Last week I travelled by train from Chicago to San Francisco on the California Zephyr, wow what a journey. I recommend it to anyone, take time and book some stops along the way.
During the ride I finished listening on audio book to ‘La Vėritė Sur l’Affaire Harry Quebert’ now translated into English by Swiss writer Joël Dicker. The book is set in as all town in New England and follows the Lives of two writers, the Harry Quebert of the title and the narrator Marcus Goldman, an ex student and friend of Harry. The two protagonists seem, as the book advances, to have similar characters and to have lived similar experiences, they however make radically different decisions at key moments of their lives. The book is structured by the 31 pieces of advice on being a writer given by Harry to Marcus. This book begins as an accusation, becomes a who dunnit, and finishes as a why dunnit, This excellent book, a long term best-seller in France and a winner of the prestigious ‘Grand Prix Du Roman De l’Acadėmie Française’ is soon to be published in English, rush out and buy it, money well spent, or as you can see below borrow it from the library.
South of Paris books 
I did not like this book, I thought it terribly overwritten and somehow indulgent by a twenty-something writer, but I know I’m in a minority. What I did like in your post is the idea of taking the train from Chicago to San Fransisco, something I did with my mother when I was a little girl and surely need to do again. Thanks for the reminder.