Wednesday 22 June 2022

🇫🇷 Paris in July 🇫🇷

July is with us again and so is Paris in July.

Welcome to another exciting month where we exchange reviews about books we read about Paris. Last year, I read three books and posted about the movies I have seen about Paris (see here).

I found the challenge last year at Lisbeth @ The Content Reader. Tamara @ Thyme for Tea has been hosting a Paris in July challenge for eleven years. This year, she hosts together with Deb @ Readerbuzz. She has been posting lovely Paris pictures for the last couple of weeks on her Wordless Wednesdays. Check out her page here.

Before July starts, maybe some of you would like some ideas. Here is a list about all the books I read where Paris is either the topic or at least part of the read.

Barbery, Muriel "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" (F: L’Elégance du hérisson) - 2006
Beauvoir, Simone de "She came to stay" (F: L'invitée) - 1943Broerken, Hella "Paris Walks" (GE: Paris-Spaziergänge) - 2013

Clarke, Stephen "A Year in the Merde" - 2004
- "Merde actually" (aka In the Merde for Love) - 2006
Dickens, Charles
"A Tale of Two Cities" - 1859
Doerr, Anthony "All the Light We Cannot See" - 2014 
Gavalda, Anna "Hunting and Gathering" (F: Ensemble c’est tout) - 2006
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"I Wish Someone Were Waiting for Me Somewhere" (F: Je voudrais quelqu’un m’attende quelque part) - 1999 (short stories)
Gopnik, Adam "Paris to the Moon" - 2000
Hugo, Victor "Les Misérables" (F: Les Misérables) - 1862
Mak, Geert
"In Europe. Travels Through the Twentieth Century" (NL: In Europa: Reizen door de twintigste eeuw) - 2004
McLain, Paula "The Paris Wife" - 2012
Modiano, Patrick "La Place de l'Étoile" (F: La Place de l'Étoile) - 1968
Némirovsky, Irène "Suite Française" (F: Suite Française) - 2004
Rutherfurd, Edward "Paris" - 2013
Sadler, Michael "An Englishman in Paris" - 2000
Savage Carlson, Natalie "The Family Under the Bridge" - 1958
Schmitt, Éric-Emmanuel "Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran" (F: Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran) - 1999
- "Oscar and the Lady in Pink" (F: Oscar et la dame rose) - 2002
Schwarzer, Alice "My Life" (GE: Lebenslauf) - 2011
Serreau, Coline "Pilgrimage in French" (F: Saint-Jacques... La Mecque/Pilgern auf Französisch) - 2008
Simenon, Georges "Maigret Sets a Trap"
(Maigret #48) (F: Maigret tend un piège) - 1958
Slimani, Leïla "Adèle" (F: Dans le jardin de l'ogre) - 2014
Wickert, Ulrich "Everything About Paris" (GE: Alles über Paris) - 2004

Camus, Albert "The First Man" (F: Le premier homme) - 1994

Books I read about France or the French language:
Camus, Albert "
The First Man" (F: Le premier homme) - 1994
Conrad, François "Why German Barks and French Purrs" (GE: Warum Deutsch bellt und Französisch schnurrt) - 2021
Delacourt, Grégoire "The List of My Desires/My Wish List" (F: La liste de mes envies) - 2012
Drinkwater, Carol "The Olive Farm" and further Olive Farm Books - 2001-2010
- "The Olive Harvest" - 2006
Dumas, Alexandre "The Count of Monte Cristo" (F: Le comte de Monte-Cristo) - 1844-46
Kennel, Odile "What Ida says" (GE: Was Ida sagt) - 2011
Mayle, Peter "A Year in Provence" - 1998
Philippe, Daniele "My Europe Began in Normandy" (J'avais quinze ans en juin 1944 en Normandie) - 1988
Sand, George "Fadette" (aka Fanchon, the Cricket)) (F: La Petite Fadette) - 1849

Stendhal "The Red and the Black" (F: Le Rouge et le Noir) - 1830
Stevenson, Helen "Instructions for Visitors. Life and Love in a French Town" - 2001

In the end, I read two books this year:
Leroux, Gaston "The Phantom of the Opera" (F: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) - 1910
Némirovsky, Irène
"La Proie" [The Prey] - 1938

If you are looking for more books about France, have a look here.
And for my other Paris in July years, see here.

Also, if you have read an interesting book about Paris or France or a book taking place there, please, let me know. If you have reviewed it, I'd be grateful for a link.

