Paris from the Ground Up, by James H. S. McGregor. Here’s the definitive portrait of Paris, combining chronological history with a cultural exploration of all things architectural, artistic and practical, from Gaul to DeGaulle.  McGregor keeps it lively with public bath tours, the secrets of aqueducts and central heating, tales of martyrs from St. Denis to Joan of Arc, and unending cathedral construction (emphasizing Notre Dame); the Sorbonne, marketplace evolution and the great plague all play their part. The Louvre is explored meticulously in many permutations, as are the sewers and even the language.

 

The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious--and Perplexing--City, by David Lebovitz. After a nearly two-decade career as a pastry chef and cookbook author,  Lebovitz moved to Paris to start a new life. Having crammed all his worldly belongings into three suitcases, he arrived, hopes high, at his new apartment in the lively Bastille neighborhood. But he soon discovered it's a different world in France. From learning the ironclad rules of social conduct to the mysteries of men's footwear, from shopkeepers who work so hard not to sell you anything to the

etiquette of working the right way around the cheese plate, here is David's story of how he came to fall in love with--and even understand--this glorious, yet sometimes maddening, city. The book includes more than fifty original recipes, for dishes both savory and sweet. The Sweet Life in Paris is a deliciously funny, offbeat, and irreverent look at the city of lights, cheese, chocolate, and other confections.

 

Eiffel’s Tower: and the World’s Fair, Where Buffalo Bill Beguiled Paris, the Artists Quarreled, and Thomas Edison Became a Count, by Jill Jonnes. The story of the world-famous monument and the extraordinary world’s fair that introduced it.  Since it opened in May 1889, the Eiffel Tower has been an iconic image of modern times--as much a beacon of technological progress as an enduring symbol of Paris and French culture. But as engineer Gustave Eiffel built the now-famous landmark to be the spectacular centerpiece of the 1889 World’s Fair, he stirred up a storm of vitriol from Parisian tastemakers, lawsuits, and predictions of certain structural calamity. As Eiffel held court that summer atop his one-thousand-foot tower, a remarkable host of artists and personalities--Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley, Gauguin, Whistler, and Edison--traveled to Paris and the Exposition to mingle and make their mark.

 

Murder in the Latin Quarter, by Cara Black. The latest in the Aimee Leduc Investigations mystery series. A critic has said. “If you've always wanted to visit Paris, skip the air fare and read Cara Black instead.” Aimee Leduc is a security expert and private investigator. Her mother disappeared when she was eight and her French policeman father was murdered. Author Black crafts superb tales informed by current political tensions, showing how they play out in French society while suggesting larger implications. The plots are swift and assured, the language elegantly gritty, and the characterizations deft. Highly recommended.
 

Psst!  Did you know?  ... the library has books in the French language for both children and adults.