going to the library, gonna refresh my mind

**canadian gardener** · 08-03-2005, 02:32 PM

I've been online drooling over a bunch of books at Amazon and Chapters.

It is such fun to follow up on other people's lists of great books. My Frederic Fekkai book generated a bunch of other interesting reading, a lot of it on France.

Since I bought French women don't get fat, I might as well get a few to follow up with.

OK so here is my plan to take a trip to France in my head of course (too cheap to do it any other way, not to mention too broke LOL)

Here are some titles I plan to make them order in for me even if they have to scour every library across North America which they can do, if a little reluctantly.

Entre Nous: A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl by Debra Ollivier (Author) (i'm on my way)

Dress Like a Million (on Considerably Less): A Trend-Proof Guide to Real Fashion by Leah Feldon (Author), Tamin Bressan (Illustrator) --llittle side trip to fashion, very french.

Joie de Vivre : Simple French Style for Everyday Living by Robert Arbor (Author), Katherine Whiteside (Author)

The Fat Fallacy: the French Diet Secrets to Permanent Weight Loss by William Dr Clower (Author)

The Parisian Woman's Guide to Style by Virginie Morana (Author), Veronique Morana (Author), Philippe Sebirot (Author)

Does This Make Me Look Fat?: the Definitive Rules for Dressing Thin for Every Height, Size, and Shape by Leah Feldon (Author) (well probably, almost anything does, BUT I'm not giving up my white jeans, pastel tshirts and colourful sweaters for ANYBODY)

Wear More Cashmere: 151 Luxurious Ways to Pamper Your Inner Princess by Jennifer Sander

The Martini Diet: The Self-Indulgent Way to a Thinner, More Fabulous You!
by Jennifer "Gin" Sander (Author)

those two books look like important reading in the margery makeover and lifestyle improvement plan!!!!!

On Rue Tatin : Living and Cooking in a French Town (Hardcover) by Susan Herrmann Loomis

My French Kitchen: A Book of 120 Treasured Recipes by Joanne Harris (Author), Fran Warde (Author)

HMMM well we aren't going to remove ME from the kitchen altogether!!!!!!

Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong: Why We Love France, But Not the French by Jean-Benoit Nadeau (Author)

Chic & Slim Encore: More About How French Women Dress Chic Stay Slim -- and How You Can Too! (Paperback) by Anne Barone

Chic & Slim: How Those Chic French Women Eat All That Rich Food And Still Stay Slim (Paperback) by Anne Barone

and that last gal has a website that looks interesting too-- http://www.annebarone.com/index.html

**Englishlady** · 08-04-2005, 10:36 AM

Blimey, that's quite a list

Maybe when you have read a few of them you could let us know what you thought?

I recently read an article by a British Journalist (who lives and works in France) in the Sunday Times, she said that French Women were indeed very chic and well groomed and ALWAYS wore MATCHING Underwear

But sadly for all they looked good they just didn't seem to have any fun or joy in their life?, go figure!

Karen

**SHOPGIRL** · 08-04-2005, 10:41 AM

I moved to a new area about 8 years ago. However, I never went to the library to get a library card. As a kid, I used the library all the time. Then, college came, moving around to different jobs, and finally I settled down. However, I never found the library in my local area. Just last week, I went to the library and opened up a library card.

I've been frequently Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Border's Books, you name it. I usually only buy non-fiction, but I've run out of room on my bookshelf.

So, I'm planning on saving money visiting the library, and I'm going to sift through my books, hopefully sell some on ebay. So saving money and decluttering at the same time, can't beat that!

**canadian gardener** · 08-04-2005, 12:06 PM

ROFL Karen, nothing on earth could turn me into a high fashion Parisienne with all her quirks and quarks.

I'm 5'8" and 234 lbs and even if I lose weight I still have a comfortable face and squashy figure, something a Parisienne would see as a "polyester princess" or "somebody's mum" at my cheery best.

I want to explore their tortured starving psyches then retreat into my own dragging along any treasure I may have pillaged and looted along the way!!!! heheheheh

I read like this. I get going on a subject and I tend to get 40 books out and read them all then go on to something else. Once I'm intrigued by something, I turn over a lot of rocks, and examine everything that crawls out in minute detail.

I don't read much fiction although I do read a lot and I'm very very fast.

When we were homeschooling I could race thru a biggish text book in a day skim reading, but slowing down for the important bits. If I'm reading for information I read very fast, with a high lighter and highlight the bits I will need to re read and study again, making notes in the margins.

When I re read my books, I can refresh my mind on the subject by using the highligher segments to re awaken my memory of the book. I do have a semi photographic memory for recently read books that I really enjoy and a good memory for trivia and detail that I liked.

The highlighter keeps my eyes on target as I'm a bit dyslexic and I tend to jump around visually.

With fiction I get bored and wander off mentally losing the thread of a story.

