2024 Holiday Gift Guide Books from Provence our Recommendations
Are you shopping for book lovers? Here is our 2024 holiday gift guide for books from Provence for those on your list who love reading, travelling, and dreaming of France. These books are for anyone who wants a literary “dose” of Provence.
2024 Holiday Gift Guide Books
Whether you have visited the region or always dreamed of doing so, this collection includes cookbooks, guidebooks, memoirs, love stories, mysteries and more. However, click here for a more extensive listing of books we have read, reviewed, and recommended. If you are looking for a more in-depth selection by genre, click on the headings below, which direct you to pages with books listed alphabetically by author’s last name.
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Food and Wine Lovers
Fresh + Seasonal = Delicious. These culinary books are a few new additions to our collection. Some are cookbooks, some are culinary guides to the Provencal lifestyle, and others are invaluable resources for navigating the tantalizing markets.
In the past few years, we have been fortunate to collaborate with our contributors and culinary friends for several years, who have created seasonal menus inspired by spring in the South of France. This year, we combined some of their delicious menus into unique collections that are now available for download. These booklets make lovely gifts for anyone who loves to cook and entertain.
Buy: The Spring Recipe and Menu Collection
Get: The Summer Recipe and Menu Collection
Buy: The Fall Recipe Collection
Buy: The Winter Recipe Collection
Provence’s Famous Rosé
Wrapped in dusty pink, the book promised a visual feast almost as appealing as a chilled glass of Whispering Angel from the wine estate. , a stunning coffee table book, is a treasure trove for wine lovers. Martin Bruno’s photography showcases Sacha Lichine’s vision and the vineyard at the heart of the popular light pink rosé. This is not just a book. It’s a journey into the creation of a brand and the transformation of consumer tastes. Please read our review of The Book of Rosé.
Stunning Cookbook
Stunning is the only way to describe Rosa Jackson’s cookbook Niçoise: Market-Inspired Cooking from France’s Sunniest City. Filled with over 100 recipes, this beautiful book salutes the simplicity of Nice’s traditional cuisine. Niçoise is more than a cookbook, cracking open the window into life in Nice through the seasons. The reader understands how regional ingredients influence the city’s culinary heritage. In finishing this book, you might book a ticket to visit Nissa la Bella and experience the city’s gastronomic delights.
Niçoise: Market-Inspired Cooking from France’s Sunniest City is Jackson’s heartfelt, deep dive into life in Nice, France, and the typical ingredients used in recipes at different periods of the year. Far from simply a collection of recipes, the book is a culinary memoir with dishes linked to Jackson’s friends, the French Riviera lifestyle, and her appreciation of the regional bounty.
Provence Wine Guide
Göran Boman, the author of The Wines of Provence – Tricolour, is based in Sweden, far from Provence’s vineyards. However, Göran is a wine lover in this book. He covers 58 wine producers and recommends 338 wines, not just rosé wines. Use the book as a guide to discovering these wines and their producers. His goal is to deepen your knowledge of everything worth knowing about the wines of Provence.
Memoirs from Provence
These memoirs are inspired by those who have chosen to settle in Provence for a period. Each story is different, even though the authors have all visited more or less the same geography. Some are humour-filled tales of expats trying to fit in, and others reflect the attraction of cultural differences.
Kristin Espinasse is a writer with a talent for spotting life’s lessons in daily encounters and putting those experiences into words. The book’s chapters weave through the realities of being a mother, wife, and daughter living in an adopted country with different rules, cultural norms and language nuances. Blossoming in Provence is a sequence of short stories with plenty of French vocabulary. This book is easy to read in one sitting or treasure this lovely memoir over a more extended period. Like Kristin’s blog, each chapter in the book includes some French vocabulary as part of the essay. By the end of the book, you will understand Kristin’s ability to embrace the written word in both languages and crack open the door to her family life in France.
Carole Bumpus started exploring Provence in 1997 when she and her husband Winston visited the region for the first time with two other couples. Their stay in a remote village in the Var provides a flavour of Provencal life away from the crowds and enough of a taste of the glitz and glamour of the French Riviera. That trip was enough inspiration for two more trips to the region. The first was a culinary adventure with her sister Melody, and the final trip, in 2006, was a maritime voyage with “Captain” Winston and some friends. ADVENTURES ON LAND AND SEA: Searching for Culinary Pleasures in Provence and the Cote d’Azur is a delightful memoir that anyone who has visited or hopes to see the region will enjoy. For those who enjoy cooking, the book contains a few Provencal recipes.
Romance in Provence
A budding romance, a Provencal setting and voila – a love story. The following list of books only begins to scratch the surface of the women’s fiction genre. However, we recommend these authors as they write beautifully, inviting you into the lifestyle in the South of France with their prose. These books may be fiction, but these authors have “done their homework” regarding historical facts, understanding local traditions and immersing themselves in the culture.
