Novel Travels: France

Today, I have a crying infant and therefore less time to think about this post. I was going to write about Tim Moore's French Revolutions (Tim Moore is the British Bill Bryson), however, I do not have a copy of the book (I got it at the library) and cannot find the info I want online. So, this post is more of a list of books about France and the French that I have found useful when traveling to France. Note: I will not cover Peter Mayle books on this list.

Non-fiction
Portraits of France by Robert Daley - A journalist shows his love of France and its people through various stories about life, wine, and journeys.

Two Towns in Provence by M.F.K. Fisher - Fisher brings Aix-en-Provence alive. Some restaurants she visits are still operating and all the fountains are still there and still enchanting tourists (this one included)

Words in a French Life by Kristin Espinasse - A blog-turned-book about life in Provence, told by introducing a new word a day.

Chocolate and Zucchini: Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen by Clotilde Dusoulier - Another blogger, this one for cooking. Charming.

My Life in France by Julia Child - I've not had time to read this yet, but how can it be bad?

We'll Always Have Paris ... and Provence: A Scrapbook of Our Life in France by Patricia Wells and Walter Wells - I've also not had time to read this yet, but I love Wells' cookbooks.

Dealing with the French people
French of Foe? by Polly Platt - Good for work and pleasure and cutting through bureaucracy.

Touche by Agnes Catherine Poirier - Same, good for work and pleasure.

Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong by Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow - Explains why the French behave the way they do (answer: war and revolution).

Talk to the Snail by Stephen Clarke - I've not read this, but imagine it's his Merde books without the storylines.

French Toast by Harriet Welty Rochefort - Another American in France memoir.

Fiction
A Year in the Merde, In the Merde for Love, Merde Happens, Merde Actually, and Dial M for Merde by Stephen Clarke - Fun airplane reading. A Year in the Merde is the tale of a Brit living in Paris and tiptoeing around strikes, l'amour, and dog crap.

Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - Everyone learning French reads this.

Chocolat by Joanne Harris - As good as the movie.

For kids books, see Travel for Kids.
For more books, see Rick Steves' list.