English Books Paris: What’s New at Bill & Rosa’s Book Room

Each month in the Book Room online, we recommend newly published books and for May we’ve selected some books to help with learning English, about Paris and one to get you to venture out of town.

LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY

DAVID COPPERFIELD

THE TEMPEST

The Read in English series consists of classic stories, like those listed above, rewritten for new readers of English. Grâce aux titres de la collection « Harrap’s school », les élèves de collège (4-6^ème) peuvent commencer à lire en VO (et acquérir les niveaux A1 et A2) tous les grands classiques de la littérature anglo-saxonne. Le texte en anglais est adapté aux niveaux des collégiens. Enrichi de belles illustrations, d’un lexique en fin d’ouvrage pour aider à la compréhension de l’intrigue et d’une version audio pour s’imprégner du bon accent. Lire en anglais ? C’est facile et plaisant avec Harrap’s. Publisher: Harrap’s School

What we think: Little Lord Fauntleroy is the absolutely charming story of Cedric who is a very generous boy. A book every one should read. We’re happy to see it part of this collection with other great classics so everyone can read in English (and there are other languages available too!)

CHIEN POURRI ! AU MUSÉE Chien Pourri a un peu peur : il parait que les musées, ça fait gonfler les pieds. Mais une visite au Louvre, ça ne se refuse pas. Chaplapla et lui vont voir la Joconde en vrai, le tableau le plus célèbre du monde ! Mais, bien sûr, la visite se met vite à dérailler…

Author : Colas Gutman, Illustrator : Marc Boutavant, Publisher: Ecole des loisirs

DISCOVER LOIRE’S CASTLES Discover their history, the technical feats that went into their construction and all their secrets. From Amboise to Clos Lucé, from Chambord to Chenonceau, from Blois to Villandry, each of these sublime castles conceals unsuspected treasures!  Discover them off the beaten track, with cultural, historical and sometimes even unusual information… Explore the history, big and small, of these landmarks of French history. Discover their secrets and mysteries, and follow our guide to admire their most unusual and sumptuous corners. Even if you’ve nver been to the Loire Valley you’ll find in this book more details and anecdotes to increase your interest.

Author: Flore Guichon, Publisher: Larousse 

DISCOVER PARIS THE PLACE TO BE From Montmartre to Montparnasse, from the Elysée to the Trocadéro, from the Louvre Museum to the Orsay Museum, from the Latin Quarter to the Butte aux Cailles and the Monceau plain, each district of Paris conceals unsuspected treasures! This Paris off the beaten track can be discovered along the alleys, parks, bridges and great monuments… Discover the small details and the great history of these places.  New-comers and old-timers alike will enjoy these anecdotes.

Author: Clémentine Santerre, Publisher: Larousse 

HALF AN HOUR FROM PARIS 

Londoner Annabel Simms has been circling around Paris for more than 25 years. Her first book An Hour from Paris came out in 2002 followed by A Half Hour in 2018 Just recently a revised version of the closer in Half an hour from Paris 12 secret day trips by train was republished. There’s a lot to enjoy just outside the city where there are fewer crowds and more nature plus a chance to stretch your legs on a walk. A Half Hour was Fully revised and updated in 2023. Written with humor and flare for the unusual and authentic, Annabel shares her delight in the little-known treasures of the Ile de France. Half an Hour from Paris presents 12 destinations which are easy to reach from central Paris. Each destination is with a carefully planned walk, ample meanderings through the cultural, historical and social milieu and a stop in a cafe or market. There’s the medieval castle where Henry V died, Josephine and Napoleon’s chateau, 1960s guinguettes, a Victorian gunpowder factory are just some of the discoveries connected by riverside walks and scenic views. If you had the previous version of this book, you’ll be happy to know there are two additional walks in Brunoy and the Parc de Saint Cloud and color photos. What we think: These two books are great for tourists but even better for those who live here and who are ready to explore beyond the beaten paths. The companion book An Hour from Paris is currently in revision and should be out in 2025.

Author: Annabel Simms​, Publisher: Pallas Athene

THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS – Read in English. The classic and adorable story by Kenneth Grahame revised for new readers of English. Grâce aux titres de la collection « Harrap’s school », les élèves de collège (6^ème) peuvent commencer à lire en VO tous les grands classiques de la littérature anglo-saxonne. Le texte en anglais est adapté aux niveaux des collégiens et revu par des enseignants. Il est également enrichi de belles illustrations, d’un lexique en fin d’ouvrage pour aider à la compréhension de l’intrigue et d’une version audio pour s’imprégner du bon accent dès le collège et de fiches pédagogiques téléchargeables pour favoriser l’étude en classe.31. What we think: The absolutely charming story of Toad, Ratty, Badger and Mole. A book every one should read. We’re happy to see this title in now part of this collection so everyone can read in English.

Publisher: Harrap’s School

TOUT L’ANGLAIS AU COLLÈGE Un ouvrage d’anglais adapté à tous les niveaux du collège. De la 6e à la 3e, des leçons de vocabulaire, de grammaire et de conjugaison pour un apprentissage complet de l’anglais. Chaque leçon est accompagnée d’exercices pour mettre en application les nouveaux acquis. Des corrigés permettent de valider les réponses et de travailler en autonomie.

Author: Céline Leclercq, Patrick Santini, Publisher : Larousse 

MÉTHODE EXPRESS ANGLAIS Un ouvrage complet qui a pour objectif d’offrir à l’utilisateur l’opportunité d’acquérir en quelques semaines les bases de l’anglais. Cet outil pédagogique conçu pour un apprentissage autonome et rapide proposera à l’utilisateur tous les outils pour lui permettre de se débrouiller en anglais au quotidien, dans des situations réelles de communication. Plus de 2 heures d’écoute pour accompagner l’apprentissage !

Author : Dominique Gautié, Sheena Andromaque, Publisher : Harrap’s 

One of the most important and enduring books of the twentieth century, ​THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD brings to life a Southern love story with the wit and pathos found only in the writing of Zora Neale Hurston. Out of print for almost thirty years—due largely to initial audiences’ rejection of its strong black female protagonist—Hurston’s classic has since its 1978 reissue become perhaps the most widely read and highly acclaimed novel in the canon of African-American literature. This should be a classic of American literature. In any case it is one everyone should read especially aspiring writers​ who will find much inspiration. It is not easy to read – even if English is your mother tongue- because most of the dialogue is in dialect. But the descriptive language, the choice of every word, is just beautiful. ​Simple choices of names are clearly well thought through; When the antagonist Double-Ugly steps​ in you know it’s going to be bad, just as you know Tea Cake will be good. “…Janie looked down on him and felt a self-crushing love. So her soul crawled out from its h​iding place. »

Author: Zora Neal Hurston, Publisher: Numerous

THE MOST SECRET MEMORY OF MEN is a gripping literary mystery in the vein of Bolaño’s Savage Detectives, this coming-of-age novel unravels the fascinating life of a maligned Black author, based on Yambo Ouologuem. In 2018, Diégane Latyr Faye, a young Senegalese writer in Paris, discovers a legendary book from the 1930s, The Labyrinth of Inhumanity. No one knows what became of its author, once hailed as the “Black Rimbaud,” after the book caused a scandal. Enthralled by this mystery, Diégane decides to search for T.C. Elimane, going down a path that will force him to confront the great tragedies of history, from colonialism to the Holocaust. Alongside his investigation, Diégane becomes part of a group of young African writers in Paris. Together they talk, drink, make love, philosophize about the role of exile in artistic creation. Diégane grows particularly close to two women: the seductive Siga, who holds so many secrets, and the photojournalist Aïda, impossible to pin down. The Most Secret Memory of Men is an astonishing novel about the choice between living and writing, and the desire to transcend the divide between Africa and the West. Above all, it is an ode to literature and its timelessness. The first Sub-Saharan African winner of France’s top literary prize, the Goncourt.

Author: Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, translated by Lara Vergnaud, Publisher: Other Press 

THE AGE OF MAGIC Eight weary filmmakers, traveling from Paris to Basel, arrive at a small Swiss hotel on the shores of a luminous lake. Above them, strewn with lights that twinkle in the darkness, looms the towering Rigi mountain. Over the course of three days and two nights, the travelers will find themselves drawn into the mystery of the mountain reflected in the lake. One by one, they will be disturbed, enlightened, and transformed, each in a different way. An intoxicating and dreamlike tale unfolds. Allow yourself to be transformed. Having shown a different way of seeing the world, Ben Okri now offers a different way of reading. In this enchanting novel from the Booker Prize–winning author, a group of world-weary travelers discover the meaning of life in a mysterious Swiss mountain village.

Author: Ben Okri, Publisher: Other Press 

AN AFRICAN ELEGY is Ben Okri’s remarkable debut poetry collection, first published in 1992. It plays with the mystique of the African continent, countering simplistic narratives of suffering that have been imposed on it with vibrant, nuanced portraits of the traditions and resilience of African peoples. An invaluable window onto his experiences as a Nigerian immigrant to the UK and as a writer discovering his calling, these poems also speak to universal truths about love, injustice, and the search for meaning.

Author: Ben Okri,  Publisher: Other Press 

 

MERDE AT THE PARIS OLYMPICS

Paul West is back and going for pétanque gold, the latest in Stephen Clarke’s well-known Merde series is out. Paul West is, as usual, in dire need of cash and accepts a job helping France’s national pétanque association to try and get its sport accepted as an Olympic event. (It isn’t, by the way, which is scandalous – France’s national sport not at its Olympics? When breakdancing has been accepted as a new event?!) Post-Brexit, Paul is also applying for French citizenship. A Waterloo-style battle with French bureaucracy ensues… And of course there’s a love story as Paul meets and falls for a tech genius who has invented a new kind of solar panel. She doesn’t have time for romantic dalliances, and thinks Paul is an idiot. All in all, a new Parisian romp, mainly set in the north of Paris by the canal. Meet Stephen Clarke and get your signed copy at Bill & Rosa’s Book Room on January 20th. Book Room Events

Author: Stephen Clarke, Publisher: pAf Books

LES GRANDES VIES ROSA BONHEUR Saluée pour ses superbes portraits d’animaux, Rosa a marqué son époque par ses convictions et son indépendance. Véritable héroïne moderne, elle refusa de suivre le schéma classique et préféra rester célibataire sans enfant afin de vivre sa vie comme elle l’entendait. Grande amoureuse de la nature, elle s’installa au château de By, à Thomery, au milieu des biches, des chiens, des chats et autres animaux parfois exotiques.

Author: Camille Viéville, illustrations by Olivia Boutrou, Publisher: Gallimard Jeunesse

CAMILLE PISSARRO THE AUDACITY OF IMPRESSIONISM From the acclaimed biographer and author of Balzac’s Omelette, this engaging new work portrays “the father of Impressionism” (he was even considered “the father” by his painter colleagues). The painter Camille Pissarro (1830–1903) occupied a central place in the artistic scene of his time: a founding member of the new school of French painting, he was a close friend of Monet, a longtime associate in Degas’s and Mary Cassatt’s experimental work, a support to Cézanne and Gauguin and Van Gogh. He was backed by the Parisian art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel throughout his career and yet he felt a persistent sense of being set apart, different, and hard to classify. He was in fact and immigrant and he was Jewish. Settled in France from the age of twenty-five but born in the Caribbean, he was of French and Danish nationality. Although a resolute atheist who never interjected political or religious messages in his art or his day to day, he was felt the weight of his lineage. Drawing on the considerable collection of letters by Pissarro and his correspondents, many of which are to his sons living in England, the author presents his unrestrained thoughts to offer a nuanced, intimate portrait of the artist and his age. Pissarro’s independent spirit fostered an environment of freedom and autonomy and kept him poor most of his life. Much additional research into his colleagues shows the friendship of this close circle of painters and writers and is one strong reason to read this book. The book tells of the art world of the time, the political climate, family life (Pissarro was father of eight) and the struggles that this new movement had to work through to become the most appreciated style of art in the western world. Pissarro lived in Paris, Normandy and the Yvelines and so we have a view of those nearby areas as well. The organization of the book is by theme and so can be a bit confusing chronologically but is well worth the read for the portrait of the artist and this fascinating period of French history. One lasting interrogation that comes to mind is how will future biographers be able to interpret their subjects with today’s electronic (ephemeral?) correspondence?

Author: Anka Muhlstein, translated from French by Adriana Hunter, Publisher: Other Press 

What do the above books have in common? They were shortlisted for the American Library in Paris’ Book Award.

And the Winner is… Joan: A Novel by Katherine J. Chen

Congratulations to Katherine J. Chen for Joan: A Novel, winner of the eleventh annual American Library in Paris Book Award. This exceptional work of historical fiction transforms the legend of Joan of Arc into a flesh-and-blood young woman: reckless, steel-willed, and brilliant. The novel is a sweeping narrative of Joan’s life, from a childhood steeped in both joy and violence to her meteoric rise to fame at the head of the French army, where she must navigate both the dangers of the battlefield and the equally treacherous politics of the royal court. The jury described the book as “deeply researched and fully imagined, Joan manages to subvert the old, dusty narratives about the ardent virgin warrior from Domrémy in eastern France, and creates a flawed, complicated, and compelling heroine for our age.”

The American Library’s $5,000 literary prize, now in its eleventh year, is given to the most distinguished book of the year, encompassing all genres, written and published in English, about France or the French. The award is supported by a generous grant from the Florence Gould Foundation. Here’s a short description of each of the 2023 American Library in Paris Book Award shortlist.

 AMERICANS IN PARIS: ARTISTS WORKING IN POSTWAR FRANCE, 1946-1962 The first substantial, scholarly overview of the American creative community living in postwar Paris, featuring never-before-published interviews with Americans and French artists, critics, and dealers. Featuring new scholarship and illuminating essays, the groundbreaking volume illustrates many of the paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photos, and films produced between 1946 and 1962. Proposing Paris as decisive for the development of postwar American art, this volume investigates the academies where many of these artists studied, the spaces where their work was exhibited, the aesthetic discourses that animated their conversations, their interactions with European artists, and the overarching issue of what it meant to be an American abroad.

Author: Debra Bricker Balken, Lynn Gumpert, Publisher: Hirmer Press

THE CURSE OF THE MARQUIS DE SADE: A NOTORIOUS SCOUNDREL, A MYTHICAL MANUSCRIPT, AND THE BIGGEST SCANDAL IN LITERARY HISTORY Described as both “one of the most important novels ever written” and “the gospel of evil,” 120 Days of Sodom was written by the Marquis de Sade, a notorious eighteenth-century aristocrat who waged a campaign of mayhem and debauchery across France, evaded execution, and inspired the word “sadism,” which came to mean receiving pleasure from pain. Despite all his crimes, Sade considered this work to be his greatest transgression. The original manuscript of 120 Days of Sodom, a tiny scroll penned in the bowels of the Bastille in Paris, would embark on a centuries-spanning odyssey across Europe, passing from nineteenth-century banned book collectors to pioneering sex researchers to avant-garde artists before being hidden away from Nazi book burnings. In 2014, the world heralded its return to France when the scroll was purchased for millions by Gérard Lhéritier, the self-made son of a plumber who had used his savvy business skills to upend France’s renowned rare-book market. But the sale opened the door to vendettas by the government, feuds among antiquarian booksellers, manuscript sales derailed by sabotage, a record-breaking lottery jackpot, and allegations of a decade-long billion-euro con, the specifics of which, if true, would make the scroll part of France’s largest-ever Ponzi scheme. Told with gripping reporting and flush with deceit and scandal, The Curse of the Marquis de Sade weaves together the sweeping odyssey of 120 Days of Sodom and the spectacular rise and fall of Lhéritier, once the “king of manuscripts” and now known to many as the Bernie Madoff of France. At its center is an urgent question for all those who cherish the written word: As the age of handwriting comes to an end, what do we owe the original texts left behind?

Author: Joel Warner, Publisher: Penguin Random House 

FRANCE ON TRIAL: THE CASE OF MARSHAL PÉTAIN Few images more shocked the French population during the Occupation than the photograph of Marshal Philippe Pétain – the great French hero of the First World War – shaking the hand of Hitler on 20 October 1940. In a radio speech after this meeting, Pétain told the French people that he was ‘entering down the road of collaboration’. He ended with the words: ‘This is my policy. My ministers are responsible to me. It is I alone who will be judged by History.’ Five years later, in July 1945, the hour of judgement – if not yet the judgement of History – arrived. Pétain was brought before a specially created High Court to answer for his conduct between the signing of the armistice with Germany in June 1940 and the Liberation of France in August 1944. Julian Jackson uses Pétain’s three-week trial as a lens through which to examine the central crisis of twentieth-century French history – the defeat of 1940, the signing of the armistice and Vichy’s policy of collaboration – what the main prosecutor Mornet called ‘four years to erase from our history’. As head of the Vichy regime in the Second, Pétain became one of France’s most notorious public figures, and the lightening-rod for collective guilt and retribution immediately after the Second World War. In France on Trial Jackson blends politics and personal drama to explore how different national factions sought to try to claim the past, or establish their interpretation of it, as a way of claiming the present and future.

Author: Julian Jackson, Publisher: Allen Lane Penguin

JOAN: A NOVEL 1412. France is mired in a losing war against England. Its people are starving. Its king is in hiding. From this chaos emerges a teenage girl who will turn the tide of battle and lead the French to victory, becoming an unlikely hero whose name will echo across the centuries. In Katherine J. Chen’s hands, the myth and legend of Joan of Arc is transformed into a flesh-and-blood young woman: reckless, steel-willed, and brilliant. This meticulously researched novel is a sweeping narrative of her life, from a childhood steeped in both joy and violence, to her meteoric rise to fame at the head of the French army, where she navigates the perils of the battlefield and the equally treacherous politics of the royal court. Many are threatened by a woman who leads, and Joan draws wrath and suspicion from all corners, while her first taste of fame and glory leaves her vulnerable to her own powerful ambition. With unforgettably vivid characters, transporting settings, and action-packed storytelling, Joan is a thrilling epic, a triumph of historical fiction, as well as a feminist celebration of one remarkable—and remarkably real—woman who left an indelible mark on history.

Author: Katherine J. Chen, Publisher: Penguin Random House 

# YOU KNOW YOU’RE BLACK IN FRANCE WHEN… THE FACT OF EVERYDAY ANTIBLACKNESS What does it mean to be racialized-as-black in France on a daily basis? #You Know You’re Black in France When… responds to that question. Under the banner of universalism, France messages a powerful and seductive ideology of blindness to race that disappears blackened people and the antiblackness they experience. As Trica Keaton notes, in everyday life, France is anything but raceblind. In this interdisciplinary study, drawn from a range of critical scholarship including that of Philomena Essed and Frantz Fanon, Keaton illuminates how b/Black (racialized/politicized) French people distinctly expose and refuse what she calls “raceblind republicanism.” By officially turning a blind eye to the specificity of antiblackness, the French state in fact perpetuates it, she argues, along with structural racism. Through daily life, public policies, visual culture, the private lives of individuals and families shattered by police violence, the French courts where many are fighting back, and her own experiences, Keaton charts the troubling dynamics and continuities of antiblackness in French society. A groundbreaking study about everyday antiblackness and its refusal in an officially raceblind France.

Author: Trica Keaton, Publisher: MIT Press 

MUMMIFIED The stories behind Egyptian mummies in museums

Dr Angela Stienne is a cultural historian, museum researcher and storyteller. In 2016 she created the website Mummy Stories, which aims to reshape the discussion around human remains in museums by collecting people’s stories of their own encounters. Dr Stienne will be at Bill & Rosa’s Book Room on November 18^th to present and sign her book Mummified at 16h. (come early at 15h for a tea tasting.)

Mummified explores the curious, unsettling and controversial cases of mummies held in French and British museums. From powdered mummies eaten as medicine to mummies unrolled in public, dissected for race studies and DNA-tested in modern laboratories, there is a lot more to these ancient remains than first meets the eye. This book takes you on a journey from Paris to London, Leicester and Manchester, from the apothecaries of the Middle Ages to the dissecting tables of the eighteenth century, and finally behind the screen of today’s computers, to revisit the stories of these bodies that have fascinated Europeans for so long. Mummified investigates matters of life and death, of collecting and viewing, and of interactions – sometimes violent and sometimes emotional – that question the essence of what makes us human.

Author: By Angela Stienne, Publisher: Manchester University Press 

 

AMMON’S HORN, OR THE MYSTERY OF THE BRAIN Five cutting-edge scientists compete for $100 million and directorship of a new institute dedicated to eradicating Alzheimer’s in this edifying, low key thriller. Spurred by his wife’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis and disenchanted with the slow progress and routine research in finding a cure, a rich Swiss businessman launches a contest for promising young neuroscientists who can think “outside the box.” Chosen for their scientific excellence and originality, they must travel to the great cities of Europe in search of the answers to five difficult riddles, each combining an enigmatic neuroscientific question with a geographical and historical challenge. Soon a lost and disgruntled scientist plots to win the contest by scaring the others to drop out. The nature of the riddles and the talents of the competitors open a world of discovery for the reader introducing some of the most pressing areas in current brain research, such as neurodegenerative diseases, artificial intelligence, drug addiction, genetics, and the mechanisms of memory. The book is not a riveting can’t-put-it-down thriller. You know who-dun-it from the get-go, there are no high-speed chases, no blood, no cliff-hangers. The story is an interesting and non-scientific way to present Alzheimer’s Disease and the research that still needs to be done. In reading the novel I wished the ideas in this book were real  that innovative scientists would be soon directing a more creative Alzheimer’s research and that we might one day find a solution.

Author: Pierre and Christine Magistretti, Publisher: Other Press 

LE MYSTÈRE DE BILLY THE KID Catherine en a assez d’être une jeune fille bien élevée. Elle ne rêve que d’une chose : partir à l’aventure ! Elle s’enfuit alors au Nouveau-Mexique, où elle se fait bientôt arrêter par le shérif Pat Garrett… c’est-à-dire l’ennemi juré du célèbre hors-la-loi Billy the Kid ! S’ensuit alors une aventure qui dépasse ses rêves les plus fous… Qu’est-il vraiment arrivé à Billy the Kid, cette nuit d’été de 1881, lorsqu’il fut surpris par le shérif Pat Garrett ? Seule Catherine pourra vous le révéler ! Si elle le souhaite… Chaque tome de cette collection permet de découvrir un mystère historique, en lien avec un pays anglosaxon. Des mots et des phrases courtes et simples en anglais intercallés dans un texte en français encouragent l’enfant. A partir de 9 ans.

