Books by Katrina Lawrence …

Paris Dreaming: What the City of Light Taught Me About Life, Love & Lipstick. Katrina Lawrence first fell in love with Paris at the age of five, and since then her roads have continually led her back to this most beautiful of cities. Taking us on a journey around Paris’s most spectacular sights, hidden secrets and most beguiling nooks and crannies, Katrina tells us the story of why this city has been her constant inspiration through all stages of life. Musing on everything Parisian, from femininity to feminism, politics to perfume, and of course, those stylish Parisiennes who captivate us, from Brigitte Bardot and Madame de Pompadour to Simone de Beauvoir and Catherine de Medici, Katrina shares the essential life lessons that Paris has taught her. Written with warmth, gaiety, elegance and insight, Paris Dreaming is the ultimate chic, personal and charming memoir – not just for women who love Paris, but for anyone in search of that elusive good life.

Paris for Dreamers: Whimsical Walks through the City of Light’s Delights is a wonderfully unique guidebook for all lovers of Paris, and travellers to the City of Light — even those of the armchair variety. As your virtual walking tour guide, Katrina will help you discover a Paris that sparkles all the more. Paris for Dreamers is a collection of 25 inspired strolls, which not only take you on particular Parisian paths, but also tell you singular stories about Paris, to enhance your appreciation of this alluring city. Discover Paris’s most fabulous architectural follies, and swoon at the city’s most breathtaking views. Look at Paris through the Impressionists’ eyes, and Montmartre in a new rose-tinted light. See the Louvre for the glamorous living palace it once was. Visit the Left Bank of the original bohemians, the Saint-Germain of the philosophers, and the Marais of sixteenth-century salon society. These whimsical walks unlock all sorts of portals into the past. Revel in a bubbly Belle Époque, party it up in Rococo Paris, or shop as they did in the nineteenth century. Imagine the city as the glamorous Gothic island town it once was. Further back in time still, find the remnants from Paris’s Roman period. With each walk, you’ll collect all sorts of fascinating trivia, from the stories behind bridges and buildings, to the origins of the restaurant, the picnic, carousels, and much more. Along the way, you’ll also meet some of history’s most captivating people, and literature’s most colourful characters, too. Paris for Dreamers is a must-read for anyone who wants to experience Paris on a deeper level, or simply fall in love with the city that much more.

More Books on Paris …

There are countless books on Paris, that endlessly inspirational city, and second, spiritual home for so many of the world’s writers. Perhaps that’s why so many of us feel we know Paris before we actually get there for the first time; we’ve lived the city in the pages of so many wonderful books.

I’ve read hundreds of titles set in this city, but if I had to whittle the list down to a top ten, this would be it:

• A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway. It’s somewhat of a cliché to include this book in this list, yes, but for good reason: it’s the classic of all classic Paris memoirs.

• Almost French by Sarah Turnbull. This 2002 blockbuster had millions of women worldwide dreaming of moving to Paris to meet Monsieur Right. Filled with laugh-out-loud scenes, it’s a light-hearted yet insightful examination of life à la parisienne.

• Le Divorce by Diane Johnson. An utterly delightful read, inspired by the clash of French and American cultures, a topic that never gets old.

• Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik. This series of essays, penned when The New Yorker’s Gopnik lived in Paris, is endearing, hilarious and so, so witty.

• Perfume by Patrick Süskind. You vividly see, as well as smell, eighteenth-century Paris in this incredibly, luridly written historical fiction.

• Seven Ages of Paris by Alistair Horne. One of the most enjoyable biographies of the City of Light you’ll find. The pace is perfect, the tone relatable, and the substance impressive.

• The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. An exquisitely crafted, philosophically minded novel as only the French can do.

• The Flâneur by Edmund White. The author extols the pleasures of roaming the streets of Paris, but this wonderfully meandering book is also a kind of walk through the city; White plays literary tour guide, hand-holding you on a fascinating journey through Paris, past and present.

• The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. McLain has given Hemingway’s first wife a much-needed voice, and eloquently so. It’s a deserved best-seller.

• The Piano Shop on the Left Bank by T E Carhart. It’s one for piano lovers, sure, but also for those who yearn for the Paris that’s behind closed (carriage) doors, and the Paris of yesteryear.