Top picks from Nice bookshops: passion and expertise to inspire you

Jean-Sébastien (Les journées suspendues): Mémoires sauvées de l’eau by Nina Léger

Jean-Sébastien and Arnaud put their passion into their eclectic and exciting selection of books at this shop in Borriglione. You’ll find all the bestsellers and classics you’d expect (there are 6000 books in stock) alongside little gems unearthed from the many new releases that come out every year.

One of them is Mémoires sauvées de l’eau by Nina Léger, a book that made its mark on Jean-Sébastien. It takes us back to mid-19^th century California and the gold rush to share the devastating effects of man meddling with nature in the American state. “It’s an easy read that blends a poetic style with letters and archive documents. You brings home the extent of humans exploiting nature over a hundred years ago.”

The book won the Prix du Roman Historique in 2024 (French Historical Novel Prize). As well as selling books, the bookshop hosts regular meet and greets with authors! Book your place at the next event on Saturday November 30th at 7.15pm and meet Nina Léger. Email: lesjournéeessuspendues@gmail.com.

“Les Journées Suspendues” : 23 Av. Alfred Borriglione, 06100 Nice

Amandine (Masséna Around the World): Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

If you love to read books written in the English language, Around the World is the place for you! Librairie Masséna’s “little sister” opened in June 2024 with a selection of 2500 new releases, bestsellers and classics all written in English. It’s a go-to if you like reading literature in the original language or want to practise your English!

Amandine manages the shop with Amy and loves reading so much that she struggled to choose just one book to recommend. She went for Intermezzo, “Because of the story about a chess player and his lawyer brother, who are polar opposites until their father’s death brings them together. Because of Sally Rooney’s writing style. Because she manages to pull us into the complexity of the situation.”

Amandine has lots of other recommendations: go and visit her to find your next favourite book! We should mention that Masséna Around the World has just won the Vision d’Avenir award (future vision) at Ouvrez la Boutique de vos Rêves, a contest which recognises Nice shops for their creativity and community involvement.

“Around the world” : 58 Rue Gioffredo, 06000 Nice

Isabelle (À la Sorbonne): First editions of Hugo, Baudelaire, Gautier, de Vigny and Constant

Welcome to the temple of antique and second-hand books. À la Sorbonne is part of Nice’s high street “heritage” and was founded in 1928. Philippe Seyrat, the founder’s grandson, now runs the 600m² shop where you can spend hours scouring the 100,000 books for a rare gem on the never-ending shelves.

Speaking of rare gems, the shop’s very own Isabelle introduced us to a collection by French literature’s greatest authors published by Alphonse Lemerre. Her passion is infectious. “They’re more than just books; they’re valuable in every sense of the word. Only a few were published in the late 19^th century. Lemerre took real care over the style of the typography and standard of the paper. We have some books that he numbered and initialled himself, such as the complete 8-volume Alfred de Vigny collection on Chinese paper. The cover bears the Latin motto chosen by Alphonse Lemerre, “Fac et Spera” (do and hope), and the logo of a man digging may be one of the first to be designed for a publishing house. These books don’t just tell a story, they’re part of our history…”

The shop sells rare books alongside recent tomes in every genre. They cost less than new ones because they’re second-hand. Head to À la Sorbonne to quench your thirst for literature and adventure!

À la Sorbonne : 23 Rue de l’Hôtel des Postes, 06000 Nice

Mariella and Guy (La Procure): La lumière du bonheur by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt and Clodia by Sophie Malick-Prunier

La Procure isn’t your average Christian bookshop. It may be famous for specialising in religion and spirituality, but La Procure is full of novels, graphic novels and bestsellers too. It’s a real bookshop run by real enthusiasts!

The shop’s co-manager Mariella has a soft spot for La lumière du bonheur by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt, the fourth part of his La traversée des temps series. The book tells the story of Noam, an immortal being who explores the history of humanity. “It’s a vibrant book set in Ancient Greece. It takes us back to the origins of our civilisation and the creation of democracy. The previous novels took us back to the flood, the construction of the Tower of Babel then Ancient Egypt and the reign of the pharaohs. But you don’t need to have read them all to get into the story and enjoy the writing style.”

Guy chose Clodia by Sophie Malick-Prunier. “It’s the story of a free woman. It’s like a political crime novel set in Ancient Rome, 50 BCE. It’s a short story but it hits you hard and pulls you in. There are real people among is characters, including Cicero. It’s expertly told as the author has a PhD in Latin literature.” 

Which will it be then? Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome? Why not both?

La Procure : 6 Rue Vernier, 06000 Nice

Danaé (Read The Room): Confidence Man by Maggie Haberman

English literature and cake? Now you’re talking! Read the Room isn’t your average bookshop: it’s a little gem of a concept store-coffee shop a stone’s throw from Avenue de la République. Andréa from South Africa opened the shop in May 2024 with her daughter Danaé. Alongside a variety of books written in English, they host English “Conversation with Friends” classes, book swaps and even stand-up performances!

Danaé chose Confidence Man, a book that details Donald Trump’s career, from his ascent in New York to his first election as President. “The book is written by a political journalist who has covered Donald Trump’s life like nobody before. It was written before he was re-elected. It gives us a better insight into the man, the President, the phenomenon…”

You couldn’t get more current! If you’re interested in something else and can’t find what you want in the shop, Read the Room can order whatever you fancy. Order it on Saturday then pick it up on Thursday and stop in for a cheeky homemade cake!

Read the Room : 3 Rue Jean-Pierre Papon, 06300 Nice

Prix du Roman FNAC and Prix Talent Cultura 

We can’t talk about bookshops without mentioning two of the biggest in France: Cultura and FNAC, which has just turned 70. Both of them are committed to bringing culture to the masses and celebrate literature with their annual book awards.

The Prix du Roman FNAC sees a panel of 400 members and 400 FNAC book shops choose the best novel of the year, and the 2024 award went to Les âmes féroces by Marie Vingtras. “A great, mesmerising and unexpected work of fiction that explores everybody’s dark side.”

The Prix Talent Cultura went to La ballerine de Kiev by Stéphanie Perez. “A novel that dazzled both our bookshops and customers, celebrating art and culture as sources of resilience in wartime.”

Now, you should have enough recommendations to stock up on some great books to see you through the next few weeks. Don’t forget to check out our article for the best places to snuggle up with your new book: “Get in the autumn mood: 3 spots to cosy up and chill out“!