Author: Julien Atrigue, Publisher: Chattycat

 

PARIS FANTÔMES Depuis la nuit des temps, des fantômes hanteraient les replis secrets de Paris, cimetières, catacombes, ruines, palais abandonnés et sombres venelles. À chaque époque, ses revenants. Si la Lutèce gallo-romaine s’efforce de les contenir à distance, la ville du Moyen Âge les célèbre dans d’étranges danses macabres. La fascination pour les spectres ne faiblit pas à l’âge classique ni au siècle des Lumières. Et, sous la Révolution, la guillotine tournant à plein régime ne favorise pas le repos des âmes. Au XIXe siècle, les bouleversements des grands travaux haussmanniens réveillent encore farfadets et poltergeists. L’heure est au culte des esprits. Quelques années et une guerre mondiale plus tard, des légions de morts laissent derrière elles une armée de vivants avides de communiquer avec les disparus. Ces voix d’outre-tombe se sont-elles aujourd’hui évaporées dans les brumes du passé ? Rien n’est moins sûr…

Author: Bertrand Matot, Publisher: Parigramme  

FOOLPROOF FRENCH VISAS Your all-in-one guide to a smooth, stress-free relocation to France. Navigate the constantly shifting requirements of applying for the correct French visa with the help of an expert who’s guided hundreds of people to realise their dreams of a new life in France. However long you’re planning to stay, and whatever you’d like to do once there, this book will help you to understand each available visa type, if you’re eligible and what you need to do to apply successfully.

Author: Allison Grant Lounes, Kim Mousseron, Publisher: Yourfranceformation 

29 DAYS TO FRANCE is the ultimate guide to moving to France. Featuring three sections: BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER, this short read will help you prepare to move to another country. 29 Days in France was born out of a desire to share information that the authors wish that they had before they made the jump from the United States to the European capital of bread, wine, and cheese. Each section is full of tips and advice, including determining your why, deciding what to pack, what visa to get, and how to set up electricity in your new home. The book is divided into Days to help make moving less intimidating, and each day features a short exercise to help you prepare. If you’ve ever thought about moving to France, reading this book is the first step to starting your new life.

Author: Gracie Bialecki, Stephen Heiner, Molli Sébrier, Publisher: The American in Paris

FIX MY HEART, MOM Sam is a big boy in Kindergarten. Since he has lost his father, he has tried many things to fix his broken heart and is now willing to share his story with other kids who feel like their heart will never get fixed. “Fix my heart, Mom” is a tale followed by an activity guide through which parents and therapists may choose between different tools to help little ones with invisible wounds name their emotions, welcome them or let them go whenever they are too heavy to bear. You will find activities based on Kintsugi, the Japanese philosophical art as well as playful exercises of sophrology, a mindfulness technique to help ease day-to-day emotions and thoughts in the grieving process.

Author: Caroline Jolivet, Publisher: Les Ateliers de Sophrologie 

JUNK FOOD Encore largement méconnue du grand public, la dépendance aux aliments industriels est une réalité pour des milliers de personnes. En donnant la parole aux victimes, ces food addicts qui ont perdu tout contrôle sur leur alimentation, Junk Food lève le voile sur ces drogues du quotidien, surchargées en sucre et en gras, qui détruisent notre santé et, parfois, nos vies. Gotta love the name of one of the authors: Arthur Croque!

Author: Emilie Gleason, Arthur Croque,  Publisher: Casterman 

500 QCM COMPREHENSION DE TEXTE EN ANGLAIS L’ouvrage parfait pour améliorer sa compréhension des textes en anglais, grâce au format des questions à choix multiples. Les nombreux entraînements permettent d’améliorer ses connaissances, d’éviter les pièges et de s’entraîner de manière efficace à l’épreuve de la compréhension de texte.

Author: Jonah Wilson, Publisher: Larousse 

Discover the Bill & Rosa’s Book Room concept. Come visit us – it is a nice spot up and downstairs at FUSAC to Read, Write, Relax and Buy, Donate, Borrow used English books Paris (and some French too, we are in France after all!). There is also the Power-of-the-Postcard desk and unique cards and postcards to write to family and friends, a jigsaw puzzle table, reading chairs. To discover our 5000+ titles visit our Click and Collect List. Near metro Porte de St Cloud. 42 rue du Chemin Vert 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt. Come over (Click for our opening hours) and find out why we call it Bill and Rosa’s!

We’ve chosen 2 bilingual books for young readers, the American West, a new Harry-Potteresque fantasy  and two new graphic novels in French recounting Versailles and Gone with the Wind.  Epic!

HIDDEN HEIR Inga may not be the worst witch, but she’s certainly trying to be better, which is difficult in a world where having magical powers is a cause for suspicion. Fortunately, she has the aide of the mysterious Biagio, but can she trust him? It’s a dangerous world; girls have been disappearing. And now family secrets expose Inga to a millennia-old threat. Can Inga defend her fate? Is there a fate far worse than death for her?

Author: Rose D. Patruno, Publisher: Gaeli 

LA COMTESSE DE SÉGUR ET MOI A Bilingual Book! On ne parle pas de moi dans ses biographies officielles. Vous ne trouverez pas mon nom dans sa correspondance. Et pourtant, j’existe bien : je ne suis autre que la gouvernante anglaise de Camille et Madeleine de Malaret, les petites-filles de la comtesse de Ségur. Tout a commencé le jour où les parents de Camille et Madeleine ont décidé d’emménager à Londres. On m’a donné comme mission d’apprendre l’anglais à leurs filles. La comtesse, elle, attristée du départ imminent de ses petits-enfants adorés, se lançait dans le chef-d’oeuvre de sa carrière : Les Petites Filles modèles…

Author: Mary Brown, Publisher: Chattycat 

LUCAS ET LILI Bilingual Book. Aux origines de l’électricité avec Edison et Tesla : une découverte ludique de l’Histoire et de l’anglais, pour les enfants qui commencent à lire seuls. Le niveau d’anglais de Lucas et Lili laisse beaucoup à désirer. C’est pourquoi leurs parents ont demandé à Anna, une jeune Américaine, de les aider à s’améliorer. Mais Anna n’est pas une enseignante comme les autres : elle est magique ! Et, grâce à elle, nos jeunes héros vont remonter le temps pour découvrir différent moments-clés de l’Histoire… et pourquoi pas, au passage…

Author: A. De Glay, Anthony Cocain, Publisher: Chattycat 

HISTOIRE DU FAR WEST Du XVIe au XIXe siècle, Jean-Louis Rieupeyrout raconte l’Ouest américain dans un ouvrage fondateur. À partir de l’exploration de ces terres par les Européens, à travers la ruée vers l’or et les guerres, l’auteur retrace l’histoire d’une exploitation économique et politique, jusqu’à l’avènement d’une mythologie du Far West. Il donne ainsi vie aux personnages fantasmés que sont les Indiens, les trappeurs, les chercheurs d’or, les shérifs et autres cow-boys, mais il montre aussi ce que fut la vie des hommes et des femmes d’un Far West mal connu.

Author: Jean-Louis Rieupeyrout, Publisher: Tallandier 

VERSAILLES Dans cette enquête présentée par le journaliste Guy Lefranc, le château de Versailles ouvrira ses portes. Depuis le relais de chasse de Louis XIII, cet écrin du pouvoir royal a beaucoup évolué. Symbole de la puissance du roi Louis XIV, ce château, joyaux de l’architecture classique, aura été le théâtre du développement de la monarchie absolue de droit divin. On y croisera des personnalités fortes qui auront fait l’histoire du lieu, de Richelieu à Mazarin, en passant par les fleurons de l’art de l’époque, Molière, Racine ou Boileau. Guy Lefranc nous replongera dans une des parts les plus somptueuses de l’histoire de France.

Author: Jacques Martin, Publisher: Casterman 

GONE WITH THE WIND Scarlett O’Hara, jeune fille d’une riche famille d’Atlanta au sud des Etats-Unis, connait une vie douce et confortable, menée au rythme de son caractère déterminé et audacieux. Lorsque la Guerre de Sécession débute en 1861, ses repères s’écroulent, et de lourdes responsabilités s’imposent à elle. Au milieu de la destruction et de la mort, Scarlett rêve pourtant d’amour : celui pour Ashley Wilkes, pourtant promis à une autre, et qu’elle porte secrètement depuis toujours. L’arrivée de Rhett Butler, homme sans foi ni loi, aussi immoral que séduisant, rebattra de nouveau les cartes dont la jeune fille dispose pour atteindre le bonheur. Avec son adaptation du célèbre roman de Margaret Mitchell et la formidable mise en images de ses personnages cultes, Pierre Alary signe une œuvre prenante et magnifie ce récit intemporel.

Author: Pierre Alary d’après Margaret Mitchell, Publisher: Rue de Sèvres 

VIPER’S DREAM At the centre of Viper’s Dream is a turbulent love story. And the climax bears an element of Greek tragedy. For the better part of 20 years, Viper Morton has been in love with Yolanda ‘Yo-Yo’ DeVray, a singer of immense talent but a woman consumed by demons. By turns ambitious and self-destructive, conniving and naive, Yo-Yo is a classic femme fatale. She is a bright star in a constellation of compelling characters including the chauffeur-turned-gangster Peewee Robinson, the Jewish kingpin Abraham ‘Mr. O’ Orlinsky, the heroin dealer West Indian Charlie, the corrupt cop Red Carney, the wife-beating singer Pretty Paul Baxter, the pimp Buttercup Jones and the brutal enforcer Randall Country Johnson. Viper’s Dream is a hard-boiled crime novel set in the jazz world of Harlem between 1936 and 1961. The protagonist is Clyde ‘The Viper’ Morton, one of the most respected and feared Black gangsters in America. The story combines elements of the epic Godfather films and the Harlem detective novels of Chester Himes. Come listen to Jake Lamar talk about his book and the writing process at the Book Room on June 3^rd. https://fusac.fr/events-in-the-book-room/ Please reserve a seat by email: BRbookroom@gmail.com. 

Author: Jake Lamar, Publisher: No Exit Press 

Do you have limited French but want to read a book in French to improve? Try MEURTRE A MONTMARTRE by France Dubin, a French teacher turned author for adults learning French. The paperback and ebook editions include the full French text, a complete English translation, and tons of fun exercises. The audio recording contains the full French text, read by the author. The story is a crime novel about Alice and Julia, two Americans, who are in Paris to see Madame Blanche de Monceau, Julia’s French cousin. The day after they arrive, Madame de Monceau is found dead in her wine cellar!

Author: France Dubin, Publisher: Easy French Press 

THE SORBONNE AFFAIR American novelist Helen Hancock is in Paris to research her work-in-progress and teach a writing class when she discovers a spy camera hidden in her room at the luxury Hotel Sorbonne. Hancock notifies the US embassy, which dispatches former FBI profiler Hugo Marston to investigate. Almost immediately the stakes are raised when a bell-hop is found dead in the hotel’s stairwell. Police tell Hugo they have discovered evidence on the dead man’s computer suggesting that he was the one who bugged Hancock’s room. The next day things become even more complicated when a salacious video clip explodes across the Internet showing Hancock in the embrace of Ambrosio Silva, one of her writing students—both are naked and nothing is left to the imagination. But when Hugo tries to find him, his investigation leads only to Silva’s dead body. He too has been murdered. Through a series of sharp deductions, Hugo uncovers new evidence pointing to the most surprising suspect of all. A close call with a dark figure on the steps of his own apartment building proves that he’s on the right track and leaves no doubt that he is next on the hit list. This is not a new book, but it is certainly fun to read a crime novel set in Paris. Here’s a few other Paris Thrillers that we have in the book room. https://fusac.fr/thrillers-set-in-paris/

Author: Mark Pryor,  Publisher: Seventh Street Books

LE GRAND MONDE, La famille Pelletier. Trois histoires d’amour, un lanceur d’alerte, une adolescente égarée, deux processions, Bouddha et Confucius, un journaliste ambitieux, une mort tragique, le chat Joseph, une épouse impossible, un sale trafic, une actrice incognito, une descente aux enfers, cet imbécile de Doueiri, un accent mystérieux, la postière de Lamberghem, grosse promotion sur le linge de maison, le retour du passé, un parfum d’exotisme, une passion soudaine et irrésistible. Et quelques meurtres. Les romans de Pierre Lemaitre ont été récompensés par de nombreux prix littéraires nationaux et internationaux. Après sa remarquable fresque de l’entre-deux-guerres, il nous propose aujourd’hui une plongée mouvementée et jubilatoire dans les Trente Glorieuses. Il est également très connu pour ses romans polars.

Author: Pierre Lemaitre,  Publisher: Calmann-Lévy 

LES HOMMES ONT PEUR DE LA LUMIÈRE Dans un Los Angeles crépusculaire, le grand retour de Douglas Kennedy au roman noir ! Un après-midi calme et ensoleillé, un bâtiment en apparence anonyme et soudain, l’explosion d’une bombe. L’immeuble dévasté abritait l’une des rares cliniques pratiquant l’avortement. Une victime est à déplorer et parmi les témoins impuissants, Brendan, un chauffeur Uber d’une cinquantaine d’années, et sa cliente Elise, une ancienne professeure de fac qui aide des femmes en difficulté à se faire avorter. Au mauvais endroit au mauvais moment, l’intellectuelle bourgeoise et le chic type sans histoires vont se retrouver embarqués malgré eux dans une dangereuse course contre la montre. Car si au départ tout semble prouver qu’il s’agit d’un attentat perpétré par un groupuscule d’intégristes religieux, la réalité est bien plus trouble et inquiétante… Tout à la fois thriller haletant et chronique d’une Amérique en crise, Les hommes ont peur de la lumière est surtout le puissant portrait d’un homme et d’une femme qui, envers et contre tout, essaient de rester debout.

Author: Douglas Kennedy,  Publisher: Belfond 

THE LAST HOURS IN PARIS begins at the Liberation and continues through the next generation. 1940s: Elise is a young French woman secretly helping the resistance in German-occupied Paris. Sebastian is a young German soldier working as a translator. They meet, fall in love, and are relishing in the unforeseen happiness they have found in one another, despite being on opposite sides of the war. After liberation, however, the young couple is tragically torn apart, with Sebastian arrested by the French resistance and Elise captured and shamed as a ‘collabo’ by her own people, before being sent to Brittany for her own protection. The lovers are parted, each believing the other to be lost forever.  1960s: Elise and her 18-year-old daughter, Josephine, live in Brittany, with Brigitte, a gruff and bitter Frenchwoman who took Elise in after the war. Josephine has always been told that her father was a Frenchman who died when she was a baby—but when she discovers she is, in fact, the daughter of a German soldier, she travels to England to find out more about her real father. To her shock, she learns he is not dead, but living in the U.K. where he settled after the war and made a new life with his wife, Margaret, an Englishwoman who knows nothing of his past. When Josephine reveals that her mother Elise is still alive, Sebastian must make the most difficult decision of his life: honor his duty to his new family, or return to his first great love? English Publisher: Hachette UK

LES DERNIÈRES HEURES À l’aube de la Libération, Paris vit ses heures les plus sombres. Mais la jeune Élise n’hésite pas à braver les dangers et à partager le peu qu’elle possède avec un orphelinat juif. Affamée de justice, elle va encore plus loin, exfiltrant les enfants avant qu’ils ne soient envoyés au camp de Drancy. Un jour, elle fait la rencontre de Sebastian, un jeune soldat allemand. Chaque jour, pour le Reich, il traduit les lettres de dénonciation. Mais sa rencontre avec Élise va le confronter à l’horreur de ses actes et à un terrible dilemme : trahir son pays ou renoncer à l’amour de la belle Française. Dix-neuf ans plus tard, une jeune femme, Jospéhine, découvre dans une vieille valise, une lettre qui remonte à la guerre. Un mot d’amour destiné à sa mère mais écrit par un autre homme que son père. Peu à peu, elle remonte le fil d’une histoire d’amour interdite. L’histoire d’une trahison et d’une vérité indicible qui va changer sa vie à tout jamais. French Publisher: City Editions 

Ruth DRUART, the « brilliant and bold » English author of While Paris Slept is back with a heart-rending new novel of love, sacrifice, retribution and the lasting consequences of WWII in France. Come meet Ruth, who will speak and sign copies of her both Egnlish and French book at the Book Room on March 11th at 4pm. Please reserve a seat by email: BRbookroom@gmail.com. 

THE COLOR LINE is inspired by true events, a gorgeous, haunting novel that intertwines the lives of two Black female artists more than a century apart, both outsiders in Italy. It was the middle of the nineteenth century when Lafanu Brown audaciously decided to become an artist. In the wake of the American Civil War, life was especially tough for Black women, but she didn’t let that stop her. The daughter of a Native American woman and an African-Haitian man, Lafanu had the rare opportunity to study, travel, and follow her dreams, thanks to her indomitable spirit, but not without facing intolerance and violence. Now, in 1887, living in Rome as one of the city’s most established painters, she is ready to tell her fiancé about her difficult life, which began in a poor family forty years earlier. In 2019, an Italian art curator of Somali origin is desperately trying to bring to Europe her younger cousin, who is only sixteen and has already tried to reach Italy on a long, treacherous journey. While organizing an art exhibition that will combine the paintings of Lafanu Brown with the artworks of young migrants, the curator becomes more and more obsessed with the life and secrets of the nineteenth-century painter. Weaving together these two vibrant voices, Igiaba Scego has crafted a powerful exploration of what it means to be “other,” to be a woman, and particularly a Black woman, in a foreign country, yesterday and today. THE COLOR LINE was awarded with Premio Napoli. Igiaba Scego was born in Rome to a family of Somali ancestry. She holds a PhD in education on postcolonial subjects and has done extensive academic work in Italy and around the world.  Ce livre a aussi été traduit en français.

Author: Igiaba Scego, Publisher: Other Press 

CITY OF INCURABLE WOMEN “Where are the hysterics, those magnificent women of former times?” wrote Jacques Lacan. Long history’s ghosts, marginalized and dispossessed due to their gender and class, they are reimagined by Maud Casey as complex, flesh-and-blood people with stories to tell. These linked, evocative prose portraits, accompanied by period photographs and medical documents both authentic and invented, poignantly restore the humanity to the nineteenth-century female psychiatric patients confined in Paris’s Salpêtrière hospital and reduced to specimens for study by the celebrated neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot and his male colleagues. Casey’s writing is dream-like, often in the second person as if coming right from the hearts of the “inmates” in which she includes herself. The reader nearly hears their breath. It is disturbing and fascinating. Charcot may have treated them as specimens but he also drew numerous conclusions in neurology. ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, a still mysterious neurological disease, is known as Charcot’s disease in France. American Library in Paris Book Award Shortlist. Maud Casey is the author of five books of fiction, including City of Incurable Women, and a work of nonfiction, The Art of Mystery: The Search for Questions. She is a Guggenheim Fellow and recipient of the St. Francis College Literary Prize, she teaches at the University of Maryland and lives in Washington, DC.

Author: Maud Casey,  Publisher: Bellevue Literary Press 

FRAGILE RÉPUTATION Votre réputation. Il vous faut des années pour la bâtir, mais seulement quelques minutes pour qu’on vous la détruise. Votre réputation ne dépend pas de vous : elle dépend des autres. Si vous êtes une femme, protégez-la. Et n’oubliez jamais : ce n’est pas ce que vous êtes réellement qui importe, mais ce que les autres pensent que vous êtes. La question n’est pas de savoir si vous avez ou non tué un homme. La question est de savoir ce que les autres croient. Un nouveau roman à suspense, magistral, sur l’ambition féminine et ce qu’il peut en coûter à celles qui en font preuve, par l’autrice des best-sellers La Ferme du bout du monde et Anatomie d’un scandale, adapté en série sur Netflix. Sarah Vaughan était journaliste au Guardian et habite à Cambridge.

Author: Sarah Vaughan, Publisher: Préludes 

JANE EYRE est une jeune orpheline d’une dizaine d’années recueillie par une tante acariâtre qui la transforme vite en Cendrillon. Traitée comme une domestique, en butte aux brimades et aux humiliations, Jane se rebelle et est envoyée dans une pension où elle finira par devenir professeur, avant d’entrer comme préceptrice au manoir de Thornfield, sous les ordres de l’inquiétant et fascinant M. Rochester. Mais le manoir et son maître recèlent un terrible secret… Coups de théâtre, rebondissements inattendus, hurlements de rire terrifiants dans un manoir hanté par une présence menaçante et cachée, incendies criminels, histoire d’amour maudit, fuites éperdues dans la lande ont assuré à Jane Eyre un succès immédiat et durable. A Partir de 13 ans.

Author: Charlotte Brontë, Publisher: L’école des Loisirs 

GIRL Born in 1959 to a middle-class family, Laurence Barraqué grows up with her sister in the northern city of Rouen. Her father is a doctor, her mother a housewife. She understands from an early age, by way of language and her parents’ example, that a girl’s place in life is inferior to a boy’s: Asked for the 1964 census whether he has any children, her father promptly responds, “No. I have two daughters.” When Laurence eventually becomes a mother herself in the nineties, she grapples with the question of what it means to be a girl, to have a girl, and what lessons she should try to pass down or undo. Masterful in her analysis of the subtle and obvious ways women are undermined by a sexist society, Camille Laurens,  a French writer and winner of the 2000 Prix Femina, lays out her experiences of the past forty years in this poignant, powerful book. GIRL is at once intimate and sweeping in its depiction of the great challenges we face, such as equalizing the education system and transmitting feminist values to the younger generations.

