Books about France
Getting lost in a book has been more meaningful to me this year more than ever. Whether your area of the world is under lockdown or not, escaping to another place via the pages of a book is a welcome change of pace from what our daily lives have looked like for months. I've let my imagination run wild and have read both fiction and not-fiction most nights before bed. If you love reading novels about France to quench your Francophile thirst, these are my top books about France recommendations. There's no shortage of books about France and the people who live here, so let yourself be whisked away to beautiful Paris, sunny Provence, and all over France.... even if it's just for a little while... You only have to eat at Breakfast in America once to realize that you’ve stumbled upon something special. Serving American comfort food in the heart of Paris, Breakfast in America was the first diner of its kind to offer milkshakes, pancakes, real American bacon, and more at an affordable price. It was so successful that American owner Craig Carlson has opened two more locations and is sharing how it all began in his recent book. Pancakes in Paris tells us the story of how the American-style diner in the City of Light became a roaring success one pancake at a time. And what a story it was… I did a review of the book in this post. It's topping my list of books about France for a reason. I've been a fan of Oliver's work for years and this book is the perfect way to get to know the man behind the hit podcast "The Earful Tower." From Amazon, “Join award-winning podcaster Oliver Gee on this laugh-out-loud journey through the streets of Paris. He tells of how five years in France have taught him how to order cheese, make a Parisian person smile, and convince anyone you can fake French.” We saw Olivier Giraud's show of the same name in Paris earlier this year and it's a hilarious look at a Parisian poking fun at other Parisians. Animated, entertaining, and a bit over the top, the book is the next best thing until you can see the show in person. From Amazon, "Inspired by my show, this guide offers you the keys to survive in the French capital. Expat or tourist, the Parisian's daily life will no longer hold any secrets for you: from the metro to the taxi, from the shop to the restaurant, from the nightclub to apartment hunting, from the arrival of a child to a long weekend in Deauville... At the end of this fun training, "real" Parisian life awaits you... If you're already Parisian and self-derision is one of your qualities, then this guide is also for you ... Oh la la !" Any book by David Lebovitz is money well spent, so why not start with this one where you'll get a feel for his voice from the very first page. If you also live in France, his stories will feel very relatable and you'll find yourself laughing (crying?) right alongside him. From Amazon, "Like so many others, David Lebovitz dreamed about living in Paris ever since he first visited the city and after a nearly two-decade career as a pastry chef and cookbook author, he finally moved to Paris to start a new life. Having crammed all his worldly belongings into three suitcases, he arrived, hopes high, at his new apartment in the lively Bastille neighborhood. But he soon discovered it's a different world en France." Lindsey has lived in Paris for over 10 years and I appreciate that she doesn't play into tired stereotypes of Parisians and romanticized life in France. From Amazon, “The New Parisienne focuses on one of the city’s most prominent features, its women. Lifting the veil on the mythologized Parisian woman—white, lithe, ever fashionable—Lindsey Tramuta demystifies this oversimplified archetype and recasts the women of Paris as they truly are, in all their complexity.” Want to feel Parisian? From Amazon, “From four stunning and accomplished French women — at last — a fresh and spirited take on what it really means to be a Parisienne: how they dress, entertain, have fun and attempt to behave themselves.” When you visit France, you'll learn right away that the language isn't so straightforward. What's the most important word to learn and use liberally? Bonjour! From Amazon, "Jean-Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow spent a decade traveling back and forth to Paris as well as living there. Yet one important lesson never seemed to sink in: how to communicate comfortably with the French, even when you speak their language. In The Bonjour Effect Jean-Benoît and Julie chronicle the lessons they learned after they returned to France to live, for a year, with their twin daughters. They offer up all the lessons they learned and explain, in a book as fizzy as a bottle of the finest French champagne, the most important aspect of all: the French don't communicate, they converse. To understand and speak French well, one must understand