5 French Reads for Labor Day Weekend
Believe it or not, this isn’t even half of my French book collection.
Whomever once claimed that reading is the best form of escapism, clearly lived through a pandemic.
There’s something decidedly medieval about life in 2020. It’s given us a glimpse backwards, showing us what daily existence must have felt like for William Shakespeare and his contemporaries during the times of pestilence and the Bubonic Plague—with the added comforts of Netflix and Youtube workouts, of course.
International travel is still at a stand-still for the time being, meaning that—for now—we’ll have to travel to France the way that our forefathers did: through our imaginations, and the immortal pages of contemporary scribes.
Check out this fascinating New Yorker article about the history of pandemics, or if you’re looking something a little more uplifting to read on your holiday weekend, behold a list of some of favorite novels, memoirs, and historical perspectives on life in France. I’ve always been a reader, and I love experiencing ma belle ville through different eyes.
So pour thee a glass of thine blackberry wine and buckle up m’lady, because I’m about to share five French favorites from my collection.
5 French Reads for Labor Day Weekend
By Katrina Lawrence
Memoir
“How the City of Light gave her lessons in life: an Australian beauty journalist shares her obsession with Paris - the city that has been her guide through a lifelong journey of self-discovery. Taking us on a journey around Paris's most spectacular sights, hidden secrets and most beguiling nooks and crannies, Katrina tells us the story of why this city has been her constant inspiration through all stages of life.”
By Samantha Verant
Memoir
“Take one French widower, his two young children, and drop a former city girl from Chicago into a small town in southwestern France. Shake vigorously... and voilá: a blended Franco-American family whose lives will all drastically change.”
Aloïs Guinut
Style Guide
“Bring a Parisian je ne sais quoi to your style, wherever you live. Dress Like a Parisian is a wise and witty guide to finding your personal style, taking inspiration from how real Parisian women dress. With personal stylist and fashion blogger Aloïs Guinut as your guide, you can explore which colors, shapes and styles work best for you, whatever the occasion.”
By Michelle Gable
Semi Fiction
“Based on the fascinating true story of a treasure-stocked Parisian apartment opened for the first time in seventy years. April Vogt, Sotheby's continental furniture specialist, is speechless when a Paris apartment shuttered for seventy years is discovered in the ninth arrondissement. Beneath the cobwebs and stale perfumed air is a goldmine…”
Alistair Horne
Non Fiction
“In this luminous portrait of Paris, the celebrated historian gives us the history, culture, disasters, and triumphs of one of the world’s truly great cities. From the rise of Philippe Auguste through the reigns of Henry IV and Louis XIV…Napoleon’s rise and fall; Baron Haussmann’s rebuilding of Paris…the Belle Epoque and the Great War that brought it to an end; the Nazi Occupation, the Liberation, and the postwar period dominated by de Gaulle--Horne brings the city’s highs and lows, savagery and sophistication, and heroes and villains splendidly to life.”