10 books to devour under the duvet

There is no age limit for running! Thérèse was very happy to run her marriage agency for more than forty years, even if, around her, young people made her understand that internet dating sites were better placed on the love market. Without her stroke, she would have continued her activity with the same enthusiasm. Unfortunately, the nephew who took her in decided to place her in a nursing home. And there, no question, Thérèse is ready to do anything to escape it. Including taking refuge in a campsite in Vierzon with a complete stranger who, like her, seems to be on the run. It’s Anthony, a hitman agent who has just gotten himself into quite a pickle. How will this fake grandmother decked out with her fake grandson get out of their respective troubles? This comedy in the form of a thriller is sparkling and friendly. And, for once, the senior character is full of life and humor!

L’Agentde Pascale Dietrich, ed. Liana Levi, 192 p., €18.

If you go to this curious clinic in Kyoto, you risk leaving with a cat, loaned for a few days. This is the prescription of Doctor Nike and his assistant Chitose to treat psychological problems. Four patients will experience it… and us, too! A read with a small dose of Japanese fantasy.

Cats on prescriptionby Syou Ishida, Albin Michel, 320 p., 19.90€

Espionage. Among the hundreds of Americans who mysteriously disappeared in Alaska, a young woman whose father once lived in the USSR. What are the Russians up to? What do they do with their prisoners? This is the chilling mystery that a former Cold War spy will have to solve. An addictive winter read.

The Sleeping Bearby Connor Sullivan, ed. H&O, 480 p., 22.90€.

Before becoming Stanley Kubrick’s iconic film, the story of Spartacus, the slave who almost destroyed Rome, was a novel from the 1950s. Its narrative structure in waves of story, confusing at first, plunges us into a story of great romantic and historical depth. Worship!

SpartacusHoward Fast, ed. Gallmeister, 528 p., €12.90.

Around 150 colorized photos immerse us in Paris in the 1920s: the atmosphere of the streets, the incessant activity of artisans and traders, the Baltard market halls… This beautiful book lives up to its name.

Paris never seen before! ed. Oak, 256 p., €39.90.

The famous play performed by Claude Brasseur (and by Thierry Lhermitte in the film of the same name) and annotated by Jacques Villeret, the priceless François Pignon: we see his lines highlighted and all his comments, all accompanied by photos. Pure pleasure.

The idiots’ dinnered. Fayard, 256 p., €24.90.

Black and white photos, sublimating cinema stars since the 1930s, are the Harcourt signature. For its 90th anniversary, here is the new generation magnified, with comments from the famous producer Dominique Besnehard.

Harcourt, 90 ansed. by La Martinière, 208 p., €44.90.

A quartet of collectors disappears during a dinner. The only clues were the rare objects that they had to present to each other. Called to the rescue, a young expert and a former cop will have to establish a link between a stone, an audio headset and a secret code! Their discoveries could change the course of humanity! A real “page-turner” (a book with a gripping plot)!

The Final Warningby Nicolas Beuglet, ed. XO, 304 p., €21.90.

Treks in the national parks of the Alps by Gian Luca Boetti (ed. Glénat, 192 p., €35.95) offers 18 short hikes, from refuge to refuge, from Mercantour to Slovenia. If you can’t do it yourself, following these photo trails is a breath of fresh air. Walking was a passion of the writer Jean Giono. An unpublished manuscript has just been found: Walking trip in Haute-Drôme (ed. Gallimard, 128 p., €15), his diary account of five days of walking, in July 1939. This preparatory work for his work The Great Paths is very short, but makes you want to read more.