that French conversation runs on a set of rules that go to the heart of French culture." From Amazon, “Elaine Sciolino came to Paris as a young foreign correspondent and was seduced by a river. In The Seine, she tells the story of that river from its source on a remote plateau of Burgundy to the wide estuary where its waters meet the sea, and the cities, tributaries, islands, ports, and bridges in between.” From Amazon, "The French drink, smoke and eat more fat than anyone in the world, yet they live longer and have fewer heart problems than the English and the Americans. They work 35-hour weeks and take seven weeks' paid holiday each year, yet they are the world's fourth-biggest economic power. So how do they do it? From a distance modern France looks like a riddle. It is both rigidly authoritarian, yet incredibly inventive; traditional (even archaic) yet modern; lacking clout on the international stage yet still hugely influential." From Amazon, “A hilariously self-deprecating, highly obsessive account of the author’s adventures, in the world of French haute cuisine, for anyone whose ever found joy in cooking and eating food with their family–from the author of the best-selling, widely acclaimed Heat.” From Amazon, “Part memoir and part visual journey through the streets of modern-day Paris, France, A Paris Year chronicles, day by day, one woman’s French sojourn in the world’s most beautiful city. Beginning on her first day in Paris, Janice MacLeod, the author of the best-selling book, Paris Letters, began a journal recording in illustrations and words, nearly every sight, smell, taste, and thought she experienced in the City of Light.” Here's my historical fiction pick that will have you engrossed in the story from the first page. Get the tissue box ready. From Amazon, “From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the stunningly beautiful instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.” From Amazon, "Every year upon arriving in Plobien, the small Breton town where he spends his summers, American writer Mark Greenside picks back up where he left off with his faux-pas–filled Francophile life. Mellowed and humbled, but not daunted (OK, slightly daunted), he faces imminent concerns: What does he cook for a French person? Who has the right-of-way when entering or exiting a roundabout? Where does he pay for a parking ticket? And most dauntingly of all, when can he touch the tomatoes?"13 Books about France that make the perfect gift to yourself
Pancakes in Paris: Living the American Dream in France
Paris On Air
How to Become a Parisian in One Hour?
The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City
The New Parisienne: The Women and Ideas Shaping Paris
How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are: Love, Style, and Bad Habits
The Bonjour Effect: The Secret Codes of French Conversation Revealed
The Seine: The River that Made Paris
Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong: Why We Love France but Not the French
Dirt: Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking
A Paris Year: My Day-to-Day Adventures in the Most Romantic City in the World
All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel
(Not Quite) Mastering the Art of French Living
Pin my novels about France post:
Barney says
“13 Books about France that make the perfect Francophile gift to yourself”
Diane,, 13 books about France? But eight of the thirteen are about Paris,…
Diane says
Paris is everyone’s favorite city and you’ve certainly highlighted the fact that many English language writers do make Paris their home!! I’ll have to do a part 2. 🙂 Thanks for taking a look. Happy Holidays!
Keith Van Sickle says
This is an excellent list! I’ve read several and enjoyed them all. My favorite is Mark Greenside’s (not quite) Mastering the Art of French living. It is both insightful and hilarious and a pleasure to read.
Aussie Jo says
Awesome list some great sounding books
Diane says
So glad you like them!!
Kameela says
Great list Diane . Have read three and am putting another on my Xmas list. And yes you need to do a follow up list for the rest of France. I love Paris but live in rural France Have a lovely Xmas
Stéphane VACCA says
Bonjour,
sur le “bonjour effect” en France, voir la scène mémorable et célèbre du film “Itinéraire d’un enfant gâté” (entre Belmondo et Anconina) :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXJcRu2hvzM
Cordialement
Stéphane Vacca
Connie Myers says
Diane, thanks for this great list. I will check out those that are new to me. I am so glad to see you included The Bonjour Effect. I would put that first on the list for anyone planning to spend any time in France. May I suggest the Peter Mayle Provence stories if you do a Part 2 list? Love your videos and blog.
Waiting for COVID to be under control so I can become an expat living in Strasbourg,
Connie