it’s Novembre, and the beginning of a new round of lockdowns for nos amis around the world, specifically in France and the UK.
Whether you’re staying home by choice or by government order, enjoy the cozy weather of the pre-holiday season curled up with this mix of five French memoirs, nonfiction, and lifestyle guides.
Take a look back at October’s picks here, and September’s here.
Top 5 French Reads for November 2020
By Aloïs Guinut
Style Guide
“Stylish women everywhere are realizing the environmental damage of fast fashion on the planet and looking for new ways to dress that don't involve cramming the wardrobe with clothes that may never get worn…French women have a lot to teach us about how to cherish the planet without sacrificing your style.”
Kathleen Flinn
Memoir
“Kathleen Flinn was a thirty-six-year-old middle manager trapped on the corporate ladder - until her boss eliminated her job. Instead of sulking, she took the opportunity to check out of the rat race for good - cashing in her savings, moving to Paris, and landing a spot at the venerable Le Cordon Blue cooking school…Filled with rich, sensual details of her time in the kitchen - the ingredients, cooking techniques, wine, and more than two dozen recipes - and the vibrant sights and sounds of the markets, shops, and avenues of Paris, it is also a journey of self-discovery, transformation, and, ultimately, love.
By David Lebovitz
Memoir
“When David Lebovitz began the project of updating his apartment in his adopted home city, he never imagined he would encounter so much inexplicable red tape while contending with perplexing work ethic and hours. Lebovitz maintains his distinctive sense of humor with the help of his partner Romain, peppering this renovation story with recipes from his Paris kitchen. In the midst of it all, he reveals the adventure that accompanies carving out a place for yourself in a foreign country—under baffling conditions—while never losing sight of the magic that inspired him to move to the City of Light many years ago, and to truly make his home there.”
By Elizabeth Bard
Memoir
“Lunch in Paris is a memoir about a young American woman caught up in two passionate love affairs -- one with her new beau, Gwendal, the other with French cuisine…She learns to gut her first fish (with a little help from Jane Austen), soothe pangs of homesickness (with the rise of a chocolate soufflé), and develops a crush on her local butcher (who bears a striking resemblance to Matt Dillon). Elizabeth finds that the deeper she immerses herself in the world of French cuisine, the more Paris itself begins to translate. French culture, she discovers, is not unlike a well-ripened cheese -- there may be a crusty exterior, until you cut through to the melting, piquant heart.”
By Jean Edward Smith
Nonfiction
“Following their breakout from Normandy in late June 1944, the Allies swept across northern France in pursuit of the German army…Charles de Gaulle, the leading figure of the Free French government, urged General Dwight Eisenhower to divert forces to liberate Paris. Eisenhower’s advisers recommended otherwise, but Ike wanted to help position de Gaulle to lead France after the war…Neither man knew that the German commandant, Dietrich von Choltitz, convinced that the war was lost, schemed to surrender the city to the Allies intact, defying Hitler’s orders to leave it a burning ruin.”