Books & Guides & Writing
Books, fiction or non-fiction; guide books about Paris, past or present; Writing/Literature salons, groups, seminars, workshops
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Prepare Your Visit to Paris, France
Suitcase? Check! Camera? Check! Walking shoes? Check! Reading material? Prepare in advance with some book ideas! Language? Brush up on that French grammar! Frantastique is my Wednesday exercise. Then when I go shopping or chat on the street, those proper verbs just slide right out ... still studying though! Some of the books in my library are Paris walking tours. They provide enough material to stroll through Paris and explore. Another prepares you with a story and history for your Champagne tasting. David Downie's books are walking tours of history. Each chapter of each book weaves a tale of discovery. Tilar J. Mazzeo's book whisks you into Champagne history with…
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David Downie’s Parisian Love Affair with Food
"A Taste of Paris, A History of the Parisian Love Affair with Food" is a fun book in David's style. David combines history, travelogue and a personal quest. David's quest this time: "What is it about the history of Paris that has made it a food lover's paradise?" You can follow his Paris food seduction from 53 BC to the present. Bringing Paris food history alive, David presents lots of written culinary activity between the 1300s and 1792 (end of the Ancien Régime) with all the King Louis's, their chefs and the chefs’ cookbooks. David takes us back to the barbarian Parisiis squatting, eating with no tableware and demonstrates how the…
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Paris Fashion – Read a Book
Want to read a French book? Don't want to spend a fortune if the exchange rate goes bad? Buy a two euro book. All Parisians read a book. Ride the Paris metro and look at what people are holding in their hands: A book.... "Boule de Suif" is a book of short stories by Guy de Maupassant that began my two euro addiction. I skipped looking up the adjectives because I understood the gist of the stories. Each of the stories is about a woman....
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Book review: PJ Adams-Intoxicating Southern France
Passing through some of the villages in Southern France and stopping along the way, JP Adams is your chauffeur. Get intoxicated. You won’t have a hangover, but you will feel a good buzz while reading PJ Adams’ latest personalized travelogue, “Intoxicating Southern France”. Each chapter is broken down into seven sections: History & Landscape, People & Lifestyle, Food, Shopping, Wine, Navigating the Area, Culture & Art. Having visited these regions, I like her personal touch, information and anecdotes
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Buying Books For, About and In Paris
If you want a free guidebook when you arrive in Paris, visit the Paris Tourist Office for guidebooks or download and read them before you arrive. If you decide to buy a guidebook when you arrive, Paris has English language bookstores and guidebooks available at some kiosks, English and French book stores and second-hand stores. "Relay" is a kiosk found in the train stations, airports and in the metros. FNAC is a French bookstores where you might find English language guidebooks. W.H.Smith and Galignani are the largest English language Paris bookstores.
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Book Review: “Intoxicating Paris, Uncorking the Parisian Within”
There is always something useful and something to learn in a guide book. PJ Adams' recent book, "Intoxicating Paris, Uncorking the Parisian Within", is a combination of helpful hints all rolled into one. It is a personal insight, lightweight travel guide with suggestions, partial psychological and psychotherapeutic guide to American and French cultural differences, and a marketing tool for other authors. I was able to identify myself in some parts and appreciated the parts on the cultural differences. "Intoxicating Paris" is a good start for a first-time visitor.
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The Paris “Honeymoon” to Daily Routine Transition
Donne Davis sent me this recap, along with her husband’s cartoons, of her recent Paris visit. Being in Paris with Sonny was Donne’s fantasy come true. They spent ten days in a charming apartment a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower celebrated their 45-year honeymoon...
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Book Review: Paris to the Pyrenées, A Skeptic Pilgrim Walks the Way of Saint James
David Downie’s latest entertaining memoir, “Paris to the Pyrenées, a skeptic pilgrim walks the way of Saint James” is a series of vignettes. The book is multipurpose whose words constantly upturned my lips into a smile or a smirk. They are the stories of his walk across France. It is also a guidebook along a segment of a trail steeped in history. It is a memoir of a skeptic pilgrim’s path to self-help along the Route of Saint James. When your body is falling apart, why not have a personal quest to possess France by walking across it! ….
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A Guide to Paris for Lovers of Literature
For guest contributors, Marta López and Josie Sampson, Paris is the city that has spent centuries inspiring artists, writers, musicians, photographers and filmmakers alike – and within minutes of wandering the streets of the City of Light, it is not hard to see why. If, like them, it is literature in particular that tickles your artistic fancy, you’re in luck. Home to around 1000 bookshops in the city and almost 100 libraries, Paris boasts an impressive literary history, having been home to the great writers, both past and present.