A Northern Light in Provence is a captivating tale that follows Ilse Erlund, a multilingual translator living in Greenland. Despite never setting foot in France, she embarks on a journey to Provence to translate the poems of Geoffrey Labaye, the ‘last living troubadour.’ This book by Elizabeth Birkelund is a page-turner, balancing wanderlust, romance, and the quest to determine what matters most.
The Paris Muse, by Louis Treger, was inspired by the tumultuous relationship between Dora Maar and Pablo Picasso; I read the gripping tale into the wee hours of the night. Impossible to put down, The Paris Muse draws the reader into this impulsive, nine-year journey that started in 1934. The novel explores the question: would Picasso have reached the same artistic recognition without Dora Maar? While we will never know, The Paris Muse offers a unique perspective on their intertwined, agitated creative journey from Dora Maar’s point of view.
Who Doesn’t Love a Mystery?
Provence may not spring to mind as a setting for a mystery, but these authors think so. This collection of murders, thefts, drug busts and generally bad actors is for anyone who loves solving a puzzle. Settings include Provencal vineyards, art galleries, and the chic French Riviera. So enjoy diving into the pages of these novels and attempting to solve the mysteries.
For History Buffs
Discover the biographies of people who lived in Provence, including the artists inspired by the region. These authors have done extensive research on their subjects. If you enjoy reading biographies or historical fiction, these titles will interest you. Each book provides insight into life in the South of France. Understand the fascinating characters who chose to live in the region and their impact on Provence.
Aix-en-Provence The Inside Story includes 16 chapters about this city’s long and fascinating history. Lynne’s goal is not to replace travel guidebooks but to provide deeper insight into the history of this city. “There was nothing in English that told the story of the town. Guides seem hooked on architectural features.” Her interest was also in discovering more about the city’s inhabitants, particularly the women and working classes. The book is in chronological order from ancient populations to modern-day Aix-en-Provence.
Shopping for Travel and Photography Fans
Provence – Alpes – Côte d’Azur (PACA) is not only a mouthful but also has immense geography and is challenging to tackle in a short vacation or extended stay. What better way to discover local knowledge than a book written by one? Therefore, the following books are not guidebooks in the traditional sense but rather a way to find the best of the region based on these personal experiences.
An Insider’s Guide to Provence is a must-have for every visitor looking for local advice. It’s like Keith Van Sickle’s Rolodex for the region. We love this regional pocket guide with local tips and amusing anecdotes. This book includes favourites – restaurants, picnic spots, vineyards, and walks. It lists what the Van Sickles do every time they visit Provence. Intended as supplemental reference material with hundreds of links to detailed articles, websites, and maps, the book is available in handy e-book and paperback versions.
How do you get a table at a romantic restaurant? Where is the best place to walk on a hot day? With so many market vendors, where do you start? Keith Van Sickle has the answers to some of those questions and many more in his latest publication, An Insider’s Guide to St-Rémy-de-Provence. So, if you are planning to be in the Alpilles, buy a copy of this handy reference guide filled with countless tips.
Travel Beyond Provence
The Art Lover’s Guide to Paris, published in 2019, feels like Ruby Boukabou opened her address book and shares the highlights of the city’s art scene.
Since a backstory never hurts, the first chapter covers art history and what makes Paris unique. Perhaps the next chapter focuses on museums, the most obvious places for art in Paris; however, Ruby points out, “You could spend a month in Paris and not have enough time to see all the art on offer in the museums.” So, she provides tips and “don’t miss” highlights for these locations.
Whether you are tired of museums or prefer smaller venues, Chapter 3 highlights art galleries worth visiting. Are you more of a photography fan? Then, jump to Chapter 4 for ideas on where to see photography, including a few of Ruby’s pro tips on street photos. Chapter 5 highlights the architecture of some of the well-known and lesser-known sites in Paris, including places of worship. Perhaps often overlooked in traditional guidebooks are public art and street art; there are two separate chapters on these topics. In addition, you will find neighbourhood features for Montmartre and Belleville. If you ever thought attending an art auction would be fun, dive into Chapter 10. At 208 pages, The Art Lover’s Guide to Paris is an essential travel companion.
The Architecture Lover’s Guide to Paris is divided into four (4) parts:
In Part One, Ruby shares a short history of Paris. The city started as a fishing village in 250 BC. When the Romans arrived 200 years later, they built in an orderly grid pattern. Following the Romans, religious influences impacted the city’s design. By the 15th century, French royalty was captivated by Italian Renaissance design commissioned structures such as the Notre Dame bridge and the superb Place des Vosges. A shift towards Baroque design peaked with King Louis XIV’s Palais de Versailles. Many stately monuments survive today, but the most significant impact on the Paris urban plan was Georges-Eugène Haussmann, who, under Napoleon III, had 12,000 buildings demolished to “aerate” the city and created the arrondissements. The book includes an architectural timeline.
The Spanish influence in Provence is undeniable, from paella to corridas and ferias (horse and bull) sporting events. Barcelona is an easy “weekend away” destination from most parts of Provence and the Côte d’Azur. Before visiting the fascinating Catalan city, pick up a copy of Ruby Boukabou’s The Art Lover’s Guide to Barcelona.
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