From Prison to Paris

Posted on April 15, 2026 by Keith Van Sickle

France has a lot of literary awards, and the most prestigious is the Prix Goncourt, much like the Booker in the UK or the National Book Award in the US.

The Prix Goncourt has kind of branched out over the years, creating a second award for a book chosen by high school students. I knew this, but was still surprised to find out that there is now a third award, for a book selected by inmates in France’s prison system.

It’s an inspiring story, and the reading standards of the inmates is very high. During the process of selecting their book, they have meetings with some of the authors (in the prisons, imagine that.) One author says she loves these meetings because the inmates are such serious readers, so the meetings are of a “rare intensity.”

You can learn more about this very interesting program in France Today!

Book Recommendations from AI?

Posted on March 25, 2026 by Keith Van Sickle

I love reading in French and am always looking for book recommendations. “So why not use AI?” I thought naively. “Maybe I’ll get some good ideas.” And I did, but it wasn’t as straightforward as I expected.

I’m not an AI user, so I asked google how to write my prompt (in other words, I used AI to use AI.) The prompt listed books I had liked, then asked that they be analyzed and used to recommend five new ones.

I proposed that prompt to three popular AIs and got different answers from each. The first got confused, the second thought I like very old books, and the third just made stuff up. But I did end up with a few good book ideas.

You can read about my adventure with technology in My French Life!

My Conversation with Mark Greenside

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Keith Van Sickle

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing author Mark Greenside for a webinar organized by My French Life. Mark and his wife Donna have lived part-time in France for decades, and we talked about what this has meant for him.

I was struck when Mark explained why he wrote his most recent book. He said that while there are lots of books written by expats, they are typically about new beginnings: someone has moved to a new country, learned new things, and begun a new adventure. But rare is the author that looks back over many years and reflects on how that has changed them. That’s what Mark’s latest book does.

It was a fun conversation, as Mark is wise, funny, and an excellent story teller. Viewers had lots of questions and Mark answered them all.

If you’d like insight into the life of someone who has really embedded himself in France–or maybe it’s the other way around–you can watch our discussion here.

New and Improved!

Posted on February 25, 2026 by Keith Van Sickle

I’ve written two guidebooks about Provence, sharing my insights after nearly 20 years of living here part of the year. I update them regularly because things change–restaurants close, new ones open, and I’m always discovering interesting things to include.

The 2026 versions are now available! I even updated the cover on the St-Rémy guide.

Please let your friends know about my books if they are coming to this lovely corner of France.

There is a nice review / interview about the Provence guide that you can read in Perfectly Provence.

Here are the links to An Insider’s Guide to Provence and An Insider’s Guide to St-Rémy-de-Provence.

A Conversation with Author Mark Greenside

Posted on January 21, 2026 by Keith Van Sickle

In Mark Greenside is one of my favorite authors. His books are funny, thoughtful, and always a good read.

In 1992, at the age of 47, he bought a house—almost by accident—in a tiny Breton village. He has lived there ever since, splitting his time between Brittany and California.

His three books about life in France are full of self-deprecating humor and interesting insights. You can read my review of them at MyFrenchLife.

Even better, on February 7, I’ll be chatting with Mark about his life in Brittany. Please join us! You can find more details and sign up here.

France’s Most-Loved Bestsellers Now in English

Posted on January 14, 2026 by Keith Van Sickle

The French love to read—the average français knocks off more than a book a month. But what do they read? Is it all Proust and Flaubert or are there some page turners in there?

If you’d like to read like the French do, you’re in luck, because many of their recent best-sellers are now available in English. They are typically translated a few years after publication, especially the top prize winners.

I’ve put together a selection of recent best-sellers in France that you can read in English. You’ll find serious novels, thrillers, non-fiction, and France’s favorite Gaul, Asterix.

Read all about it in France Today!

Book Clubs à la Française

Posted on September 24, 2025 by Keith Van Sickle

All across the English-speaking world, book clubs are thriving. Those in America have more than 10 million members, and there are comparable memberships in Canada, the UK, and other countries.

They generally follow the same model: everyone reads a book, then the group meets to discuss it. But the French have a different take. In a cercle de lecture, or reading circle, everyone reads what they like. Val and I are members of a cercle de lecture in St-Rémy and it’s a fun twist on a classic formula.

Read about how French reading circles work and why you might enjoy one in France Today!

All About French Literature

Posted on March 12, 2025 by Keith Van Sickle

France is a famously literary country. The country’s authors have won more Nobel Prizes in Literature than any other, and the French read more books than anyone else—a whopping 17 per year!

I’ve put together a few articles for those interested in French literature. Want to know about a top crime novelist? Or the bad boy of French literature? Or maybe you are interested in graphic novels, which the French adore.

I’ve also got the story of a forgotten French masterpiece that’s been called “possibly the best-selling novel of all time”!

You can read all about these and more in My French Life!

Provençal Legends: Mont Ventoux and the Mistral

Posted on August 28, 2024 by Keith Van Sickle

I always thought that Mont Ventoux came by its name because it is windy at the top, and venteux means “windy” in French. It’s a common misconception, but it’s not true. In fact, the word comes from Vintur, an ancient god worshiped by the Albiques, a Celtic tribe that once lived in the area.

Not only that, but the Mistral, the famous and sometimes-violent wind of Provence, is actually Vintur’s son! He’s a capricious child who throws tantrums when he doesn’t want to go to bed, hence the wildness of the wind. And there used to be an Albique ceremony to calm the boy and get him to go nighty-night.

I learned this in a very entertaining book called Le Dit du Mistral by Olivier Mak-Bouchard. It’s a fun story, full of legends and local expressions (though while most of the legends are true I suspect there’s some artistic license from time to time.)

Read more about these Provençal legends in Perfectly Provence!

Provence: Insider Tips

Posted on February 21, 2024 by Keith Van Sickle

This past spring I was the guest speaker at a meeting of the Alliance Française of Pasadena, one of the most active groups in the US. I gave a Zoom presentation about Provence and answered questions about the life that Val and I live there.

It was a fun session, with lots of good back and forth, and you can watch the recording if you’d like. There are a few minutes of club business at the start that you can skip if you want; I come on at about the four-and-a-half minute mark.

Here’s the link!

Life in Provence

Keith Van Sickle

Tag Archives: #Books