11 Must-Reads for Anyone Going to France (or Wanting to Someday)

Travel as Metaphor: The Little Prince by Antoine de St. Exupéry

If you haven't met this iconic character and his little fox, take an afternoon and read this book, even as an adult. It's a quick read but will leave you with an appreciation for travel, friendship, and symbolism.

The French love it so much that they put the drawings on their money. I loved it so much that it was the theme for our youngest son's baby shower. (I hope it doesn't go to his head that we referred to him in utero as our little prince...)

Travel with Family: At Home in the World by Tsh Oxenreider

I have never wanted to burn all my belongings and move abroad more than I did in the months after reading this book. Oxenreider and her young family spent a year traveling around the world. Her short quippy vignettes for each region are both funny and inspiring.

Sure, France is only one of many locations they travel to, but there's enough francophilia to make it a definite for this list, in my opinion.

Humorous Lost-in-Translation Moments: Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

If you've never read anything by Sedaris (or listened to any of his amazing self-read audiobooks), you are in for a treat. His short 3-5 page essays are often satires but are mostly creative nonfiction, one of the most challenging forms (in my opinion). To do it right, you have to lead an interesting enough life to be intriguing without seeming like you're navel-gazing. Sedaris's life is that interesting and then some. This book draws largely from his years living in France and the hilarious moments that happen when you're adapting to a culture and language.

NOTE: Nate's experiences in a French language classroom as an adult were exactly like Sedaris's, so "Me Talk Pretty One Day " (the vignette the book is named after) definitely rings true.

Travel Narrative: Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson is a travel writing genius. He was doing this long before it became trendy, and he deserves credit as a forerunner. All of his books are great (with the exception of his Appalachian Trail memoir A Walk in the Woods, which is as boring as a 1,100-mile hike sounds).

But for a French trip, I would suggest Neither Here Nor There, a hilarious memoir of his trip through Europe. Even if you're just going to France, you can still appreciate his humorous take on the rest of the continent.

Travel Planning: How to Travel the World on $50 a Day by Matt Kepnes

Nomadic Matt was also a forerunner but in the travel blog genre. Years ago, he started posting Lonely Planet-style guidebooks that were more up-to-date than printed books could be. He's branched into print books since then, including his bestseller How to Travel the World on $50 a Day. For my family of 6, that would translate to $300/day (!!!!), but sharing hotel rooms cuts that number significantly. Using his advice, we are often able to stay in the low $200-range or below, no matter where we stay. I can't recommend this book highly enough!

General Culture: Culture Smart! France by Barry Tomalin

Culture fascinates me. What's OK in one country is totally unacceptable in another country. I love that....and I am baffled by it. I'm often left wondering:

"How does culture happen? And where are the rules posted?"

This book series attempts to summarize years of history and also explain various countries' "things behind the things," as I like to call it:

Why do Americans love guns?

Why do Spanish people stay up so late?

Why are French people so blunt?

What are the rules behind "la bise" (cheek kissing as a greeting)?

Obviously, culture is a moving target and very subjective, but this book takes a decent stab at explaining it in a more comprehensive way than most guide books can. Great go-to for any upcoming trips since they also have books on tons of other countries.

For a fun existential crisis, try reading your own country's Culture Smart book. Beware: it will rock your world.

International Parenting for Parents: Bringing up Bébé by Pamela Druckerman

I read this bestseller even before becoming a parent. I was fascinated by the difference in "house culture" (as I call it) between my French host family and my American biological family:

How do they get their kids to eat foie gras when many American kids are on a chicken finger- exclusive diet?

Why are French mothers hesitant to intervene in playground disputes?

Why don't most French mothers breastfeed?

Druckerman, an ex-pat who writes a monthly column on France for The New York Times, tackles all of this and then some. But she does it in a way that is fun and fascinating and makes you question the impact of your own upbringing.

NOTE: This book was set to have a movie adaptation starring Anne Hathaway, but COVID appears to have stopped production. But if Hathaway signed on, that should tell you it's a pretty decent read.

International Parenting for Kids: Say Bonjour to the Lady by Florence Mars and Pauline Léveque

I picked this book up at a yard sale just before our last trip to France. Since we fly out of Chicago (a 3.5-hour drive from Indianapolis!), I figured it would be good fodder for discussion. Much to my surprise, we ended up discussing it here and there for our entire trip.

The book is written by two Parisian moms raising kids in NYC. They created a series of simple, hilarious, and thought-provoking pictures that illustrate various parenting situations, with the American response on one side and the French response on the other.

Even after reading Bringing Up Bébé, I was amazed by how I often considered the "American" response to be instinctive and natural, simply because I was conditioned to think so. Reading the French responses made me realize (as my grandma would say) that there's more than one way to skin a cat.

WWII Fiction: Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

If you are looking for a good beach read, this one is a great pick. Hannah is a literary chameleon---one book is about survival in the Alaskan tundra and the next is about discovering a mother's difficult past. And she pulls them all off with so much well-researched detail that you feel like you're actually there. Nightingale is one of her most popular reads, earning an astounding 4.8 stars on Amazon and Wall Street Journal's Best Book of the Year Award. It follows the lives of two sisters in occupied France during WWII. You won't be able to put it down.

NOTE: The film version came out in 2018. I haven't seen it, but I heard it's great. Maybe a movie for the plane ride?

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

This book is also a WWII drama and motion picture. This one, though, is a bit more dramatic, since it involves children. If you liked The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, you will likely enjoy Sarah's Key.

French Food: The Art of French Cooking by Julia Child

This choice was a no-brainer. If you've seen Julie and Julia, you'll recognize this as the book that the main character uses for her self-imposed cooking challenge. We own the 2-book set and have used it many times to recreate our favorite French delicacies, including tarte tatin and boeuf bourguignon.

Sure, there are recipes online that claim to be authentic, but none of them include the level of detail and research that Child dedicated to each entry. As an ex-pat living in France with her diplomat husband, she took the time to painstakingly convert hundreds of their time-honored recipes into our (nonsensical) American measurements. What's more, she even explains the cooking techniques that a French chef wouldn't think s/he needed to explain.

There are tons of other great books out there for francophiles. As a French teacher, I had such a hard time narrowing it down, but this is a good place to start.

Happy reading and bon voyage!

--------

Want to go to Europe but not sure when? Read Why You Should Book that Trip to Europe NOW

Want to travel but don't know how to find the money? Read I Want to Travel. Now How do I Find Money for It?

Wondering where to go in France? Check out our Top Ten Things to Do in France's SW Region