Books

Amazon is wrong to use free locker sites for book collection, says French minister

The American giant is accused of ‘circumventing legislation’ that aims to protect independent bookshops

Amazon tests free book delivery despite law designed to ban it

E-commerce giant now offers free collection of books from its collection points across the country

France’s top literary prize 2024 awarded to author Kamel Daoud

The Prix Goncourt is widely seen as France’s version of the Nobel prize for literature

news

Engineer creates a map showing every single train route in France

All of France’s some 6,000 train stations are shown, from city hubs to tiny rural tracks

Spotify announces new audiobook offer in France

The move is the company’s first non-English-speaking offer in Europe

‘Book about life with my dog touched so many people’

We speak to Cédric Sapin-Defour, author of the surprise bestseller which describes in lyrical language the relationship between him and his dog, Ubac

What is French Prix Goncourt and who is the new winner?

Prestigious literary award is often seen as equal in stature to Nobel Prize for Francophone authors

6 things to know about new Astérix album now on sale in France

The iconic French cartoon character returns for a new adventure with a new writer, against an ‘ambiguous’ positive thinking Roman villain

Paris Seine booksellers say wrong to ban them during Olympic Games

The mairie says they have to go as a security measure but booksellers say it sends ‘a culturally negative message’

Why French author Marc Levy is making his new book free in Russia

The plot centres on a child abduction and looks at the relationship between Russia and Ukraine

Ordering a book online in France is now more expensive - here is why

A new rule encouraging people to shop at local stores instead of receiving home delivery has been championed by independent retailers

Granny knows best: French phrases for bedtime bores

We look at the French you don’t learn at school

Readers' feedback on French publisher altering classic books

Two Connexion readers agree that books are a snapshot of the time and should not be altered for a modern audience

Readers recommend: Favourite books for improving your French skills

From classics to memoirs, Connexion readers give their top tips

Six books to read about moving to France for a new life

You should be able to empathise with their experiences

French writer reveals secrets of translating a great novel

From toning down the swearing to swotting up on Google Street View, re-working a prize-winning book can be a long process

Books with a link to France December 2022 – The 20 minute review

We read recent releases with a link to France. To be fair, each gets 20 minutes’ reading time

Arts and culture France: Rolling Stones plates, arthouse cinema threat

A round-up of the stories creating a buzz in French art, literature and entertainment

Books with a link to France November 2022 - The 20 minute review

We read recent releases with a link to France. To be fair, each gets 20 minutes’ reading time

Books with a link to France October 2022 - The 20 minute review

We read recent releases with a link to France. To be fair, each gets 20 minutes’ reading time

Homes for living: new book about French style secrets

A stunning new book about the US interiors guru David Jimenez offers a peek into his own homes and chic tips for chez vous

Minimum book delivery fee in France expected to be fixed at €3

Fee for purchases of more than €35 would drop down to one centime, the current status quo, often used by sellers such as Amazon

Books related to France: Our September 2022 picks

For our reviews, each book gets 20 minutes’ reading time

Does La Poste charge more for posting non-French books abroad?

Reader told that there is a lower tariff for works written in French

Financially tough but fulfilling: A life selling books by the Seine

Bouquinistes have been a constant presence in Paris for centuries but Covid and changing shopping habits are forcing many to diversify. We visit one to find out more

English-language titles feature highly in France’s top 50 books

The shortlist spans several languages, genres and eras, and includes 1984, Harry Potter, Jane Eyre and L’Etranger. You can still vote for your all-time favourite

Last World War Two Oradour massacre survivor publishes book account

Robert Hébras, aged 96, has written the book with his granddaughter. He has always considered it very important to speak about the tragedy

What’s your favourite book? New French study asks for nominations

The vast campaign comes after millions rediscovered their love of reading during the first Covid lockdown in 2020, with the eventual winner set to be announced on TV in autumn

I read the 5,000-page compendium that tries to explain France

Known to English-speaker as Realms of Memory and Rethinking France, this collection of essays looks like the syllabus of the test for citizenship

Support your local community in France with a guidebook in English

A blog can offer a great insight into your town or village but why not expand it to benefit the local community too? Michael Delahaye explains how

Good response to call for new ‘bouquiniste’ booksellers next to Seine

71 apply for 18 vacancies, the largest number of applications in the last ten years, says Paris mairie

Paris looks for new ‘bouquinistes’ to run book cabins next to Seine

‘Being a bouquiniste is more about loving people than loving books,’ one owner told The Connexion

French independent bookshops await details of new delivery fee law

The law is set to enter into force in 2022 and will impose a minimum cost of €2-5 per book to help independents compete with online giants

Where can I donate my old English books in France?