Author: Camille Laurens, Publisher: Other Press 

RASSEMBLEZ-VOUS EN MON NOM La traduction française de Gather Together in My Name. Silhouette imposante, port de tête altier, elle fait résonner la voix d’une femme noire, fière et volontaire, qui va devoir survivre dans un monde d’une extrême dureté, dominé par les Blancs. Une voix riche et drôle, passionnée et douce qui, malgré les discriminations, porte l’espoir et la joie, l’accomplissement et la reconnaissance, et défend farouchement son droit à la liberté. Après l’inoubliablement beau Je sais pourquoi chante l’oiseau en cage, Maya Angelou poursuit ici son cycle autobiographique. Maya Angelou fut poétesse, écrivaine, actrice, militante, enseignante et réalisatrice. Elle a mené de nombreux combats avant de devenir une icône contemporaine qui a inspiré la vie de millions de personnes. Elle a côtoyé Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X et James Baldwin. À sa mort, Michelle Obama, Rihanna, Oprah Winfrey, Emma Watson, J. K. Rowling et beaucoup d’autres encore lui ont rendu hommage.

Author: Maya Angelou, Publisher: Livre de Poche

FEMINISTS IN PROGRESS Une bande-dessinée sur le thème de féminisme. Aigries, poilues, agressives, moches, lesbiennes (ou pire, célibataires !), les clichés ont la vie dure en matière de féminisme. Mais qu’est-ce que ça veut dire aujourd’hui « être féministe » ? Sous forme d’essai graphique coloré, drôle et décomplexé, cet album invite à déconstruire, l’une après l’autre, les normes et les idées reçues afin de nous ouvrir les yeux à toutes ! Du sexisme ordinaire au mouvement #MeToo, de la charge mentale au consentement, du Body Positive à la réinvention de l’hétérosexualité, en passant par l’écoféminisme et la sororité, Lauraine Meyer,  illustratrice et directrice artistique dans la publicité qui aime avant tout raconter des histoires, dans un style toujours fun et coloré s’emploie à revisiter quelques thèmes et concepts fondamentaux, au cœur du féminisme post #MeToo. Ex-parisienne et habite maintenant à Amsterdam.

Author: Lauraine Meyer, Publisher: Casterman 

Marguerite Henry is an American mid-century author who wrote many children’s novels about horses and other animals which have become classics. She herself was an animal lover and kept many on her farm. One of our favorite aspects of Henry’s books is their historical basis. Most of her characters and settings really existed. Do the names Misty, Brighty, Stormy or Muley-Ears ring any bells? Here’s a few of the Henry titles we have in the Book Room.

MISTY OF CHINCOTEAGUE begins with history in the account of the wreck of a Spanish galleon off the coast of Virginia. The ponies in the hold of the galleon swim to Assateague Island and become feral as the years and the centuries pass. They are still there today. Misty herself was inspired by a real-life pony of the same name and is set in the island town of Chincoteague, Virginia, gateway to the Chincoteague National Wildlife refuge on Assateague Island. The book was inspired by the real-life story of the Beebe family and their efforts to raise a filly born to a wild horse. It was one of the runners-up for the annual Newbery Medal and the beginning of a series of six books of the 59 total written by Henry.

KING OF THE WIND won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children’s literature in 1949. It was made into a film of the same name in 1990 and like many of Henry’s novels is still in print. It tells the 18th century story of Sham, the Arabian horse, and Agba, his horseboy, as they are sent by the Sultan of Morocco to King Louis XV. The group of six horses arrives in a sorry state and Louis finds them uninteresting. Sham and Agba begin a life of hard-knocks with Sham as a cart horse. He is then bought by a Quaker and taken to England where and after many trials his worth is finally recognized as a thoroughbred stud, the Gandolphin Arabian, establishing him as one of the founding stallions of English track racing. Agba tenderly cares for the stallion throughout with the help of the cat Grimalkin.

JUSTIN MORGAN HAD A HORSE tells of the real Justin Morgan, a school master, and his bay stallion Figure, who lived in Vermont in the late eighteenth century. It too was a runner-up for the Newbery Medal.

The book room offers quite a few other titles about horses for young and old such as Seabiscuit, An American Legend, I Love Horses Activity Kit, Warhorse by Michael Morpurgo, Half-Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls, Dark Horse, a thriller, by Tammy Hoag, and the classic Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. Most books cost just 4€.

This summer in Yellowstone by chance we ran into the local author Keith McCafferty who has published 8 crime novels which take place in Montana and have a common theme of fly fishing. The books are published in English by Viking/Penguin and by Gallmeister in French.

LE BAISER DES CRAZY MOUNTAINS Parti en quête d’inspiration dans un bungalow isolé du Montana, le romancier Max Gallagher a la désagréable surprise de trouver sa cheminée bouchée. Il en retire un chiffon rouge : en fait, un bonnet de Père Noël. Intrigué, il monte sur le toit et découvre le cadavre d’une jeune femme coincé dans le conduit. S’agit-il d’un terrible accident ou d’une macabre cachette pour dissimuler un meurtre ? Émus par ce sort tragique, la shérif Martha Ettinger et Sean Stranahan, pêcheur à la mouche et détective à ses heures, se lancent dans une enquête en terrain glissant.

Author: Keith McCafferty, Publisher: Gallmeister 

HOKA HEY! Dès 1850, les jeunes amérindiens étaient internés de force dans des pensionnats catholiques pour les assimiler à la nation américaine. En 1900, la population des natifs en Amérique du Nord avait diminué de 93%. La plupart étaient morts de nouvelles maladies importées par les colons, d’exterminations subventionnés par l’état, et lors des déportations. Georges est un jeune Lakota élevé par le pasteur qui administre sa réserve. Acculturé, le jeune garçon oublie peu à peu ses racines et rêve d’un futur inspiré du modèle américain, en pleine expansion. Il va croiser la route de Little Knife, amérindien froid et violent à la recherche du meurtrier de sa mère. Au fil de leur voyage, l’homme et le garçon vont s’ouvrir l’un à l’autre et trouver ce qui leur est essentiel.

Author: Neyef, Publisher: Editions Rue de Sèvres 

AIRBORNE 44 TOME 19- WILD MEN Virgil et Jared, deux soldats que tout oppose, se retrouvent toujours. Après la libération de Nice, les deux hommes avaient connu des débuts houleux. Aujourd’hui, ils doivent s’entraider pour survivre aux horreurs du conflit. Dans un monde, qui est loin d’être manichéen, les deux hommes devront aller au delà de leurs différences.

Author: Philippe Jarbinet, Publisher: Casterman 

BIG MAN AND THE LITTLE MEN This Graphic Novel is the fictional story of April Wells, a celebrated African-American memoirist and essayist, who lands a writing assignment unlike any she has had before: covering the presidential campaign of the presumptive Democratic nominee, William Waters, for a high-profile magazine. Waters, a well-spoken progressive with lofty ideals of unity in diversity, faces the polar opposite in his Republican challenger, the anti-intellectual, narcissistic Lee Newsome, who seeks to gain power by sowing division. Ahead of the Democratic National Convention, to be held in April’s hometown, Waters must also contend with a potential Achilles’ heel: persistent rumors that he has cheated on his wife with young male staffers.
At first excited about the assignment, April sometimes feels out of her depth and wonders why she was chosen instead of a veteran journalist. When a woman contacts her accusing Waters of sexual assault, April is torn: should she do her job and report this? Or should she sit on it, in case the damage to Waters’s reputation would help Newsome win the presidency? Events soon spiral out of control, and April, feeling that her life may be in danger but mistrusting the police and the FBI, thinks of one person she can count on: the Big Man, a longtime friend from her hometown, now its mayor. Along with his stalwart crew of Little Men, they set out to unravel a gripping mystery that goes all the way to the top. An rather scary account summing up of American politics and how journalism affects the outcome of elections in this polarized inflamatory world.

Author: Clifford Thompson, Publisher: The Other Press 

 

 

CELUI QUI VEILLE Dakota du Nord, 1953. Thomas Wazhashk, veilleur de nuit dans l’usine de pierres d’horlogerie proche de la réserve de Turtle Mountain, n’est pas près de fermer l’œil. Il est déterminé à lutter contre le projet du gouvernement fédéral censé « émanciper » les Indiens, car il sait bien que ce texte est en réalité une menace pour les siens. Contrairement aux autres jeunes employées chippewas de l’usine, Pixie, la nièce de Thomas, ne veut pour le moment ni mari ni enfants. Pressée de fuir un père alcoolique, insensible aux sentiments du seul professeur blanc de la réserve comme à ceux d’un jeune boxeur indien, elle brûle de partir à Minneapolis retrouver sa sœur aînée, dont elle est sans nouvelles. Pour « celui qui veille », n’ayant de cesse d’écrire aux sénateurs dans le but d’empêcher l’adoption de la loi, quitte à se rendre lui-même à Washington, comme pour Pixie, qui entreprend le premier voyage de sa jeune existence, un long combat commence. Il va leur révéler le pire, mais aussi le meilleur de la nature humaine. Inspirée par la figure de son grand-père maternel, qui a lutté pour préserver les droits de son peuple, Louise Erdrich nous entraîne dans une aventure humaine peuplée de personnages inoubliables. Couronné par le prix Pulitzer, ce majestueux roman consacre la place unique qui est la sienne dans la littérature américaine contemporaine. Prix Pulitzer 2021.

Author: Louise Erdrich, Publisher: Albin Michel 

THE CALL OF THE WILD Direction le grand Nord, au moment de la ruée vers l’or au Yukon, pour suivre les aventures de Buck, qui, enlevé aux siens, doit laisser libre cours à son instinct sauvage pour survivre en tant que chien de traîneau. Grâce aux titres de la collection « Harrap’s school », les élèves de collège peuvent commencer à lire en VO tous les grands classiques de la littérature anglo-saxonne. Le texte en anglais est adapté aux niveaux des collégiens et revu par des enseignants. Il est également enrichi de belles illustrations, d’un lexique en fin d’ouvrage pour aider à la compréhension de l’intrigue et d’une version audio pour s’imprégner du bon accent dès le collège et de fiches pédagogiques téléchargeables pour favoriser l’étude en classe. Lire en anglais ? C’est facile et plaisant avec Harrap’s.

Author: Jack London, Publisher: Harrap’s School 

BONSOIR LUNE Dans la vaste chambre verte, tout est encore éveillé : deux chats et une petite souris, tableaux au mur, vêtements, jouets. Mais peu à peu, car c’est la nuit, tout sera bientôt endormi : maison de poupée, bol de bouillie, chaussette qui sèche, étoile qui luit. Petit lapin, dans son lit, dresse un parfait inventaire de toutes les choses de la terre, et leur dit bonsoir une par une, de son ballon jusqu’à la lune.

Author: Margaret Wise Brown, Illustrator: Clement Hurd, Publisher: L’école des Loisirs 

GUIDE MONDAIN DES VILLAGES DE FRANCE Saviez-vous qu’un grand nom des arts, de la science ou de la politique avait un lien intime avec un village près de chez vous ? Partez sur les traces des figures internationales qui font briller d’un nouvel éclat ces petits bourgs injustement oubliés des parcours touristiques traditionnels. Une façon ludique et glamour de redécouvrir la géographie et l’histoire de la France contemporaine.

Author: Matthias Debureaux, Publisher: Allary Editions

MES 1000 PREMIERS MOTS EN ANGLAIS Ce livre attrayant, aux illustrations pleines de charme et d’humour, invite les jeunes enfants à se familiariser avec leurs premiers mots d’anglais. Au fil des pages, ils découvriront mille mots et images du quotidien et de nombreux détails à observer et à commenter. Les codes QR permettent en outre d’écouter la prononciation correcte des mots en anglais britannique. Dès 3 ans.

Author: Jane Bingham, Publisher: Usborne

LES ELECTIONS Questions-Réponses. Every 5 years we need either a review or a fresh understanding of the this month long effervescence. Now that the presidential election has gone by we’re headed to two rounds of Parliamentary elections. To find out how the French elections work there’s nothing better than a kid’s book – especially for non-French speakers. This one is destined for French kids over 7 and we find it just perfect for anyone 7 to 77. Qu’est-ce qu’une élection ? Tous les étrangers vivant en France votent-ils ? Pourquoi certains électeurs s’abstiennent-ils ? Comment fait-on campagne ? Qu’est-ce qu’une liste électorale ? Maire, est-ce un métier? On vote aussi dans les pays où il y a un roi ? C’est quoi, être citoyen de l’Europe ? 32 questions pour découvrir comment se préparent des élections, comment et où elles se passent, qui peut voter, qui on élit et pour quoi faire. En bonus les portraits des présidents de la Ve République. Et un quiz ludique pour coller ses parents et amis !

Author: Sylvie Baussier, Maud Riemann, Publisher: Nathan 

U.S. TAXES FOR WORLDLY AMERICANS Are you a citizen of the United States who lives abroad? You probably know America is one of only two countries that taxes its citizens on their worldwide income, regardless of where they live or work. If you’re thinking about becoming a digital nomad or expatriating to another country, do you know how to avoid paying unfair taxes on your income while abroad? There may be huge penalties and tax evasion charges if you don’t file correctly. By combining the right strategies for citizenship, residency, banking, incorporation, and physical presence in other countries, most Americans abroad can legally lower their U.S. tax owing to $0. In U.S. Taxes for Worldly Americans, Certified Public Accountant, U.S. immigrant, expat, and perpetual traveler Olivier Wagner shows you how to use 100% legal strategies (beyond traditionally maligned « tax havens ») to keep your income and assets safe from the IRS. Olivier covers a wealth of international tax information updated for 2019, including: · Step-by-step instructions for the Forms and Schedules you will use to file your offshore tax, no matter where you are. · How to qualify for special deductions, credits, and exemptions on international taxation. · Why opening bank accounts and corporations in foreign countries is easier than you think. · How residency or citizenship in another country can legally lower your taxes. · How your spouse and children (whether American or of another nationality) affect your tax situation. · Practical advice for moving, living, and working with tax-free income in other parts of the world. · What to consider before renouncing your American citizenship and saying goodbye to the IRS for good. As a non-resident American, there is no single easy answer to lower your taxes. If you don’t understand every possibility, you could end up paying too much. Embrace a worldly lifestyle with confidence as you master the U.S. tax system for Americans living overseas.

Author: Olivier Wagner, Publisher: Identity Publications 

PARIS REVISITED THE GUIDE FOR THE RETURN TRAVELER Whether you’re returning to Paris or want to get it right the first time, award-winning author Gary Lee Kraut will lead you on a captivating exploration of the world’s most revisitable city. This guide maybe a few years old, but Gary’s insider tips are so interesting that we can’t leave it out. you can findit at the book room for a just a few euros.

Author: Gary Lee Kraut, Publisher: Words Trabes Intl. Press

Not all Bunny Books are for Kids:

ELOGE DU LAPIN Animal de compagnie ou proie de prédilection, allégorie de la dépravation ou symbole de pureté… Le lapin est loin de n’être qu’une petite bête attendrissante peuplant nos campagnes. Omniprésente dans les cultures du monde entier, cette boule de poils n’a pas fini de nous surprendre. Emblème sexuel brandi dans Playboy, redoutable guerrier samouraï, modèle inattendu de nature morte ou encore figure littéraire et cinématographique, le lagomorphe en dit long sur nos civilisations ! Dans ce texte ludique qu’instructif, nous traversons les époques et les continents à la poursuite de notre héros malicieux et bondissant. Ce joli livre, à acheter juste pour le dessin de la couverture, a était publié en octobre 2021.

Author: Stéphanie Hochet, Publisher: Rivages 

WATERSHIP DOWN Something terrible is about to happen to the warren – Fiver feels sure of it. And Fiver’s sixth sense is never wrong, according to his brother Hazel. They had to leave immediately, and they had to persuade the other rabbits to join them. And so begins a long and perilous journey of a small band of rabbits in search of a safe home. Fiver’s vision finally leads them to Watership Down, but here they face their most difficult challenge of all… This much-loved tale of courage and survival is now a beautiful new animated series for television, full of excitement and adventure – perfect for all the family to enjoy.

Author: Richard Adams, Publisher: Puffin Books, 4€ in the Book Room

THE HARE WITH AMBER EYES This book is not really about bunnies or a hare, but it was inspired by one. Edmund de Waal is a world-famous ceramicist. Having spent thirty years making beautiful pots—which are then sold, collected, and handed on—he has a particular sense of the secret lives of objects. When he inherited a collection of 264 tiny Japanese wood and ivory carvings, called netsuke, he wanted to know who had touched and held them, and how the collection had managed to survive over a couple hundred years. And so begins The Hare with Amber Eyes. In this moving memoir and detective story de Waal discovers both the story of the netsuke and of his family, the Ephrussis, over five generations. A nineteenth-century banking dynasty in Paris and Vienna, the Ephrussis were as rich and respected as the Rothchilds. Yet by the end of the World War II, when the netsuke were hidden from the Nazis in Vienna, this collection of very small carvings was all that remained of their vast empire. A New York Times Bestseller, Costa biography prize-winnder and an Economist Book of the Year.

Author: Edmund de Waal, Publisher: Picador, 4€ in the Book Room

ES-TU LA, PETIT LAPIN ? Sur chaque page, une découpe laisse apercevoir le petit lapin qui semble se cacher à la page suivante et … qui n’a plus rien d’un lapin dès qu’on tourne la page. Les très jeunes enfants ne se lasseront pas de scruter les illustrations pour retrouver la trace de ce lapin insaisissable et rencontrer d’autres animaux. Une nouvelle collection qui séduira les fans de la collection Les tout-doux Usborne. Une belle idée de cadeau pour les tout-petits.

Author: Sam Taplin, Publisher: Usborne

LA PEINTURE MAGIQUE PÂQUES Il suffit de passer le pinceau trempé dans un peu d’eau sur les illustrations en noir et blanc pour faire apparaître les couleurs du printemps et animer les scènes imagées remplies de lapins et d’œufs de Pâques. Les couleurs du printemps apparaissent comme par enchantement lorsqu’on passe le pinceau trempé dans un peu d’eau sur les illustrations en noir et blanc de ce livre de coloriage magique. Des poussins, des lapins et des œufs de Pâques font partie des surprises que les enfants aimeront découvrir au fil des pages.

Author: Brenda Cole, Publisher: Usborne, 4€ in the Book Room

THE RUNAWAY BUNNY “If you run away,” said his mother, “I will run after you. For you are my little bunny.” A little bunny keeps running away from his mother in this imaginary game of hide-and-seek. Children will be profoundly comforted by this lovingly steadfast mother who finds her child every time. The Runaway Bunny, first published in 1942 and never out of print, has indeed become a classic. Generations of readers have fallen in love with the gentle magic of its reassuring words and loving pictures.  With a soft, padded cover, rounded edges, and sturdy board book pages, this edition is perfect for sharing with babies and toddlers.

Author: Margaret Wise Brown, Publisher: Harper Collins,  3€ in the Book Room

BUNNIES IN THE BATHROOM Mandy’s new friend John is crazy about rabbits! He’s got his heart set on Button and Barney, two baby rabbits in the local pet shop. But when he goes to buy them, they’ve already been sold! Mandy and James decide to track down the new owner and try to get the bunnies back…

Author: Ben M. Baglio, Publisher: Scholastic, 3€ in the Book Room

J’AI L’ENERGIE D’UNE LIONNE DANS UN CORPS D’OISEAU A new novel called “I have the Energy of a Lion in the Body of a Bird”, based on the life of Rosa Bonheur, has been written by historian/biographer Patricia Bouchenot-Déchin. It is a delight to read and places Rosa in the context of the tumultuous and exciting events of the 19th century. My goodness she saw a lot: Living from 1822 to 1899 she saw the revolutions of 1830 and 1848, 3 kings, 2 republics, 1 empire, epidemics, Haussmann’s rebuilding of Paris, the Prussian invasion and the siege of Paris! Not to mention the new inventions of steamships, railroads (Rosa’s companion Nathalie Micas developed a railroad brake!), photography (which was one of Rosa’s hobbies), the building of the Eiffel Tower and the arrival of electricity (Rosa had a power plant built on her property!). Bonheur knew Alexandre Dumas, Gustave Flaubert, Buffalo Bill and so many other big players in the cultural world. Here is the synopsis of the book which has been published in French. It has some 19th century terms but is generally an uncomplicated level of reading. It is available in Bill & Rosa’s Book Room Library for borrowing.

Vestale de l’art, égérie du féminisme, éprise de liberté et d’idéal, Rosa Bonheur s’imposa comme la plus célèbre artiste animalière au XIXe. Elle connut une carrière fulgurante et vécut un amour fou avec Sir Edwin Landser, le plus grand peintre et sculpteur britannique de son temps, qui nous est pour la première fois révélé. De Paris à Londres, de l’Écosse à la French Riviera, des abattoirs et bas-fonds de la capitale aux ateliers d’artistes et salons mondains jusqu’à son « sanctuaire » à Thomery, Patricia Bouchenot-Déchin nous emporte sur les traces de Rosa Bonheur au fil d’un roman virevoltant qui fait revivre l’artiste et la femme. Une fresque haute en couleur qui nous plonge dans la grande Histoire et l’intimité de Rosa Bonheur, un être de passion et de conviction.

