Left Bank Writers Retreat and Frenchophile Blog Name Top 6 Paris Books of 2011 that Make Perfect Gifts

Denver, Colorado Left Bank Writers Retreat, an experiential salon-style writers' workshop held in Paris, and Frenchophile, a blog devoted to all things French, have announced six favorite Paris books just in time for 2011 holiday gift giving. "Whether you actually travel to Paris or are more of an 'armchair' Francophile, these six recent books conjure the City of Light in a very satisfying way," says Darla Worden, founder and host of the Left Bank Writers Retreat and creator of the Frenchophile blog. The six picks range from a novel capturing the 1920s Left Bank world of Hemingway and Fitzgerald to a pastry chef's sweet – and tart – French food adventures to a perfect Paris travel companion:

History 1830-1900: David McCullough's "The Greater Journey" explores the 19th-century history of Americans in Paris when hundreds of notables including Oliver Wendell Holmes, Mark Twain, Samuel Morse and Harriet Beecher Stowe migrated there.

Memoir: John Baxter's "The Most Beautiful Walk in the World" proves the best way to see Paris is on foot, with Baxter offering insights that make the strolls even more delightful.

Humor: "Stuff Parisian's Like: Discovering the Quoi in the Je Ne Sais Quoi" by Olivier Magny is a humorous look into the Parisian mind by the proprietor of O Chateau, a popular Paris wine bar, translated into English from the original French and translated into English.

Travel: "Paris, Paris: Journey Into the City of Light" by David Downie offers 31 short prose sketches of people, places and daily life in Paris by the well-known travel writer, and includes photographs by Alison Harris.

Fiction: Paula McLain's beautifully written novel "Paris Wife" captures Paris in the 1920s where Hemingway and his wife Hadley live amidst the "Lost Generation" – including Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.

Food: In "The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing – City" American baker and Chez Panisse alum David Lebovitz brings us along as he falls in love with the magical, and maddening, city of Paris.

The 2012 Left Bank Writers Retreat is slated for June 17-22, 2012 in Paris, France. Hosted by writer Darla Worden, the six-day workshop includes morning writing sessions, coaching and one-on-one time with the instructor for a maximum of 8 writers, as well as lunch and daily sightseeing adventures, including visiting many of the sites featured in Woody Allen's recent movie "Midnight in Paris." Now in its third year, the retreat takes place on the historic Île Saint-Louis in the heart of Paris. For additional information, visit www.leftbankwriters.com.

For additional information about the Frenchophile blog, visit www.frenchophile.com or Frenchophile on Facebook.