The best books about Paris... according to a beloved bookseller in Paris
The Earful Tower: Paris
Meet Penelope Fletcher, who runs two Paris bookshops, side by side near the Luxembourg Gardens. The shops: The Red Wheelbarrow and The Red Balloon The Red Balloon is just for children's books, and is almost certainly the most likely of all shops in Paris to have all our own children's books. Addresses: 9-11 Rue de Médicis, 75006. This episode is from The Earful Tower podcast archives. Here are all the books that Penelope mentioned, in order: Books for adults Stories from the Magic Canoe of Wa'xaid, by Cecil Paul. A Moveable Feast, by Ernest Hemingway. Selected...
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This man turned one Paris street into a food and drink hub
The Earful Tower: Paris
Meet Loïc Estimbre, a Parisian entrepreneur who is behind four different eateries on just one street in the 12th arrondissement. That street: rue Emilio Castelar. In this podcast episode, we talk food in Paris, the 12th district in general, and the challenges of funding four separate spots. As for Loic, I met him when he was behind the counter at the Magic Carpet cafe and was surprised to see him literally building a new eatery down the road. Imagine my surprise to learn that he leading a team that was behind half the places on this little street. ...
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Paris's specialty coffee boom: Can it last?
The Earful Tower: Paris
This week on the show it's Guy Griffin, the owner of Cafe Mericourt in the 11th arrondissement. He talks about the current explosion of speciality coffee shops across Paris and whether it is sustainable. He also takes us behind the beans... er, scenes... about the change in tipping culture, the challenges of being an entrepreneur in France, and the cost of hiring people in France compared to the US or Australia. As for you - why not go in for lunch as a savvy diner. Look at his ever-changing menu : Find Cafe Mericourt on Instagram :...
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Louvre robbery: We were inside the Apollo Gallery for the break-in
The Earful Tower: Paris
This week on The Earful Tower podcast it's Jake and Holly Barker, two American tourists who were actually inside the Louvre's Apollo Gallery when it was broken into on Sunday. I met them in the Marais to record their dramatic story. "When we heard the saws, we both knew that something serious had happened." It's reported that nine items from the crown jewel collection were taken from the Louvre. Also featured in this episode was Amber Minogue, our Louvre tour guide. Please get in touch to book a tour with her. The music in this episode was from...
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Interior design: How to add Paris flair to your home
The Earful Tower: Paris
This week on the show it's Cléophée Poli - aka Cléo - a Parisienne interior designer. She talks about typical Paris apartments and what she likes about them, how you can make your home more Parisian, and the small touches to improve the feeling of any home. And of course, we talk about a lot more. Follow her on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/cleointeriordesign/ Explore her website : https://www.cleointeriordesign.com The music in this episode is from Pres Maxson. *********** The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. From $10 a month you can...
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We're making a new children's book: Here's how we do it
The Earful Tower: Paris
We're making our fifth children's book, and it's the most Parisian one yet. In fact, there are some major changes to this one, so we decided to open the curtain and show you how we do them. Lina talks about her illustrating process and I talk about how I wrote this one - and why I changed the whole style. You can find our other four children's books in all the Anglophone bookshops of Paris, but also in le Peloton cafe, the Ile Aux Fees boutique, the Bon Marché department store, and Messy Nessy's cabinet of curiosities. Also the Louvre museum and the musée d'Orsay....
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Bistros to boulevards: How Paris was shaped by its World Fairs
The Earful Tower: Paris
Meet Charles Pappas - Mr World Fair. Charles likes nothing more in the world than a Universal Exhibition, especially if it's one of the seven that were hosted in Paris. In fact, he's written the book on the topic. I met him on a road-side terrace at Harvest cafe in the 11th arrondissement to talk Paris, Haussmann, coffee, and of course, World Fairs. His new book is: , a historical guidebook on how these World Expos, held between 1855-1937, transformed the city of Paris forever. The music in this episode is from Pres Maxson. *********** The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from...
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My love letter to the Parisian food markets
The Earful Tower: Paris
After an eventful visit to the Aligre markets in the 12th arrondissement, I came home to share my love of the French food markets with my wife Lina. Here's an energetic, honest, and in-the-moment recount of what happened when I went shopping for dinner ingredients. The music in this episode is from Pres Maxson, his take on the classic Sous le ciel de Paris. *********** The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. From $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated...
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Meet the woman behind the top cooking classes in Paris
The Earful Tower: Paris
Meet Jane Bertch, a Chicagoan who has called Paris home since 2005. She started her life here as a banker, but made the unusual pivot to running a cooking class (which is now the hugely popular La Cuisine Paris). And now, she has written a memoir about it all: The French Ingredient. She joined me in the studio to talk about the book, how to make a croissant, and even how to make a croissant class (plus a whole lot more). Follow La Cuisine on and follow Jane herself . Book a cooking class at And follow the And of course, find the book: The...
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New Paris museum to open in iconic setting
The Earful Tower: Paris
This summer, the city of Paris announced plans to open a museum to showcase the work of architect Hector Guimard. He is the man behind the iconic Paris Metro entrances, several Art Nouveau buildings in Paris, and some very beautiful furniture and decorations in museum displays around the world. And better still: The museum will be housed in one of the very few buildings remaining in Paris that Guimard designed himself (The Hotel Mezzara in the 16th arrondissement). I've been a fan of Guimard and Art Nouveau for years, so let's take a deeper dive into the topic in general, with...
info_outlineAuthor Cara Black is back on the podcast!
She is a friend of the show, and has been appearing on it since 2019!
We chat about writing mysteries set in Paris (she has penned over 20 of them), we talk about her upcoming book (which you can pre-order below), and we talk about Paris, of course.
Helpful links for Cara:
- Cara Black's official site: https://carablack.com/
- Cara Black's Susbtack: https://carablack.substack.com/
- Preorder her book Huguette here: https://www.amazon.fr/Huguette-Cara-Black/dp/1641294493
Also mentioned in this episode:
- The Earful Everywhere podcast (currently in Italy): https://theearfultower.com/2025/05/15/lets-explore-italy-with-the-earful-everywhere/
- Our walking tours of Paris: http://www.theearfultower.com/tours
Music by Pres Maxson.
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The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. From $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris.
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