Everyday Parisian Book Club
Everyday Parisian Book Club
The Everyday Parisian Book Club is back! If you have been reading the blog for a while, I started a book club in 2017. It has been one of the most requested traditions to bring back to the blog.
The concept is simple: on the first of each month, I will recommend a book I love and want to recommend to the Everyday Parisian community. While this is a French-themed blog, not all have to focus on that theme. I tend to read WWII books set in Europe and know I must vary my selections.
You can join the EDP Facebook Group Here.
From the past book club below.
The Inspiration for The EDP Book Club
When I was a kid, I loved to read books. I would stay up late reading Babysitters Club and Sweet Valley High. While visiting my niece at the end of last year, I noticed how much she loved to read. A book travels with her wherever she goes: to dinner, on a car ride, or just for a quick errand. She typically reads two chapter books weekly and falls asleep with a book in her hand. I love her and her joy of reading. My niece typically reads two chapter books a week!
It has been a while since I have been into reading, and my niece inspired me to read more. Over Christmas break and in January, I focused on reading and looking for books for the book club. I found myself reading more and less mindless scrolling on social media.
If you are in one of those book-challenging phases, I hope this encourages you to pick up a book again. I have also been asking friends more often what they are reading lately so I can get more book ideas. It helps spark a fun conversation.
My Goal for the Everyday Parisian Book Club
My goal for the book club is to build the EDP community around books and encourage you to read more. The books are hand-selected by me to transport you, make you think, and educate you. It is an extension of links I love on Sundays.
You may not like every book I select, and that is okay. If you don’t like it, suggest something different for the next month. A few books have already been chosen for the year; others are open for newly published books in the pipeline of 2024 and old classics. We will ride the wave of books and see what we discover together. I encourage you to give feedback so I can make this book club thrive.
The First Book of 2024
Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow was a book recommended by a woman at my dance studio. She worked at Barnes and Noble and mentioned that this was THE book everyone was raving about. I had never heard about it until she mentioned it. The book is about friendship, love, and growth. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is centered around gaming and building video games. Do not let this throw you if you have little to no interest in gaming. I quickly fell in love with the characters, and not to spoil any point in the book, but I cried multiple times. It was emotional, and one of the topics I loved most that they covered was the fear of failure and growth.
With February being a month centered around love for Valentine’s Day, I thought this was a great book to read. It is a love story on so many different levels.
“You try again. You fail better.”
The idea of the book club is not to burn your bank account. Reserve the book at the library or borrow it from a friend. I have a copy if you are in Chicago. I am happy to share mine. Discover a local bookshop in your neighborhood or buy it online.
I can’t wait to see the book club evolve over the next year. There has been a request for virtual events, I am open to doing a book club chat with wine in February if anyone is interested.
Other Notes for The Everyday Parisian Book Club
I encourage you to share what and when you are reading. If you are on social, you can use the hashtag #edpbookclub. I would love to share photos of you reading worldwide and encourage others to do the same.
Please comment below and share a book you enjoyed, and I will consider it for a future book club book. If you have already read this month’s book, you can use the list below to choose something new to read.
Bonjour, I’m Rebecca!
I’m a photographer, blogger, croissant-lover, and world traveler. I hope that Everyday Parisian inspires you by bringing a bit of France into your daily life and helps you plan the best trip to Paris with personalized recommendations for places to stay, explore, and eat.
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Hi Rebecca, I love your work! I’m interested in joining the book club. How does one do so without a FB account? I see in former comments you indicate FB is not required, but I don’t see another way to join.
Hi Rebecca. I recommend All the Flowers in Paris by Sarah Jio.
Thank you, Catherine! xo
Hi, Rebecca, has the EDP Book Club read “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr, set in St. Malo (and other places) during WWII? It earned rave reviews and the Pulitzer Prize. It was also adapted into a series (really good, and now I totally want to visit St. Malo if/when I get to France again!).
Hi Alexandra,
Yes, I loved that one and I think a good amount of people have recently learned about it from the series. The book was better than the series (in my opinion) St. Malo is definitely on my list. My sister enjoyed the series too and said the same thing about visiting St. Malo.I hope we can make a family trip one day. Thank you!
