I'm Susan — devout Francophile, mother of twins, writer, creative director, and aspiring author. I've been sharing my life here since 2010...thanks for reading!
I never miss an opportunity to visit Albertine Books when in New York City. The “best bookstore in France” is tucked away inside the historic Payne Whitney mansion, just down from the MET on Fifth Avenue. Since it’s located within Cultural Services for the French Embassy, you’re technically standing on French soil while browsing for books. Within the two-story structure you will find carefully curated English translations of French literature, French language publications, and more than 14,000 contemporary and classic titles from thirty French-speaking countries. Rare books, elegant leather chairs, busts crafted by the ateliers of the Musée du Louvre, and a mesmerizing hand-painted ceiling mural of constellations add to the myriad of reasons why it is a sanctuary and delight for any Francophile, or bibliophile!
It’s become a yearly tradition to create a gift guide for fellow Francophiles, and I must say I truly enjoy pulling it together! This year I am focused on supporting small business owners and makers, as well as keeping costs reasonable (with a few exceptions). This holiday season is certainly more challenging, but I hope this list will inspire, or perhaps even introduce you to a new creative! I purposely left books off this year, only because I have a dedicated bookshop.org page setup for all of my French-inspired favorites. I highly encourage you to buy your books from them, as it is the best way to support indie bookshops and authors. Should you desire more gifting inspiration, you can see my past gift guides here, and be sure to follow @thefrancophiles community for all things French, all the time. Joyeuses fêtes et happy shopping mes amis!
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1. this luxe new holiday candle features firewood + spicy notes…their matches also make a lovely (less expensive) gesture.
image c/o The Hive Studio (a letter she beautifully calligraphed for me)
I blinked and it’s February, yikes! January was all about holiday recovery and personal health (both physical and mental). I did a deep dive into some of my favorite podcasts, newsletters and Instagram accounts, and found quite a bit of inspiration. Narrowing your focus is imperative, as there is so much goodness to be found these days – it’s overwhelming! I’m sharing a of them few here in the hopes you might also enjoy them…each of these people have impacted me with their words. In addition, I stumbled upon this truth bomb the other day, and it was just what I needed to hear. I would love to know what you’re reading/listening to/inspired by these days…please enlighten me in the comments!
Since my Francophile gift guide was such a big hit last year, I’m bringing it back but with a twist – books! With so many amazing French-inspired book releases this year, it was quite hard to narrow it down to eleven, but these are some of my personal favorites. Full disclosure: a few of these authors are friends, and a few of these books were gifted, but this post is not sponsored. For more gifting inspiration for the Francophiles in your life, check out the Francophiles Pinterest boards, and please do follow along over @thefrancophiles…more to come in 2019! Happy shopping mes amis!
1. this Parisian Chic journal by French icon Ines de la Fressange is ideal for the writer or traveler in your life.
2. the debut cookbook by The Cook’s Atelier is so stunning – I’ve gifted it twice already this year!
3. a set of two chic passport pocket notebooks by Rifle Paper Co., for your next French adventure.
4.Women of Singular Beauty is a richly personal book of photographs that capture the essence of CHANEL.
The Dia:Beacon was one destination that was set in stone during our Hudson Valley itinerary. It’s an uber cool gallery housed in an old Nabisco box-printing factory. An extension of the original Dia in Chelsea founded in 1974, the Beacon was opened in 2003 and houses many large scale installations. I had been wanting to see Richard Serra’s work in particular, and figured the kids would appreciate the scale of the art at the very least. Admittedly, I hadn’t read much about the artist or his inspiration before our visit – which was actually a benefit, in my opinion. I was able to experience the art without any bias and come to my own conclusions. One thing was for sure: it was extremely photogenic.
