Stuff Parisians like: discovering the quoi in the je ne sais quoi

Author: Olivier Magny

Language: English

Summary: This book describes like no others what truly makes Paris life so unique. Olivier Magny is a real Parisian: he was born and raised in the City of Lights and shares here his spot-on analyses and priceless insights about his city.

And he does all that with great humor and wit. The series of articles presented in that book even conquered the hearts of the French, where it became a national best-seller.

So if you want to know Paris as it is, understand things beyond clichés, learn the tricks and phrases that will make you blend in and have a good laugh all at the same time – this might just be the book for you. Source: amazon.com

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les parisiennes

Les Parisiennes: How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved, and Died Under Nazi Occupation

Author: Anne Sebba

Language: English

SummaryNew York Times bestselling author Anne Sebba explores a devastating period in Paris’s history and tells the stories of how women survived―or didn’t―during the Nazi occupation. Paris in the 1940s was a place of fear, power, aggression, courage, deprivation, and secrets. During the occupation, the swastika flew from the Eiffel Tower and danger lurked on every corner. While Parisian men were either fighting at the front or captured and forced to work in German factories, the women of Paris were left behind where they would come face to face with the German conquerors on a daily basis, as waitresses, shop assistants, or wives and mothers, increasingly desperate to find food to feed their families as hunger became part of everyday life. When the Nazis and the puppet Vichy regime began rounding up Jews to ship east to concentration camps, the full horror of the war was brought home and the choice between collaboration and resistance became unavoidable. Sebba focuses on the role of women, many of whom faced life and death decisions every day. After the war ended, there would be a fierce settling of accounts between those who made peace with or, worse, helped the occupiers and those who fought the Nazis in any way they could. – Source: Amazon.com

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david lebovitz

The sweet life in Paris

Author: David Leibovitz

Language: English

Summary: Paris might seem like the greatest city in the world, but there’s a lot to learn if you truly want to fit in. David Lebovitz, an admirer of Paris for many years, came to learn this firsthand when he finally moved there. He discovered a lot about the city, from how important it is to dress up to take out the garbage, to the various social mores regarding men’s footwear, to how one is supposed to eat a cheese plate (apparently not willy-nilly, like some of us might think). Through his writing and recipes, you’ll discover Paris as you’ve never seen it before (though you may remain mystified as to why cartoon characters on men’s socks are particularly Parisian). – Source: Book Prescriptions

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kristin louise duncombe

Five Flights Up: Sex, Love, and Family, from Paris to Lyon

Author: Kristin Louise Duncombe

Language: English

Summary: “How can you be sick of living in Paris?” Life unravels when American psychotherapist Kristin Louise Duncombe faces being uprooted again—to follow her husband from their secure nest in Paris to bourgeois Lyon. The result is a touchstone memoir for anyone facing a move, dealing with marital ghosts, or confronting the professional death of starting anew. Duncombe’s unique specialty is helping “trailing spouses” maintain their sanity while following their other half around the globe. But she must reconfigure everything she thought she knew about her “expat expertise” when her child sinks into existential crisis, addiction to Lyonnais cream puffs blooms, and tea time is to be had with glamorous French moms whose sex lives include swingers’ parties. This boisterous, big-hearted book provides a compelling glimpse into love, family, and sex in France, and a modern family grappling with the inevitable downs – and ups – of building a new life. – Source: Amazon.com

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evie gaughan

The Mysterious Bakery On Rue De Paris

Author: Evie Gaughan

Language: English

Summary: This is the magical tale of Edith Lane, who sets off to find her fortune in the beautiful city of Paris. Fortune, however, is a fickle thing and Edith ends up working in a vintage bakery in the positively antique town of Compiègne. Escaping heartache and singledom in Ireland, Edith discovers that the bakery on Rue De Paris is not exactly what it seems and that some ghosts from the past are harder to escape than others. A heart-warming story that is sure to appeal to all of the senses, The Mysterious Bakery On Rue De Paris is a mouth-watering journey of love, liberty and la vie en rose. – Source: Amazon.com

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bonjour kale

Bonjour Kale: A Memoir of Paris, Love, and Recipes

Author: Kristen Beddard

Language: English

Summary: The story of how one expat woman left her beloved behind when she moved to France-her beloved kale, that is. Unable to find le chou kale anywhere upon moving to the City of Light with her new husband, and despite not really speaking French, Kristen Beddard launched a crusade to single-handedly bring kale to the country of croissants and cheese. Infused with Kristen’s recipes and some from French chefs, big and small (including Michelin star chef Alain Passard) Bonjour Kale is a humorous, heartfelt memoir of how Kristen, kale, and France collide. – Source: Amazon.com

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