My little Christmas bookshop

My little Christmas bookshop (librairie)

Welcome to my little Christmas bookshop. Here you will find lots of ideas for French themed reads to get you into the Christmas spirit, from romances and memoirs, to short story compilations and cookbooks, I hope I have included something for everyone. 

In these books you will find delicious French meals, mulled wine, sprinklings of snow and plenty of Christmas magic from Paris to the Pyrenees, and the vineyards of Bordeaux to the ski resort of Chamonix. Or maybe you’d prefer the hilltop villages and coastal towns of Provence, or a stay on a farm or chateau in rural France? These books can give you all that without having to pack a bag.

Don’t forget that Amazon now let you gift a kindle book, which just makes Christmas shopping that little bit easier for the Francophile in your life. Some of these links are to the kindle books, some the hardback books and I’ve also added in some of the cookery show DVDs of journeys in France that accompanied the cookbooks.

Grab a homemade mincepie and a glass of mulled wine and have a browse. 

Mulled wine and mincepies

If you know of any Christmas themed books in France I've not included, please let me know.

As part of the Amazon Associates program, buying through these links earns me a few pennies at NO extra charge to you.

2019 New releases

The Christmas Holiday by Sophie Claire, a romance set partly in Provence. This book is like a hug, full of emotion, warmth and love. Despite the characters doing their best to ignore the festivities, getting into the Christmas spirit was easy within the pages of this book and I didn’t want it to end. Book two in the series, A Forget-me-not Summer is available for pre-order now. Read my full review here.

I’ll Be Home for Christmas by Karen Clarke, a romance set on the Atlantic island of Ile de Ré. This is the third and final book in the Little French Café series and I have quickly become a big fan of Karen’s novels since starting this trilogy. She has the ability to set the scene so you feel like you are there, fill it with characters who are alive, quirky and feel like friends, and also trap you in a story you don’t want to put down. If you are looking for a bit of cosy comfort and romance to escape the mad run up to Christmas, you can’t go far wrong here. Read my full review here.

Christmas in Chamonix by Sasha Wagstaff, a romance set partly in the ski resort of Chamonix. This book is a lovely Christmas getaway with tears, laughter, Christmas cheer and French mountain comfort food to make your stomach rumble as you read. Read my full review here.

Christmas at the Chateau by Lorraine Wilson, a mini romance set in rural south west France that is currently FREE. This novella is a delicious Christmas treat that perfectly complements book one, Poppy's Place in the Sun, and left me wanting more (book three, Jojo's French Escape is available to pre-order now).  Read my full review here.

Christmas books set in Paris

One Christmas in Paris by Mandy Baggot where Ava meets Julien; two complex characters, hurting in their own way, unwilling to let love in, but unable to ignore the feelings they have for each other. Don't miss out on this heartwarming festive treat, complete with snowflakes, romance and Paris.

Lovers in Paris by Andy Conway, a collection of short stories set on New Year’s Eve giving a lovely seasonal mini-break in Paris. The great thing about short stories is the ability to pop in and out when time allows, although I had no trouble in turning the pages. Read my full review here.

Christmas Confessions and Cocktails by Vicki Lesage, twenty-five fun snippets of Vicki’s life, loosely centred on the Christmas theme; both before and after she moved to France and many when her family is together and celebrating. As usual in her funny memoirs, she includes the bad as well as the good, but all are told in a way that made me smile. Read my full review here.

The Parisian Christmas Bake Off by Jenny Oliver, a good fun read, packed full of French patisserie delights, Paris Christmas sparkle and even a sprinkling of romance. After all we can’t have the single heroine of a chick-lit set in Paris at Christmas time without a little Paris love and magic, can we. If you want a winter break in Paris, this book is the perfect get away. Read my full review here.

The Little Bookshop on the Seine by Rebecca Raisin, a great escape to Paris with bookshop owner Sarah, who loves books with a passion and agrees to a bookshop swap with her Parisian friend Sophie. There are snippets of hidden Paris, typically Parisian characters and tasty patisseries on every corner. Read my full review here.

