It's "la rentrée" for The FBC Paris.
A few words from founder Lou on what's in store over the next few months.
Hello there!
It’s so nice to sit down and share with you what I have planned for the next few months. The FBC Paris is a passion project of mine, which doesn’t generate any income and I’m happy with this. Hobbies don’t have to become a money maker but it is only recently that I have made peace with this in regards to The FBC Paris.
Over the summer, I went for many walks in the bois de Vincennes while listening to podcasts: it was a great opportunity to think about the book club, as well as the podcast, and allow for ideas to come together over time. So first up…
The Book Club Format
This one wasn’t an easy decision but I have decided to keep the book club virtual for autumn and winter. Why? I spoke to Sylvia and it’s clear that right now, we’d have to limit the number of attendees in the bookshop. This seems a real shame as it goes against the book club being for anyone and everyone. Also, with the change in weather it may be nicer for us to stay warm, safe and cosy in our apartments or homes, while connecting once a month with people from all over the world! Another element that helped me to settle on this decision is that by keeping the book club virtual, we can continue to welcome authors to our sessions for a Q&A!
A Monthly Meet-Up
As book club will continue to be virtual, I would love to organise a low-key monthly meet-up for Paris-based members, which could be a book swap, an exhibition, dinner and drinks, or a nice walk. Instagram and Substack will be the two main channels of communication for these monthly events.
September - December Titles For Book Club
I’ve never been great at having a monthly theme so why change now?! Below you will find the four titles that we will be reading this year:
SEPTEMBER
If They Come For Us by Fatimah Asghar (sign-up here): thanks to members Alix and Erin who helped me with this book choice, our first ever poetry collection! I have reached out to Fatimah’s people, so perhaps she will join us at the session or answer your questions on the podcast.
Read the book blurb here.
Listen to an interview with Fatimah.
OCTOBER
Sisters by Daisy Johnson: I read this book when it came out last year. In a nutshell, it’s about an intense relationship between two teenage sisters, very close in age, who have to relocate with their mother to an isolated house in the Yorkshire countryside. Not everything is as it seems and I found that the pacing was brilliantly handled by Daisy, with a mounting feeling of dread as the book progressed.
Read the book blurb in English
Read the book blurb in French
NOVEMBER (TW: rape)
Black Box by Shiori Itō: This was put on my radar by Sanaë Lemoine, author of The Margot Affair. We have a few common and painful elements: a young, promising woman is raped by an older, more powerful man. When she goes to the police, Shiori is informed that her case is a “black box”, i.e. untouchable and unprosecutable. Black Box presents us with the opportunity to discover the feminist movement in Japan.
Read the book blurb in English
Read the book blurb in French
DECEMBER
Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis: Uruguay, 1977. Five wildly different women who, in the midst of the Uruguayan dictatorship, find one another as lovers, friends, and ultimately, family.
Read the book blurb in English
The Podcast
Season 4 will be back this week, with Sylvia Whitman from Shakespeare and Company bookshop! In the meantime, feel free to explore past episodes here.
If you would like to come on the podcast to talk about one of the book club titles, or another great intersectional feminist title that you just LOVED, drop me a message at thefbcparis@gmail.com (or again, Instagram).
I think this is enough information for now, so I shall sign off.
Take care,
Lou