Shakespeare and Company at 37 Rue de la Bûcherie, 75005 Paris is a historically significant independent English language bookshop. Take a look at their website (https://shakespeareandcompany.com) to get a feel for their interesting history, liberal operating hours, and all they have to offer the English-speaking Paris community and the city’s visitors. 

I check their website, on a regular basis, for their author evenings. They offer a great bio on the author and current book to be discussed, making it easy to screen which evening interviews will be of interest to me. Do arrive early in order to get a seat as space is limited. It is just a pleasant 15-20 minute walk for me from my apartment. In the last couple of years, they grabbed up some more space next to their shop location and have added a cafe which is a very smart, friendly, welcoming addition.   As best I can tell, they are sought after by a wide variety of authors…not limited, by any means, by American or British authors but ALL English language authors seem to have gravitate to this famous bookshop. And, of course, what’s not to like to be able to secure a spot on his or her book tour at this venue in Paris! I took this photo on an evening with Marcel Theroux, an English writer and son of Paul Theroux, another well-known American writer. Marcel Theroux’s latest, The Secret Books, was discussed. Yes, Paris does have numerous other English language bookshops. Another I frequent, especially for travel books and maps, or just to snoop around in all the varied departments is WH Smith (https://whsmith.fr) on the Right Bank near the Louvre and Tuileries Garden at 248, rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris (near the Concorde metro station, as well as in close proximity to the renovated Orangerie Museum where Monet’s water lilies are housed). This is the largest English language bookstore in Paris. I used to frequent their very British tea salon years ago but it was closed a few decades ago. However, they have revived it and you will find it upstairs. They also have author evenings, yet, they don’t seem anywhere near as frequent as Shakespeare and Company.

But I won’t stop there. Here is a 2017 Time Out Paris article that speaks to other English language bookshops in Paris: https://www.timeout.com/paris/en/shopping/english-language-bookshops

It is very common to find readers in cafes, whether they are just catching up on the news, as this man is doing, or, yet, others settling in with their book of the moment. Cafes allow you to stay as long as you want and it would be rare if they pressured you to leave.

This reader above is at the famed Cafe Deux Magots (http://www.lesdeuxmagots.fr/en/) at 6 Place Saint-German-des-Pres, 75006 Paris. 

And why not head there or Cafe de Flore (http://cafedeflore.fr) at 172 Boulevard Saint Germain, 75006 Paris, which is just across the street for a drink, relaxation, reading, and people watching stay?

This woman was fully prepared for an evening of dinner, glass of wine, and her book/reading glasses by her side at Les Editeurs, one of my other favorite cafes in my 6th arrondissement neighborhood at #4 Carrefour de l’Odeon, 75006 Paris. (http://www.lesediteurs.fr)  

As so many of us are experiencing a slew of heated days in all parts of the world, Paris is no exception. Fortunately, this week, we had a drop in temperature and some much needed rain. I was enjoying the windows of Laduree at 21, rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris just 3 minutes walk from my apartment. (https://www.laduree.fr/laduree-paris-bonaparte.html) By the way, they are known for their macarons and, at one time, and may still be touted, as the best macarons in Paris. Their pastry selection is wondrous to look at and that is usually all I do: LOOK!Well, the rain came and I decided the weather and my mood called for some tea. Doesn’t this first photo below just scream for someone to sit and enjoy some tea and a read? Actually, I caught these photos in-between customers, as they had a steady stream of them the whole time I lingered there.

To save luggage space, most of my books now take the form of reading off my iPhone or iPad kindle app. I have also gotten into audio books and am finding I am enjoying ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ more in that format than a read. After all, with earphones,  no reason why one can’t listen while one sits, taking one’s time in enjoying your chosen cozy, warm surroundings and the treats they have to offer like this lemon tart and tea infusion.  Bon Appetit! all the while thanking the author of your chosen book for a job well done!

Be sure to taste your words before you spit them out. (Auliq Ice)