There is another book I have on my mind that I read around the same time that I actually loved more and considering for book club. Stay tuned!
The Paris Deception by Bryan Turnball was a great read.
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/61987501
Oh Love you and this new book club Idea!! I have read “Tomorrow” and enjoyed! My recommendation for book club would be My Husband, it is a french book in translation and quite something!! Loved it so much and such a great discussion!
It hasn’t been released yet but Ruth Reichel is a wonderful writer so i vote for The Paris Novel . Comes out 4/23.
Love this! Thank you. Going to look it up now. I am all for new releases!
Is it possible to join bookclub but not facebook group? I do not social media any more.
hi! Yes, of course. The FB group is just for those that are interested. I don’t blame you for being off social 🙂
Am excited about the book club Rebecca. I follow you on instagram but don’t really like Facebook so will you be posting the books on instagram? Am an avid reader and enjoy your blog. Thanks!
Hi Sandy! Yes, the FB group is just for whoever wants to connect. I will be posting the books on Instagram, newsletter, and on the blog. You won’t miss them!
How do we join the EDP Facebook Book Club group? Thanks!
Hi Tanya, here is the link! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1189790485334265/
Wow excited for book club it was on my 2024 list ! Doesn’t get better than with other France lovers!
Where do we get in on the Facebook group?
Hi Cheri, here is the FB link:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1189790485334265/
Reading more books this year is definitely one of my goals and it would be fun to be a part of your book club. I am currently reading “Fake” by Erica Katz and I seriously can’t put it down. Here is a quick summary: “A gripping novel set in the high-stakes world of art forgery that moves across the globe, from the trendy art galleries of Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood to the high-flying international art fairs of Hong Kong.”
Deborah, this sounds like a great read! I will add it to my list. Thank you for sharing. xo
Oh! This is great! And that book is already sitting on my bedside to-read pile! Looking forward to reading it!!
Love this idea. I have just finished Tomorrow etc. I loved it. Can’t wait for your next suggestion. X
Thank you for all the book suggestions, Rebecca! I’ve enjoyed many of your selections. I loved “Tomorrow” very much; it one of my favorites of 2022. My favorite from 2023 was “Hello Beautiful” which I also loved deeply, so that’s my recommendation. I’m in a few other book clubs, so I have plenty to read until your next pick. Look forward to it ❤📚
Thank you, Dorothy! I have it on my Kindle and I haven’t read “Hello Beautiful” yet but I have heard several people mention it. I am happy to have you as a part of the EDP Book Club. xo
Sounds like fun but it is a six-week wait at our library.
Hi Debbie! The book is worth the wait. I would put your name on the list 🙂
Remarkably Brilliant Creatures is surprisingly captivating and All the Light we Cannot See is really good plus a great miniseries as well . Check it out. Staying a week in Paris in Le Marais – first visit . Welcome any off beat ideas for things to do . Staying in Air B&B and winging it .
Great idea, thank you for re starting this🌿🌸🌿
I’m so excited for this!!! Thanks so much Rebecca. 😀
Love reading anything Paris related, especially 1920s. Recently finished KiKi ManRay and now
read Picasso’s War How Modern Art Came to America. Looking forward to Tomorrow Tomorrow and Tomorrow
Great choice – this was my favorite book of 2023.
Knowing you started off 2024 with such a good pick, I’m in for this now!
aw! Thank you, Tracey. This means a lot. I would love to know some of your favorites that you have read recently.
Another great read for your book club is Time after Time by Lisa Grunwald. It is set in NYC and revolves around Grand Central Station in the old days where a railroad worker meets a woman of his dreams but she disappears but reappears at a special time of year. Lovely story!
Love this, Janice! I will add it to the list to read and for EDP Book Club consideration. Thank you xo
A few other great reads are Sun Damage – which takes place in Provence. And The Fury by Alex Michaelides, it is a total page turner psychological mystery, ala Patricia Highsmth, takes place in London and the Greek Islands.
Last fall on my first trip to Paris, I bought The Paris Library as a souvenir. Really liked that book. My daughter and I want to read Remarkably Bright Creatures together. I’ve made a list of books suggested here. Thank you! Look forward to seeing future recs!
