cigalechanta

you really are a teckie, Larry

justretired

Thanks, cigale.

Barnum

I might also add that I found most of these titles on Amazon, and most came from the UK. Delivery time was very fast however.

farrermog

And while we're at it, a few more which don't fit the original criterion, but well worth checking ut all the same IMO -

Alastair Maitland's <i>Wild Thyme and Saladelle; Journeys Round Western Provence</i>

Mirabel Osler's <i>The Elusive Truffle; Travels in Search of the Legendary Food of France</i>

Glynn Christian's <i>Edible France; A Traveller's Guide</i>

Sheryle Bagwell's <i>My French Connection</i> - Australian journalist living and working in Paris & Lyon

Sally Hammond's <i>Just Enough French</i> and <i>Pardon My French</i> - entertaining journeys by car around France by Sydney based food and travel writer and her photographer husband; her <i>Just a Little Italian; Exploring the South of Italy</i> also recommended

And, for a change of pace, Oliver Andrew's <i>Crossing France on Foot; One Man's Walk from Dieppe to the Pyrenees</i>

Barnum

Love it....finding a lot of new titles. Keep them coming.

grandmere

Just thought of another i don't think has been mentioned: Running in Place: Scenes from the South of France by Nicholas Delbanco. I see that its paperback copyright date is listed as 2001, but I read the hardback several years ago.

scotty09

.....and don't forget the classic by Robert Louis Stevenson, "Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes", from the 1800s.

justretired

Here are some more books specifically on French culture, all of which I have. Hmm, this seems like more than a bit of overkill. I need to control myself better in book stores.

Savoir Flair! Polly Platt
Customs & Etiquette of France, Danielle Robinson
The Alien's Guide to France, Jim Watson
Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong, Jean-Benoît Nadeau & Julie Barlow
Culture Shock! France, Sally Adamson Taylor

Barnum

I was somewhat reluctant to post this topic, but guess I am not the only one to love reading about this wonderful country. I still have about ten titles to add to my original list, and you folks have given me even more to look for (three of which I ordered from Amazon today).

farrermog

<i>Going to Live in France</i> and <i>Going to Live in Paris</i> by Alan Hart, 'one of the preferred local commentators on France for BBC Radio' according to the blurb.

Barnum

Have added a few more titles to my collection in case anyone is interested.

A White House in Gascony, by Rex Grizell

A Walk Across France, by Miles Morland

A House in the Sunflowers, by Ruth Silvestre

A Village in the Vaucluse, by Laurence Wylie

A Pig in Provence, by Georgeanne Brennan

A Piano in the Pyrenees, by Tony Hawks

A Bright Sun & Long Shadows, by Val Littman

A Place in Normandy, by Nicholas Kilmer

A Farmhouse in Provence, by Mary Roblee Henry

A Goose in Toulouse, by Mort Rosenblum

A Harvest of Sunflowers, by Ruth Silvestre

A Summer in Gascony, by Martin Calder

A Perfect Circle, by Susie Kelly

A Walk in the Vineyards, by Thomas Mathews

A Month of Sundays, by Ira & Barbara Spectror

A Chateau of One’s Own, by Sam Juneau

At Home in France, by Ann Barry

Au Revoir Agnleterre, by Paul Jenner & Christine Smith

Bananas in Bordeaux, by Louise Franklin Castanet

Best Foot Forward, by Susie Kelly

Bon Courage, by Richard Wiles

Bon Chance, by Richard Wiles

Butterflies on Mimosa, by Eleanor Francis

C’est La Folie, by Michael Wright

Cast Off, by Jan Murra

Deep France, by Celia Brayfield

Deep France, by William Glover

Dordogne Adventures, by Eric Line

Floating Through France, by Barbara Euser

France, A Travelers Literary Companion, edited by Rodarmor/Livia

French Cricket, by George East

From Here You Can’t See Paris, by Michael Sanders

Home & Dry in Normandy, by George East

Hot Sun, Cool Shadow, by Angela Murrills

I’ll Never Be French, by Mark Greenside

Instructions for Visitors, by Helen Stevenson

Life in a Postcard, by Rosemary Bailey

Lilac & Roses, by Peggy Anderson

Maison Therapy, by Alastair Simpson

More France Please, We’re British, by Helena Powell

Mourjou, by Peter Graham

My Father’s Glory & My Mother’s Castle, by Marcel Pagnol

Narrow Dog to Carcassone, by Terry Darlington

Ou’ est le Ping? By Grace McKee

Reflections of Sunflowers, by Ruth Silvestre

Rene & Me, by George East

Seeking Provence, by Nicholas Woodsworth

Strangers in Paradise (A Memoir of Provence, by Paul Chrsitensen

The Olive Farm, by Carol Drinkwater

The Ripening Sun, by Patricia Atkinson

The French Way, by Ross Steele

The Duck With a Dirty Laugh, by Ann Loader

The Bells of St. Paradis, by Ann Loader

Time was Soft There, by Jeremy Mercer

Travelers Tales/Provence, Edited by James O’Reilly

Coquelicot

Yes, I am interested, and hope you can keep them coming. This is going to be my next winter's reading list. What a great thread!

