Each month we hold a book give away – and sometimes more than once! We do a draw of names from our lovely newsletter subscribers and at least one person wins a book from our fabulous library of English language books about France – fiction and non-fiction…
Just sign up to our newsletter (button on the right) and our Facebook page and if your name comes out of the hat – you will win a book from our fabulous pile!
Here are just some of the books we’ve given away…
My Good Life in France by Janine Marsh and My Four Seasons in France by Janine Marsh
N M Kelby’s White Truffles in Winter – a superb read, we loved it here at The Good Life France. The author imagines the world of the remarkable French chef Auguste Escoffier who changed how we eat through his legendary restaurants at the Savoy and the Ritz. Escoffier was also torn between two women: the famous, beautiful, and reckless actress Sarah Bernhardt and his wife, the independent and sublime poet Delphine Daffis, who refused to leave Monte Carlo. In the last year of Escoffier’s life, in the middle of writing his memoirs, he has returned to Delphine, who requests a dish in her name as he has honored Bernhardt, Queen Victoria, and many others…
The Secret Life of France – Lucy Wadham. Why are the French like they are? Lucy looks at the idiosyncrasies of the French with her unique and very humorous take on life in France and insider knowledge – she left England for France at the age of 18 and married a French man!
The Paris Wedding – a gorgeous coffee table book by Kimberley Petyt AKA THE Paris wedding planner. Full of practical tips on how to have a Paris wedding or Paris style wedding where ever you are and with the most beautiful photos. Not just for brides – it’s for anyone wanting to bring a little Parisian oh la la to a party or dinner too!
Sell the Pig by Tottie Limejuice. Yes it’s a strange title but a jolly good read! What happens when dementia, depressed dipsomania and downright dottiness decide to uproot from the UK and move to France together. Worried by the lack of care for her frail elderly mother in the UK, Tottie decides a new life elsewhere might be the answer. Sell the Pig is a travel tale with a twist, describing with alternating humour and poignancy how a somewhat dysfunctional family decide to uproot and move to rural France. Eccentric Tottie, her manic depressive alcoholic brother, their mother, whose dementia has given her an obsession with bums, and an equally elderly border collie, decide France’s Auvergne is to be their new home. This is the story of what led them to make that journey.
A Moveable Feast – Ernest Hemingway. One of the most famous books about Paris from the master. Beautifully written memoirs of Paris in the 1920s – it lives up to the hype.
A La Mod – My so-called Tranquil Family Life in Rural France by Ian Moore. Comedian, mod and professional grump Ian Moore has had enough. Tired of being unable to park anywhere near his cramped house in a noisy town he doesn’t like, he hatches a plan to move his wife and young son to a remote corner of the Loire Valley in search of serenity and space. Several years later, Ian finds himself up to his neck in bilingual offspring, feral cats, promiscuous horses, dysfunctional spaniels and needy hens; he’s wrestling with electric fences, a foreign language, a mountain of animal waste and a wife who collects livestock like there’s a biblical flood on the horizon, all while trying not to dirty his loafers. But despite the ups, downs and increasing demands of Ian’s showbiz career, the Moore family persevere in true Brit style to create a unique, colourful and ultimately rewarding life in their new home – à la campagne and à la mod!
Finding me in France – Bobbi French. Bobbi French is a Canadian psychiatrist who was burned out after fifteen years in the medical profession. She chucked it all in, sold everything (she kept her husband) and moved to Semur en Auxois in France. Finding Me in France is Bobbi’s chronicle of her first year there. What ensues is a tale of hapless and hilarious adventures with Bobbi’s unique and very funny take on her life in France.It’s a wonderful read.
Die in Paris – Marilyn Z Tomlins. The story of France’s most prolific serial killer – Marcel Petiot. Marilyn spent years researching for the book – it is packed with incredible facts as the killer in Paris during World War II went on an extraordinary killing spree undetected for years.
The French Postmistress by Julia Stagg. A Mayor who has lost his joie de vivre, a post mistress with a burned down post office, unrequited love, village scandals, bears in the woods and the Tour de France! Fabulous story telling from Julia Stagg in a tale of life in France – funny and heartwarming.
We’ll be adding to the book list throughout the year…
