manages to move.

The book presents a series of snapshots that initially seem charming, but as one delves deeper, the repetition starts to wear thin. The stories that are more tied to specific cultural traditions or a bygone era may not resonate as strongly with modern readers.

However, what saves the book is the author's masterful use of language. When the text touches on experiences that are more relatable, it has the power to stir emotions and engage the reader on a deeper level.

Overall, while the book has its flaws, its beautiful language and moments of emotional connection make it worth a read.