Author : Patricia Bouchenot-Déchin, Publisher : Éditions Albin Michel

THE HEART: FRIDA KAHLO IN PARIS In 1938, just as she was leaving Mexico for her first solo exhibition in New York, Frida Kahlo was devastated to learn from her husband, Diego Rivera, that he intended to divorce her. This latest blow followed a long series of betrayals, most painful of all his affair with her beloved younger sister, Cristina, in 1934. In early 1939, anxious and adrift, Kahlo traveled from the United States to France—her only trip to Europe, and the beginning of a unique period of her life when she was enjoying success on her own. Now, for the first time, this previously overlooked part of her story is brought to light in exquisite detail. Marc Petitjean (director, author, photographer and scenographer) takes the reader to Paris, where Kahlo spends her days alongside luminaries such as Pablo Picasso, André Breton, Dora Maar, and Marcel Duchamp. Using Kahlo’s whirlwind romance with the author’s father, Michel Petitjean, as a jumping-off point, The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris provides a striking portrait of the artist and an inside look at the history of one of her most powerful, enigmatic paintings. “An intimate portrait of the artist and her time in the lively 1930s surrealist scene.” —New York Times Book Review

Author: Marc Petitjean, Publisher: Other Press 

MY (PART-TIME) PARIS LIFE Poignant, touching, and lively, this memoir of a woman who loses her mother and creates a new life for herself in Paris will speak to anyone who has lost a parent or reinvented themselves. Lisa Anselmo wrapped her entire life around her mother, a strong woman who was a defining force in her daughter’s life―maybe too defining. When her mother dies from breast cancer, Lisa realizes she hadn’t built a life of her own, and struggles to find her purpose. Who is she without her mother―and her mother’s expectations? Desperate for answers, she reaches for a lifeline in the form of an apartment in Paris, refusing to play it safe for the first time. What starts out as a lurching act of survival sets Lisa on a course that reshapes her life in ways she never could have imagined. But how can you imagine a life bigger than anything you’ve ever known? In the vein of Eat, Pray, Love and Wild, My (Part-Time) Paris Life is for anyone who’s ever felt lost or hopeless, but still holds out hope of something more. This candid memoir explores one woman’s search for peace and meaning, and how the ups and downs of expat life in Paris taught her to let go of fear, find self-worth, and create real, lasting happiness. Win a copy of this book and a copy of 90+ Ways You Know You’re Becoming French by following our instagram posts @bookroomparis

Author: Lisa Anselmo, Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books/ St. Martin’s Press 

THE CHILD IS THE TEACHER Born in 1870 in Chiaravalle, Italy, Maria Montessori would grow up to embody almost every trait men of her era detested in the fairer sex. She was self-confident, strong-willed, and had a fiery temper at a time when women were supposed to be soft and pliable. She studied until she became a doctor at a time when female graduates in Italy provoked outright scandal. She never wanted to marry or have children—the accepted destiny for all women of her milieu in late nineteenth-century bourgeois Rome—and when she became pregnant by a colleague of hers, she gave up her son to continue pursuing her career. At around age thirty, Montessori was struck by the condition of children in the slums of Rome’s San Lorenzo neighborhood, and realized what she wanted to do with her life: change the school, and therefore the world, through a new approach to the child’s mind. In spite of the resistance she faced from all sides—scientists accused her of being too mystical, and the clergy of being too scientific, traditionalists of giving children too much freedom, and anarchists of giving them too much structure—she would garner acclaim and establish the influential Montessori method, which is now practiced throughout the world. A thorough, nuanced portrait of this often controversial woman, The Child Is the Teacher is the first biographical work on Maria Montessori written by an author who is not a member of the Montessori movement, but who has been granted access to original letters, diaries, notes, and texts written by Montessori herself, including an array of previously unpublished material.

Author: Christina De Stefano, Publisher: Other Press

BORN OF NO WOMAN In this gothic tale reminiscent of Faulkner’s Light in August, a young woman’s journals divulge the horrible secrets of a wealthy family in late nineteenth-century rural France. Before he is called to bless the body of a woman at the nearby asylum, Father Gabriel receives a strange, troubling confession: hidden under her dress he will find the notebooks that contain Rose’s harrowing story. At fourteen years old, Rose is sold to a rich man by her father, a farmer unable to support her and her three younger sisters. Traded for a handful of coins, she becomes the property of the master and is taken away without warning to her new home. This isolated manor that seems like a castle to Rose, with the master’s formidable mother and his absent wife, immediately provokes a sense of unease. Rose soon becomes caught in their perverse web, unsure of how to escape and whom she can trust. The English-language debut of critically acclaimed French author Franck Bouysse (Elle Readers’ Grand Prize, the Booksellers’ Prize, and the Prix Babelio), this exquisitely written novel is both a keen commentary on class and a chilling horror story. Deftly navigating the complexities of desire, abuse, compassion, and resilience, he has created a timeless portrait of human nature left to fester unseen. The Guardian: Best Translated Fiction.

Author: Franck Bouysse, Publisher: Other Press 

 

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD. Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia.  When Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad, they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape. Matters do not go as planned—Cora kills a young white boy who tries to capture her. Though they manage to find a station and head north, they are being hunted. In Whitehead’s ingenious conception, which won him the National book Award, the Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor—engineers and conductors operate a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil. Like the protagonist of Gulliver’s Travels, Cora encounters different worlds at each stage of her journey—hers is an odyssey through time as well as space. As Whitehead brilliantly re-creates the unique terrors for black people in the pre–Civil War era, his narrative seamlessly weaves the saga of America from the brutal importation of Africans to the unfulfilled promises of the present day. The Underground Railroad is at once a kinetic adventure tale of one woman’s ferocious will to escape the horrors of bondage and a shattering, powerful meditation on the history we all share.

Author: Colson Whitehead, Publisher: Turtleback, 2018. 4€ at the Book Room

I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO In his final years, Baldwin envisioned a book about his three assassinated friends, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King. His deeply personal notes for the project had never been published before acclaimed filmmaker Raoul Peck mined Baldwin’s oeuvre to compose his stunning documentary film I Am Not Your Negro. Peck weaves these texts together, brilliantly imagining the book that Baldwin never wrote with selected published and unpublished passages, essays, letters, notes, and interviews that are every bit as incisive and pertinent now as they have ever been. Peck’s film uses them to jump through time, juxtaposing Baldwin’s private words with his public statements, in a blazing examination of the tragic history of race in America. This edition contains more than 40 black-and-white images from the film, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary.

Author: James Baldwin, Publisher: Vintage International. 2016. 5€ at the Book Room

NEGROLAND Author MargoJefferson takes us into an insular and discerning society: “I call it Negroland,” she writes, “because I still find ‘Negro’ a word of wonders, glorious and terrible.” Margo Jefferson was born in 1947 into upper-crust black Chicago. Her father was head of pediatrics at Provident Hospital, while her mother was a socialite. Negroland’s pedigree dates back generations, having originated with antebellum free blacks who made their fortunes among the plantations of the South. It evolved into a world of exclusive sororities, fraternities, networks, and clubs—a world in which skin color and hair texture were relentlessly evaluated alongside scholarly and professional achievements, where the Talented Tenth positioned themselves as a third race between whites and “the masses of Negros,” and where the motto was “Achievement. Invulnerability. Comportment.” Jefferson brilliantly charts the twists and turns of a life informed by psychological and moral contradictions, while reckoning with the strictures and demands of Negroland at crucial historical moments—the civil rights movement, the dawn of feminism, the falsehood of post-racial America. National Book Critics Circle Award. An extraordinary look at privilege, discrimination, and the fallacy of post-racial America by the renowned Pulitzer Prize–winning cultural critic.

Author: Margo Jefferson, Publisher: Vintage Books. 2015. 8€ at the Book Room

BOUND FOR CANAAN: The Epic Story of the Underground Railroad. An important book of epic scope on America’s first racially integrated, religiously-inspired political movement for change—The Underground Railroad, a movement peopled by daring heroes and heroines, and everyday folk. For most, the mention of the Underground Railroad evokes images of hidden tunnels, midnight rides, and hairsbreadth escapes. Yet the Underground Railroad’s epic story is much more morally complex and politically divisive than even the myths suggest. Against a backdrop of the country’s westward expansion,which brought together Easterners who had engaged in slavery primarily in the abstract alongside slaveholding Southerners and their slaves, arose a clash of values that evolved into a fierce fight for nothing less than the country’s soul. Beginning six decades before the Civil War, freedom-seeking blacks and pious whites worked together to save tens of thousands of lives, often at the risk of great physical danger to themselves. Not since the American Revolution had the country engaged in an act of such vast and profound civil disobedience that not only subverted federal law but also went against prevailing mores. Flawlessly researched and uncommonly engaging, Bound for Canaan, shows why it was the Underground Railroad and not the Civil Rights movement that gave birth to this country’s first racially-integrated, religiously-inspired movement for social change.

Author: Fergus M. Bordewich, Publisher: HarperCollins. 2005. 7€ at the Book Room

OBAMA FROM PROMISE TO POWER Barack Obama is arguably the most dynamic political figure to grace the American stage since John F. Kennedy. His meteoric rise from promise to power has stunned even the cynics and inspired a legion of devout followers. For anyone who wants to know more about the man, David Mendell’s Obama is essential reading. Mendell, who covered Obama for the Chicago Tribune, had far-reaching access to the Chicago politician as Obama climbed the ladder to the White House, the details of which he shares in this compelling biography. Positioning Obama as the savior of a fumbling Democratic party, Mendell reveals how Obama conquered Illinois politics and paved the way brick by brick for a galvanizing, historic presidential run. With a new afterword by the author, which includes a fresh perspective on Barack Obama following his two historic terms as the first African-American president, and with exclusive interviews with family members and top advisers, and details on Obama’s voting record, David Mendell offers a complete, complex, and revealing portrait. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in American politics in general and President Barack Obama in particular.

Author: David Mendell, Publisher: HarperCollins, 2008. 3€ at the Book Room

ONE MORE RIVER TO CROSS, an intimate collection of photographs that documents the African American experience, a journey from captivity to freedom, from south to north, east to west. It celebrates the courageous achievements of men and women whose defiant rejection of inequality and subjugation put their own lives at risk.

Author: Walter Dean Myers, Publsiher: Harcourt Brace, 1995. 5€ at the Book Room

AIRBORNE 44 Black Boys (TOME 9) Alors que Nice est libérée en août 1944 et que la fête bat son plein dans la ville du sud de la France, deux soldats sont amenés à se rencontrer. La liesse conduit Virgil, un jeune afro américain, vers les bras d’une jeune infirmière blanche. Ceci n’est pas pour plaire à un autre soldat Jared, qui ne voit pas d’un bon œil ce rapprochement entre un noir et une blanche. Passé à tabac, le jeune homme devra pourtant dans le futur se battre au côté de Jared. Ainsi, deux mondes se confrontent et ne sont pas aussi manichéen qu’ils en avaient l’air à l’origine.

Author: Philippe Jarbinet, Publisher: Casterman, 2021. 10€ at the Book Room

FORGOTTEN, THE UNTOLD STORY OF D-DAY’S BLACK HEROES is an extraordinary blend of military and social history – a story that pays tribute to the valour of an all-black battalion whose crucial contributions at D-Day have gone unrecognised to this day. In the early hours of June 6, 1944, the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, a unit of African-American soldiers, landed on the beaches of France. Their orders were to man a curtain of armed balloons meant to deter enemy aircraft. One member of the 320th would be nominated for the Medal of Honor, an award he would never receive. The nation’s highest decoration was not given to black soldiers in the Second World War. Drawing on newly uncovered military records and dozens of original interviews with surviving members of the 320th and their families, Linda Hervieux tells the story of these heroic men. In England and Europe, they discovered freedom they had not known in a homeland that treated them as second-class citizens – experiences they carried back to America, fuelling the budding civil rights movement. In telling the story of the Battalion, Hervieux offers a vivid account of the tension between racial politics and national service in wartime America, and a moving narrative of human bravery and perseverance in the face of injustice.

Author: Linda Hervieux, Publisher: Amberley Publishing 2019, 8€ at the Book Room

VIPER’S DREAM Des années 30 à la fin des années 50, Clyde « Viper » Morton règne sur Harlem au rythme du jazz et dans la fumée des joints de marijuana. Mais dure sera la chute.. Clyde Morton croit en son destin : il sera un grand trompettiste de jazz. Mais lorsqu’il quitte son Alabama natal pour auditionner dans un club de Harlem, on lui fait comprendre qu’il vaut mieux oublier son rêve. L’oublier dans les fumées de la marijuana… qui lui ouvre des horizons. La « viper », comme elle est surnommée à Harlem, se répand à toute vitesse et Clyde sera son messager. Il est bientôt un caïd craint et respecté, un personnage. Jusqu’au jour où arrive la poudre blanche qui tue. Et qui oblige à tuer. Jake Lamar est le plus français des Américains. Ce roman qui inaugure la série « New York Made in France » a connu une version radiophonique sur France-Culture, saluée par Télérama. Come meet Jake Lamar at the Book Room on 12 March. More information here.

Author: Jake Lamar, Publisher: Rivages/ Noir 

 

HERO OF TWO WORLDS Few in history can match the revolutionary career of the Marquis de Lafayette. Over fifty incredible years at the heart of the Age of Revolution, he fought courageously on both sides of the Atlantic. He was a soldier, statesman, idealist, philanthropist, and abolitionist. As a teenager, Lafayette ran away from France to join the American Revolution. Returning home a national hero, he helped launch the French Revolution, eventually spending five years locked in dungeon prisons. After his release, Lafayette sparred with Napoleon, joined an underground conspiracy to overthrow King Louis XVIII, and became an international symbol of liberty. Finally, as a revered elder statesman, he was instrumental in the overthrow of the Bourbon Dynasty in the Revolution of 1830. From enthusiastic youth to world-weary old age, from the pinnacle of glory to the depths of despair, Lafayette never stopped fighting for the rights of all mankind. His remarkable life is the story of where we come from, and an inspiration to defend the ideals he held dear.

Author: Mike Duncan, Publisher: Public Affairs Books 

Also enjoy the website dedicated to Lafayette, memorabilia and the city of his birth in France: Chavaniac-Lafayette 

TIMELESS PARIS This is one beautiful book of beautiful things and places. The endpapers, the marbleized title page, the printing, not to mention the nook-and-cranny Parisian treasures themselves make upthisa dream compendium of old-world Parisian resources for everything from hand-ground pastels still made by the aptly named La Maison du Pastel where Toulouse Lautrec shopped, to Passementerie Verrier where every breathtaking polychrome braid, trim, and silky tassel is still handwoven and assembled as they have been for over a century. In Paris, enchantment awaits around every corner, and artist Marin Montagut marvels in discovering the ateliers and emporiums that pepper the capital. For centuries, the artisanal trades associated with the city have continued to hum uninterrupted in unique workshops seemingly untouched by time. Discover where talented artisans handcraft and sell their wares in charming Parisian studios and shops where the skill has been passed on for decades—or centuries—of continuous operation. These specialist purveyors provide unique products that inspire designers, artists, creative types of every description, and all aficionados of exceptional craftsmanship.The history of each treasured location is accompanied by ravishing photographs, and Montagut’s own irresistibly charming drawings, watercolors, and collages. Today, skilled craftspeople continue to work right in the heart of the city. From an artist’s studio hidden away in Montmartre to an antique shop in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and from a period hardware store to a cabinet of curiosities, Marin Montagut invites readers to follow him inside nineteen quintessentially Parisian locations that inspire and attest to the savoir faire that is the very essence of Parisian style. This book is published in both French and English versions.

Author: Marin Montagut, Publisher: Flammarion 

CHRISTIAN DIOR DESTINY Christian Dior is renowned as the architect of the New Look, the epitome of elegance and beauty. But Dior’s own life, privileged as it began in glittering Belle Époque France, was marked by loss and hardship through the Wall Street Crash and under the Occupation in World War II. From the extremes of both wealth and poverty, and using the talents he had developed amid the bohemian crowd of Paris’s left bank—his eye for fashion, skill as an illustrator, and gift for friendship—Christian Dior emerged, dynamic and more resolute than ever, to found the Maison Dior. His groundbreaking fashions brought style and joy back to the streets of Paris and the world. Maison Dior became a landmark—like the Eiffel Tower—evoking an image of Parisian chic that everyone wanted. In just ten years, Dior created an empire that spanned the globe : his was one of the first Parisian couture houses to become a truly international brand. Throughout this meteoric rise, Christian Dior was surrounded by a fiercely loyal group of friends and colleagues who shared in his successes and fears, and helped him to achieve his vision. But such drive took its toll, and Dior suffered a fatal heart attack at just fifty-two. This sensitive biography looks behind the accolades to understand the private Dior—the man who suffered loss but loved deeply, who was quiet in person, yet known for extravagant displays of generosity. He overcame his own challenges to share the unique, beguiling world of his imagination and, in doing so, revolutionized the fashion industry and the way women would dress forever after. This book is published in both French and English versions.

Author: Marie-France Pochna, Publisher: Flammarion 

HEARTS AT DAWN Paris, 1870. As the Franco-Prussian War enters its desperate final months, the capital transforms from a splendid metropolis into a city under siege. Lavish meals change to rations, pigeons deliver letters, and two destinies will collide, challenged by a seemingly unbreakable curse. Every night, New York aristocrat Orin Rush transforms into a monster. After learning that a human heart is the only way to break the curse, he keeps himself carefully distant from anyone he might hurt. Can he lift the enchantment without taking a life? His search for answers leads him to Paris. Every day, free-spirited Claire Turin photographs the people and animals of Paris. Fascinated by the city she loves, her greatest dream is a secret she keeps in her apartment. Her greatest fear is the emptiness of night, when she thinks of the family she’s lost. She’s never loved anyone else. Maybe she never will. Will Paris and its people survive the hardship of the Siege? Will Orin break the curse? And will two hearts who’ve never known love awaken in the City of Light?

Local Author: Alysa Salzberg

L’ECOLE DE LA BOULANGERIE Découvrez toutes les techniques pour pétrir, façonner et cuire le pain ! Les pains classiques et régionaux, les pains du monde, les recettes de snacking, les viennoiseries et les pâtisseries de boulanger… Du pétrissage à la mise au four : toutes les étapes pour réussir la préparation et la cuisson. Les différents modes de préfermentation : le levain liquide, le levain dur, la poolish, la pâte fermentée… Pour plusieurs recettes, des photos pas à pas afin de bien visualiser les gestes.

Author: Ecole Le Cordon Bleu, Publisher: Larousse 

TIMOTÉ CHERCHE ET TROUVE A NOËL Timoté est un petit lapin qui, au fil des albums, partage sa vie avec ses copains et sa famille. À travers 10 grandes scènes, on joue avec Timoté et on cherche, au fil des pages, tous les éléments qui font de Noël une fête magique ! Que de choses à observer ! Enfants 3 à 7 ans

Author: Emmanuelle Massonaud et Mélanie Combes, Publisher: Gründ 

 

FRENCH PASTRY MADE SIMPLE Unleash your inner pastry chef with Molly Wilkinson’s approachable recipes for all of your French favorites. Trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Molly takes the most essential techniques and makes them easy for home bakers, resulting in a collection of simple, key recipes that open up the world of pastry. With friendly, detailed directions and brilliant shortcuts, you can skip the pastry shop and enjoy delicious homemade creations. Watch the Book Room’s event calendar to find out when Molly will come present her book in person.

Author: Molly Wilkinson,  Publisher: Page Street Publishing, author’s website

WHILE PARIS SLEPT Told from alternating perspectives, While Paris Slept reflects on the power of love, resilience, and courage when all seems lost. Exploring the strength of family ties, and what it really means to love someone unconditionally, this debut novel will capture your heart. One woman must make the hardest decision of her life in this unforgettably moving story of resistance and faith during one of the darkest times in history. Santa Cruz, 1953. Jean-Luc is a man on the run from his past. The scar on his face is a small price to pay for surviving the horrors of Nazi occupation in France. Now, he has a new life in California, a family. He never expected the past to come knocking on his door. Paris, 1944. A young Jewish woman’s past is torn apart in a heartbeat. Herded onto a train bound for Auschwitz, in an act of desperation she entrusts her most precious possession to a stranger. All she has left now is hope. On a darkened platform, two destinies become intertwined, and the choices each person makes will change the future in ways neither could have imagined. Includes a Reading Group Guide. Watch Book Room’s event calendar to find out when Ruth will come present her book in person.

Author: Ruth Druart, English language Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, Traduction française: L’Enfant du train, City Editions 

EM’S AWFUL GOOD FORTUNE I’m not sure if this title is ironic or not – it could be ironic in that many people view overseas assignments as good fortune, but for Em it was awful or it could refer without irony to the ultimately happy ending. Maybe it’s both… Paris! Tokyo! Hong Kong! Shanghai! Em’s husband Gee accepts a series of exciting overseas jobs that take the family from pillar to post. But Em and the kids Ruby and Rio would really rather stay at home. He takes the jobs it because it is how he provides for his family and he can’t find gigs at home. Em hates it because her life and career are put on hold as she feels she is relegated to be mom, nanny and organizer of overseas moves. The husband and trailing spouse have different points of view which leads Em to find some relief and happiness in an affair with Bleu in Paris. The affair leads Em and Gee to seek marriage counseling and they find their therapist in FUSAC! This nonlinear story is a novel but it’s also a reflection on the tagalong spouse. This is not your typical story full of glamour about the American abroad. What so many see from the exterior as a exciting opportunity turns out to be an all out struggle. Setting up life in a new place, with uneasy kids, not speaking the local language, multiple déménagements, constantly making new friends, uprooting again and again and lack of meaningful work or career is a long and lonely road not for the faint of heart and certainly not for a fragile marriage. Tagging along is an emotional roller coaster that affects the whole family. Perhaps the marriage counseling should’ve been done before the overseas move. At one point Em thinks “Every time Gee gets a new post I try to make it work, and it never does, not really. Someone always loses something. Tagalong math. Gee plus his job means me minus my career or me minus the kids. Or Ruby plus the house but minus her parents. Or Gee minus, well Gee never loses that’s the fundamental core of tagalong math.” In the long run the marriage survives but the author’s fierce, authentic and personal voice, comes through loud and clear with a message: marriage and especially a tagalong marriage can be a tough ride, you’ve been warned.

Author: Marcie Maxfield, Publisher: She Writes Press 

THE FANTASTIC FRENCH From Coco Chanel to Voltaire, including Victor Hugo, Catherine Deneuve, Claude Monet and Gustave Eiffel, this book is a way for children to meet French celebrities while having some fun. Perfect for learning about French history and culture, and acquiring basic knowledge. Portraits, key dates, and funny and colourful illustrations are used to help you find out facts in a fun and accessible manner. A great companion for young and curious readers 7 years old and up!

Author: Hugues Bioret, Publisher: Bonhomme de chemin 

and there are many more English Books Paris from history to memoirs, English, French or bilingual, for kids or adults, fiction or non. Many are books about France of course, but there are many different subjects and styles. for purchase or borrowing in our collection at Bill & Rosa’s Book Room.

