The News From Paris by Anthony Grant-Lechtman (X-libris)

Contrary to what its title would seem to imply, “The News from Paris” isn’t a current affairs dispatch reported out of this capital, but a novel. Yes, journalism is involved, and this hardly comes as a surprise, considering that the author, Anthony Grant, has worked for AP and The Moscow Times, and writes regularly for The New York Sun. The media spotlight is, in fact, what lures our hero, a decreasingly innocent college student, to France. Paul Harp embarks on a “stage”/internship at a fictitious French television network where he meets Olivier de Choques, a sort of Brad Pitt of the airwaves and poster child of the program in question, coincidentally named “Les Nouvelles de Paris.” BR

What happens next is recounted by a fellow student who is more passionate about missed opportunities than hard facts. If the author plays “a strong hand” of “Don’t believe what you read,” perhaps we can forgive him. Here, reality plays second fiddle to impact, when a group of young guns come to grips with the pressures of ambition and perils of living honestly... “The News from Paris” isn’t exactly a “coming out” or AIDS novel, though it includes a soupçon of both. It’s more about how a place with as commanding a “stage presence” as Paris can dare any of us into acting in thoroughly unfamiliar ways. “News” is a tale made newsworthy by Grant’s portrait of a brooding and slightly monstrous metropolis. BR

“Entre Nous: A Woman’s Guide To Finding her Inner French Girl” by Debra Ollivier (Lark Productions)

I don’t know if I’ve found my “inner French girl,” but this light-hearted book presents several true-to-experience observations and is beyond doubt a “fun read.” Though it does tend to glorify the “French girl,” gracing her with Jane Austen-esque standards of elegance and poise, it also provides sharp insights regarding Franco-American cultural differences. At times bordering on the somewhat “preachy” genre of certain self-improvement manuals, Ollivier suggests that some American women could “borrow a page from the French Girl’s Book,” advising them to “slow down,” going for “quality” rather than “quantity.” Peppered with dating and recipe data, “Entre Nous” doesn’t claim to be an anthropological opus, but it’s astonishingly helpful for newcomers to France’s social scene, keen to decode “Les Françaises,” their friendships, their lovers, their kitchens and, of course, that damned paradox — the skinny Parisienne who never diets! SH

Maisons d’Ecrivains et d’Artistes by Hélène Rochette (Parisgramme) (In French)

France is often defined in terms of its literary and artistic history — you can feel it everywhere, not just in museums but even in certain metro stations — and this book upholds that tradition, providing an insider’s view of the lifestyles of various prestigious artists and writers, from Hugo to Van Gogh. Rochette describes their homes and studios in and around Paris (many of which are open to visitors).  Essentially a guide to these “places of creation,” this handy guide is based on listings enriched with quotes, photographs and brief historical references explaining how each place relates to the subject’s daily existence and output. These former residences charged with an aura of “lingering greatness” definitely constitute inspiring destinations, whether you’re a tourist, a literary buff, or an art history aficionado. SH

An Englishman à la Campagne: Life in Deepest France byMichael Sadler(Simon and Schuster)

In a market filled with books about English-speakers living in France, it is reassuring to find one that stands out from the rest. “An Englishman à la Campagne” is the follow-up to last year’s equally engaging “An Englishman in Paris.” The Francophile rosbif has now made the transition from Parisien to paysan, “stamping” his British eccentricities on a remote village in deepest France. Will the intrepid Englishman’s attempt to grow leeks land him the village horticulture prize? Will he resist the advances of an amorous lady cheese-maker? Sadler’s writing style turns even the most ordinary visit to the supermarket into a witty anecdote, and makes this book both an entertaining and revealing account of provincial life seen through English eyes. PM

“The Great Paris Walk Pack” by Carole and Geoffrey Howard (The Great WalkPack Co.)

compiled by Sadie Heagland, Paul McNally and Bob Roberts