It's Bastille day (le quatorze juillet or la fête nationale if you're feeling French and fancy)! You don't have to be a chat noir to celebrate this French national holiday. We'd all love to hop a plane and picnic at the Eiffel Tower, but if your celebrations are keeping you a little more local, here's a couple of adorably French themed books! Amusez-vous!

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Ennui, melancholy, and world-weariness are just a few of the words that describe Henri le Chat Noir’s outlook. Lucky for us, he brought all his existential angst to bear on this book. Juxtaposing gorgeous cat photos with Henri’s trademark reflections, this charming and funny book would make a great gift for the cat-loving philosopher in your life.

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Rachel Hale’s lovely coffee table book, The French Cat, takes readers on a photographic tour of France and its feline inhabitants. From graveyard strays napping on ancient tombstones to indoor chateau cats with their own library to recline in, Hale leaves no feline unnoticed. In the accompanying narrative, Hale details her move to France describing how this project helped her integrate into the French way of living and learning the language. With quotes from famous French authors, artists, poets, and playwrights, Hale reveals how integral cats have been to French life and art.