Recommended Reading

Monday night I met with an enthusiastic group of women investors to discuss the ‘ins and outs’ of investing in property in France at the 16th arrondissement apartment of Justine Trueman…a young Australian woman who has 13 years experience as a financial journalist working for the likes of Reuters, The Telegraph and Time Magazine, who is tomorrow launching her book titled “Detox Your Finances: The Ultimate Book of Money Matters for Women” and who has taken it upon herself to organize the investment club for women.

It was a thrill to meet so many bright, energetic and savvy young women, a mixture of French, American, Australian, British, Vietnamese and ‘mixed-breeds,’ both married and single, a few pregnant, one with a child in tow, all working at financial security and independence in a tough economy. I was impressed as much with their high level of intelligence and awareness as they were with the profitable prospects of real estate investment in France, and particularly with Justine, a young author who finds Paris inspirational.

The group is sure to grow and Justine’s book is sure to be grabbed up! Your chance to meet her and learn more is tomorrow, Thursday, April 9th at 7:30 p.m. at The Abbey Bookshop, 29, rue de la Parcheminerie, 5th arrondissement (M° St-Michel or Cluny-La Sorbonne, Tel 01.46.33.16.24) where she will be launching the book, speaking and signing your copy. You may also find the book by visiting our Recommended Reading pages at /parlerparis/books/miscellaneous.html

For more ‘ins and outs,’ or let’s say ‘inside Paris, outside Paris,’ Annabel Simms and Tom Reeves are launching their newest books tonight at the American Library in Paris at 7:30 p.m. (10, rue Général Camou, 7th arrondissement, Tel 01.53.59.12.60, RER Pont de l’Alma. Annabel will be presenting “An Hour From Paris,” the new edition of her 2002 guide to little-known day trips within an hour of Paris by train and Tom will follow with his new anthology, “Paris Insights.”

Both Annabel and Tom have been writing about inside and outside Paris for years. She’s a L

ondoner “who came to Paris in 1991 on a year’s sabbatical from her job as a teacher-trainer in adult education, and never left. (We have this in common — to have come to Paris for one year and never to have left!). An Hour From Paris, her 2002 guide now a fully revised 2008 edition, “to 20 little-known places in the Paris countryside accessible by train, was the fruit of more than ten years’ happy exploring of the region (‘Ile de France’) by train, bus and on foot.” I’ve taken several of her guided tours outside the city…a brilliant way to spend a day getting to know more about what the Ile-de-France has to offer.

Tom’s the creator of Discover Paris!® “to share his love of the city with similarly-minded travelers.” He’s lived in Paris over 17 years and has accumulated what he calls “an inventory of experiences and insights about the city, its history and culture.” Both books can be found by visiting our Recommended Reading pages at /parlerparis/books/booksaboutfrance.html

I had always known that many Philadelphians visit Paris — it’s one of the few cities in the U.S. that seems to generate an overabundance of Francophiles (San Francisco, San Antonio, New York, Chicago…), and now I’ve learned why…by reading “French Philadelphia” by Lynn H. Miller and Annette H. Emgarth, with photos by Emmanuel Pierre Gee. Danièle L. Thomas Easton, Director of the French American Chamber of Commerce in Philadelphia, and long-time reader and friend of Parler Paris, introduced me to these newest books outlining the history of the relationship between France and the Delaware Valley, dating back to the very beginnings of the “City of Brotherly Love.” Both books can be found by visiting our Recommended Reading pages at /parlerparis/books/booksaboutfrance.html

I try to read every book I can find dedicated to Paris and France. The bookshelf is getting more inventory every day! We continuously update our Recommended Reading pages with books about the city, the country and books by our favorite American and Anglophone authors set in France or other related topics. You can check out our listing by clicking on the link on the left panel of the site — /parlerparis/books/index.html