My Favorite French Books – the List Continues

Here’s a list of more of my favorite French books just because my bookshelves are overflowing! The last post of my favorite French books was so much fun to write. It was almost like rereading each of the books and who’s to say that I won’t end up doing that at some point.

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My Favorite French Books

Fogas Chronicles by Julia Stagg– This delightful series lets you escape to the French Pyrenees to the small hamlet of Fogas. In actuality Stagg and her husband did move to the Ariege-Pyrenees and opened an auberge. Her books are based on their adventures there. Whether or not the characters are real or fictional, they will work their way into your heart. I never wanted to stop reading once I began and yet I did not want the book to end. It felt like parting with old friends when I finished the last book.

• L’Auberge
• The Parisian’s Return
• The French Postmistress
• A Fête to Remember
• A Christmas Wedding
• Last Chance in the Pyrenees

Paris

13, rue Thérèse by Elena Mauli Shapiro  – This story is told from the viewpoint of an American scholar at a university in Paris. It unfolds around a box of letters and memorabilia as it deftly develops the main character. The interesting piece of trivia is that the main character is a real person who lived above the author in Paris. In addition to that, Shapiro actually is in possession of this box around which she develops her novel. The inclusion of actual pictures of items from the box left pondering that fine line occurs between fact and fiction.

Cycling

France on Two Wheels: Six Long Bike Rides for the Bon Vivant Cyclist by Adam Ruck – If you want to cycle in France but don’t know where to begin, I think Adam Ruck’s book is a good beginning. It’s full of practical tips as well as weaving in his very interesting travel journal and photos. I was definitely an armchair traveler on this one but would love to be brave enough to take off and cycle as he did! One of my favorite points in this book is his addition of snippets from Robert Louis Stevenson’s Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes , another of my favorite books.

 More of My Favorite French Books – History

Rennes-le-Château

The Cook, The Rat and The Heretic: Living in the Shadow of Rennes-le-Château by Hugo Soskin – Set in the shadow of Rennes-le-Château which is shrouded in mystery and conspiracy theories, the author writes his own personal story. Sometimes tongue-in-cheek and sometimes taking outright stabs at the mystery here that people have bought in to. The title gives a hint at the type of humor you will find. In my opinion, the writing is almost a rebellion, on the author’s part, against his father Henry Lincoln who is the renowned author of The Holy Place:Saunière and the Decoding of the Mystery of Rennes-le-Château so the Soskin is both literally and figuratively in the shadow of Rennes-le-Château. (note: I have not read Lincoln’s book.)

The Treasure of Rennes-le-Château: A Mystery Solved by Bill Putnam and John Edward Wood – This is a detailed but fascinating look at the mysteries that surrounded the parish priest in Rennes-le-Château, the discovered treasure and the wealth it ultimately brought him. I read this book before coming across Soskin’s book above.  The author’s do a brilliant job of attempting to untangle the hoax and debunk the elaborate myth that was created. Truth is definitely stranger than fiction in this case!

General History

Love and War in the Pyrenees: A Story of Courage, Fear and Hope 1939-1944 by Rosemary Bailey – This book is a wonderful meld of history, travel journal and memoir. The author has found a cache of letters and used those as the base for her writing. Bailey researches the lives of the two lovers in the letters. From this she discovers Resistance fighters, concentration camps and escape routes over the Pyrenees just to list a few. It is history at its best – its best presentation. As I said in an earlier post, I’ve always found reading history books to be a bit dry. This book, however, was difficult to put down.

La Vie en Bleu: France and the French Since 1900 by Rod Edward – This book attracted my attention because of the narrow historical focus. I wanted to know more about occupied France, the Resistance movement and collaboration. Even though it spans 100 years, it has definitely improved my understanding.  I also wanted to have a better comprehension of the idea of French identity”. The personal stories he includes helped with that understanding. The reviewer from the Scotsman  said best “[it was]…exhilaratingly readable, [and] shrewdly perceptive..”

Favorite French Books About Wine and Vineyards

Wine and History

Wine and War: The French, The Nazis, and the Battle for France’s Greatest Treasure by Donald & Petie Kladstrup – I found it fascinating the measures that the vignerons took to protect not only their vines but their wine when the Nazis moved in during World War II. The book is tense and yet, at the same time a bit comical. I loved the part that explained how new bottles of lesser quality wine were dusted to appear old. These older wines were viewed as more valuable by the Germans yet they had been hidden in plain sight. You also discover that the cellars (les aves) were re-routed so that the majority of the wine was hidden. This is a fascinating book about the making of wine and the history surrounding it during the second World War.

The Widow Cliquot: The Story of the Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It by Tilar J. Mazzeo – This is a fascinating biography of Barbe-Nicole Cliquot (1777-1866). Her life spanned almost 4 Revolutions in France. At a time when women were not in the forefront of the business world, this young 27 year old widow became a leader in the Champagne industry. This was yet another book that was difficult to put down.

Winemaking

Virgile’s Vineyard: A Year in the Languedoc Wine Country by Patrick Moon – Virgil Joly is a young vigneron who befriends Patrick who has inherited his uncle’s dilapidated house in the Languedoc region of France. In the beginning, Patrick’s intent is to take a year’s sabbatical from his job and then return home. Virgile, who is in his first year of wine making, takes Patrick under his wing. W get to follow month by month the wine process from grape to glass. It is a fascinating journey learning this process. Along the way we get to know the people of this close-knit village. At times very humorous and always informative and interesting, this book was hard to put down!

What fun this has been! I’ve enjoyed taking a trip down memory lane as I write about my favorite French books. The book shelf is brimming with ideas for yet another list, my friends!