paris

Little Demon in the City of Light

By Steven Levingston
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by Jackie M.
Aug 4, 2018

In Paris in the late 1800s, with hypnotism as a popular form of entertainment, a strange murder case captivated the world. Gabrielle Bompard claims to have been hypnotized on numerous occasions since childhood, and everyone from her lovers to her family doctor concur that she is very susceptible to suggestion. When she is captured after having worked with Michel Eyraud, kills a man, and then lives on the run, her defense is that she can not be held responsible for her part in the crime, because, not only was the murder Eyraud's idea, but he had a hypnotic power over her, and she was not a

A Year in the Merde

By Stephen Clarke

Rated by Megan C.
Jan 8, 2017

Need a break from American foibles? Here is a perfect chance to laugh at both the English and the French instead.

I loved A Year in Provence, by Peter Mayle, about an expat making a home in the French countryside. His account is filled with plenty of humor and not a little exasperation, but ultimately the author showcases the beauty of the belle vie. Stephen Clarke follows suit with his congenial lambast of French and Parisian culture. His novel (or thinly-disguised tell-all?) takes us away from provincial life and explores the inner workings of professional and urban scenes, with not so much

Revolution

By Donnelly, Jennifer

Rated by Library Staff (not verified)
May 7, 2016

At 18, Andi Alpers has lost her will to live. Her brother Truman has died, her father has deserted the family and is putting her mother in a mental hospital. In Paris, where her father is working on a project on King Louis-Charles, Andi vows to make their three-week visit a misery. But when she finds a journal that might hold the missing key to Louis-Charles history, she completely forgets about everything, including her senior thesis, and focuses instead on solving the mystery of his death.

Rewind to the 18th century, where King Louis-Charles is imprisoned after his father and mother - Louis

The Red Notebook

By Antoine Laurain
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by Sarah As
Apr 17, 2016

I read a good review of The Red Notebook on the Brit blog, We Love this Book and decided to give it a try. A Parisian woman, Laure, is mugged outside her apartment and her expensive leather bag is stolen. The assailant disposes of the bag in a nearby dumpster and it is found by a neighborhood bookseller, Laurent. With the wallet and any other identifying items taken, Laurent is intrigued with the remaining contents of the bag, including a little red notebook and is determined to find the owner. Francophiles and fans of The Little Paris Bookshop and The Elegance of the Hedgehog will want to

The Little Paris Bookshop

By Nina George

Rated by Library Staff (not verified)
Sep 24, 2015

Facing hard moments is not easy for anyone, especially Jean Perdu, the self-proclaimed literary apothecary who prescribes books to people based on their emotional state. He has essentially shut himself off, emotionally and physically, from the world since he was left by his lover over twenty years ago. Now fate has led him back to that very moment of heartbreak when he is forced to open a door, again emotionally and physically, and give away some of his last few possessions to a friend in need. Amongst those items is a letter his lover wrote to him on that fateful day. After reading it, he is

Rodin's Lover

By Heather Webb

Rated by Library Staff (not verified)
Mar 20, 2015

Camille Claudel is a woman most women cannot stand – she’s arrogant, loud-mouthed and pretentious. She always has an opinion, the right one, and she’s never afraid to share it. If you think these characteristics annoying and rude in today’s society, imagine its late 19th century Paris where men rule society and women are just prizes on their arms. Predictably, Claudel doesn’t win friends in Heather Webb’s Rodin’s Lover, a fictionalized account of the real-life affair of Claudel and Auguste Rodin.

Claudel is born into a well-off but working-class family who spend their summers in Villeneuve

The Chocolate Thief

By Laura Florand
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Rachel N.
Sep 6, 2014

Welcome to Paris! Cade Corey of America's favorite chocolate maker, Corey Chocolate, has just landed. Her dream is to transform the name of Corey (synonymous with comfortable) by including a new gourmet line of chocolates to be created by the top chocolatier in Paris, maybe even the world. The top chocolatier happens to be Sylvian Marquis and he (not so politely) says no. Cade does not give up. She tries a few other chocolatiers on her list but she really wants Sylvian Marquis to be her chocolatier. But Cade might have to break a few rules to make it happen.

I really enjoyed this steamy

Aug 24, 2012

Hollywood film star Fredric Stahl is in Paris to make a movie.  It is 1938 and tension is high.  Born in Austria, Stahl has an insight into European politics unknown to others from America.  He is approached by old “friends” who invite him to Berlin for a meeting with Nazi officials eager to include him in an upcoming propaganda film.   He plans to refuse until he speaks with a diplomat at the American embassy in Paris who offers Stahl the opportunity to make an “exchange” while in Berlin.  So begins his life as a spy.  The story and characters, especially the women, are somewhat wooden and