Librairie Feuilles d'Encre

Cour Waldner Stephen, 5 rue des Marchands, Colmar

This bookshop is located in the centre of the beautiful Alsatian town of Colmar.

You can tell at first glance that the bookshop is in France. Almost the entire bookshop is lined with these white "livres poches". The shop is very tidy, almost too tidy. It lacks a little charm. Nevertheless, the selection is very varied. Many books are laid out on the spine, the shelves are full all around the shop.

J.P. Donleavy: The Lady Who Liked Clean Restrooms

Jocelyne Jones' life comes apart at the seams when her husband leaves her for a younger woman. Her children ignore her completely, and high society excludes her just as much.

Accustomed to a very feudal life, she ends up in New York. But she never forgets one piece of advice: nothing beats clean toilets.

And after a turbulent time, it is precisely these that give her a surprising twist.

This book didn't really get to me, as I could hardly get close to the protagonist. Entertaining, but nothing more.

Bookshop: 

***

Book: 

**

Ruc Librairie-Papeterie

6, Place de la Cathédrale, Colmar

Beautifully situated on the cathedral square. This bookshop is a real pleasure to browse through. It is laid out over four floors. There is an industrial-style staircase in the centre of the shop. You can see the wooden beams on the ceiling. Only these white beams and the ceiling reminded me a little of polystyrene.

The selection is very good with a large children's book and comics section. The staff are VERY friendly.

It's also often the case that I can usually choose between several staff picks in good bookshops. Here I opted for the first coup de coeur, which aroused my curiosity.

Benoît Gallot: La vie secrète d'un cimetière (the secret life of a cemetery)

With “La Vie Secrète d'un Cimetière” Benôit Gallot has written a wonderful book about the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris. He writes about the dead, his work in the role of the General Director with their relatives, and above all, about the life that has been able to develop between the graves thanks to the absence of herbicides. Or as the book so beautifully mentions on page 44: consilier le respect des morts avec le respect du vivant (reconciling respect for the dead with respect for the living).

I visit this beautiful cemetery regularly when I'm in Paris. For me, it's a peaceful retreat from the noisy city. This book and the beautiful pictures reflect my experiences.

Even the wonderful Smiths song "Cemetery Gates" was mentioned in the book. 

I lived next to a cemetery for years. My cat Mütze often spent time there and we often met at the cemetery gate.

But where there are people, noise and vandalism are unfortunately also the order of the day. Ignorant tourists or disoriented people sticking chewing gum to the tree at Jim Morrison's grave or climbing around on the gravestones and picnicking. I wish there was an herbicide for this kind of "weed" / disrespect.

Bookshop: 

****

Book: 

**** 

Gibert Joseph

26, 30, 34 Bd Saint Michel, Paris

This bookstore is huge and is said to be the largest in Paris, as well as the largest seller of second-hand books.

In fact, I was a bit overwhelmed by the six floors. There is an extremely wide selection, new and second-hand books mixed together, all genres, but I felt more like I was in a cheap department store than in a bookstore.

The floor with its white tiles doesn't look very inviting. The lighting is also poor. Nevertheless, of course, everyone will find something here to suit their taste.

There are also so many great alternatives for second-hand books in Paris (Bouquinistes on the banks of the Seine, the Librairie Jousseaume etc.). Of course, the selection is different, but still.

The queue at the checkout was immense, so I was glad that there was a self-checkout option.

Manon Jouniaux: échappées

Not read yet

Bookshop: 

***

Book: 

L'Eau et les Rêves

3 Quai de l'Oise, Paris

There is nothing special about restaurants on boats. But I find it very unusual that there is a café combined with a bookshop on a barge. It also has endless charm. 

There are tables on the deck, and a staircase leads down into the interior of the barge. At first, you are greeted by a few plants and the chatter of the café.

On the left side, there is a bookshop. It is furnished with dark brown shelves that are very reminiscent of the interior of a ship. However, there is something homely about the many small lamps attached to the shelves. On a gloomy November day, this ambience made an extraordinary impression on me.

I found the range to be rather limited: a lot of nature, animals, gardening, but also environmental protection. There were some novels, but few and sorted by country. 

I also found the staff to be very friendly.

I probably shouldn't give it 5 stars because of the range, but I'm clearly rating the sensational ambience, creativity and overall concept here. Simply wonderful – typically Parisian!

Paul Watson: Sea Shepherd, the fight of a lifetime

Not read yet

Bookshop: 

*****

Book: 

Librairie Compagnie

58 Rue des Écoles, Paris

This bookshop is located near the Sorbonne university in the 5th arrondissement. 

The size of the bookshop is deceptive, as the shop around the corner extends to the back of the building, where the art section is located. It also has a basement floor with crime novels and scientific genres. Although the selection is general, it is still very diverse and offers something for everyone. I noticed that despite the touristy location, I only heard French. I found this extremely pleasant. 

The shop also looks very well maintained. It was almost too clean for my taste and lacked that certain something to give it that wow factor. Nevertheless, it is a very good bookshop that is well worth visiting.

Frédéric Boyer: Si Petite (so little)

Not read yet

Bookshop: 

****

Book: 

Librairie Galignani

224 rue de Rivoli, Paris

This beautiful bookstore is located in the 1st arrondissement, right by the Tuileries Garden. 

The location also says a lot about the range of products. The street is mainly frequented by tourists. There is a small corner with French literature right at the entrance, a very large art section, a large English-language section in the back, and a small gallery with crime novels and books from similar genres.

According to the website, it was founded in 1801. This surprised me, as I would have thought it was more likely to have been incorporated at the end of the 19th century. Inside, there is a glass roof that reminded me of Art Deco. This provides beautiful light and gives the interior of the shop a wonderful touch. I also liked the tall wooden shelves with ladders and the very beautiful pyramid tables in the middle of the room.

I found this bookstore to be thoroughly beautiful and stylish.

J.M. Coetzee: The Pole and other stories

Not read yet

Bookshop: 

*****

Book: 

Librairie Le Piéton de Paris

58 Rue de l'hôtel de ville, Paris

The name of the bookshop is very well chosen: as a pedestrian (piéton), a tourist is bound to pass this bookshop at some point. It is located near the bridge leading to Île Saint Louis.

The small table in front of the shop alone arouses curiosity and you just have to go inside. The selection is rather small. But the bookseller is very committed and friendly, and addresses customers directly. For example, she explained to me that I should read the back part of the book where the author talks to you off-the-cuff (chapter XVll) first and only then the novel.

Of course I will follow her advice. She seemed very competent to me.

Jacques Yonnet: Rue des Maléfices

Not read yet

Bookshop: 

****

Book: