A few days before Christmas, the booksellers of Concarneau give you their advice

• 1 Albertine anchors herself in reality

  To Albertine, Héloïse Adam advises delving into “The Art Thief” (Marchialy) and the true story of Stéphane Breitwieser. “The greatest thief of a work of art that has ever existed,” says the bookseller. Michael Finkel looks at the thief’s methods, as well as his psychology.

The bookseller also recommends “The Pythia Speaks to You” (Rackham). This comic strip by Liv Strömquist addresses the business of personal development. “The author goes over the injunctions to be beautiful, happy, efficient… While making cutting-edge studies accessible,” she says.

For the youngest, Marie-Jeanne Bausson appreciated the latest novel by Célia Garino. In “Un bout du monde” (Sarbacane), Kelvin, a 15-year-old child, arrives with a new foster family. That of the last chance. “Against all odds, he will find a real home. The characters are very endearing,” she explains.

• 2 The Book and the Quill opts for mystery and investigation

  To be sure to please for the holidays, Léna Quéau recommends “A hole in the heart” (Denoël), the latest novel by Nicolas Zeimet. The author Bigouden tells the story of a Breton couple who had recourse to a surrogacy in the United States. “But overnight, the couple’s wife disappears,” explains Léna Quéau. We follow the husband in his investigation, and this book reminds us that we never know the person we are with. »

  Furthermore, the bookseller recommends “The Great Adventure of Notre-Dame de Paris” (Bayard Jeunesse) by Évelyne Brisou-Pellen for younger children. “The author tells the story of the Ile de la Cité in one hundred episodes through the eyes… of a tree,” she explains.

  For her part, Isabelle Annycke chose the comic strip “The Navigators” (Delcourt) by Serge Lehman and Stéphane De Caneva in which Neige reconnects with her childhood friends. “But when they want to find her, they realize that she has disappeared. Their investigation will lead them into an imaginary world in the liquid basements of Paris,” explains the bookseller.

• 3 At the E.Leclerc cultural center, we abandon the novel

  If you are like her and the novels are falling out of your hands at the end of the year, Tiphaine Baldassari recommends the short stories of Raymond Carver. The collection “The Vitamins of Happiness” depicts American life in the 70s. “But we are far from the American dream: alcoholism, unemployment… The author talks about ordinary, even mediocre, people without being miserable. »

  The bookseller also retained the personal story of Javier Zamora in “Solito” (Gallimard). The Salvadoran poet recounts his journey across the continent to the United States to join his parents when he was only eight years old. “What touched me was this child’s perspective on the migratory journey,” she explains.

Finally, for children, Tiphaine Baldassari particularly appreciated “The Wrath of Banshee” (Casterman): “In this book, we follow the fairy Banshee, who, one morning, is very angry. As it reaches the coast, it becomes more and more furious and raises the oceans, unleashing the wind. Until his mother comes…”