Few writers capture the sights, sounds, smells and flavors of Provence as well as Patricia Sands. Best known for her best-selling Love in Provence series of books, Sands revisits some of her favorite characters in a new Christmas novella, The First Noël at the Villa des Violettes. Looking for a stocking stuffer for the Provence-lover in your life? Look no further!
You can read my review of Sands’ delightful new book at Perfectly Provence.
My new book will be out next month. Stay tuned!
President Trump will visit France this Friday, November 9, for a military celebration marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. This will be his second visit to the country often called America’s oldest ally. Which makes it a good time to ask, what do the French think of America these days?
Find out at Frenchly!
Admit it, you want to be French. Or at least be able to pass yourself off as French, like a spy who fools everyone with her secret identity. What a dream it is to speak perfect French, be stylish and sexy, and actually know what postmodernism means.
But to do that you have to pass through the different stages of Frenchness, slowly graduating from one to the next. Let’s take a look at these stages as they occur in France.
Real the rest of the article at Frenchly!
For too long, French institutions have been boys’ clubs. The august Académie française, for example, was founded in 1635 but only elected its first woman member in 1980!
But things are slowly starting to change and now 9 women have been named members of the Académie, or “Immortals.” Let’s meet them.
Read the rest of the article at My French Life.
You’ve probably heard of famous magicians like David Copperfield and Penn & Teller, and maybe even earlier ones like The Great Houdini. But did you know that the man considered the father of modern magic was French? And that he’s the reason magicians today wear top hats and tails?
Read the whole story at Frenchly!
I recently picked up a book called Legendes de Provence by Eugene Bressy. Over the next few months I’ll dive into some of these stories and let you decide whether you believe them or not. The first one was about the fearsome Tarasque monster.
Here’s the second one, about truth, lies and jealousy in the court of the Count of Provence. As Molière once said, “There are no ramparts against gossip.”
Read all about it at Perfectly Provence!
Becoming a fonctionnaire (government bureaucrat) is a popular career choice in France. Fonctionnaires have jobs for life, lots of vacation, and they are known for not working very hard. This makes them envied but also the butt of a lot of jokes. You can read all about the life of a fonctionnaires in France, plus learn a few of the best jokes, here at Frenchly.
I recently picked up a book called Legendes de Provence by Eugene Bressy. It’s a series of short stories about the legends of Provence: famous heroes, spiritual leaders and the occasional monster. Over the next few months I’ll dive into some of these stories and let you decide whether you believe them or not.
I’ll start with the most famous legend of them all, that of the fearsome Tarasque, who terrorized Provence until he met a plucky young lady named…Well, I’ll let you read all about it at Perfectly Provence.
My wife Val and I spend part of each year in Provence and it’s allowed us to learn the language and appreciate French culture. We knew before we moved there that food and wine are a big part of French life but we didn’t realize quite how big until our neighbor Fabienne gave us a “taste” of real French life. She invited us to her birthday party, which went on and on and on…
Read my funny story about a real French birthday party at A French Collection.