Each month in the Book Room online, we recommend newly published books and for May we’ve selected some books to help with learning English, about Paris and one to get you to venture out of town.

LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY

DAVID COPPERFIELD

THE TEMPEST

The Read in English series consists of classic stories, like those listed above, rewritten for new readers of English. Grâce aux titres de la collection « Harrap’s school », les élèves de collège (4-6^ème) peuvent commencer à lire en VO (et acquérir les niveaux A1 et A2) tous les grands classiques de la littérature anglo-saxonne. Le texte en anglais est adapté aux niveaux des collégiens. Enrichi de belles illustrations, d’un lexique en fin d’ouvrage pour aider à la compréhension de l’intrigue et d’une version audio pour s’imprégner du bon accent. Lire en anglais ? C’est facile et plaisant avec Harrap’s. Publisher: Harrap’s School

What we think: Little Lord Fauntleroy is the absolutely charming story of Cedric who is a very generous boy. A book every one should read. We’re happy to see it part of this collection with other great classics so everyone can read in English (and there are other languages available too!)

CHIEN POURRI ! AU MUSÉE Chien Pourri a un peu peur : il parait que les musées, ça fait gonfler les pieds. Mais une visite au Louvre, ça ne se refuse pas. Chaplapla et lui vont voir la Joconde en vrai, le tableau le plus célèbre du monde ! Mais, bien sûr, la visite se met vite à dérailler…

Author : Colas Gutman, Illustrator : Marc Boutavant, Publisher: Ecole des loisirs

DISCOVER LOIRE’S CASTLES Discover their history, the technical feats that went into their construction and all their secrets. From Amboise to Clos Lucé, from Chambord to Chenonceau, from Blois to Villandry, each of these sublime castles conceals unsuspected treasures!  Discover them off the beaten track, with cultural, historical and sometimes even unusual information… Explore the history, big and small, of these landmarks of French history. Discover their secrets and mysteries, and follow our guide to admire their most unusual and sumptuous corners. Even if you’ve nver been to the Loire Valley you’ll find in this book more details and anecdotes to increase your interest.

Author: Flore Guichon, Publisher: Larousse 

DISCOVER PARIS THE PLACE TO BE From Montmartre to Montparnasse, from the Elysée to the Trocadéro, from the Louvre Museum to the Orsay Museum, from the Latin Quarter to the Butte aux Cailles and the Monceau plain, each district of Paris conceals unsuspected treasures! This Paris off the beaten track can be discovered along the alleys, parks, bridges and great monuments… Discover the small details and the great history of these places.  New-comers and old-timers alike will enjoy these anecdotes.

Author: Clémentine Santerre, Publisher: Larousse 

HALF AN HOUR FROM PARIS 

Londoner Annabel Simms has been circling around Paris for more than 25 years. Her first book An Hour from Paris came out in 2002 followed by A Half Hour in 2018 Just recently a revised version of the closer in Half an hour from Paris 12 secret day trips by train was republished. There’s a lot to enjoy just outside the city where there are fewer crowds and more nature plus a chance to stretch your legs on a walk. A Half Hour was Fully revised and updated in 2023. Written with humor and flare for the unusual and authentic, Annabel shares her delight in the little-known treasures of the Ile de France. Half an Hour from Paris presents 12 destinations which are easy to reach from central Paris. Each destination is with a carefully planned walk, ample meanderings through the cultural, historical and social milieu and a stop in a cafe or market. There’s the medieval castle where Henry V died, Josephine and Napoleon’s chateau, 1960s guinguettes, a Victorian gunpowder factory are just some of the discoveries connected by riverside walks and scenic views. If you had the previous version of this book, you’ll be happy to know there are two additional walks in Brunoy and the Parc de Saint Cloud and color photos. What we think: These two books are great for tourists but even better for those who live here and who are ready to explore beyond the beaten paths. The companion book An Hour from Paris is currently in revision and should be out in 2025.

Author: Annabel Simms​, Publisher: Pallas Athene

THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS – Read in English. The classic and adorable story by Kenneth Grahame revised for new readers of English. Grâce aux titres de la collection « Harrap’s school », les élèves de collège (6^ème) peuvent commencer à lire en VO tous les grands classiques de la littérature anglo-saxonne. Le texte en anglais est adapté aux niveaux des collégiens et revu par des enseignants. Il est également enrichi de belles illustrations, d’un lexique en fin d’ouvrage pour aider à la compréhension de l’intrigue et d’une version audio pour s’imprégner du bon accent dès le collège et de fiches pédagogiques téléchargeables pour favoriser l’étude en classe.31. What we think: The absolutely charming story of Toad, Ratty, Badger and Mole. A book every one should read. We’re happy to see this title in now part of this collection so everyone can read in English.

Publisher: Harrap’s School

TOUT L’ANGLAIS AU COLLÈGE Un ouvrage d’anglais adapté à tous les niveaux du collège. De la 6e à la 3e, des leçons de vocabulaire, de grammaire et de conjugaison pour un apprentissage complet de l’anglais. Chaque leçon est accompagnée d’exercices pour mettre en application les nouveaux acquis. Des corrigés permettent de valider les réponses et de travailler en autonomie.

Author: Céline Leclercq, Patrick Santini, Publisher : Larousse 

MÉTHODE EXPRESS ANGLAIS Un ouvrage complet qui a pour objectif d’offrir à l’utilisateur l’opportunité d’acquérir en quelques semaines les bases de l’anglais. Cet outil pédagogique conçu pour un apprentissage autonome et rapide proposera à l’utilisateur tous les outils pour lui permettre de se débrouiller en anglais au quotidien, dans des situations réelles de communication. Plus de 2 heures d’écoute pour accompagner l’apprentissage !

Author : Dominique Gautié, Sheena Andromaque, Publisher : Harrap’s 

One of the most important and enduring books of the twentieth century, ​THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD brings to life a Southern love story with the wit and pathos found only in the writing of Zora Neale Hurston. Out of print for almost thirty years—due largely to initial audiences’ rejection of its strong black female protagonist—Hurston’s classic has since its 1978 reissue become perhaps the most widely read and highly acclaimed novel in the canon of African-American literature. This should be a classic of American literature. In any case it is one everyone should read especially aspiring writers​ who will find much inspiration. It is not easy to read – even if English is your mother tongue- because most of the dialogue is in dialect. But the descriptive language, the choice of every word, is just beautiful. ​Simple choices of names are clearly well thought through; When the antagonist Double-Ugly steps​ in you know it’s going to be bad, just as you know Tea Cake will be good. “…Janie looked down on him and felt a self-crushing love. So her soul crawled out from its h​iding place. »

Author: Zora Neal Hurston, Publisher: Numerous

THE MOST SECRET MEMORY OF MEN is a gripping literary mystery in the vein of Bolaño’s Savage Detectives, this coming-of-age novel unravels the fascinating life of a maligned Black author, based on Yambo Ouologuem. In 2018, Diégane Latyr Faye, a young Senegalese writer in Paris, discovers a legendary book from the 1930s, The Labyrinth of Inhumanity. No one knows what became of its author, once hailed as the “Black Rimbaud,” after the book caused a scandal. Enthralled by this mystery, Diégane decides to search for T.C. Elimane, going down a path that will force him to confront the great tragedies of history, from colonialism to the Holocaust. Alongside his investigation, Diégane becomes part of a group of young African writers in Paris. Together they talk, drink, make love, philosophize about the role of exile in artistic creation. Diégane grows particularly close to two women: the seductive Siga, who holds so many secrets, and the photojournalist Aïda, impossible to pin down. The Most Secret Memory of Men is an astonishing novel about the choice between living and writing, and the desire to transcend the divide between Africa and the West. Above all, it is an ode to literature and its timelessness. The first Sub-Saharan African winner of France’s top literary prize, the Goncourt.

Author: Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, translated by Lara Vergnaud, Publisher: Other Press 

THE AGE OF MAGIC Eight weary filmmakers, traveling from Paris to Basel, arrive at a small Swiss hotel on the shores of a luminous lake. Above them, strewn with lights that twinkle in the darkness, looms the towering Rigi mountain. Over the course of three days and two nights, the travelers will find themselves drawn into the mystery of the mountain reflected in the lake. One by one, they will be disturbed, enlightened, and transformed, each in a different way. An intoxicating and dreamlike tale unfolds. Allow yourself to be transformed. Having shown a different way of seeing the world, Ben Okri now offers a different way of reading. In this enchanting novel from the Booker Prize–winning author, a group of world-weary travelers discover the meaning of life in a mysterious Swiss mountain village.

Author: Ben Okri, Publisher: Other Press 

AN AFRICAN ELEGY is Ben Okri’s remarkable debut poetry collection, first published in 1992. It plays with the mystique of the African continent, countering simplistic narratives of suffering that have been imposed on it with vibrant, nuanced portraits of the traditions and resilience of African peoples. An invaluable window onto his experiences as a Nigerian immigrant to the UK and as a writer discovering his calling, these poems also speak to universal truths about love, injustice, and the search for meaning.

Author: Ben Okri,  Publisher: Other Press 

 

MERDE AT THE PARIS OLYMPICS

Paul West is back and going for pétanque gold, the latest in Stephen Clarke’s well-known Merde series is out. Paul West is, as usual, in dire need of cash and accepts a job helping France’s national pétanque association to try and get its sport accepted as an Olympic event. (It isn’t, by the way, which is scandalous – France’s national sport not at its Olympics? When breakdancing has been accepted as a new event?!) Post-Brexit, Paul is also applying for French citizenship. A Waterloo-style battle with French bureaucracy ensues… And of course there’s a love story as Paul meets and falls for a tech genius who has invented a new kind of solar panel. She doesn’t have time for romantic dalliances, and thinks Paul is an idiot. All in all, a new Parisian romp, mainly set in the north of Paris by the canal. Meet Stephen Clarke and get your signed copy at Bill & Rosa’s Book Room on January 20th. Book Room Events

Author: Stephen Clarke, Publisher: pAf Books

LES GRANDES VIES ROSA BONHEUR Saluée pour ses superbes portraits d’animaux, Rosa a marqué son époque par ses convictions et son indépendance. Véritable héroïne moderne, elle refusa de suivre le schéma classique et préféra rester célibataire sans enfant afin de vivre sa vie comme elle l’entendait. Grande amoureuse de la nature, elle s’installa au château de By, à Thomery, au milieu des biches, des chiens, des chats et autres animaux parfois exotiques.

Author: Camille Viéville, illustrations by Olivia Boutrou, Publisher: Gallimard Jeunesse

CAMILLE PISSARRO THE AUDACITY OF IMPRESSIONISM From the acclaimed biographer and author of Balzac’s Omelette, this engaging new work portrays “the father of Impressionism” (he was even considered “the father” by his painter colleagues). The painter Camille Pissarro (1830–1903) occupied a central place in the artistic scene of his time: a founding member of the new school of French painting, he was a close friend of Monet, a longtime associate in Degas’s and Mary Cassatt’s experimental work, a support to Cézanne and Gauguin and Van Gogh. He was backed by the Parisian art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel throughout his career and yet he felt a persistent sense of being set apart, different, and hard to classify. He was in fact and immigrant and he was Jewish. Settled in France from the age of twenty-five but born in the Caribbean, he was of French and Danish nationality. Although a resolute atheist who never interjected political or religious messages in his art or his day to day, he was felt the weight of his lineage. Drawing on the considerable collection of letters by Pissarro and his correspondents, many of which are to his sons living in England, the author presents his unrestrained thoughts to offer a nuanced, intimate portrait of the artist and his age. Pissarro’s independent spirit fostered an environment of freedom and autonomy and kept him poor most of his life. Much additional research into his colleagues shows the friendship of this close circle of painters and writers and is one strong reason to read this book. The book tells of the art world of the time, the political climate, family life (Pissarro was father of eight) and the struggles that this new movement had to work through to become the most appreciated style of art in the western world. Pissarro lived in Paris, Normandy and the Yvelines and so we have a view of those nearby areas as well. The organization of the book is by theme and so can be a bit confusing chronologically but is well worth the read for the portrait of the artist and this fascinating period of French history. One lasting interrogation that comes to mind is how will future biographers be able to interpret their subjects with today’s electronic (ephemeral?) correspondence?

Author: Anka Muhlstein, translated from French by Adriana Hunter, Publisher: Other Press 

What do the above books have in common? They were shortlisted for the American Library in Paris’ Book Award.

And the Winner is… Joan: A Novel by Katherine J. Chen

Congratulations to Katherine J. Chen for Joan: A Novel, winner of the eleventh annual American Library in Paris Book Award. This exceptional work of historical fiction transforms the legend of Joan of Arc into a flesh-and-blood young woman: reckless, steel-willed, and brilliant. The novel is a sweeping narrative of Joan’s life, from a childhood steeped in both joy and violence to her meteoric rise to fame at the head of the French army, where she must navigate both the dangers of the battlefield and the equally treacherous politics of the royal court. The jury described the book as “deeply researched and fully imagined, Joan manages to subvert the old, dusty narratives about the ardent virgin warrior from Domrémy in eastern France, and creates a flawed, complicated, and compelling heroine for our age.”

The American Library’s $5,000 literary prize, now in its eleventh year, is given to the most distinguished book of the year, encompassing all genres, written and published in English, about France or the French. The award is supported by a generous grant from the Florence Gould Foundation. Here’s a short description of each of the 2023 American Library in Paris Book Award shortlist.

 AMERICANS IN PARIS: ARTISTS WORKING IN POSTWAR FRANCE, 1946-1962 The first substantial, scholarly overview of the American creative community living in postwar Paris, featuring never-before-published interviews with Americans and French artists, critics, and dealers. Featuring new scholarship and illuminating essays, the groundbreaking volume illustrates many of the paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photos, and films produced between 1946 and 1962. Proposing Paris as decisive for the development of postwar American art, this volume investigates the academies where many of these artists studied, the spaces where their work was exhibited, the aesthetic discourses that animated their conversations, their interactions with European artists, and the overarching issue of what it meant to be an American abroad.

Author: Debra Bricker Balken, Lynn Gumpert, Publisher: Hirmer Press

THE CURSE OF THE MARQUIS DE SADE: A NOTORIOUS SCOUNDREL, A MYTHICAL MANUSCRIPT, AND THE BIGGEST SCANDAL IN LITERARY HISTORY Described as both “one of the most important novels ever written” and “the gospel of evil,” 120 Days of Sodom was written by the Marquis de Sade, a notorious eighteenth-century aristocrat who waged a campaign of mayhem and debauchery across France, evaded execution, and inspired the word “sadism,” which came to mean receiving pleasure from pain. Despite all his crimes, Sade considered this work to be his greatest transgression. The original manuscript of 120 Days of Sodom, a tiny scroll penned in the bowels of the Bastille in Paris, would embark on a centuries-spanning odyssey across Europe, passing from nineteenth-century banned book collectors to pioneering sex researchers to avant-garde artists before being hidden away from Nazi book burnings. In 2014, the world heralded its return to France when the scroll was purchased for millions by Gérard Lhéritier, the self-made son of a plumber who had used his savvy business skills to upend France’s renowned rare-book market. But the sale opened the door to vendettas by the government, feuds among antiquarian booksellers, manuscript sales derailed by sabotage, a record-breaking lottery jackpot, and allegations of a decade-long billion-euro con, the specifics of which, if true, would make the scroll part of France’s largest-ever Ponzi scheme. Told with gripping reporting and flush with deceit and scandal, The Curse of the Marquis de Sade weaves together the sweeping odyssey of 120 Days of Sodom and the spectacular rise and fall of Lhéritier, once the “king of manuscripts” and now known to many as the Bernie Madoff of France. At its center is an urgent question for all those who cherish the written word: As the age of handwriting comes to an end, what do we owe the original texts left behind?

Author: Joel Warner, Publisher: Penguin Random House 

FRANCE ON TRIAL: THE CASE OF MARSHAL PÉTAIN Few images more shocked the French population during the Occupation than the photograph of Marshal Philippe Pétain – the great French hero of the First World War – shaking the hand of Hitler on 20 October 1940. In a radio speech after this meeting, Pétain told the French people that he was ‘entering down the road of collaboration’. He ended with the words: ‘This is my policy. My ministers are responsible to me. It is I alone who will be judged by History.’ Five years later, in July 1945, the hour of judgement – if not yet the judgement of History – arrived. Pétain was brought before a specially created High Court to answer for his conduct between the signing of the armistice with Germany in June 1940 and the Liberation of France in August 1944. Julian Jackson uses Pétain’s three-week trial as a lens through which to examine the central crisis of twentieth-century French history – the defeat of 1940, the signing of the armistice and Vichy’s policy of collaboration – what the main prosecutor Mornet called ‘four years to erase from our history’. As head of the Vichy regime in the Second, Pétain became one of France’s most notorious public figures, and the lightening-rod for collective guilt and retribution immediately after the Second World War. In France on Trial Jackson blends politics and personal drama to explore how different national factions sought to try to claim the past, or establish their interpretation of it, as a way of claiming the present and future.

Author: Julian Jackson, Publisher: Allen Lane Penguin

JOAN: A NOVEL 1412. France is mired in a losing war against England. Its people are starving. Its king is in hiding. From this chaos emerges a teenage girl who will turn the tide of battle and lead the French to victory, becoming an unlikely hero whose name will echo across the centuries. In Katherine J. Chen’s hands, the myth and legend of Joan of Arc is transformed into a flesh-and-blood young woman: reckless, steel-willed, and brilliant. This meticulously researched novel is a sweeping narrative of her life, from a childhood steeped in both joy and violence, to her meteoric rise to fame at the head of the French army, where she navigates the perils of the battlefield and the equally treacherous politics of the royal court. Many are threatened by a woman who leads, and Joan draws wrath and suspicion from all corners, while her first taste of fame and glory leaves her vulnerable to her own powerful ambition. With unforgettably vivid characters, transporting settings, and action-packed storytelling, Joan is a thrilling epic, a triumph of historical fiction, as well as a feminist celebration of one remarkable—and remarkably real—woman who left an indelible mark on history.

Author: Katherine J. Chen, Publisher: Penguin Random House 

# YOU KNOW YOU’RE BLACK IN FRANCE WHEN… THE FACT OF EVERYDAY ANTIBLACKNESS What does it mean to be racialized-as-black in France on a daily basis? #You Know You’re Black in France When… responds to that question. Under the banner of universalism, France messages a powerful and seductive ideology of blindness to race that disappears blackened people and the antiblackness they experience. As Trica Keaton notes, in everyday life, France is anything but raceblind. In this interdisciplinary study, drawn from a range of critical scholarship including that of Philomena Essed and Frantz Fanon, Keaton illuminates how b/Black (racialized/politicized) French people distinctly expose and refuse what she calls “raceblind republicanism.” By officially turning a blind eye to the specificity of antiblackness, the French state in fact perpetuates it, she argues, along with structural racism. Through daily life, public policies, visual culture, the private lives of individuals and families shattered by police violence, the French courts where many are fighting back, and her own experiences, Keaton charts the troubling dynamics and continuities of antiblackness in French society. A groundbreaking study about everyday antiblackness and its refusal in an officially raceblind France.

Author: Trica Keaton, Publisher: MIT Press 

MUMMIFIED The stories behind Egyptian mummies in museums

Dr Angela Stienne is a cultural historian, museum researcher and storyteller. In 2016 she created the website Mummy Stories, which aims to reshape the discussion around human remains in museums by collecting people’s stories of their own encounters. Dr Stienne will be at Bill & Rosa’s Book Room on November 18^th to present and sign her book Mummified at 16h. (come early at 15h for a tea tasting.)

Mummified explores the curious, unsettling and controversial cases of mummies held in French and British museums. From powdered mummies eaten as medicine to mummies unrolled in public, dissected for race studies and DNA-tested in modern laboratories, there is a lot more to these ancient remains than first meets the eye. This book takes you on a journey from Paris to London, Leicester and Manchester, from the apothecaries of the Middle Ages to the dissecting tables of the eighteenth century, and finally behind the screen of today’s computers, to revisit the stories of these bodies that have fascinated Europeans for so long. Mummified investigates matters of life and death, of collecting and viewing, and of interactions – sometimes violent and sometimes emotional – that question the essence of what makes us human.

Author: By Angela Stienne, Publisher: Manchester University Press 

 

AMMON’S HORN, OR THE MYSTERY OF THE BRAIN Five cutting-edge scientists compete for $100 million and directorship of a new institute dedicated to eradicating Alzheimer’s in this edifying, low key thriller. Spurred by his wife’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis and disenchanted with the slow progress and routine research in finding a cure, a rich Swiss businessman launches a contest for promising young neuroscientists who can think “outside the box.” Chosen for their scientific excellence and originality, they must travel to the great cities of Europe in search of the answers to five difficult riddles, each combining an enigmatic neuroscientific question with a geographical and historical challenge. Soon a lost and disgruntled scientist plots to win the contest by scaring the others to drop out. The nature of the riddles and the talents of the competitors open a world of discovery for the reader introducing some of the most pressing areas in current brain research, such as neurodegenerative diseases, artificial intelligence, drug addiction, genetics, and the mechanisms of memory. The book is not a riveting can’t-put-it-down thriller. You know who-dun-it from the get-go, there are no high-speed chases, no blood, no cliff-hangers. The story is an interesting and non-scientific way to present Alzheimer’s Disease and the research that still needs to be done. In reading the novel I wished the ideas in this book were real  that innovative scientists would be soon directing a more creative Alzheimer’s research and that we might one day find a solution.

Author: Pierre and Christine Magistretti, Publisher: Other Press 

LE MYSTÈRE DE BILLY THE KID Catherine en a assez d’être une jeune fille bien élevée. Elle ne rêve que d’une chose : partir à l’aventure ! Elle s’enfuit alors au Nouveau-Mexique, où elle se fait bientôt arrêter par le shérif Pat Garrett… c’est-à-dire l’ennemi juré du célèbre hors-la-loi Billy the Kid ! S’ensuit alors une aventure qui dépasse ses rêves les plus fous… Qu’est-il vraiment arrivé à Billy the Kid, cette nuit d’été de 1881, lorsqu’il fut surpris par le shérif Pat Garrett ? Seule Catherine pourra vous le révéler ! Si elle le souhaite… Chaque tome de cette collection permet de découvrir un mystère historique, en lien avec un pays anglosaxon. Des mots et des phrases courtes et simples en anglais intercallés dans un texte en français encouragent l’enfant. A partir de 9 ans.

