Like so many others, David Lebovitz dreamed about living in Paris ever since he first visited the city in the 1980s. Finally, after a nearly two-decade career as a pastry chef and cookbook author, he moved to Paris to start a new life. Having crammed all his worldly belongings into three suitcases, he arrived, hopes high, at his new apartment in the lively Bastille neighborhood. 

But he soon discovered it’s a different world en France. Continue reading “The Sweet Life in Paris”

Just in time for Paris’ celebration of  the 120th anniversary of the Eiffel Tower  is a new book by Jill Jonnes which tells the story of the world-famous monument and the extraordinary world’s fair that introduced it.

Since it opened in May 1889, the Eiffel Tower has been an iconic image of modern times-as much a beacon of technological progress as an enduring symbol of Paris and French culture. But as engineer Gustave Eiffel built the now-famous landmark to be the spectacular centerpiece of the 1889 World’s Fair, he stirred up a storm of vitriol from Parisian tastemakers, lawsuits, and predictions of certain structural calamity.

In Eiffel’s Tower, Jill Jonnes   combines technological and social history to create a richly textured portrayal of an age of aspiration, dreams and progress. It is a compelling account of the tower’s creation and a superb portrait of Belle Epoque France.

A new biography by Caroline Moorehead “Dancing to the Precipice: The Life of Lucie de la Tour du Pin and the French Revolution” tells the tale of a woman who witnessed one of the most dramatic periods of history  while playing the part of observer, commentator and sometimes participant. Continue reading “Dancing to the Precipice… one woman’s story”

Foreign Tongue: A Novel of Life and Love in Paris by Vanina Marsot tells the tale of pragmatic professional writer Anna, who has been unlucky in love in L.A., and has come to Paris with keys to her aunt’s empty apartment. Bilingual and blessed with dual citizenship, she seeks solace in the delectable pastries, in the company of old friends, and in her exciting new job: translating a mysterious, erotic French novel by an anonymous author. Intrigued by the story, and drawn in by the mystery behind the book, Anna soon finds herself among the city’s literati-and in the arms of an alluring Parisian-as she resolves to explore who she is . . . in both cultures.

Paris is one of those cities that evokes passions and Canadian author Keith Spicer shares his with a new book “Paris Passion, Watching the French Being Brilliant and Bizarre.”   ” She seduced me when I was twenty.” says Spicer ” Half a century later, I’m still her head-over-heels love-addict. Over the centuries, Paris has snared countless lovers, but she always seems to have room for one or two more.” Continue reading “Paris Passions”

John Baxter, author of “We’ll Always Have Paris,” has come out with a new book on France just in time for the holidays which is sure to please those Francophiles on your gift list. A witty cultural and culinary education, Immoveable Feast is the charming, funny, and improbable tale of how a man who was raised on white bread-and didn’t speak a word of French-unexpectedly ended up with the sacred duty of preparing the annual Christmas dinner for a venerable Parisian family. Continue reading “A Paris Christmas”

“I wrote A Revolution in Taste: The Rise of French Cuisine,” says author Susan Pinkard, “because I am fascinated by the intersection of the routines of everyday life with the world of ideas.” This splendid book just out for the holidays looks at one of the world’s most famous cuisines and how it got that way. Continue reading “A Revolution in Taste…”

If Parisians seem more sexually sophisticated than their anglo-Saxon counterparts, it’s only because they’ve had a long time to perfect their naughty ways. Paris is a city where the quest for joie de vivre has long been taken to its debauched extremes, with a reputation as a capital of forbidden pleasures and illicit indulgences spanning centuries. From royal dalliances of Reine Margot in the 16th century to the high-class brothels of the early 20th century, even today we remain enchanted and fascinated by the tales of those who once made Paris their playground for erotic exploits. Continue reading “A Naughty Parisian History Primer”

This new book by Eric Karpeles is a visual companion to Marcel Proust’s monumental twentieth century work  “In Search of Lost Time,” one of the most expansive literary creations ever written. It celebrates the close relationship between the visual and literary arts in Proust’s masterpiece. Author Eric Karpeles has combined his experiences as painter and writer to create a lavishly illustrated book that illuminates the winding corridors of Proust’s labyrinthine masterpiece. Continue reading “Paintings in Proust”