One of the things I have enjoyed in Paris is that I have the time to read. I spent four years at Hillsdale reading, but there were still so many books I didn’t have the time to fit in. Plus, a lot of my Hillsdale reading consisted of French literature, which inevitably follows a pattern of disillusion, adultery, disillusion, and death, sometimes interspersed with pensive reflections on the vapidity of life and the futility of religion. I cleaned out my bookshelf to bring home at Christmas so as to make way for new arrivals next semester, and here is the final booklist, in case anyone wants a good read.
My Life in France, Julia Child: My airplane read coming to France, My Life in France made me so excited to come and live in Paris. Julia Child embraced life in France with every inch of her tall self, and she inspires me, not always to cook as in the movie Julie and Julia, but at least to enjoy all of Paris delectable pleasures, edible or not.
A Moveable Feast, Ernest Hemingway: I have already given enough blog time to my friend of the sparse adjectives. I don’t know if I will ever feel the need to read another Hemingway novel, but I will admit that A Moveable Feast captured Paris after WWI in a way only disenchanted Americans in Paris can.
Villette, Charlotte Brontë: I did buy this book because I liked the cover and paper texture, so I guess I can’t complain for any disappointments. I loved this book, truly I did. Where Hemingway is sparse, Brontë floods you with more descriptions than you can handle. But she will not allow a happy ending and I found myself betrayed in the final paragraphs by the book that I had grown to love so much. I still haven’t all the way recovered.
Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong, Jean Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow, and Talk to the Snail: Ten Commandments for Understanding the French, Stephen Clarke: If you want to read two books together to get an interesting picture of the French, I recommend these two. The first offers an insightful academic approach to looking at French culture through the lens of history, politics, etc. The second offers a hilarious satirical approach to understanding the French through the lens of biting wit, hyperbole, and amusing personal anecdotes.
Little Dorrit, Charles Dickens: In my opinion, Dickens is one of the most talented authors who has ever lived. I was trying to watch the BBC Little Dorrit miniseries online, but when I couldn’t find it, I decided to cave and read the book. At 836 pages, it also served as an imposing punishment for trouble-makers in my class who had to copy pages for overly rambunctious behavior. Dickens genius lies not in his story lines, but in his character descriptions. Every character, no matter how small, has a totally developed personality. Each character comes alive with fully fleshed backgrounds, quirks, and motives. I think this it what is missing from lots of modern books and movies. Dickens reminds us that every person has a story, and interesting story, a story worthy of being told. Every person has the potential to be captivating.
And my #1 pick of the semester: I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith. When I got to the final page, I considered starting over because it was just that good. A story at times poignant and humorous, it explored questions and thoughts we all have in a way innocent and refreshing. I will close with one of my favorite quotes:
“Perhaps he finds beauty saddening – I do myself sometimes. Once when I was quite little I asked father why this was and he explained that it was due to our knowledge of beauty’s evanescence, which reminds us that we ourselves shall die. Then he said I was probably too young to understand him; but I understood perfectly.”
2000 Streets 
Leave a Reply