English books in Paris!

Finding English books in Paris was difficult at first, but now I've found a couple of cute little booksellers, and even bigger bookstores, that carry a wide selection of books written in English. My favorite is The Village Voice, a cute little shop in the St-Germain-des-Pres area. It's a touristy area, which I usually avoid, but I find myself there almost weekly now to get new books to feed my habit. They have a huge selection, a knowledgeable staff and they have new and just released books.

My favorite thing about the store though is their author readings (pictured above is an author reading done there by Michael Chabon), which can seem more personal than at some of the bigger bookstores because the space is much smaller.

Today I finally visited another one of these wonderful little bookshops for English speakers, Shakespeare and Co. There I found books stacked on every surface, just as in The Village Voice. They also have a number of author readings and a good selection of books. But I found the store a bit too crowded. Perhaps it was just because it was a Sunday, but I think it was also likely due to the store's fame and the fact that it is just across the street from Notre Dame.

Anyway, for those of you who are in Paris, or who are thinking of visiting, here are a couple of places you might want to check out if you want to get a good book in English:

The Village Voice
6 rue Princess
75006 Paris

Shakespeare and Co.
37 rue de la Bucherie

The Red Wheelbarrow
22 rue St Paul

Tea and Tattered Pages (used English books, yay!)
24 rue Mayat

Gibert Joseph (not a huge selection, but you can't beat the prices)
boulevard St Michel

Also, I've been told WHSmith is good, and the American Library. I've never been to either so I can't fully recommend them.