JeremyinFrance

I was disappointed by Tony Hawks' A Piano in the Pyrenees. Everything seemed to run pretty smoothly but Tony seems to make out that the move was a disaster on wheels. A shame - I liked his other stuff.

sheila

I didn't read it like that at all, I have to say. It's not as well crafted as some of the others, but it was truly fun; and I know the area which made it even more interesting.

Barnum

Another update, if you care...


Books of France


A White House in Gascony, by Rex Grizell
A Walk Across France, by Miles Morland
A House in the Sunflowers, by Ruth Silvestre
A Village in the Vaucluse, by Laurence Wylie
A Pig in Provence, by Georgeanne Brennan
A Piano in the Pyrenees, by Tony Hawks
A Bright Sun & Long Shadows, by Val Littman
A Place in Normandy, by Nicholas Kilmer
A Farmhouse in Provence, by Mary Roblee Henry
A Goose in Toulouse, by Mort Rosenblum
A Harvest of Sunflowers, by Ruth Silvestre
A Summer in Gascony, by Martin Calder
A Perfect Circle, by Susie Kelly
A Walk in the Vineyards, by Thomas Mathews
A Month of Sundays, by Ira & Barbara Spectror
A Chateau of One’s Own, by Sam Juneau
Adieu, Dordogne by Roger Kohn
At Home in France, by Ann Barry
Au Revoir Agnleterre, by Paul Jenner & Christine Smith
Bananas in Bordeaux, by Louise Franklin Castanet
Best Foot Forward, by Susie Kelly
Bon Courage, by Richard Wiles
Bon Chance, by Richard Wiles
Butterflies on Mimosa, by Eleanor Francis
C’est La Folie, by Michael Wright
Cast Off, by Jan Murra
Deep France, by Celia Brayfield
Deep France, by William Glover
Dordogne Adventures, by Eric Line
Floating Through France, by Barbara Euser
France, A Travelers Literary Companion, edited by Rodarmor/Livia
French Cricket, by George East
From Here You Can’t See Paris, by Michael Sanders
Home & Dry in Normandy, by George East
Hot Sun, Cool Shadow, by Angela Murrills
I’ll Never Be French, by Mark Greenside
Instructions for Visitors, by Helen Stevenson
Life in a Postcard, by Rosemary Bailey
Lilac & Roses, by Peggy Anderson
Maison Therapy, by Alastair Simpson
More France Please, We’re British, by Helena Powell
Mourjou, by Peter Graham
My Father’s Glory & My Mother’s Castle, by Marcel Pagnol
Narrow Dog to Carcassone, by Terry Darlington
Ou’ est le Ping? By Grace McKee
Provence je t’aime, by Gordon Bitney
Reflections of Sunflowers, by Ruth Silvestre
Rene & Me, by George East
Seeking Provence, by Nicholas Woodsworth
Strangers in Paradise (A Memoir of Provence, by Paul Chrsitensen
The Olive Farm, by Carol Drinkwater
The Ripening Sun, by Patricia Atkinson
The French Way, by Ross Steele
The Duck With a Dirty Laugh, by Ann Loader
The Bells of St. Paradis, by Ann Loader
Time was Soft There, by Jeremy Mercer
Travelers Tales/Provence, Edited by James O’Reilly

adrienne

I read A Piano in the Pyrenees a couple of weeks ago and thought it was hysterical; much funnier than Round Ireland with a Fridge. I was laughing out loud through much of the book.

cigalechanta

Im surprised no one has mentioned Adam Gopnik's PARIS TO THE MOON.
grandmere, also reading again French dirt and my old favorite. WINDOW ON PROVENCE.

cigalechanta

A village in the Vaucluce in reality is Roussillon.
Like when I first visited Gordes, back in the 60s they are unlike what you see today.
I'm rereading, also RUNNING IN PLACE because it was written before I first visited Provence.

justretired

Since this thread has been brought back to life: I just noticed that nobody has yet mentioned <i>Words in a French Life</i>, subtitled "Lessons in love and language from the south of France", by Kristin Espinasse. This contains selections from her popular blog, which can be found at http://french-word-a-day.typepad.com/ (on which you can also subscribe to her e-mail list).

Although oriented towards the French language, this book contains a great deal of discussion about life in France, and particularly in Provence.

TPAYT

OMG, I'm in the middle of "The Olive Farm" and loving it. I don't think I'll be alive long enough to read all of the books mentioned, but I'll try.

Have you ever been in a place where you thought you've been before? That's me with France. My father's family way back when came from France and it's like I've come home. Every time I'm there, I feel like it's a part of me.