From Paris With Love this Christmas by Jules Wake. Enter Siena, bubbly, well mannered, perfectly groomed, but rather clueless. She is the girl who seems to have it all, a monthly allowance, friends in the right places, a chateau in France, an eligible fiancé and a dysfunctional family. There is just one thing missing - happiness, so she has packed a few essentials in her Louis Vuitton carry-on and run away from Paris to see her sister Laurie in the UK, but will she find what she is looking for this Christmas? Read my full review here.

Other Christmas books set in France

Fa La Llama La by Stephanie Dagg. Noelle arrives in rural France, in a snowstorm, a few days before Christmas, hoping the last minute pet-sitting project will help her struggling finances. However, although the llamas waiting for her are just as lovely as her quick Internet research led her to believe they would be, nothing else is quite what she was expecting. This book maybe set in sub-zero temperatures, but it left me feeling warm on the inside. Read my full review here.

Deck the Halles by Stephanie Dagg. Having thoroughly enjoyed Fa-La-Llama-La, I was delighted to be back with Nick and Noelle and couldn’t wait to see how their relationship was going. This book is great fun; full of energy, humour and romance all sprinkled with quirky rural French magic and lots of festive jingle. Read my full review here.

Toby’s Tails - the Christmas Kittens by Susan Keefe, a very sweet short story for children about Toby the Border Collie who lives on Fantasy Farm, a smallholding in France. In this book Toby tells us about the three little kittens who join his family, their antics as they explore their new world and their first Christmas, where they enjoy playing hide and seek in the decorated tree. Read my full review here.

French Holidays and Traditions by Margo Lestz an informative and a witty book that taught me a lot, as despite knowing about most of the traditions behind various holidays, I didn’t always know where they had come from and why, and now I do. Read my full review here.

The First Noel and the Villa des Violettes by Patricia Sands, a festive novella that does so much. It not only takes us back to Kat and Philippe (from Patricia’s Love in Provence series of books) and their villa in Provence, it also shares many of the delightful Provencal Christmas foods and traditions as well as taking us to the Christmas markets of Alsace. Read my full review here.

A Christmas Wedding by Julia Stagg a novella that is small but perfectly formed and takes us back to Fogas, a Pyrenean mountain village, where a simple wedding to be held on Christmas Eve turns out to be anything but simple. With only six days to go there are last minute problems with almost everything including the caterers, the venue and the groom. Thankfully the community is ready to pull together and help in any way they can, and the village soon becomes a hive of festive activity. Read my full review here.

The French for Christmas by Fiona Valpy. In this book we follow Evie at a difficult time; her marriage is failing, her husband is plastered all over the media as his TV career takes off and with Christmas and the first anniversary of the loss of their baby fast approaching, she takes refuge in a small hamlet in France, set among the Bordeaux vineyards. Her plan is to avoid Christmas at all costs, but through the extended hands of friendship and a shared love of good food, hearts begin to heal and anger and depression to disappear. Read my full review here.

A Very French Christmas is a collection of traditional French Christmas stories from authors including Guy de Maupassant, Alphonse Daudet ad Jean-Philippe Blondel, translated into English. Read my full review here.

Cookbooks that I think would make great Christmas gifts

Rick Stein has been back in France with a new BBC tv series and cookbook to accompany it, Rick Stein’s Secret France which I have enjoyed just as much as his French Odyssey series from (quite) a few years back.

Monet’s Palate Cookbook and Everyday Monet, a gardening and lifestyle book, both by Aileen Boardman. I have both of these books and they are beautiful and would make great gifts. Read my full review of Monet’s Palate here and Everyday Monet here.

In the French Kitchen with Kids by Mardi Michels, as you are never too young to learn all about French food. Read my full review here.

Rachel Khoo who has some beautifully illustrated French cookbooks.

The French Market Cookbook by Clotilde Dusoulier, a book that would be perfect if you are looking for fresh, tasty ideas as you make the move away from eating too much meat and try to cook with the seasons. Read my full review here.

Happy Christmas from French Village Diaries