Lockdown reading recommendations from a literary-inspired hotel

In the midst of the third UK national lockdown, we asked our friends in France for some much needed joie de vivre, which comes in the form of six specially selected reading materials courtesy of Vanessa Jacquiot, the Assistant Manager of Le Pavillon des Lettres – Paris’ first literary inspired hotel.

Each of the 26 rooms and suites at Le Pavillon des Lettres is dedicated to a different letter of the alphabet — and in turn a great writer from European history — from B for Baudelaire, S for Shakespeare and Z for Zola, words from each writer are stencilled onto the walls of each room. Providing guests with hand-picked reading material for the duration of their visit, these books can be brought home after their stay as a memento.

Accidentally Wes Anderson, Wally Koval

All image credits can be found @accidentallywesanderson

This unique collection of the world’s most Anderson-like sites transports readers on a colourful journey of classic facades, unusual interior design details, and retro settings where each photo, through a singular aesthetic, tells a story. Continue the journey on Instagram for more iconic inspiration…

Éditions des Saint Pères

Any of their manuscripts! I am so in love with this independent publishing house that allows you to discover the writing secrets of renowned authors. Reading a manuscript is a unique experience that creates an intimate connection with the author, offering special insight into their creative process through their original workings, corrections, notes, revisions, and marginalia.

Rediscover some of the greatest stories ever written through the manuscripts of Charlotte Brontë (Jane Eyre), F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby), Virginia Woolf (Mrs Dalloway), Oscar Wilde (The Picture of Dorian Gray), Lewis Carroll (Alice’s Adventures Under Ground), Paul Auster (The New York Trilogy), Albert Einstein (The General Theory of Relativity), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Musical Diary) and J. M. Barrie (Peter Pan).

Assouline

All image credits can be found @assouline

Another one of my favourites, this luxury publishing house of sophisticated, hand-bound coffee table books is more than deserving of their title “Librarians of Luxury.” I particularly enjoyed Creative Couples: Collaborations That Changed History by Angella Nazarian, published by Assouline in 2015 in the same series as her bestselling title Visionary Women. Nazarian continues to chart the lives of inspiring and groundbreaking personalities, this time with a focus on fifteen couples. Each text delves into the history of both halves of the pair, how they impact each other’s work, and what makes them stronger together.

Find Me, André Aciman

In this spellbinding new exploration of the varieties of love, the author of Call Me by Your Name lets us back into his characters’ lives years after their first meeting. From Florence to Rome, Paris to New England, the settings of Find Me take readers on a romantic return trip across the Atlantic. Watch Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet in the Oscar-winning film version of Aciman’s first novel for a vicarious trip to Northern Italy in summer.

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia, Elizabeth Gilbert

A celebrated writer’s irresistible, candid, and eloquent account of her pursuit of worldly pleasure, spiritual devotion, and what she really wanted out of life, this feel-good book is a must-read during lockdown that will add three destinations to your travel bucket list. And of course, the film adaption with the beautiful Julia Roberts is perfect for a rainy day!

The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank

A book to reread that echoes even more nowadays, this poignant classic remains as moving, compelling and thoughtful as ever.