Author: Julien Atrigue, Publisher: Chattycat

 

PARIS FANTÔMES Depuis la nuit des temps, des fantômes hanteraient les replis secrets de Paris, cimetières, catacombes, ruines, palais abandonnés et sombres venelles. À chaque époque, ses revenants. Si la Lutèce gallo-romaine s’efforce de les contenir à distance, la ville du Moyen Âge les célèbre dans d’étranges danses macabres. La fascination pour les spectres ne faiblit pas à l’âge classique ni au siècle des Lumières. Et, sous la Révolution, la guillotine tournant à plein régime ne favorise pas le repos des âmes. Au XIXe siècle, les bouleversements des grands travaux haussmanniens réveillent encore farfadets et poltergeists. L’heure est au culte des esprits. Quelques années et une guerre mondiale plus tard, des légions de morts laissent derrière elles une armée de vivants avides de communiquer avec les disparus. Ces voix d’outre-tombe se sont-elles aujourd’hui évaporées dans les brumes du passé ? Rien n’est moins sûr…

Author: Bertrand Matot, Publisher: Parigramme  

FOOLPROOF FRENCH VISAS Your all-in-one guide to a smooth, stress-free relocation to France. Navigate the constantly shifting requirements of applying for the correct French visa with the help of an expert who’s guided hundreds of people to realise their dreams of a new life in France. However long you’re planning to stay, and whatever you’d like to do once there, this book will help you to understand each available visa type, if you’re eligible and what you need to do to apply successfully.

Author: Allison Grant Lounes, Kim Mousseron, Publisher: Yourfranceformation 

29 DAYS TO FRANCE is the ultimate guide to moving to France. Featuring three sections: BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER, this short read will help you prepare to move to another country. 29 Days in France was born out of a desire to share information that the authors wish that they had before they made the jump from the United States to the European capital of bread, wine, and cheese. Each section is full of tips and advice, including determining your why, deciding what to pack, what visa to get, and how to set up electricity in your new home. The book is divided into Days to help make moving less intimidating, and each day features a short exercise to help you prepare. If you’ve ever thought about moving to France, reading this book is the first step to starting your new life.

Author: Gracie Bialecki, Stephen Heiner, Molli Sébrier, Publisher: The American in Paris

FIX MY HEART, MOM Sam is a big boy in Kindergarten. Since he has lost his father, he has tried many things to fix his broken heart and is now willing to share his story with other kids who feel like their heart will never get fixed. “Fix my heart, Mom” is a tale followed by an activity guide through which parents and therapists may choose between different tools to help little ones with invisible wounds name their emotions, welcome them or let them go whenever they are too heavy to bear. You will find activities based on Kintsugi, the Japanese philosophical art as well as playful exercises of sophrology, a mindfulness technique to help ease day-to-day emotions and thoughts in the grieving process.

Author: Caroline Jolivet, Publisher: Les Ateliers de Sophrologie 

JUNK FOOD Encore largement méconnue du grand public, la dépendance aux aliments industriels est une réalité pour des milliers de personnes. En donnant la parole aux victimes, ces food addicts qui ont perdu tout contrôle sur leur alimentation, Junk Food lève le voile sur ces drogues du quotidien, surchargées en sucre et en gras, qui détruisent notre santé et, parfois, nos vies. Gotta love the name of one of the authors: Arthur Croque!

Author: Emilie Gleason, Arthur Croque,  Publisher: Casterman 

500 QCM COMPREHENSION DE TEXTE EN ANGLAIS L’ouvrage parfait pour améliorer sa compréhension des textes en anglais, grâce au format des questions à choix multiples. Les nombreux entraînements permettent d’améliorer ses connaissances, d’éviter les pièges et de s’entraîner de manière efficace à l’épreuve de la compréhension de texte.

Author: Jonah Wilson, Publisher: Larousse 

Discover the Bill & Rosa’s Book Room concept. Come visit us – it is a nice spot up and downstairs at FUSAC to Read, Write, Relax and Buy, Donate, Borrow used English books Paris (and some French too, we are in France after all!). There is also the Power-of-the-Postcard desk and unique cards and postcards to write to family and friends, a jigsaw puzzle table, reading chairs. To discover our 5000+ titles visit our Click and Collect List. Near metro Porte de St Cloud. 42 rue du Chemin Vert 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt. Come over (Click for our opening hours) and find out why we call it Bill and Rosa’s!

We’ve chosen 2 bilingual books for young readers, the American West, a new Harry-Potteresque fantasy  and two new graphic novels in French recounting Versailles and Gone with the Wind.  Epic!

HIDDEN HEIR Inga may not be the worst witch, but she’s certainly trying to be better, which is difficult in a world where having magical powers is a cause for suspicion. Fortunately, she has the aide of the mysterious Biagio, but can she trust him? It’s a dangerous world; girls have been disappearing. And now family secrets expose Inga to a millennia-old threat. Can Inga defend her fate? Is there a fate far worse than death for her?

Author: Rose D. Patruno, Publisher: Gaeli 

LA COMTESSE DE SÉGUR ET MOI A Bilingual Book! On ne parle pas de moi dans ses biographies officielles. Vous ne trouverez pas mon nom dans sa correspondance. Et pourtant, j’existe bien : je ne suis autre que la gouvernante anglaise de Camille et Madeleine de Malaret, les petites-filles de la comtesse de Ségur. Tout a commencé le jour où les parents de Camille et Madeleine ont décidé d’emménager à Londres. On m’a donné comme mission d’apprendre l’anglais à leurs filles. La comtesse, elle, attristée du départ imminent de ses petits-enfants adorés, se lançait dans le chef-d’oeuvre de sa carrière : Les Petites Filles modèles…

Author: Mary Brown, Publisher: Chattycat 

LUCAS ET LILI Bilingual Book. Aux origines de l’électricité avec Edison et Tesla : une découverte ludique de l’Histoire et de l’anglais, pour les enfants qui commencent à lire seuls. Le niveau d’anglais de Lucas et Lili laisse beaucoup à désirer. C’est pourquoi leurs parents ont demandé à Anna, une jeune Américaine, de les aider à s’améliorer. Mais Anna n’est pas une enseignante comme les autres : elle est magique ! Et, grâce à elle, nos jeunes héros vont remonter le temps pour découvrir différent moments-clés de l’Histoire… et pourquoi pas, au passage…

Author: A. De Glay, Anthony Cocain, Publisher: Chattycat 

HISTOIRE DU FAR WEST Du XVIe au XIXe siècle, Jean-Louis Rieupeyrout raconte l’Ouest américain dans un ouvrage fondateur. À partir de l’exploration de ces terres par les Européens, à travers la ruée vers l’or et les guerres, l’auteur retrace l’histoire d’une exploitation économique et politique, jusqu’à l’avènement d’une mythologie du Far West. Il donne ainsi vie aux personnages fantasmés que sont les Indiens, les trappeurs, les chercheurs d’or, les shérifs et autres cow-boys, mais il montre aussi ce que fut la vie des hommes et des femmes d’un Far West mal connu.

Author: Jean-Louis Rieupeyrout, Publisher: Tallandier 

VERSAILLES Dans cette enquête présentée par le journaliste Guy Lefranc, le château de Versailles ouvrira ses portes. Depuis le relais de chasse de Louis XIII, cet écrin du pouvoir royal a beaucoup évolué. Symbole de la puissance du roi Louis XIV, ce château, joyaux de l’architecture classique, aura été le théâtre du développement de la monarchie absolue de droit divin. On y croisera des personnalités fortes qui auront fait l’histoire du lieu, de Richelieu à Mazarin, en passant par les fleurons de l’art de l’époque, Molière, Racine ou Boileau. Guy Lefranc nous replongera dans une des parts les plus somptueuses de l’histoire de France.

Author: Jacques Martin, Publisher: Casterman 

GONE WITH THE WIND Scarlett O’Hara, jeune fille d’une riche famille d’Atlanta au sud des Etats-Unis, connait une vie douce et confortable, menée au rythme de son caractère déterminé et audacieux. Lorsque la Guerre de Sécession débute en 1861, ses repères s’écroulent, et de lourdes responsabilités s’imposent à elle. Au milieu de la destruction et de la mort, Scarlett rêve pourtant d’amour : celui pour Ashley Wilkes, pourtant promis à une autre, et qu’elle porte secrètement depuis toujours. L’arrivée de Rhett Butler, homme sans foi ni loi, aussi immoral que séduisant, rebattra de nouveau les cartes dont la jeune fille dispose pour atteindre le bonheur. Avec son adaptation du célèbre roman de Margaret Mitchell et la formidable mise en images de ses personnages cultes, Pierre Alary signe une œuvre prenante et magnifie ce récit intemporel.

Author: Pierre Alary d’après Margaret Mitchell, Publisher: Rue de Sèvres 

VIPER’S DREAM At the centre of Viper’s Dream is a turbulent love story. And the climax bears an element of Greek tragedy. For the better part of 20 years, Viper Morton has been in love with Yolanda ‘Yo-Yo’ DeVray, a singer of immense talent but a woman consumed by demons. By turns ambitious and self-destructive, conniving and naive, Yo-Yo is a classic femme fatale. She is a bright star in a constellation of compelling characters including the chauffeur-turned-gangster Peewee Robinson, the Jewish kingpin Abraham ‘Mr. O’ Orlinsky, the heroin dealer West Indian Charlie, the corrupt cop Red Carney, the wife-beating singer Pretty Paul Baxter, the pimp Buttercup Jones and the brutal enforcer Randall Country Johnson. Viper’s Dream is a hard-boiled crime novel set in the jazz world of Harlem between 1936 and 1961. The protagonist is Clyde ‘The Viper’ Morton, one of the most respected and feared Black gangsters in America. The story combines elements of the epic Godfather films and the Harlem detective novels of Chester Himes. Come listen to Jake Lamar talk about his book and the writing process at the Book Room on June 3^rd. https://fusac.fr/events-in-the-book-room/ Please reserve a seat by email: BRbookroom@gmail.com. 

Author: Jake Lamar, Publisher: No Exit Press 

Do you have limited French but want to read a book in French to improve? Try MEURTRE A MONTMARTRE by France Dubin, a French teacher turned author for adults learning French. The paperback and ebook editions include the full French text, a complete English translation, and tons of fun exercises. The audio recording contains the full French text, read by the author. The story is a crime novel about Alice and Julia, two Americans, who are in Paris to see Madame Blanche de Monceau, Julia’s French cousin. The day after they arrive, Madame de Monceau is found dead in her wine cellar!

Author: France Dubin, Publisher: Easy French Press 

THE SORBONNE AFFAIR American novelist Helen Hancock is in Paris to research her work-in-progress and teach a writing class when she discovers a spy camera hidden in her room at the luxury Hotel Sorbonne. Hancock notifies the US embassy, which dispatches former FBI profiler Hugo Marston to investigate. Almost immediately the stakes are raised when a bell-hop is found dead in the hotel’s stairwell. Police tell Hugo they have discovered evidence on the dead man’s computer suggesting that he was the one who bugged Hancock’s room. The next day things become even more complicated when a salacious video clip explodes across the Internet showing Hancock in the embrace of Ambrosio Silva, one of her writing students—both are naked and nothing is left to the imagination. But when Hugo tries to find him, his investigation leads only to Silva’s dead body. He too has been murdered. Through a series of sharp deductions, Hugo uncovers new evidence pointing to the most surprising suspect of all. A close call with a dark figure on the steps of his own apartment building proves that he’s on the right track and leaves no doubt that he is next on the hit list. This is not a new book, but it is certainly fun to read a crime novel set in Paris. Here’s a few other Paris Thrillers that we have in the book room. https://fusac.fr/thrillers-set-in-paris/

Author: Mark Pryor,  Publisher: Seventh Street Books

LE GRAND MONDE, La famille Pelletier. Trois histoires d’amour, un lanceur d’alerte, une adolescente égarée, deux processions, Bouddha et Confucius, un journaliste ambitieux, une mort tragique, le chat Joseph, une épouse impossible, un sale trafic, une actrice incognito, une descente aux enfers, cet imbécile de Doueiri, un accent mystérieux, la postière de Lamberghem, grosse promotion sur le linge de maison, le retour du passé, un parfum d’exotisme, une passion soudaine et irrésistible. Et quelques meurtres. Les romans de Pierre Lemaitre ont été récompensés par de nombreux prix littéraires nationaux et internationaux. Après sa remarquable fresque de l’entre-deux-guerres, il nous propose aujourd’hui une plongée mouvementée et jubilatoire dans les Trente Glorieuses. Il est également très connu pour ses romans polars.

Author: Pierre Lemaitre,  Publisher: Calmann-Lévy 

LES HOMMES ONT PEUR DE LA LUMIÈRE Dans un Los Angeles crépusculaire, le grand retour de Douglas Kennedy au roman noir ! Un après-midi calme et ensoleillé, un bâtiment en apparence anonyme et soudain, l’explosion d’une bombe. L’immeuble dévasté abritait l’une des rares cliniques pratiquant l’avortement. Une victime est à déplorer et parmi les témoins impuissants, Brendan, un chauffeur Uber d’une cinquantaine d’années, et sa cliente Elise, une ancienne professeure de fac qui aide des femmes en difficulté à se faire avorter. Au mauvais endroit au mauvais moment, l’intellectuelle bourgeoise et le chic type sans histoires vont se retrouver embarqués malgré eux dans une dangereuse course contre la montre. Car si au départ tout semble prouver qu’il s’agit d’un attentat perpétré par un groupuscule d’intégristes religieux, la réalité est bien plus trouble et inquiétante… Tout à la fois thriller haletant et chronique d’une Amérique en crise, Les hommes ont peur de la lumière est surtout le puissant portrait d’un homme et d’une femme qui, envers et contre tout, essaient de rester debout.

Author: Douglas Kennedy,  Publisher: Belfond 

THE LAST HOURS IN PARIS begins at the Liberation and continues through the next generation. 1940s: Elise is a young French woman secretly helping the resistance in German-occupied Paris. Sebastian is a young German soldier working as a translator. They meet, fall in love, and are relishing in the unforeseen happiness they have found in one another, despite being on opposite sides of the war. After liberation, however, the young couple is tragically torn apart, with Sebastian arrested by the French resistance and Elise captured and shamed as a ‘collabo’ by her own people, before being sent to Brittany for her own protection. The lovers are parted, each believing the other to be lost forever.  1960s: Elise and her 18-year-old daughter, Josephine, live in Brittany, with Brigitte, a gruff and bitter Frenchwoman who took Elise in after the war. Josephine has always been told that her father was a Frenchman who died when she was a baby—but when she discovers she is, in fact, the daughter of a German soldier, she travels to England to find out more about her real father. To her shock, she learns he is not dead, but living in the U.K. where he settled after the war and made a new life with his wife, Margaret, an Englishwoman who knows nothing of his past. When Josephine reveals that her mother Elise is still alive, Sebastian must make the most difficult decision of his life: honor his duty to his new family, or return to his first great love? English Publisher: Hachette UK

LES DERNIÈRES HEURES À l’aube de la Libération, Paris vit ses heures les plus sombres. Mais la jeune Élise n’hésite pas à braver les dangers et à partager le peu qu’elle possède avec un orphelinat juif. Affamée de justice, elle va encore plus loin, exfiltrant les enfants avant qu’ils ne soient envoyés au camp de Drancy. Un jour, elle fait la rencontre de Sebastian, un jeune soldat allemand. Chaque jour, pour le Reich, il traduit les lettres de dénonciation. Mais sa rencontre avec Élise va le confronter à l’horreur de ses actes et à un terrible dilemme : trahir son pays ou renoncer à l’amour de la belle Française. Dix-neuf ans plus tard, une jeune femme, Jospéhine, découvre dans une vieille valise, une lettre qui remonte à la guerre. Un mot d’amour destiné à sa mère mais écrit par un autre homme que son père. Peu à peu, elle remonte le fil d’une histoire d’amour interdite. L’histoire d’une trahison et d’une vérité indicible qui va changer sa vie à tout jamais. French Publisher: City Editions 

Ruth DRUART, the « brilliant and bold » English author of While Paris Slept is back with a heart-rending new novel of love, sacrifice, retribution and the lasting consequences of WWII in France. Come meet Ruth, who will speak and sign copies of her both Egnlish and French book at the Book Room on March 11th at 4pm. Please reserve a seat by email: BRbookroom@gmail.com. 

THE COLOR LINE is inspired by true events, a gorgeous, haunting novel that intertwines the lives of two Black female artists more than a century apart, both outsiders in Italy. It was the middle of the nineteenth century when Lafanu Brown audaciously decided to become an artist. In the wake of the American Civil War, life was especially tough for Black women, but she didn’t let that stop her. The daughter of a Native American woman and an African-Haitian man, Lafanu had the rare opportunity to study, travel, and follow her dreams, thanks to her indomitable spirit, but not without facing intolerance and violence. Now, in 1887, living in Rome as one of the city’s most established painters, she is ready to tell her fiancé about her difficult life, which began in a poor family forty years earlier. In 2019, an Italian art curator of Somali origin is desperately trying to bring to Europe her younger cousin, who is only sixteen and has already tried to reach Italy on a long, treacherous journey. While organizing an art exhibition that will combine the paintings of Lafanu Brown with the artworks of young migrants, the curator becomes more and more obsessed with the life and secrets of the nineteenth-century painter. Weaving together these two vibrant voices, Igiaba Scego has crafted a powerful exploration of what it means to be “other,” to be a woman, and particularly a Black woman, in a foreign country, yesterday and today. THE COLOR LINE was awarded with Premio Napoli. Igiaba Scego was born in Rome to a family of Somali ancestry. She holds a PhD in education on postcolonial subjects and has done extensive academic work in Italy and around the world.  Ce livre a aussi été traduit en français.

Author: Igiaba Scego, Publisher: Other Press 

CITY OF INCURABLE WOMEN “Where are the hysterics, those magnificent women of former times?” wrote Jacques Lacan. Long history’s ghosts, marginalized and dispossessed due to their gender and class, they are reimagined by Maud Casey as complex, flesh-and-blood people with stories to tell. These linked, evocative prose portraits, accompanied by period photographs and medical documents both authentic and invented, poignantly restore the humanity to the nineteenth-century female psychiatric patients confined in Paris’s Salpêtrière hospital and reduced to specimens for study by the celebrated neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot and his male colleagues. Casey’s writing is dream-like, often in the second person as if coming right from the hearts of the “inmates” in which she includes herself. The reader nearly hears their breath. It is disturbing and fascinating. Charcot may have treated them as specimens but he also drew numerous conclusions in neurology. ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, a still mysterious neurological disease, is known as Charcot’s disease in France. American Library in Paris Book Award Shortlist. Maud Casey is the author of five books of fiction, including City of Incurable Women, and a work of nonfiction, The Art of Mystery: The Search for Questions. She is a Guggenheim Fellow and recipient of the St. Francis College Literary Prize, she teaches at the University of Maryland and lives in Washington, DC.

Author: Maud Casey,  Publisher: Bellevue Literary Press 

FRAGILE RÉPUTATION Votre réputation. Il vous faut des années pour la bâtir, mais seulement quelques minutes pour qu’on vous la détruise. Votre réputation ne dépend pas de vous : elle dépend des autres. Si vous êtes une femme, protégez-la. Et n’oubliez jamais : ce n’est pas ce que vous êtes réellement qui importe, mais ce que les autres pensent que vous êtes. La question n’est pas de savoir si vous avez ou non tué un homme. La question est de savoir ce que les autres croient. Un nouveau roman à suspense, magistral, sur l’ambition féminine et ce qu’il peut en coûter à celles qui en font preuve, par l’autrice des best-sellers La Ferme du bout du monde et Anatomie d’un scandale, adapté en série sur Netflix. Sarah Vaughan était journaliste au Guardian et habite à Cambridge.

Author: Sarah Vaughan, Publisher: Préludes 

JANE EYRE est une jeune orpheline d’une dizaine d’années recueillie par une tante acariâtre qui la transforme vite en Cendrillon. Traitée comme une domestique, en butte aux brimades et aux humiliations, Jane se rebelle et est envoyée dans une pension où elle finira par devenir professeur, avant d’entrer comme préceptrice au manoir de Thornfield, sous les ordres de l’inquiétant et fascinant M. Rochester. Mais le manoir et son maître recèlent un terrible secret… Coups de théâtre, rebondissements inattendus, hurlements de rire terrifiants dans un manoir hanté par une présence menaçante et cachée, incendies criminels, histoire d’amour maudit, fuites éperdues dans la lande ont assuré à Jane Eyre un succès immédiat et durable. A Partir de 13 ans.

Author: Charlotte Brontë, Publisher: L’école des Loisirs 

GIRL Born in 1959 to a middle-class family, Laurence Barraqué grows up with her sister in the northern city of Rouen. Her father is a doctor, her mother a housewife. She understands from an early age, by way of language and her parents’ example, that a girl’s place in life is inferior to a boy’s: Asked for the 1964 census whether he has any children, her father promptly responds, “No. I have two daughters.” When Laurence eventually becomes a mother herself in the nineties, she grapples with the question of what it means to be a girl, to have a girl, and what lessons she should try to pass down or undo. Masterful in her analysis of the subtle and obvious ways women are undermined by a sexist society, Camille Laurens,  a French writer and winner of the 2000 Prix Femina, lays out her experiences of the past forty years in this poignant, powerful book. GIRL is at once intimate and sweeping in its depiction of the great challenges we face, such as equalizing the education system and transmitting feminist values to the younger generations.