Hi Mary,
I loved The Paris Library! I was able to connect with the author and it made the book even more special. Every time I see someone read it out in the wild I get excited. Thank you for your book recommendation, I will take note and add it to my list. xo
What a fun way of finding great reads I may not have picked up myself. I downloaded Tomorrow as well as a couple of the suggestions made by fellow readers in the comments below. Looking forward to this!
Hi! I am reading The Postcard by Anne Berest, and I’m really liking it. It’s based on her true family story and is sort of a mystery being unfolded.
Do you read the Cara Black Aimee LeDuc mysteries? They are wonderful, not a hard read, good characters and LOTS about Paris. Each book takes place in a different arrondisement.
Love this site! What a great way to getaway💕
Can’t wait to be part of this Rebecca!
Just ordered the book.
Thank you!!!
Kim
I love this idea. I often read books I see you recommend anyway.
I recently read Tomorrow (just last month) and really enjoyed it. I wavered for a moment, in the beginning, with all the gaming stuff, but am so glad I kept reading.
Very good book.
I can’t think of a great book suggestion right now, but I’m enjoying seeing what others are sharing!
Such a great book, it’s a slow burn but so satisfying in the end. One of my fav reads! Good pick!
Two books I read & loved last year and would like to recommend for book club are The Little Village of Book Lovers by Nina George and An Astronomer in Love by Antoine Laurain.
An idea for a way for us to connect would be to create a group on Goodreads. I’d be happy to help set up or moderate. And I’m totally in for a virtual event!
I’m so glad you are reviving the EDP book club, and to have an excuse to read “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.” It’s been on my list!
Since you enjoy WWII and post-war fiction set in Europe, I highly recommend ‘The Time In Between” by Maria Duenas, an engaging and very well-written novel about a young woman couturier swept to different locations in Europe and Africa due to the vicissitudes of her life and the brewing Spanish Civil War; she eventually becomes an undercover agent for the Allies. It’s a terrific read!
Another excellent novel about an earlier era is “South Riding,” by Winifred Holtby, set in 1930’s England. Like George Eliot’s “Middlemarch,” it’s a brilliant portrait of place, customs, politics, and everyday realities, and equally compellingly written characters. (The book was adapted into an excellent BBC series.)
Cheers! Looking forward to reading with you.
I just finished Only if You’re Lucky Stacy Willingham’s newest suspense novel and The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods
Hello, I think the Book Club idea is a good one. Always open to recommendations, I am an avid reader and although on a limited budget I am a frequent borrower at my local library, not always wanting to purchase a one read book.
Lynda from England
This is sooo exciting!!! I really enjoyed the EDP book club and purchased many of the books. That’s great that classics will be on the list. I’m really looking forward to the book club restarting 🙂
My Son and Daughter in law gifted me a subscription to Book of the Month and I am reading Kristin Hannah’s new book “The Women”. Happy Reading!
I just finished The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes, which I loved, by Ruth Hogan. I’m currently reading, as I do each January, A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle. Excited for a book club!
Currently reading Maybe Once, Maybe Twice by Alison Rose Greenberg. Stellar pick for this month’s book club! I read T&T&T last year and adored it. Reading it on my Kindle allowed me to look up the (many) words I did not know. Zevin is such a skilled writer with an enviable vocabulary.
I’m currently reading The Paris Daughter set against the backdrop of WW2. I loved The Book of Lost names so I thought I’d give Kristin Harmel’s newest novel a try.
Just what I need for this dreary weather we’ve been having! Just downloaded and will start reading it tonight!
I read Tomorrow a few months ago and absolutely loved it!!
I loved Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow! I am sharing Fresh Water for Flowers, the English debut of French writer Valerie Perrin, unusual and complex, one of those books I keep thinking about even though I read it in 2022. C’est magnifique!
I just came across an HBO series called Mildred Pierce that was filmed in 2011. I loved the show and then discovered that it was based on a book. So of course I now have to read the book!
Just added Tomorrow….to my cart. I happy to have a recommendation from someone I trust! Books are so personal/ subjective though. Happy reading!
The Punishings by H.R. Bellicosa…This is a great book…it was written before the fall of Roe but pretty much told the future…it’s scary how spot on it is. It’s a page-turner.