In addition to my Guide to Paris, here’s my general list of recommendations for all things France!
NOTE: Whenever possible, I’m using Amazon affiliate links. With that said, everything on this list is something I personally recommend and endorse and would be delighted to talk about with you!!
Books
You can hear me going into detail about most of these recommendations in 51. Our Third Anniversary! Listener Q&A:
- Seven Ages of Paris by Alistair Horne
- La Belle France by Alistair Horne
- The Other Paris by Luc Sante
- The Affair by Jean-Denis Breden
- When Paris Went Dark by Ronald C. Rosbottom
- And The Show Went On by Alan Riding
- The Rape of Europa by Lynn Nicholas
- A Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert
- The Vagabond by Colette
- Lost Illusions by Honoré de Balzac
- Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky
- The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Movies
- A Very Long Engagement
- 8 Women
- Contempt
- Diabolique
- Amélie
- Jean de Florette
- The Class
- My Night at Maud’s
- Julie & Julia (not technically French, but it scratches the itch!)
Music
Links lead to Spotify:
- Camille – Le Fil
- Christine and the Queens – Saint Claude (probably the first five episodes were written with Christine and the Queens playing in the background!)
- Gomme – Hiss and Absent Healing
- Lolo Zouaï – High Highs to Low Lows
- Edith Piaf – Duh, but my favorite song of hers is a lesser known track named “Les Amants”
- Here’s my playlist from my last trip to Paris: les vacances
- When in doubt, the Marie Antoinette soundtrack is never a bad backdrop