Author: Camille Laurens, Publisher: Other Press 

RASSEMBLEZ-VOUS EN MON NOM La traduction française de Gather Together in My Name. Silhouette imposante, port de tête altier, elle fait résonner la voix d’une femme noire, fière et volontaire, qui va devoir survivre dans un monde d’une extrême dureté, dominé par les Blancs. Une voix riche et drôle, passionnée et douce qui, malgré les discriminations, porte l’espoir et la joie, l’accomplissement et la reconnaissance, et défend farouchement son droit à la liberté. Après l’inoubliablement beau Je sais pourquoi chante l’oiseau en cage, Maya Angelou poursuit ici son cycle autobiographique. Maya Angelou fut poétesse, écrivaine, actrice, militante, enseignante et réalisatrice. Elle a mené de nombreux combats avant de devenir une icône contemporaine qui a inspiré la vie de millions de personnes. Elle a côtoyé Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X et James Baldwin. À sa mort, Michelle Obama, Rihanna, Oprah Winfrey, Emma Watson, J. K. Rowling et beaucoup d’autres encore lui ont rendu hommage.

Author: Maya Angelou, Publisher: Livre de Poche

FEMINISTS IN PROGRESS Une bande-dessinée sur le thème de féminisme. Aigries, poilues, agressives, moches, lesbiennes (ou pire, célibataires !), les clichés ont la vie dure en matière de féminisme. Mais qu’est-ce que ça veut dire aujourd’hui « être féministe » ? Sous forme d’essai graphique coloré, drôle et décomplexé, cet album invite à déconstruire, l’une après l’autre, les normes et les idées reçues afin de nous ouvrir les yeux à toutes ! Du sexisme ordinaire au mouvement #MeToo, de la charge mentale au consentement, du Body Positive à la réinvention de l’hétérosexualité, en passant par l’écoféminisme et la sororité, Lauraine Meyer,  illustratrice et directrice artistique dans la publicité qui aime avant tout raconter des histoires, dans un style toujours fun et coloré s’emploie à revisiter quelques thèmes et concepts fondamentaux, au cœur du féminisme post #MeToo. Ex-parisienne et habite maintenant à Amsterdam.

Author: Lauraine Meyer, Publisher: Casterman 

Marguerite Henry is an American mid-century author who wrote many children’s novels about horses and other animals which have become classics. She herself was an animal lover and kept many on her farm. One of our favorite aspects of Henry’s books is their historical basis. Most of her characters and settings really existed. Do the names Misty, Brighty, Stormy or Muley-Ears ring any bells? Here’s a few of the Henry titles we have in the Book Room.

MISTY OF CHINCOTEAGUE begins with history in the account of the wreck of a Spanish galleon off the coast of Virginia. The ponies in the hold of the galleon swim to Assateague Island and become feral as the years and the centuries pass. They are still there today. Misty herself was inspired by a real-life pony of the same name and is set in the island town of Chincoteague, Virginia, gateway to the Chincoteague National Wildlife refuge on Assateague Island. The book was inspired by the real-life story of the Beebe family and their efforts to raise a filly born to a wild horse. It was one of the runners-up for the annual Newbery Medal and the beginning of a series of six books of the 59 total written by Henry.

KING OF THE WIND won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children’s literature in 1949. It was made into a film of the same name in 1990 and like many of Henry’s novels is still in print. It tells the 18th century story of Sham, the Arabian horse, and Agba, his horseboy, as they are sent by the Sultan of Morocco to King Louis XV. The group of six horses arrives in a sorry state and Louis finds them uninteresting. Sham and Agba begin a life of hard-knocks with Sham as a cart horse. He is then bought by a Quaker and taken to England where and after many trials his worth is finally recognized as a thoroughbred stud, the Gandolphin Arabian, establishing him as one of the founding stallions of English track racing. Agba tenderly cares for the stallion throughout with the help of the cat Grimalkin.

JUSTIN MORGAN HAD A HORSE tells of the real Justin Morgan, a school master, and his bay stallion Figure, who lived in Vermont in the late eighteenth century. It too was a runner-up for the Newbery Medal.

The book room offers quite a few other titles about horses for young and old such as Seabiscuit, An American Legend, I Love Horses Activity Kit, Warhorse by Michael Morpurgo, Half-Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls, Dark Horse, a thriller, by Tammy Hoag, and the classic Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. Most books cost just 4€.

This summer in Yellowstone by chance we ran into the local author Keith McCafferty who has published 8 crime novels which take place in Montana and have a common theme of fly fishing. The books are published in English by Viking/Penguin and by Gallmeister in French.

LE BAISER DES CRAZY MOUNTAINS Parti en quête d’inspiration dans un bungalow isolé du Montana, le romancier Max Gallagher a la désagréable surprise de trouver sa cheminée bouchée. Il en retire un chiffon rouge : en fait, un bonnet de Père Noël. Intrigué, il monte sur le toit et découvre le cadavre d’une jeune femme coincé dans le conduit. S’agit-il d’un terrible accident ou d’une macabre cachette pour dissimuler un meurtre ? Émus par ce sort tragique, la shérif Martha Ettinger et Sean Stranahan, pêcheur à la mouche et détective à ses heures, se lancent dans une enquête en terrain glissant.

Author: Keith McCafferty, Publisher: Gallmeister 

HOKA HEY! Dès 1850, les jeunes amérindiens étaient internés de force dans des pensionnats catholiques pour les assimiler à la nation américaine. En 1900, la population des natifs en Amérique du Nord avait diminué de 93%. La plupart étaient morts de nouvelles maladies importées par les colons, d’exterminations subventionnés par l’état, et lors des déportations. Georges est un jeune Lakota élevé par le pasteur qui administre sa réserve. Acculturé, le jeune garçon oublie peu à peu ses racines et rêve d’un futur inspiré du modèle américain, en pleine expansion. Il va croiser la route de Little Knife, amérindien froid et violent à la recherche du meurtrier de sa mère. Au fil de leur voyage, l’homme et le garçon vont s’ouvrir l’un à l’autre et trouver ce qui leur est essentiel.

Author: Neyef, Publisher: Editions Rue de Sèvres 

AIRBORNE 44 TOME 19- WILD MEN Virgil et Jared, deux soldats que tout oppose, se retrouvent toujours. Après la libération de Nice, les deux hommes avaient connu des débuts houleux. Aujourd’hui, ils doivent s’entraider pour survivre aux horreurs du conflit. Dans un monde, qui est loin d’être manichéen, les deux hommes devront aller au delà de leurs différences.

Author: Philippe Jarbinet, Publisher: Casterman 

BIG MAN AND THE LITTLE MEN This Graphic Novel is the fictional story of April Wells, a celebrated African-American memoirist and essayist, who lands a writing assignment unlike any she has had before: covering the presidential campaign of the presumptive Democratic nominee, William Waters, for a high-profile magazine. Waters, a well-spoken progressive with lofty ideals of unity in diversity, faces the polar opposite in his Republican challenger, the anti-intellectual, narcissistic Lee Newsome, who seeks to gain power by sowing division. Ahead of the Democratic National Convention, to be held in April’s hometown, Waters must also contend with a potential Achilles’ heel: persistent rumors that he has cheated on his wife with young male staffers.
At first excited about the assignment, April sometimes feels out of her depth and wonders why she was chosen instead of a veteran journalist. When a woman contacts her accusing Waters of sexual assault, April is torn: should she do her job and report this? Or should she sit on it, in case the damage to Waters’s reputation would help Newsome win the presidency? Events soon spiral out of control, and April, feeling that her life may be in danger but mistrusting the police and the FBI, thinks of one person she can count on: the Big Man, a longtime friend from her hometown, now its mayor. Along with his stalwart crew of Little Men, they set out to unravel a gripping mystery that goes all the way to the top. An rather scary account summing up of American politics and how journalism affects the outcome of elections in this polarized inflamatory world.

Author: Clifford Thompson, Publisher: The Other Press 

 

 

CELUI QUI VEILLE Dakota du Nord, 1953. Thomas Wazhashk, veilleur de nuit dans l’usine de pierres d’horlogerie proche de la réserve de Turtle Mountain, n’est pas près de fermer l’œil. Il est déterminé à lutter contre le projet du gouvernement fédéral censé « émanciper » les Indiens, car il sait bien que ce texte est en réalité une menace pour les siens. Contrairement aux autres jeunes employées chippewas de l’usine, Pixie, la nièce de Thomas, ne veut pour le moment ni mari ni enfants. Pressée de fuir un père alcoolique, insensible aux sentiments du seul professeur blanc de la réserve comme à ceux d’un jeune boxeur indien, elle brûle de partir à Minneapolis retrouver sa sœur aînée, dont elle est sans nouvelles. Pour « celui qui veille », n’ayant de cesse d’écrire aux sénateurs dans le but d’empêcher l’adoption de la loi, quitte à se rendre lui-même à Washington, comme pour Pixie, qui entreprend le premier voyage de sa jeune existence, un long combat commence. Il va leur révéler le pire, mais aussi le meilleur de la nature humaine. Inspirée par la figure de son grand-père maternel, qui a lutté pour préserver les droits de son peuple, Louise Erdrich nous entraîne dans une aventure humaine peuplée de personnages inoubliables. Couronné par le prix Pulitzer, ce majestueux roman consacre la place unique qui est la sienne dans la littérature américaine contemporaine. Prix Pulitzer 2021.

Author: Louise Erdrich, Publisher: Albin Michel 

THE CALL OF THE WILD Direction le grand Nord, au moment de la ruée vers l’or au Yukon, pour suivre les aventures de Buck, qui, enlevé aux siens, doit laisser libre cours à son instinct sauvage pour survivre en tant que chien de traîneau. Grâce aux titres de la collection « Harrap’s school », les élèves de collège peuvent commencer à lire en VO tous les grands classiques de la littérature anglo-saxonne. Le texte en anglais est adapté aux niveaux des collégiens et revu par des enseignants. Il est également enrichi de belles illustrations, d’un lexique en fin d’ouvrage pour aider à la compréhension de l’intrigue et d’une version audio pour s’imprégner du bon accent dès le collège et de fiches pédagogiques téléchargeables pour favoriser l’étude en classe. Lire en anglais ? C’est facile et plaisant avec Harrap’s.

Author: Jack London, Publisher: Harrap’s School 

BONSOIR LUNE Dans la vaste chambre verte, tout est encore éveillé : deux chats et une petite souris, tableaux au mur, vêtements, jouets. Mais peu à peu, car c’est la nuit, tout sera bientôt endormi : maison de poupée, bol de bouillie, chaussette qui sèche, étoile qui luit. Petit lapin, dans son lit, dresse un parfait inventaire de toutes les choses de la terre, et leur dit bonsoir une par une, de son ballon jusqu’à la lune.

Author: Margaret Wise Brown, Illustrator: Clement Hurd, Publisher: L’école des Loisirs 

GUIDE MONDAIN DES VILLAGES DE FRANCE Saviez-vous qu’un grand nom des arts, de la science ou de la politique avait un lien intime avec un village près de chez vous ? Partez sur les traces des figures internationales qui font briller d’un nouvel éclat ces petits bourgs injustement oubliés des parcours touristiques traditionnels. Une façon ludique et glamour de redécouvrir la géographie et l’histoire de la France contemporaine.

Author: Matthias Debureaux, Publisher: Allary Editions

MES 1000 PREMIERS MOTS EN ANGLAIS Ce livre attrayant, aux illustrations pleines de charme et d’humour, invite les jeunes enfants à se familiariser avec leurs premiers mots d’anglais. Au fil des pages, ils découvriront mille mots et images du quotidien et de nombreux détails à observer et à commenter. Les codes QR permettent en outre d’écouter la prononciation correcte des mots en anglais britannique. Dès 3 ans.

Author: Jane Bingham, Publisher: Usborne

LES ELECTIONS Questions-Réponses. Every 5 years we need either a review or a fresh understanding of the this month long effervescence. Now that the presidential election has gone by we’re headed to two rounds of Parliamentary elections. To find out how the French elections work there’s nothing better than a kid’s book – especially for non-French speakers. This one is destined for French kids over 7 and we find it just perfect for anyone 7 to 77. Qu’est-ce qu’une élection ? Tous les étrangers vivant en France votent-ils ? Pourquoi certains électeurs s’abstiennent-ils ? Comment fait-on campagne ? Qu’est-ce qu’une liste électorale ? Maire, est-ce un métier? On vote aussi dans les pays où il y a un roi ? C’est quoi, être citoyen de l’Europe ? 32 questions pour découvrir comment se préparent des élections, comment et où elles se passent, qui peut voter, qui on élit et pour quoi faire. En bonus les portraits des présidents de la Ve République. Et un quiz ludique pour coller ses parents et amis !

Author: Sylvie Baussier, Maud Riemann, Publisher: Nathan 

U.S. TAXES FOR WORLDLY AMERICANS Are you a citizen of the United States who lives abroad? You probably know America is one of only two countries that taxes its citizens on their worldwide income, regardless of where they live or work. If you’re thinking about becoming a digital nomad or expatriating to another country, do you know how to avoid paying unfair taxes on your income while abroad? There may be huge penalties and tax evasion charges if you don’t file correctly. By combining the right strategies for citizenship, residency, banking, incorporation, and physical presence in other countries, most Americans abroad can legally lower their U.S. tax owing to $0. In U.S. Taxes for Worldly Americans, Certified Public Accountant, U.S. immigrant, expat, and perpetual traveler Olivier Wagner shows you how to use 100% legal strategies (beyond traditionally maligned « tax havens ») to keep your income and assets safe from the IRS. Olivier covers a wealth of international tax information updated for 2019, including: · Step-by-step instructions for the Forms and Schedules you will use to file your offshore tax, no matter where you are. · How to qualify for special deductions, credits, and exemptions on international taxation. · Why opening bank accounts and corporations in foreign countries is easier than you think. · How residency or citizenship in another country can legally lower your taxes. · How your spouse and children (whether American or of another nationality) affect your tax situation. · Practical advice for moving, living, and working with tax-free income in other parts of the world. · What to consider before renouncing your American citizenship and saying goodbye to the IRS for good. As a non-resident American, there is no single easy answer to lower your taxes. If you don’t understand every possibility, you could end up paying too much. Embrace a worldly lifestyle with confidence as you master the U.S. tax system for Americans living overseas.

Author: Olivier Wagner, Publisher: Identity Publications 

PARIS REVISITED THE GUIDE FOR THE RETURN TRAVELER Whether you’re returning to Paris or want to get it right the first time, award-winning author Gary Lee Kraut will lead you on a captivating exploration of the world’s most revisitable city. This guide maybe a few years old, but Gary’s insider tips are so interesting that we can’t leave it out. you can findit at the book room for a just a few euros.

Author: Gary Lee Kraut, Publisher: Words Trabes Intl. Press

Not all Bunny Books are for Kids:

ELOGE DU LAPIN Animal de compagnie ou proie de prédilection, allégorie de la dépravation ou symbole de pureté… Le lapin est loin de n’être qu’une petite bête attendrissante peuplant nos campagnes. Omniprésente dans les cultures du monde entier, cette boule de poils n’a pas fini de nous surprendre. Emblème sexuel brandi dans Playboy, redoutable guerrier samouraï, modèle inattendu de nature morte ou encore figure littéraire et cinématographique, le lagomorphe en dit long sur nos civilisations ! Dans ce texte ludique qu’instructif, nous traversons les époques et les continents à la poursuite de notre héros malicieux et bondissant. Ce joli livre, à acheter juste pour le dessin de la couverture, a était publié en octobre 2021.

Author: Stéphanie Hochet, Publisher: Rivages 

WATERSHIP DOWN Something terrible is about to happen to the warren – Fiver feels sure of it. And Fiver’s sixth sense is never wrong, according to his brother Hazel. They had to leave immediately, and they had to persuade the other rabbits to join them. And so begins a long and perilous journey of a small band of rabbits in search of a safe home. Fiver’s vision finally leads them to Watership Down, but here they face their most difficult challenge of all… This much-loved tale of courage and survival is now a beautiful new animated series for television, full of excitement and adventure – perfect for all the family to enjoy.

Author: Richard Adams, Publisher: Puffin Books, 4€ in the Book Room

THE HARE WITH AMBER EYES This book is not really about bunnies or a hare, but it was inspired by one. Edmund de Waal is a world-famous ceramicist. Having spent thirty years making beautiful pots—which are then sold, collected, and handed on—he has a particular sense of the secret lives of objects. When he inherited a collection of 264 tiny Japanese wood and ivory carvings, called netsuke, he wanted to know who had touched and held them, and how the collection had managed to survive over a couple hundred years. And so begins The Hare with Amber Eyes. In this moving memoir and detective story de Waal discovers both the story of the netsuke and of his family, the Ephrussis, over five generations. A nineteenth-century banking dynasty in Paris and Vienna, the Ephrussis were as rich and respected as the Rothchilds. Yet by the end of the World War II, when the netsuke were hidden from the Nazis in Vienna, this collection of very small carvings was all that remained of their vast empire. A New York Times Bestseller, Costa biography prize-winnder and an Economist Book of the Year.

Author: Edmund de Waal, Publisher: Picador, 4€ in the Book Room

ES-TU LA, PETIT LAPIN ? Sur chaque page, une découpe laisse apercevoir le petit lapin qui semble se cacher à la page suivante et … qui n’a plus rien d’un lapin dès qu’on tourne la page. Les très jeunes enfants ne se lasseront pas de scruter les illustrations pour retrouver la trace de ce lapin insaisissable et rencontrer d’autres animaux. Une nouvelle collection qui séduira les fans de la collection Les tout-doux Usborne. Une belle idée de cadeau pour les tout-petits.

Author: Sam Taplin, Publisher: Usborne

LA PEINTURE MAGIQUE PÂQUES Il suffit de passer le pinceau trempé dans un peu d’eau sur les illustrations en noir et blanc pour faire apparaître les couleurs du printemps et animer les scènes imagées remplies de lapins et d’œufs de Pâques. Les couleurs du printemps apparaissent comme par enchantement lorsqu’on passe le pinceau trempé dans un peu d’eau sur les illustrations en noir et blanc de ce livre de coloriage magique. Des poussins, des lapins et des œufs de Pâques font partie des surprises que les enfants aimeront découvrir au fil des pages.

Author: Brenda Cole, Publisher: Usborne, 4€ in the Book Room

THE RUNAWAY BUNNY “If you run away,” said his mother, “I will run after you. For you are my little bunny.” A little bunny keeps running away from his mother in this imaginary game of hide-and-seek. Children will be profoundly comforted by this lovingly steadfast mother who finds her child every time. The Runaway Bunny, first published in 1942 and never out of print, has indeed become a classic. Generations of readers have fallen in love with the gentle magic of its reassuring words and loving pictures.  With a soft, padded cover, rounded edges, and sturdy board book pages, this edition is perfect for sharing with babies and toddlers.

Author: Margaret Wise Brown, Publisher: Harper Collins,  3€ in the Book Room

BUNNIES IN THE BATHROOM Mandy’s new friend John is crazy about rabbits! He’s got his heart set on Button and Barney, two baby rabbits in the local pet shop. But when he goes to buy them, they’ve already been sold! Mandy and James decide to track down the new owner and try to get the bunnies back…

Author: Ben M. Baglio, Publisher: Scholastic, 3€ in the Book Room

J’AI L’ENERGIE D’UNE LIONNE DANS UN CORPS D’OISEAU A new novel called “I have the Energy of a Lion in the Body of a Bird”, based on the life of Rosa Bonheur, has been written by historian/biographer Patricia Bouchenot-Déchin. It is a delight to read and places Rosa in the context of the tumultuous and exciting events of the 19th century. My goodness she saw a lot: Living from 1822 to 1899 she saw the revolutions of 1830 and 1848, 3 kings, 2 republics, 1 empire, epidemics, Haussmann’s rebuilding of Paris, the Prussian invasion and the siege of Paris! Not to mention the new inventions of steamships, railroads (Rosa’s companion Nathalie Micas developed a railroad brake!), photography (which was one of Rosa’s hobbies), the building of the Eiffel Tower and the arrival of electricity (Rosa had a power plant built on her property!). Bonheur knew Alexandre Dumas, Gustave Flaubert, Buffalo Bill and so many other big players in the cultural world. Here is the synopsis of the book which has been published in French. It has some 19th century terms but is generally an uncomplicated level of reading. It is available in Bill & Rosa’s Book Room Library for borrowing.

Vestale de l’art, égérie du féminisme, éprise de liberté et d’idéal, Rosa Bonheur s’imposa comme la plus célèbre artiste animalière au XIXe. Elle connut une carrière fulgurante et vécut un amour fou avec Sir Edwin Landser, le plus grand peintre et sculpteur britannique de son temps, qui nous est pour la première fois révélé. De Paris à Londres, de l’Écosse à la French Riviera, des abattoirs et bas-fonds de la capitale aux ateliers d’artistes et salons mondains jusqu’à son « sanctuaire » à Thomery, Patricia Bouchenot-Déchin nous emporte sur les traces de Rosa Bonheur au fil d’un roman virevoltant qui fait revivre l’artiste et la femme. Une fresque haute en couleur qui nous plonge dans la grande Histoire et l’intimité de Rosa Bonheur, un être de passion et de conviction.

