Part travel narrative and part lifestyle guide, Inspired by Paris: Why Borrowing from the French Is Better Than Being French is a must-read for anyone who's ever dreamed about traveling to or living in France.

Author Jordan Phillips is a bona fide Francophile. Just show her a wedge of oozy French cheese or a slightly dilapidated Mansard roof, and she'll swoon every time. Before moving to New York, Phillips lived in Paris, and she still travels to her apartment there frequently. But through these experiences, she learned that-as in so many things in life-fantasy is often...