Novels, thrillers, comics, art or history Books, essays… The teeming world of books is plural and varied. A short, non-exhaustive tour of the gifts to put under the tree.
Words and wonders… Running out of ideas for putting a gift under the tree for the aunt or the brother-in-law or for the little niece's or grandfather's New Year? Books remain a safe bet, which open up so many worlds, familiar, imaginary, unknown, to explore.
Whether we appreciate them sweet, mixed with rain, rustling with fury or tinged with melancholy. Whether you are a fan of the bare novel, the extravagant biography or the ruffled essay. Whether you like literature, white or black, the big one that captivates and the “small” one that comforts.
Whether we love the clear lines of comic strips or the more murky and disturbing lines of singular authors, the stylized and incredibly diverse fervor of mangas or the tranquil beauties of a graphic novel… Books are fabulous springs to experience and feel and booksellers their most valiant heralds.
At Clareton Springs
In Béziers as elsewhere, Christmas rhymes with fever in bookstores. At Clareton des Sources, Myriam Poitou, the manager, faces the 2024 vintage with a certain calmness. The “machine” is well oiled and the teams are well-established.
“Christmas is something that can be planned from… the month of September. We are already working on the spring selection…” At any rate, “orders are placed and, in December, this requires special logistics because we receive a lot of deliveries every day. Fortunately, publishers are making efforts to supply us on time”.
That means tons of books to unpack and index before putting them on the shelves – it’s better to have strong lower back! As for the employees, who each have their chosen field, they are on the same regime as Maryse Poitou: “We have a seasonal worker with us for a month to help us but we all work overtime this month, within the limits of legal obligations, of course. It's a lot of work.”
The Clareton des Sources is open from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. non-stop during the holidays, “with an hour for lunch, all the same, and if necessary, we allow ourselves a break to breathe and drink tea”. An extra amount of work that cannot erase the affable smiles of the employees, always ready to direct readers, guide them or help them discover their favorites.
“When it comes to trends, there aren't really any among adults. We have a lot of requests for the books that were crowned this year (Goncourt, Femina, Medicis…) and for comics like Lucky Luke or Black & Mortimer. In children's literature, it's different, we have a lot of requests for novels that are good for children, albums that talk about confidence or self-esteem.”.
The Clareton selection
In addition to award-winning novels like HourisKamel Daoud's Goncourt (Gallimard), don't miss Black flagby Dominique Maisons (La Martinière), a romance novel and a historical fresco of anarchism. In the shadow of Winnicottby Ludovic Manchette and Christian Niemiec (Le Cherche Midi), an English castle, a French tax collector and strange events…
Far from the universe of Mythology of the .12by Célestin de Meeûs, who see two idle friends in a parking lot and the tipping point. In beautiful books, we find Lakbay, drawn escapesthe travel diaries of Stéphanie Ledoux (Elytis). Comics department, there is Big Little Manfrom Zanzim (Glénat), when value has nothing to do with size.
For the youngest, we melt for Tiger's Tearsby Agnès Dommergue and Sande Thommen (Grasset), where the wind of childhood and wild life blows.
Planet Manga
Satisfied – although very busy – Aurélien Moitrelle certainly is, he who opened his bookstore Planète Manga a little over a year ago. “I am happy because my goal was to reach adults and young adults who are manga fans and it has been achieved.”
A bookseller at heart after a career change, he successfully completed a series of events: signing sessions with Léo, a published Swiss mangaka, who is also published by Myria, a publishing house from Béziers, One piece animation which continued…
Shojo, shonen, josei or seinen, Aurélien Moitrelle welcomes all the diversity of manga and his readers repay him. “There are the faithful who come every month to pick up the new volume of the series they follow, the curious who want to discover another universe”. Aurélien's new plan, within two years, is to expand to accommodate and promote the 4 to 6,000 books and all the merchandising (figurines, cards, etc.).
His 2024 favorites go to Jimbocho Sistersde Kei Tôme (Mangetsu), “a slice-of-life manga that follows three sisters who, against their will, inherit their grandfather's bookstore. The drawing is very accomplished. It's a little nugget”.
There is also My little museum of dark ideasby the famous Léo (Myria), a one shot which brings together eight stories to be reserved for an adult audience because it addresses social issues such as depression or loneliness. Finally, Aurélien recommends Freequestde Reno Lemaire (Pika), “a fantastic manga, from 12-13 years old, with a heroine who finds herself catapulted into incredible adventures. It's dynamic and fluid to read”.
The Clever Camel
If we find all the books at the Le Chameau malin bookstore, we must recognize that his heart beats for the history and life of the city of Béziers, of which he is the publisher. Four works are in the spotlight this month of December, which have just been published.
At length, Jean-Pierre Nitus proposed Jean Magrou, sculptor from Béziers. Already the author of a monograph on Injalbert, of which Magrou was a student, the author immersed himself in the archives and “I found that he had a very rich life. He traveled and knew Pasteur and Marie Curie. He created memorials because it allowed him to live and do what he loved. His sculptures are of great finesse and he is a man to be rediscovered”.
Son 2e opus, What do the ydols pass by?, “is a short historical novel” which delves into the wars of religion and opens, in Béziers, in 1542, when the first Protestant, who was a Bible seller, was burned at the stake. Highly recommended…
Rose-Marie Fouet is a historian but has immersed herself, to Everyone speaks Occitanin etymology. By reading the TLFI (Computerized Treasure of the French Language), a dictionary of the French language of the 19th and 20th centuries, “I realized that there were a lot of errors. For them, everything was Provençal. I had fun and even enjoyed fixing them” and to restore the Occitan words borrowed by French to their true roots, through a work which has nothing of a lexicon but draws on the geographical origins of the terms, from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. Playful and lively.
Finally, Alex Bèges-Cabanes also takes hold of history to revive the city at the dawn of the 20th century.e century with Mystery at the Grand-Théâtre – Béziers in 1912. A criminal investigation which begins within the Isabelle theater, named after the architect who designed it and whose 180 years of existence were recently celebrated.
At that time, the municipal theater “although in decline, remains the throbbing heart of the city”. The society of the time, customs and politics, thanks to work on period documents, come to life through fiction. Gourmet and informative.
