Recommended Reading

A quick way of getting to grips with life in France and the local customs is to read up on them in advance of you arrival. Here are some books I would recommend you to read before and during your stay in France:
- The Loney Planet Guide to Paris: This may seem an obvious choice but it really is an essential tool in discovering the best parts of what the city has to offer. Everything of interest in Paris is documented here. Get it now!!
- Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong: What Makes the French So French? By Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow: This is a great book that clearly explains the historical, social and European influences that have create dthe typicla Frenchman we know today
-An Englishman in Paris: L'education Continentale by Michael Sadler: This book is full of English humour, some of which was beyond this Irishman, but it is a great book for picking up little slang French words and learning that you're not the first person to wander the streets of Paris with only two words of the language in your head!!

There are other books worth reading I'm sure but these are three I came across while in France so I thought I'd recommend them. If you're looking for cheap English and French reads while in Paris I highly recommend you to visit the Abbey Bookshop in rue de la Parcheminerie. This canadian bookshop is a real tresure chest of books and offers cheap second hand reads just inside the front door. The aisles are terribly narrow and there are books everywhere so prepare to spend all day here seraching. Thankfully the complimentary tea and coffee will keep you hydrated during your stay!