Books on My Summer 2024 To-Read List: Paris in July Edition

I have already posted my 2024 20 Books of Summer and my 2024 Big Books Summer Challenge reading lists here. It is not too late to join in the fun for these two challenges. The 20 Books of Summer is hosted by Cathy at 746 Books. The Big Book Summer Challenge is hosted by Book By Book.

Instead of posting these again, I will list the books I might read this year for the upcoming Paris in July, hosted by Emma of Words and Peace.

The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl (Novel)

When her estranged mother dies, Stella is left with an unusual inheritance: a one-way plane ticket and a note reading "Go to Paris.

The French Ingredient: Making a Life in Paris One Ingredient at a Time by Jane Bertch (Memoir)

The inspiring and delicious memoir of an American woman who had the gall to open a cooking school in Paris—a true story of triumphing over French naysayers and falling in love with a city along the way.

French Windows by Antoine Laurain (Novel)

Nathalia, a young photographer, has been seeing a therapist. Having accidentally photographed a murder, she finds that she can no longer do her job. Instead, Doctor Faber suggests that she write about the neighbours she idly observes in the building across the street. But as these written snapshots become increasingly detailed, he starts to wonder how she can possibly know so much about them.

Clara Reads Proust by Stéphane Cartier (Novel)

Clara is a hairdresser at Cindy Coiffure, a sleepy French salon with an identity crisis. Her relationship is fizzling out. Her tanoholic boss Madame Habib worships Jacques Chirac and talks longingly of her days in Paris. The highlight of the week was when the dishy technician came to repair the display cabinet. And now Madame Lévy-Leroyer wants to go blonde. Clara can’t help but wonder if there’s more to life . . .

Everything changes when a customer leaves behind the first volume of In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust. As Clara reads, she discovers a whole new world, leading her to strike up an unexpected friendship. And slowly but surely, she will work out who she wants to be.

Germinal by Émile Zola (Classic)

Etienne Lantier, an unemployed railway worker, is a clever but uneducated young man with a dangerous temper. Forced to take a back-breaking job at Le Voreux mine when he cannot get other work, he discovers that his fellow miners are ill, hungry, and in debt, unable to feed and clothe their families. When conditions in the mining community deteriorate even further, Lantier finds himself leading a strike that could mean starvation or salvation for all.

Paris and Her Cathedrals by R. Howard Bloch (Nonfiction)

For history readers, travelers, and scholars alike, an indispensable behind-the-scenes guide to the great cathedrals of Paris.

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi (Fantasy)

Six societal outcasts are tasked with stealing a powerful artifact that can alter their lives for the better, but at the cost of breaking the world.

Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge (Mystery)

Thanks to her neighbor and friend Julia Child, another ex-pat who's fallen head over heels for Paris, Tabitha is learning how to cook for her Grandpere and Oncle Rafe. Between tutoring Americans in French, visiting the market, and eagerly sampling the results of Julia's studies at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school, Tabitha's sojourn is proving thoroughly delightful. That is, until the cold December day they return to Julia's building and learn that a body has been found in the cellar.

The Stolen Child by Ann Hood (Novel)

Haunted by a decision he made as a young soldier in World War I, involving a French artist and her baby, Nick Burns, with only months left to live, enlists Jenny, a college dropout, to help him unravel the mystery, forcing them both to reckon with regret, betrayal and the lives they've left behind.

How Science Saved the Eiffel Tower by Emma Bland Smith (Children's Nonfiction)

As the date for the tower's demolition approached, Eiffel raced to prove its worth. Could science save the Eiffel Tower?

Dakota Crumb and the Secret Bookshop by Jamie Michalak (Picture Book)

Ooh la la! Tiny, intrepid Dakota Crumb is back--hunting for bookish treasure in the City of Light.

Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis

"A deliciously haunted debut set in 19th century Paris in which two estranged sisters-formerly celebrated (and fraudulent) spirit mediums-come back together for one last con"

The Excitements by C. J. Wray (Fiction)

Arriving in Paris to receive the Légion d'honneur for their part in the liberation of France, the 90-something Williamson sisters, Britain's most treasured World War II veterans, use this opportunity to settle scores, avenge lost friends and pull off one last, daring heist before their illustrious careers are over.

Will you be participating this year in Paris in July?

Are you planning to read any of these books?

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.