Travel the world without leaving your chair.
The target of the Read Around The World Challenge is to read at least one book written by an author from each and every country in the world.
All books that are listed here as part of the "Read Around Europe Challenge" were written by authors from France.
Find a great book for the next part of your reading journey around the world from this book list. The following popular books have been recommended so far.
173.
The Discreet Pleasures of Rejection : A Novel by Martin Page
EN
Description:
Another mordantly hysterical tale from the author of the cult favorite How I Became Stupid A funny yet poignant tour of one young man's existential crisis, The Discreet Pleasures of Rejection is another short novel from France's Martin Page. Virgil comes home from work one day to a message on his answering machine-his girlfriend is breaking up with him. This news should be devastating, but instead it's deeply troubling, because Virgil doesn't know the woman and doesn't have any memory of being in a relationship with her. The event sends Virgile into a tailspin of unrelenting self-analysis, cau... continue
174.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly : A Memoir of Life in Death by Jean-Dominique Bauby
EN
Rating: 4 (2 votes)
Description:
A triumphant memoir by the former editor-in-chief of French Elle that reveals an indomitable spirit and celebrates the liberating power of consciousness. In 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor-in-chief of French Elle, the father of two young children, a 44-year-old man known and loved for his wit, his style, and his impassioned approach to life. By the end of the year he was also the victim of a rare kind of stroke to the brainstem. After 20 days in a coma, Bauby awoke into a body which had all but stopped working: only his left eye functioned, allowing him to see and, by blinking it, to... continue
176.
The Girl Who Reads on the Métro by Christine Féret-Fleury
EN
Description:
For fans of The Little Paris Bookshop and The Elegance of the Hedgehog, The Girl Who Reads on the Métro is the French phenomenon by Christine Féret-Fleury ready to charm book-lovers everywhere . . . When Juliette takes the métro to her loathed office job each morning, her only escape is in books - she avidly reads on her journey and imagines what her fellow commuters' choices might say about them. Then she meets Soliman - the mysterious owner of the most enchanting bookshop Juliette has ever seen - and things will never be the same again. For Soliman believes in the power of books to change th... continue
177.
The Girl With the Golden Eyes by Honore de Balzac
EN
Description:
'What holds sway over this country without morals, beliefs, or feelings? Gold and pleasure.' Sexual attraction, artistic insight, and the often ironic relationship between them is the dominant theme in the three short works collected in this volume. In Sarrasine an impetuous young sculptor falls in love with a diva of the Roman stage, but rapture turns to rage when he discovers the reality behind the seductiveness of the singer's voice. The ageing artist in The Unknown Masterpiece, obsessed with his creation of the perfect image of an ideal woman, tries to hide it from the jealous young studen... continue
178.
The Godmother: A Crime Novel by Hannelore Cayre
EN
Description:
Meet Patience Portefeux, an underpaid Franco-Arab interpreter for the Ministry of Justice who specializes in phone tapping. Happening upon a particularly revealing set of police wiretaps, Patience uses the secret conversations to intervenes and infiltrate a massive drug deal. She thus embarks on a new career path: she becomes The Godmother.
179.
The Immoralist by Andre Gide
EN
Description:
First published in 1902 and immediately assailed for its themes of omnisexual abandon and perverse aestheticism, The Immoralist is the novel that launched André Gide’s reputation as one of France’s most audacious literary stylists, a groundbreaking work that opens the door onto a universe of unfettered impulse whose possibilities still seem exhilarating and shocking. Gide’s protagonist is the frail, scholarly Michel, who, shortly after his wedding, nearly dies of tuberculosis. He recovers only through the ministrations of his wife, Marceline, and his sudden, ruthless determination to live a li... continue
180.
The Island of Sea Women : A Novel by Lisa See
EN
Description:
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “A mesmerizing new historical novel” (O, The Oprah Magazine) from Lisa See, the bestselling author of The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, about female friendship and devastating family secrets on a small Korean island. Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls living on the Korean island of Jeju, are best friends who come from very different backgrounds. When they are old enough, they begin working in the sea with their village’s all-female diving collective, led by Young-sook’s mother. As the girls take up their positions as baby divers, they know they are beginning a life o... continue