🇫🇷 Joyeux Juillet 🇫🇷

21 comments:

  1. I can only really comment on mostly non-fiction books on Paris. They are:

    Paris Reborn – Napoleon III, Baron Haussmann, and the Quest to Build a Modern City by Stephane Kirkland

    Les Parisiennes – How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved and Died in the 1940’s by Anne Sebba

    Parisians – As Adventure History of Paris by Graham Robb

    Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell

    Eleven Days in August – The Liberation of Paris in 1944 by Matthew Cobb

    Americans in Paris – Life and Death under Nazi Occupation 1940-1944 by Charles Glass

    The Terrible Year – The Paris Commune, 1871 by Alistair Horne

    The easiest way to get to the reviews is through the 'France' label on my Blog. There's only 17 books in there.

    The only Paris novel that really jumps out at me (from my reading) is Pure by Andrew Miller based in 1785. Review is here: https://cyberkittenspot.blogspot.com/2017/05/just-finished-reading-pure-by-andrew.html

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    1. They all sound great, Kitten. I wonder whether I will ever get to read them all but I will copy them into my wishlist and see what I can do. Thanks.

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    2. I was thinking about putting together a list of books I'd call 'Capital Crimes' with crime novels from as many world capitals as possible. I might just see how many city titles I can find in my stacks without giving me even more excuses to buy yet more books! [grin]

      I do like the idea of 'July in Paris' though. It's started me thinking..... [muses]

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    3. That sounds like a great idea, Kitten. I think we would all find enough capital cities for our TTT, not necessarily all crime novels but still ...

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  2. Nice list! I'm making my plans for what to read for PIJ. My goal this year is to read books by French-language writers who lived in Paris, and try to get a French point of view, rather than the view of a tourist or an ex-pat. You have listed several of them -- some of yours are already on my list or on past reading lists.

    I'm looking forward to reading your reviews.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. Oh, that sounds nice, Mae. I'm looking forward to seeing what you read. I think both point of views are interesting to hear, in every case. A foreigner who moves somewhere, sees the country or city with very different eyes but it is so nice to learn how the locals feel.

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  3. This is a great idea to share for people planning for Paris in July. Thank you!

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    1. Thank you, Deb. As you know, I love lists and this was another opportunity to create one. LOL

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  4. I haven't read this, but The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay

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    1. I have heard of it and other books by this author but never read any of her books. Thanks for the addition, Lisa.

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  5. I haven't read this, but The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay

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  6. All I have to offer would be books about Eleanor of Aquitaine, and technically only a small part of her life is even related to Paris, so, yeah.

    I do want to go to Paris though, to show my Eleanor the only known object in existence that belonged to Eleanor of Aquitaine - the rock crystal vase she gifted Louis VII for their wedding. It's in the Louvre.

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    1. There are so many great things to see in Paris. And the flair is just indescribable. I hope you can see Paris and enjoy everything I always enjoyed, Sarah.

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    2. Thank you! My secret plan is to take Eleanor to Europe as a graduation gift after high school, unless we go before then. We would spend a couple days in France going every place that still has a connection to Eleanor of Aquitaine - mainly around Poitou and Fontevraud Abbey specifically, then spend some time in Edinburgh, since that is where her middle name comes from, then wander around England for the rest of the trip.

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    3. That sounds fantastic, Sarah. I know that will still be a couple of years from now but if it is at all possible, I will try to be able to meet you somewhere. Just let me know.

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  7. What a great list of books Marianne!
    Which French book do you think you will read this year?

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    1. Thanks, Brona. Well, first of all, I have started with "The Phantom of the Opera" by Gaston Leroux as my Classics Club book (what a coincidence) and might take on "La Proie" by Irène Némirovsky next which is also on my classics list.

      What about you?

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  8. Great list! I love Nemirovsky and Suite Francaise is brilliant. I also loved her short story collection, Dimanche and Other Stories. I hadn't heard of La Proie, is there an English translation?

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    1. Unfortunately not, Karen. Sorry. I must have picked this up in a second hand bookshop in Brussels and since I liked "Suite Française", I bought it. It's been on my TBR list for a while now, I wanted to keep it for "Paris in July". I hope you still find some interesting books for the project.

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  9. Thank you for the list and inspiration. Happy that you are joining the challenge. Since I am travelling, in Denmark for the moment, I am a little bit slow. Will start reading my first French book today though. More on my website.

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    1. I'm sure you find other ways to bring Paris into your life this month, like you did last year, an inspiration to us all.

      Are you planning to head further South? You know you are always welcome for coffee. Maybe we can do a French theme?

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