Gold medal Paris books to get you in the Olympic mood
Summer reads featuring Paris? Yes, please. Here are six books to keep you in the Paris mood long after the Olympic medals are won. Each author gives a little “postcard of Paris” to express what they love about the city.
THE LITTLE PARIS BOOKSHOP
BY NINA GEORGE
Monsieur Perdu can prescribe the perfect book for a broken heart. But can he fix his own?
Filled with warmth and adventure, The Little Paris Bookshop is a love letter to books, meant for anyone who believes in the power of stories to shape people’s lives.
IN HER OWN WORDS…
If you want to blend in and feel a bit Parisian: grab a French Picnic with fromage, wine or Crémant, some fresh Baguette, and enjoy the smooth summer evenings under the rose-colored sky at the green shores of the Seine, with a view on the illuminated Eiffel Tower.
Day by day, you will find “your Paris”, which you will carry in your heart forever, and it will be a sparkling memory of sounds and smiles, a collection of precious moments, when you feel free and light – because Paris will give you all the love back you show her (yes, it’s a Madame). Have a rendezvous with your dreams!
BUY ON AMAZON
PARIS LETTERS
BY JANICE MACLEOD
A travel memoir about art, writing, and finding love in Paris.
Beautifully illustrated with the author’s own sketches, this novel is for those who dream of a life richer and more fulfilling than the one they are living today.
IN HER OWN WORDS…
Paris is a city built on treasure chests. Its grand boulevards are lined with stores that are like boxes of treasures turned on their side. The way trinkets and treats spill out in the window displays, the way they decorate a dessert, and the way they speak lovingly about the products they sell—all under the soft glow of ornate lamp posts—it’s all so charming. And addictive. The moment you leave, you start planning the next trip.
The first time you explore Paris, you’re floored that a place like this exists. The architecture, from the majestic Haussmann buildings to the intimate cafés tucked into stone courtyards, to the bridges stitching along the Seine, is breathtaking. When you return, you’re astounded that the bones of the city are exactly the same, yet some of the shops have changed despite looking like they’ve always been there. The more you return, the more you see subtle changes. You also begin to revisit the ghosts of who you were on all your other trips to Paris. How young we were. We go through life changing in the same way as Paris. Still us. Still Paris. Same bones but different.
BUY ON AMAZON
THE PARIS ROOMMATES: THEA
BY AVA MILES
Love is on the menu in this humorous and heartfelt novel about the bonds of found family and unexpected romance, set in the City of Lights, where anything is possible.
IN HER OWN WORDS…
Oh, Paris, how I love thee. I discovered Paris was ‘home’ while studying abroad. The city’s beauty was almost overwhelming, a tantalizing feast for the senses—everything from its art and architecture to its mouth-watering cuisine. Discovering its secrets became my passion: the way the wind whispers possibilities through the trees as you sit along the Seine; how your heart shares your dreams with you as you enjoy a café; and how its music inspired confidence to follow in the footsteps of its great authors and artists. I brought by first manuscript to Brasserie Lipp for luck, and when it was published, the staff allowed me to dine at Hemingway’s table to honor my journey as a writer. I bought my first watercolors and oil paints at Charvin. Her call to my soul was so strong I have now moved to France. This city taught me how to be my best self—to wear that red dress and to take compliments from adoring men who sometimes kissed my hand; to open my heart more and let life dazzle me. In all the world, there is no city like it, and should you visit, she has the power to change you and your life for the better.
BUY ON AMAZON
A LOVE LETTER TO PARIS
BY REBECCA RAISIN
Old-fashioned romantic Lilou hadn’t imagined her top secret Paris Cupid project could ever have attracted so many people looking for true love. But then a message arrives—someone is in love with her and knows her secret identity…
IN HER OWN WORDS…
My love affair with Paris began in my teens and has only grown stronger as I have grown in years. Funnily enough, it was reading memoirs set in the City of Light that ignited this romance. I fell hard for the rich descriptions of a place that seemed so charming and exotic compared to the little suburbia I came from. When I finally got my wish to travel to Paris that love exploded. I swooned being in the presence of all those glorious French accents, the culture, the history, the je ne sais quoi that makes it so special. Boulevards felt familiar to me, as if I had walked down them before, in a past life maybe? It certainly felt like I’d returned home, somehow. And since that first trip, I’ve returned time and again, always staying in a different arrondissement to eke out a new vista, a new experience, a wishing place, even! My family always ask: Why Paris? There are other cities in the world, you know! And sure, we might stop in other cities as long as they lead to Paris because it stole my teenage heart and never gave it back.
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THE VELVET HOURS
BY ALYSON RICHMAN
Inspired by the true account of an abandoned Parisian apartment, Alyson Richman brings to life Solange, the young woman forced to leave her fabled grandmother’s legacy behind to save all that she loved.
IN HER OWN WORDS…
Paris remains one of my favorite cities in the world. I love how the light hits the buildings, how one discovers something beautiful at every turn. I have taken both my children on separate trips and delighted in watching their expressions transform as they stepped for the first time inside the Museé D’orsay or stood in front of Monet’s “Water Lilies” at the Musée de l’orangerie. One of my favorite things to do in Paris is to sit in Place des Voges and watch the Parisiannes who come and sit on the lawn, reading a book or catching up with a friend. I imagine Victor Hugo strolling past the fountain and dipping through the door of his apartment. Paris is where I come to reboot, to be inspired and to dream.
BUY ON AMAZON
THE BOOK OF LOST FRAGRANCES
BY M.J. ROSE
Traveling to Paris to investigate her brother’s disappearance, Jac L’Etoile discovers a mysterious scent developed in Cleopatra’s time. Could the rumors swirling be true? Can this ancient perfume hold the power to unlock the ability to remember past lives and conclusively prove reincarnation?
IN HER OWN WORDS…
No matter how many times I visit Paris, there’s always a new discovery to make. You turn a corner and see a Belle Epoch storefront still intact. You stroll down a street on the Left Bank and stumble upon a tiny florist no bigger than a closet. You make a detour when you spot a tiny park and spot a lovely fountain at its center. I have a few traditions for my first morning in Paris. I take a walk across the Seine, stand in the middle of a bridge and watch the water pass by. Out loud I always say , Bonjour, Paris. (This always makes me weepy.) Then I make my way to Cafe Flore for a buttery croissant and cafe creme. And then I visit L’Orangerie and say Bonjour to Monsieur Monet. And no matter how long I am there I try to go out of my way to visit a street or neighborhood I’ve never been to before.
