I looooove bringing books home from the library. The act has an exceptionally satiating effect on me. It’s known that women go shopping after a mental breakdown, emotional breakup,  or when they get dumped (in any order). I devise myself a better way to recover from such disaster by going green. All in the name of environmental preservation. To avoid going through regrets and money wasted, I would spend half a day in the libary and come home with 2 full grocery bags of library books. And I fool myself with the excitement of new ownership, enough to pacify and keep me marching through this phase.

Everyday in Tuscany by Frances Mayes. This is a sequel to Under the Tuscan Sun, which was made into a movie with Diane Lane. It’s about the author buying a second property, somewhere deeper in the countryside of Tuscany. Her daily life and encounter with people, interspersed with regional recipes. My reading subjects vary with time. I tend to read books that are somehow related to what I’m going through in my life, or at least temporarily those that can carry me away from my current disposition. This book couldn’t either. So I just flipped through, and in it went into my return bag. Passable.

Easy Learning Italian by Collins. It’s an audio course, offering basic italian for travellers. BuonGiorno! Mi scusi. Vorrei andare all’ aeroporto di Fiumicino. Yes, just enough to get me there. Good.

Panini by Melanie Barnard. Different recipes of grilled bread and fillings. I like anything with garlic-and-cheese spread, mozz and provo, fresh basil, some mushrooms, some pesto …. Reminds me of those lunches in Berkeley. Good.

Joie de Vivre by Robert Arbor. The author compares (not in a negative way) the living styles of the average american and the typical french. What got me thinking towards the end of the reading is, eventually the american way will take over. My friends who are living in Paris, their kids are eating McDo. Convenience  will take precedence in the fast life. We’re telling ourselves to slow down, enjoy the morning coffee, cook a wholesome meal, smell the roses; but all we can do really is slowing down the pace. The next generation (if not the current) will face competition and challenges at a global level. Can they still sit down at the breakfast nook sipping a cafe au lait while the competitor is already on the phone with the customers? Good.

French Women for all seasons by Mireille Guiliano. Why, oh why, did I pick up so many sequels this time? I should know that most of the time, sequels are no good. The French Women don’t get fat focus on eating good food without gaining weight. This sequel is about eating good food depending on the seasons. Both books could have been combined, but Ms Guiliano’s pocket is probably fatter this way. Mediocre.

Women, work, and the art of savoir-faire by Mireille Guiliano. Wrong choice again. Never pick books in a series and by the same author. Ms Guiliano is president and CEO of Veuve Clicquot. I read the book, and felt like it was addressed to a different class of people. There are much better books out there addressing working women in America. This will be my last attempt at learning to be frenchy, I swear! Mediocre.