Author : Patricia Bouchenot-Déchin, Publisher : Éditions Albin Michel

THE HEART: FRIDA KAHLO IN PARIS In 1938, just as she was leaving Mexico for her first solo exhibition in New York, Frida Kahlo was devastated to learn from her husband, Diego Rivera, that he intended to divorce her. This latest blow followed a long series of betrayals, most painful of all his affair with her beloved younger sister, Cristina, in 1934. In early 1939, anxious and adrift, Kahlo traveled from the United States to France—her only trip to Europe, and the beginning of a unique period of her life when she was enjoying success on her own. Now, for the first time, this previously overlooked part of her story is brought to light in exquisite detail. Marc Petitjean (director, author, photographer and scenographer) takes the reader to Paris, where Kahlo spends her days alongside luminaries such as Pablo Picasso, André Breton, Dora Maar, and Marcel Duchamp. Using Kahlo’s whirlwind romance with the author’s father, Michel Petitjean, as a jumping-off point, The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris provides a striking portrait of the artist and an inside look at the history of one of her most powerful, enigmatic paintings. “An intimate portrait of the artist and her time in the lively 1930s surrealist scene.” —New York Times Book Review

Author: Marc Petitjean, Publisher: Other Press 

MY (PART-TIME) PARIS LIFE Poignant, touching, and lively, this memoir of a woman who loses her mother and creates a new life for herself in Paris will speak to anyone who has lost a parent or reinvented themselves. Lisa Anselmo wrapped her entire life around her mother, a strong woman who was a defining force in her daughter’s life―maybe too defining. When her mother dies from breast cancer, Lisa realizes she hadn’t built a life of her own, and struggles to find her purpose. Who is she without her mother―and her mother’s expectations? Desperate for answers, she reaches for a lifeline in the form of an apartment in Paris, refusing to play it safe for the first time. What starts out as a lurching act of survival sets Lisa on a course that reshapes her life in ways she never could have imagined. But how can you imagine a life bigger than anything you’ve ever known? In the vein of Eat, Pray, Love and Wild, My (Part-Time) Paris Life is for anyone who’s ever felt lost or hopeless, but still holds out hope of something more. This candid memoir explores one woman’s search for peace and meaning, and how the ups and downs of expat life in Paris taught her to let go of fear, find self-worth, and create real, lasting happiness. Win a copy of this book and a copy of 90+ Ways You Know You’re Becoming French by following our instagram posts @bookroomparis

Author: Lisa Anselmo, Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books/ St. Martin’s Press 

THE CHILD IS THE TEACHER Born in 1870 in Chiaravalle, Italy, Maria Montessori would grow up to embody almost every trait men of her era detested in the fairer sex. She was self-confident, strong-willed, and had a fiery temper at a time when women were supposed to be soft and pliable. She studied until she became a doctor at a time when female graduates in Italy provoked outright scandal. She never wanted to marry or have children—the accepted destiny for all women of her milieu in late nineteenth-century bourgeois Rome—and when she became pregnant by a colleague of hers, she gave up her son to continue pursuing her career. At around age thirty, Montessori was struck by the condition of children in the slums of Rome’s San Lorenzo neighborhood, and realized what she wanted to do with her life: change the school, and therefore the world, through a new approach to the child’s mind. In spite of the resistance she faced from all sides—scientists accused her of being too mystical, and the clergy of being too scientific, traditionalists of giving children too much freedom, and anarchists of giving them too much structure—she would garner acclaim and establish the influential Montessori method, which is now practiced throughout the world. A thorough, nuanced portrait of this often controversial woman, The Child Is the Teacher is the first biographical work on Maria Montessori written by an author who is not a member of the Montessori movement, but who has been granted access to original letters, diaries, notes, and texts written by Montessori herself, including an array of previously unpublished material.

Author: Christina De Stefano, Publisher: Other Press

BORN OF NO WOMAN In this gothic tale reminiscent of Faulkner’s Light in August, a young woman’s journals divulge the horrible secrets of a wealthy family in late nineteenth-century rural France. Before he is called to bless the body of a woman at the nearby asylum, Father Gabriel receives a strange, troubling confession: hidden under her dress he will find the notebooks that contain Rose’s harrowing story. At fourteen years old, Rose is sold to a rich man by her father, a farmer unable to support her and her three younger sisters. Traded for a handful of coins, she becomes the property of the master and is taken away without warning to her new home. This isolated manor that seems like a castle to Rose, with the master’s formidable mother and his absent wife, immediately provokes a sense of unease. Rose soon becomes caught in their perverse web, unsure of how to escape and whom she can trust. The English-language debut of critically acclaimed French author Franck Bouysse (Elle Readers’ Grand Prize, the Booksellers’ Prize, and the Prix Babelio), this exquisitely written novel is both a keen commentary on class and a chilling horror story. Deftly navigating the complexities of desire, abuse, compassion, and resilience, he has created a timeless portrait of human nature left to fester unseen. The Guardian: Best Translated Fiction.

Author: Franck Bouysse, Publisher: Other Press 

 

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD. Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia.  When Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad, they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape. Matters do not go as planned—Cora kills a young white boy who tries to capture her. Though they manage to find a station and head north, they are being hunted. In Whitehead’s ingenious conception, which won him the National book Award, the Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor—engineers and conductors operate a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil. Like the protagonist of Gulliver’s Travels, Cora encounters different worlds at each stage of her journey—hers is an odyssey through time as well as space. As Whitehead brilliantly re-creates the unique terrors for black people in the pre–Civil War era, his narrative seamlessly weaves the saga of America from the brutal importation of Africans to the unfulfilled promises of the present day. The Underground Railroad is at once a kinetic adventure tale of one woman’s ferocious will to escape the horrors of bondage and a shattering, powerful meditation on the history we all share.

Author: Colson Whitehead, Publisher: Turtleback, 2018. 4€ at the Book Room

I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO In his final years, Baldwin envisioned a book about his three assassinated friends, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King. His deeply personal notes for the project had never been published before acclaimed filmmaker Raoul Peck mined Baldwin’s oeuvre to compose his stunning documentary film I Am Not Your Negro. Peck weaves these texts together, brilliantly imagining the book that Baldwin never wrote with selected published and unpublished passages, essays, letters, notes, and interviews that are every bit as incisive and pertinent now as they have ever been. Peck’s film uses them to jump through time, juxtaposing Baldwin’s private words with his public statements, in a blazing examination of the tragic history of race in America. This edition contains more than 40 black-and-white images from the film, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary.

Author: James Baldwin, Publisher: Vintage International. 2016. 5€ at the Book Room

NEGROLAND Author MargoJefferson takes us into an insular and discerning society: “I call it Negroland,” she writes, “because I still find ‘Negro’ a word of wonders, glorious and terrible.” Margo Jefferson was born in 1947 into upper-crust black Chicago. Her father was head of pediatrics at Provident Hospital, while her mother was a socialite. Negroland’s pedigree dates back generations, having originated with antebellum free blacks who made their fortunes among the plantations of the South. It evolved into a world of exclusive sororities, fraternities, networks, and clubs—a world in which skin color and hair texture were relentlessly evaluated alongside scholarly and professional achievements, where the Talented Tenth positioned themselves as a third race between whites and “the masses of Negros,” and where the motto was “Achievement. Invulnerability. Comportment.” Jefferson brilliantly charts the twists and turns of a life informed by psychological and moral contradictions, while reckoning with the strictures and demands of Negroland at crucial historical moments—the civil rights movement, the dawn of feminism, the falsehood of post-racial America. National Book Critics Circle Award. An extraordinary look at privilege, discrimination, and the fallacy of post-racial America by the renowned Pulitzer Prize–winning cultural critic.

Author: Margo Jefferson, Publisher: Vintage Books. 2015. 8€ at the Book Room

BOUND FOR CANAAN: The Epic Story of the Underground Railroad. An important book of epic scope on America’s first racially integrated, religiously-inspired political movement for change—The Underground Railroad, a movement peopled by daring heroes and heroines, and everyday folk. For most, the mention of the Underground Railroad evokes images of hidden tunnels, midnight rides, and hairsbreadth escapes. Yet the Underground Railroad’s epic story is much more morally complex and politically divisive than even the myths suggest. Against a backdrop of the country’s westward expansion,which brought together Easterners who had engaged in slavery primarily in the abstract alongside slaveholding Southerners and their slaves, arose a clash of values that evolved into a fierce fight for nothing less than the country’s soul. Beginning six decades before the Civil War, freedom-seeking blacks and pious whites worked together to save tens of thousands of lives, often at the risk of great physical danger to themselves. Not since the American Revolution had the country engaged in an act of such vast and profound civil disobedience that not only subverted federal law but also went against prevailing mores. Flawlessly researched and uncommonly engaging, Bound for Canaan, shows why it was the Underground Railroad and not the Civil Rights movement that gave birth to this country’s first racially-integrated, religiously-inspired movement for social change.

Author: Fergus M. Bordewich, Publisher: HarperCollins. 2005. 7€ at the Book Room

OBAMA FROM PROMISE TO POWER Barack Obama is arguably the most dynamic political figure to grace the American stage since John F. Kennedy. His meteoric rise from promise to power has stunned even the cynics and inspired a legion of devout followers. For anyone who wants to know more about the man, David Mendell’s Obama is essential reading. Mendell, who covered Obama for the Chicago Tribune, had far-reaching access to the Chicago politician as Obama climbed the ladder to the White House, the details of which he shares in this compelling biography. Positioning Obama as the savior of a fumbling Democratic party, Mendell reveals how Obama conquered Illinois politics and paved the way brick by brick for a galvanizing, historic presidential run. With a new afterword by the author, which includes a fresh perspective on Barack Obama following his two historic terms as the first African-American president, and with exclusive interviews with family members and top advisers, and details on Obama’s voting record, David Mendell offers a complete, complex, and revealing portrait. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in American politics in general and President Barack Obama in particular.

Author: David Mendell, Publisher: HarperCollins, 2008. 3€ at the Book Room

ONE MORE RIVER TO CROSS, an intimate collection of photographs that documents the African American experience, a journey from captivity to freedom, from south to north, east to west. It celebrates the courageous achievements of men and women whose defiant rejection of inequality and subjugation put their own lives at risk.

Author: Walter Dean Myers, Publsiher: Harcourt Brace, 1995. 5€ at the Book Room

AIRBORNE 44 Black Boys (TOME 9) Alors que Nice est libérée en août 1944 et que la fête bat son plein dans la ville du sud de la France, deux soldats sont amenés à se rencontrer. La liesse conduit Virgil, un jeune afro américain, vers les bras d’une jeune infirmière blanche. Ceci n’est pas pour plaire à un autre soldat Jared, qui ne voit pas d’un bon œil ce rapprochement entre un noir et une blanche. Passé à tabac, le jeune homme devra pourtant dans le futur se battre au côté de Jared. Ainsi, deux mondes se confrontent et ne sont pas aussi manichéen qu’ils en avaient l’air à l’origine.

Author: Philippe Jarbinet, Publisher: Casterman, 2021. 10€ at the Book Room

FORGOTTEN, THE UNTOLD STORY OF D-DAY’S BLACK HEROES is an extraordinary blend of military and social history – a story that pays tribute to the valour of an all-black battalion whose crucial contributions at D-Day have gone unrecognised to this day. In the early hours of June 6, 1944, the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, a unit of African-American soldiers, landed on the beaches of France. Their orders were to man a curtain of armed balloons meant to deter enemy aircraft. One member of the 320th would be nominated for the Medal of Honor, an award he would never receive. The nation’s highest decoration was not given to black soldiers in the Second World War. Drawing on newly uncovered military records and dozens of original interviews with surviving members of the 320th and their families, Linda Hervieux tells the story of these heroic men. In England and Europe, they discovered freedom they had not known in a homeland that treated them as second-class citizens – experiences they carried back to America, fuelling the budding civil rights movement. In telling the story of the Battalion, Hervieux offers a vivid account of the tension between racial politics and national service in wartime America, and a moving narrative of human bravery and perseverance in the face of injustice.

Author: Linda Hervieux, Publisher: Amberley Publishing 2019, 8€ at the Book Room

VIPER’S DREAM Des années 30 à la fin des années 50, Clyde « Viper » Morton règne sur Harlem au rythme du jazz et dans la fumée des joints de marijuana. Mais dure sera la chute.. Clyde Morton croit en son destin : il sera un grand trompettiste de jazz. Mais lorsqu’il quitte son Alabama natal pour auditionner dans un club de Harlem, on lui fait comprendre qu’il vaut mieux oublier son rêve. L’oublier dans les fumées de la marijuana… qui lui ouvre des horizons. La « viper », comme elle est surnommée à Harlem, se répand à toute vitesse et Clyde sera son messager. Il est bientôt un caïd craint et respecté, un personnage. Jusqu’au jour où arrive la poudre blanche qui tue. Et qui oblige à tuer. Jake Lamar est le plus français des Américains. Ce roman qui inaugure la série « New York Made in France » a connu une version radiophonique sur France-Culture, saluée par Télérama. Come meet Jake Lamar at the Book Room on 12 March. More information here.

Author: Jake Lamar, Publisher: Rivages/ Noir 

 

HERO OF TWO WORLDS Few in history can match the revolutionary career of the Marquis de Lafayette. Over fifty incredible years at the heart of the Age of Revolution, he fought courageously on both sides of the Atlantic. He was a soldier, statesman, idealist, philanthropist, and abolitionist. As a teenager, Lafayette ran away from France to join the American Revolution. Returning home a national hero, he helped launch the French Revolution, eventually spending five years locked in dungeon prisons. After his release, Lafayette sparred with Napoleon, joined an underground conspiracy to overthrow King Louis XVIII, and became an international symbol of liberty. Finally, as a revered elder statesman, he was instrumental in the overthrow of the Bourbon Dynasty in the Revolution of 1830. From enthusiastic youth to world-weary old age, from the pinnacle of glory to the depths of despair, Lafayette never stopped fighting for the rights of all mankind. His remarkable life is the story of where we come from, and an inspiration to defend the ideals he held dear.

Author: Mike Duncan, Publisher: Public Affairs Books 

Also enjoy the website dedicated to Lafayette, memorabilia and the city of his birth in France: Chavaniac-Lafayette 

TIMELESS PARIS This is one beautiful book of beautiful things and places. The endpapers, the marbleized title page, the printing, not to mention the nook-and-cranny Parisian treasures themselves make upthisa dream compendium of old-world Parisian resources for everything from hand-ground pastels still made by the aptly named La Maison du Pastel where Toulouse Lautrec shopped, to Passementerie Verrier where every breathtaking polychrome braid, trim, and silky tassel is still handwoven and assembled as they have been for over a century. In Paris, enchantment awaits around every corner, and artist Marin Montagut marvels in discovering the ateliers and emporiums that pepper the capital. For centuries, the artisanal trades associated with the city have continued to hum uninterrupted in unique workshops seemingly untouched by time. Discover where talented artisans handcraft and sell their wares in charming Parisian studios and shops where the skill has been passed on for decades—or centuries—of continuous operation. These specialist purveyors provide unique products that inspire designers, artists, creative types of every description, and all aficionados of exceptional craftsmanship.The history of each treasured location is accompanied by ravishing photographs, and Montagut’s own irresistibly charming drawings, watercolors, and collages. Today, skilled craftspeople continue to work right in the heart of the city. From an artist’s studio hidden away in Montmartre to an antique shop in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and from a period hardware store to a cabinet of curiosities, Marin Montagut invites readers to follow him inside nineteen quintessentially Parisian locations that inspire and attest to the savoir faire that is the very essence of Parisian style. This book is published in both French and English versions.

Author: Marin Montagut, Publisher: Flammarion 

CHRISTIAN DIOR DESTINY Christian Dior is renowned as the architect of the New Look, the epitome of elegance and beauty. But Dior’s own life, privileged as it began in glittering Belle Époque France, was marked by loss and hardship through the Wall Street Crash and under the Occupation in World War II. From the extremes of both wealth and poverty, and using the talents he had developed amid the bohemian crowd of Paris’s left bank—his eye for fashion, skill as an illustrator, and gift for friendship—Christian Dior emerged, dynamic and more resolute than ever, to found the Maison Dior. His groundbreaking fashions brought style and joy back to the streets of Paris and the world. Maison Dior became a landmark—like the Eiffel Tower—evoking an image of Parisian chic that everyone wanted. In just ten years, Dior created an empire that spanned the globe : his was one of the first Parisian couture houses to become a truly international brand. Throughout this meteoric rise, Christian Dior was surrounded by a fiercely loyal group of friends and colleagues who shared in his successes and fears, and helped him to achieve his vision. But such drive took its toll, and Dior suffered a fatal heart attack at just fifty-two. This sensitive biography looks behind the accolades to understand the private Dior—the man who suffered loss but loved deeply, who was quiet in person, yet known for extravagant displays of generosity. He overcame his own challenges to share the unique, beguiling world of his imagination and, in doing so, revolutionized the fashion industry and the way women would dress forever after. This book is published in both French and English versions.

Author: Marie-France Pochna, Publisher: Flammarion 

HEARTS AT DAWN Paris, 1870. As the Franco-Prussian War enters its desperate final months, the capital transforms from a splendid metropolis into a city under siege. Lavish meals change to rations, pigeons deliver letters, and two destinies will collide, challenged by a seemingly unbreakable curse. Every night, New York aristocrat Orin Rush transforms into a monster. After learning that a human heart is the only way to break the curse, he keeps himself carefully distant from anyone he might hurt. Can he lift the enchantment without taking a life? His search for answers leads him to Paris. Every day, free-spirited Claire Turin photographs the people and animals of Paris. Fascinated by the city she loves, her greatest dream is a secret she keeps in her apartment. Her greatest fear is the emptiness of night, when she thinks of the family she’s lost. She’s never loved anyone else. Maybe she never will. Will Paris and its people survive the hardship of the Siege? Will Orin break the curse? And will two hearts who’ve never known love awaken in the City of Light?

Local Author: Alysa Salzberg

L’ECOLE DE LA BOULANGERIE Découvrez toutes les techniques pour pétrir, façonner et cuire le pain ! Les pains classiques et régionaux, les pains du monde, les recettes de snacking, les viennoiseries et les pâtisseries de boulanger… Du pétrissage à la mise au four : toutes les étapes pour réussir la préparation et la cuisson. Les différents modes de préfermentation : le levain liquide, le levain dur, la poolish, la pâte fermentée… Pour plusieurs recettes, des photos pas à pas afin de bien visualiser les gestes.

Author: Ecole Le Cordon Bleu, Publisher: Larousse 

TIMOTÉ CHERCHE ET TROUVE A NOËL Timoté est un petit lapin qui, au fil des albums, partage sa vie avec ses copains et sa famille. À travers 10 grandes scènes, on joue avec Timoté et on cherche, au fil des pages, tous les éléments qui font de Noël une fête magique ! Que de choses à observer ! Enfants 3 à 7 ans

Author: Emmanuelle Massonaud et Mélanie Combes, Publisher: Gründ 

 

FRENCH PASTRY MADE SIMPLE Unleash your inner pastry chef with Molly Wilkinson’s approachable recipes for all of your French favorites. Trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Molly takes the most essential techniques and makes them easy for home bakers, resulting in a collection of simple, key recipes that open up the world of pastry. With friendly, detailed directions and brilliant shortcuts, you can skip the pastry shop and enjoy delicious homemade creations. Watch the Book Room’s event calendar to find out when Molly will come present her book in person.

Author: Molly Wilkinson,  Publisher: Page Street Publishing, author’s website

WHILE PARIS SLEPT Told from alternating perspectives, While Paris Slept reflects on the power of love, resilience, and courage when all seems lost. Exploring the strength of family ties, and what it really means to love someone unconditionally, this debut novel will capture your heart. One woman must make the hardest decision of her life in this unforgettably moving story of resistance and faith during one of the darkest times in history. Santa Cruz, 1953. Jean-Luc is a man on the run from his past. The scar on his face is a small price to pay for surviving the horrors of Nazi occupation in France. Now, he has a new life in California, a family. He never expected the past to come knocking on his door. Paris, 1944. A young Jewish woman’s past is torn apart in a heartbeat. Herded onto a train bound for Auschwitz, in an act of desperation she entrusts her most precious possession to a stranger. All she has left now is hope. On a darkened platform, two destinies become intertwined, and the choices each person makes will change the future in ways neither could have imagined. Includes a Reading Group Guide. Watch Book Room’s event calendar to find out when Ruth will come present her book in person.

Author: Ruth Druart, English language Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, Traduction française: L’Enfant du train, City Editions 

EM’S AWFUL GOOD FORTUNE I’m not sure if this title is ironic or not – it could be ironic in that many people view overseas assignments as good fortune, but for Em it was awful or it could refer without irony to the ultimately happy ending. Maybe it’s both… Paris! Tokyo! Hong Kong! Shanghai! Em’s husband Gee accepts a series of exciting overseas jobs that take the family from pillar to post. But Em and the kids Ruby and Rio would really rather stay at home. He takes the jobs it because it is how he provides for his family and he can’t find gigs at home. Em hates it because her life and career are put on hold as she feels she is relegated to be mom, nanny and organizer of overseas moves. The husband and trailing spouse have different points of view which leads Em to find some relief and happiness in an affair with Bleu in Paris. The affair leads Em and Gee to seek marriage counseling and they find their therapist in FUSAC! This nonlinear story is a novel but it’s also a reflection on the tagalong spouse. This is not your typical story full of glamour about the American abroad. What so many see from the exterior as a exciting opportunity turns out to be an all out struggle. Setting up life in a new place, with uneasy kids, not speaking the local language, multiple déménagements, constantly making new friends, uprooting again and again and lack of meaningful work or career is a long and lonely road not for the faint of heart and certainly not for a fragile marriage. Tagging along is an emotional roller coaster that affects the whole family. Perhaps the marriage counseling should’ve been done before the overseas move. At one point Em thinks “Every time Gee gets a new post I try to make it work, and it never does, not really. Someone always loses something. Tagalong math. Gee plus his job means me minus my career or me minus the kids. Or Ruby plus the house but minus her parents. Or Gee minus, well Gee never loses that’s the fundamental core of tagalong math.” In the long run the marriage survives but the author’s fierce, authentic and personal voice, comes through loud and clear with a message: marriage and especially a tagalong marriage can be a tough ride, you’ve been warned.

Author: Marcie Maxfield, Publisher: She Writes Press 

THE FANTASTIC FRENCH From Coco Chanel to Voltaire, including Victor Hugo, Catherine Deneuve, Claude Monet and Gustave Eiffel, this book is a way for children to meet French celebrities while having some fun. Perfect for learning about French history and culture, and acquiring basic knowledge. Portraits, key dates, and funny and colourful illustrations are used to help you find out facts in a fun and accessible manner. A great companion for young and curious readers 7 years old and up!

Author: Hugues Bioret, Publisher: Bonhomme de chemin 

and there are many more English Books Paris from history to memoirs, English, French or bilingual, for kids or adults, fiction or non. Many are books about France of course, but there are many different subjects and styles. for purchase or borrowing in our collection at Bill & Rosa’s Book Room.