Polars, novels or comics… What books read this summer? Anne and Coralie de la Librairie Coulier in Castres selected ten works related to the Tarn.
Between thrillers, essays and poems related to the Tarn, Anne and Coralie from the Coulier bookstore in Castres present their ten hearts of the summer.
The devil on the shoulders – Christian Carayon
This thriller takes place in the Tarn, during the interwar period. In 1924, a criminologist came to investigate his childhood place, in a small village where crimes occurred. The author was born in Mazamet and is a history-geography professor in high school. 544 p. (Pocket, 2013)
Dust boys’ ballad – Jean Ciantar
It is the first novel by Jean Ciantar, who lives near Castres. Between sensitivity and harshness, the author traces the quest for truth from Yacob Piro, a man who redid the last trip of his deceased friend to pay tribute to him. 320 p. (Les Avrils, 2025)
The secret of the black mountain – Bruno Combes
A story with suspense, mysteries to elucidate, around a young girl who leaves Cabardès, in the Black Mountain, to rebuild her life in the Massif Central. But the secrets of the past reappear … 600 p. (Michel Lafon Poche, 2022)
These Tarnais who make history – Max besieged
The author, from Tarn, highlights illustrious Tarnais, known or little known. From the scientist Lucien Fabre to the woman of letters Louisa Paulin, fifty writers, politicians, sports, scientists and craftsmen are presented in this book. 264 p. (Red butterfly, 2024)
Jean Jaurès – Jean-nume docange
This ultra-detainee biography on Jaurès was released on the occasion of the centenary of the pantheonization of this big name of the Tarn. 464 p. (Perrin, 2024)
Lumberjack – Mathias Bonneau
A very personal story written by a Tarn lumberjack. He talks about his career, his relationship to the forest and the difficulties of the profession he is trying to last with new techniques and a new approach. 272 p. (Threshold, 2025)
The soldier’s way – Mayeul Besson
The poignant story of a former soldier of 8e RPIMA who fought the Taliban in Afghanistan and survived Uzbin’s ambush in 2008, where 10 soldiers perished. Converted into private security, he then carried out anti -spirary missions in Yemen, before joining the national police. 222 p. (Mareuil, 2025)
Present – Catherine Astié
A very intimate collection of poems, full of sweetness, inspired by moments of the author’s life. Castraise and French professor at the college of Mazamet, Catherine Astié signs her first collection here. 110 p. (L’Harmattan, 2024)
Isidore and Simone, Jews in resistance – Simon Louvet
Comic strip inspired by the life of the rear grandparents of the author. Jewish resistant during the Second World War, they became resistant in the Vabrais maquis, one of the largest Jewish resistance networks in France. 192 p. (Ouest France, 2023)
Hortus and the garden guards – Karen Planès
Karen Planès is a youth author and illustrator installed in Castres. His latest album shows a poetic story that connects the different insects that peoples our gardens. Even the most unsightly have a role to play in the proper functioning of their natural habitat. 24 p. (Karen pencils, 2025)