Any charity shops - such as Emmaüs - and some libraries in France welcome book donations, or you can drop them off at 'reading boxes'

Why Amazon book deliveries will soon cost more in France

Sénat passes a bill to impose a fixed minimum delivery fee for books purchased online

French-inspired books you should read this month

Explore hidden corners of France this month and how they change you when you live in them in two of our book pics, plus a whimsical Paris tale

French-based books to read in the upcoming month

This month we have an extraordinary true tale of escape from Nazi occupied Paris and two reads that delve into and explore the French psyche

France debates whether to impose minimum book cost delivery

If passed, the law would be intended to help independent bookshops compete against the low-to-free delivery prices offered by retail giants such as Amazon and Fnac

French medical institute brings out book debunking fake health news

Find out what face creams are really capable of, whether dogs can actually detect tumours and settle the dark chocolate vs milk chocolate debate once and for all

French-themed books to read in October

Two history reads to see us into autumn including a detailed Matisse biography and a history of Jewish art dealers in Paris, finished with a lighter choice of an ‘Emily in Paris’ style American romance

French-themed books to read this September

Teasing thriller from the writer of The Chalet, the story of the first female wireless operator and who really was the woman behind the big hair and 'let them eat cake'?

French-themed books to read this July

An ode to Roussillon in France's south, a stunning Paris photography book and Didier Fassin's complex investigative read into the killing of Angelo Garand in 2017

The life and erotic times of Anaïs Nin

Inside the fascinating life of the French-Cuban-American diarist with her biographer, Paul Herron.

3 books that will make you want to visit France

Life from 'Escape to the Chateau' in pages, exploring France by campervan and a love affair spanning decades, countries and genres

French courtroom's calming Labrador is to star in a book

Labrador Lol has supported over 60 people through legal proceedings. Its exceptional story will be told in a new book

French-themed books to read in April 2021

Three much-needed escapism reads this month: A witty guide to French living, an insider's travel guide to the Canal du Midi and a romance set in Paris

Book offers clues to find hidden treasure worth €50,000 in France

Thousands of people are expected to participate in the search for a valuable statue hidden in France

UK author Ken Follett donates €150,000 to Brittany cathedral

The writer of The Pillars of the Earth has sold the copyright to his novel Notre-Dame , to contribute to a €2.4 million restoration project of a key gothic cathedral in France

Ken Follett: I love France but I couldn’t be an expat there

The multiple best-selling author tried living in France after his first big success but left after three years as he missed the “all the sort of pleasures of life in London”. Yet, there was a more fundamental reason

French-themed books to read in March 2021

This month's round-up featuring a must-have cultural and language reference guide on all things French and second novel from Sarah Leipciger of three intertwined stories

Bookshops in France now classed as essential businesses

It means they can stay open in case new lockdown measures are introduced, such as in the case of Alpes-Maritimes and Dunkirk

The complex history of love, sex and the French

Does France have anything to tell the rest of us about attitudes to what is, too often, a taboo subject?

French-themed books to read in February 2021

This month's round-up featuring a biography of the most celebrated French storyteller of the nineteenth century and an historical fiction on Coco Chanel

New book reignites the debate on incest taboo

Camille Kouchner’s ' La Familia Grande' accuses a high-profile intellectual of incest with his stepchild, triggering a national debate over this taboo

French-themed books to read in January 2021

This month's winter perfect round-up featuring the mysterious underground tunnels of Paris in the 1960s and the 'deadly' mountains of the Alps

Noël 2020: December's French-themed book review

The Connexion's December book reviews featuring books with links to France

President Obama interview on French TV

Former President to discuss his first term at the White House during 30-minute interview that coincides with the launch of the new volume of his memoirs

French state to pay delivery fees for bookshops in lockdown

Supermarket chains are also stepping in to help small shops transition to digital sales, as resistance to Amazon and other large online retailers grows

French bookshops inspire support through lockdown closure

Politicians, academics and customers around the world are stepping in to defend France’s beloved independent bookshops as they close during confinement

Book reviews: French-themed books to read this month

Looking for book recommendations? Peruse The Connexion's October book reviews featuring books with links to France.

Book reviews and suggestions: French-themed books to read

Looking for book recommendations? Peruse The Connexion's September book reviews featuring books with links to France.

Saint-Exupéry and ‘mystery American’ letters sold in Paris

Original letters between famous French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and a "mystery" American woman - with whom he is suspected to have had an affair - have gone on sale in Paris.

How to live in the modern world? Look to the 1570s

This book from the 1570s explains how to live and is just as apt today...

Our pick of best new books about France to read this August

In our monthly book review, we read recent releases with a link to France.

The best books to read this month: July

We read recent releases with a link to France. To be fair, each gets 20 minutes’ reading time...

French recipe: Fontainebleau

Chef Camille Fourmont shares with Connexion her famous Fontainebleau recipe, out of her new recipe book.

The Spy - Paulo Coelho

Was the Mata Hari a feminist martyr?

The best books to read this month

We read recent releases with a link to France. To be fair, each gets 20 minutes’ reading time...

New Chocolat book + interview with author

The fourth novel in Joanne Harris’s Chocolat series has just come out in paperback. The writer spoke to Jane Hanks about her writing, her French/British background and the influence of France and her French family on her work.

Lockdown lives: I'm missing launch of my debut novel

Mum of five, journalist - and, now, novelist - Gillian Harvey finds a silver lining in confinement

Miss Maggie’s French country fare

Childhood stays in France left an indelible mark on Héloïse Brion, who turned her back on fashion to concentrate on food adventures. Here she reveals her journey and chooses three favourite recipes.

Old books scheme raises millions for French charities

Quelle Bonne Idée!

April 2020 Book reviews

This month, the team read Don’t be Deceived by the French, Philodog and Other Stories, and French for Divorce

February 2020 book reviews

We read recent releases with a link to France. To be fair, each gets 20 minutes’ reading time. This month, we will look at the man that changed gambling forever, a Josephine Baker biography and New Wave cinema

March 2020 book reviews

We read recent releases with a link to France. To be fair, each gets 20 minutes’ reading time. This month, we will look at The Killing of the Iron Twelve, The Private World of Edouard Vuillard, and City of Dark

Books

Amazon is wrong to use free locker sites for book collection, says French minister

Amazon tests free book delivery despite law designed to ban it

France’s top literary prize 2024 awarded to author Kamel Daoud

Engineer creates a map showing every single train route in France

Trending

Tips to avoid French ‘customs charges’ on Christmas cards and gifts

‘Medicines to avoid in 2025’ list published by French medical review

Ryanair to begin flying from major Paris airport

PHOTOS: The new French train that also runs on roads

Strikes in France in December 2024 and how you may be impacted

Euro and French stocks fall as Michel Barnier’s government faces collapse

Learning French: the origins and meaning of bon gré mal gré

Spotify announces new audiobook offer in France

‘Book about life with my dog touched so many people’

What is French Prix Goncourt and who is the new winner?

6 things to know about new Astérix album now on sale in France

Paris Seine booksellers say wrong to ban them during Olympic Games

Why French author Marc Levy is making his new book free in Russia

Ordering a book online in France is now more expensive - here is why

Granny knows best: French phrases for bedtime bores

Readers' feedback on French publisher altering classic books

Readers recommend: Favourite books for improving your French skills

The best books to read to children and improve your own French

‘Offensive’ parts of Agatha Christie novels in French to be changed

Six things that show the French love for books and reading

Six books to read about moving to France for a new life

Why ordering books online in France will become more expensive

How French chocolate bars inspired Willy Wonka

English-language bookshop in Paris looks to a bright future

A record number of French bookshops opened last year

Books to help improve your French

French writer reveals secrets of translating a great novel

Books with a link to France December 2022 – The 20 minute review

Arts and culture France: Rolling Stones plates, arthouse cinema threat

Books with a link to France November 2022 - The 20 minute review

Books with a link to France October 2022 - The 20 minute review

Homes for living: new book about French style secrets

Minimum book delivery fee in France expected to be fixed at €3

Books related to France: Our September 2022 picks

Does La Poste charge more for posting non-French books abroad?

Financially tough but fulfilling: A life selling books by the Seine

English-language titles feature highly in France’s top 50 books

Last World War Two Oradour massacre survivor publishes book account

What’s your favourite book? New French study asks for nominations

I read the 5,000-page compendium that tries to explain France

Support your local community in France with a guidebook in English

Good response to call for new ‘bouquiniste’ booksellers next to Seine

Paris looks for new ‘bouquinistes’ to run book cabins next to Seine

French independent bookshops await details of new delivery fee law

Where can I donate my old English books in France?

Why Amazon book deliveries will soon cost more in France

French-inspired books you should read this month

French-based books to read in the upcoming month

France debates whether to impose minimum book cost delivery

French medical institute brings out book debunking fake health news

French-themed books to read in October

French-themed books to read this September

French-themed books to read this July

The life and erotic times of Anaïs Nin

3 books that will make you want to visit France

French courtroom's calming Labrador is to star in a book

French-themed books to read in April 2021

Book offers clues to find hidden treasure worth €50,000 in France

UK author Ken Follett donates €150,000 to Brittany cathedral

Ken Follett: I love France but I couldn’t be an expat there

French-themed books to read in March 2021

Bookshops in France now classed as essential businesses

The complex history of love, sex and the French

French-themed books to read in February 2021

New book reignites the debate on incest taboo

French-themed books to read in January 2021

Noël 2020: December's French-themed book review

President Obama interview on French TV

French state to pay delivery fees for bookshops in lockdown

French bookshops inspire support through lockdown closure

Book reviews: French-themed books to read this month

Book reviews and suggestions: French-themed books to read

Saint-Exupéry and ‘mystery American’ letters sold in Paris

How to live in the modern world? Look to the 1570s