With non fiction it's always there so I can pick it up where I left off and jump around from there, reading the end first, bouncing around in the book. I do read them from cover to cover, just not from front to back.

I usually read 3 or 4 at once. Right now I'm re reading Julie Morgenstern on organizing, I'm reading Frederick Fekkai on style, re reading French Women don't Get Fat, and I'm starting in on 40 Things you should know after turning 40. I just finished Elegance by Genevieve Darieux. I have a favourite decor book open to the paint chapter and then there's my bible. I am also studying the book of Romans in depth.

Last week I read thru all of the Pottery Barn decorating books, Country Livings books on Decor and Colour, and 6 other decor and design related books. That is helping me gear up for painting, in the same way as I'm reading french books on diet, elegance, style etc for my fix up me project.

Life is a buffet feast.

**forestdale** · 08-04-2005, 03:35 PM

Margery, I read Joie de Vivre : Simple French Style for Everyday Living last year. It's an excellent book. I actually read it twice before I returned it to the library.

I'm not into fiction either. There are very few stories that can compare to what is around us.

I hope you enjoy going through your list. I would love to live in France. May I make a suggestion? It's another book in the French theme - Au Revoir by Mary Moody. It a book about a 50 year old Australian woman who takes time out from her family and goes to live in France for 6 months. ISBN 0732911095 Published by Macmillan.

**Michele Annette** · 08-04-2005, 04:24 PM

I read like this. I get going on a subject and I tend to get 40 books out and read them all then go on to something else. Once I'm intrigued by something, I turn over a lot of rocks, and examine everything that crawls out in minute detail.

Margery I love it! I hope you enjoy your trip!

**Englishlady** · 08-04-2005, 04:47 PM

Originally posted by canadian gardener

When I re read my books, I can refresh my mind on the subject by using the highligher segments to re awaken my memory of the book. I do have a semi photographic memory for recently read books that I really enjoy and a good memory for trivia and detail that I liked.

I bet that highlighter pen makes you popular with the local library ROFL

I KWYM about getting a whole load of books on the same theme, I go through phases too, right now I have been reading a lot of books on NDE ( Near Death Experiences)

DH keeps asking if there is anything I want to tell him LOL!

All joshing aside I worked in A Hospice and experienced some interesting stuff with my Patients......so I am re aquainting my self with some interesting( to me) themes..........

Karen

**Kimberlina** · 08-04-2005, 09:20 PM

[i] I would love to live in France. May I make a suggestion? It's another book in the French theme - Au Revoir by Mary Moody. It a book about a 50 year old Australian woman who takes time out from her family and goes to live in France for 6 months. ISBN 0732911095 Published by Macmillan. [/B]

Watch out, everyone! Rhonda is headed to France!!! Hope she tells the boys where she is going! LOL

**canadian gardener** · 08-04-2005, 10:01 PM

oh I NEVER highlight anyone else's books, not EVER!
gasp I didn't realize when I wrote that, how it would sound. ROFL isn't that always the way with internet conversations heheheheheh

I want mine returned in the condition they left, and that is how I treat other people's possessions including library books.

Just thought I should tell you all that little detail, or you'd get this horrifying impression of someone who defaces others' books.

Oh RHONDA!!! that DOES sound good, I'm sticking on my list. I was at the library yesterday, handed them about 16 interlibrary loan requests ( they can't process them all at once though

)

and they can jolly well bring that one in too.

I have a thing about the city library. They spent a lot of money on an architects dream (think weird building with exposed everything and a SCARY staircase)

and none on books.

So the collection is rather poor compared with the same size city to the north that I came from. Both libraries service rural districts but the one I came from spent their money on BOOKS!!!!!

Plus the monstrosity downtown is built in a bad area of town, you need to pay parking, take your chances on your car being broken into and have to dodge drunks both odiferous and belligerent in the book aisles.

They stuck fiction on the bottom floor and up the scary staircase you must go to get to the non fiction (that or walk a fair ways to get to the elevators neatly hidden away so as not to be that available to people)

to top it all, the non fiction is on a sort of open second floor which anyone with problems with heights will immediately recognize as the stuff of nightmares.

Between stinky drunks reeking thru the stacks, and the feeling of vertigo it's not a fun place to go for the meager pickings.

Long harumph.

Point being I take a fiendish delight in forcing them to drag books in for my reading pleasure! Books they should at least have SOME of!!!!

Many of the inter library loan transfers come from my old city, where the books were plentiful and varied. Go figure!

**Englishlady** · 08-05-2005, 05:14 AM

Margery, I was only joshing about you highlighting Library books

I KNOW that folks who love books wouldn't DREAM of doing that, they are too precious

Our local Library should be re-named the "local Internet hangout with a couple of books if you are interested"

They re built it from the tatty old shack it was, with books you would like to read, into a more up market shack, with depressing interior colours, bigger spaces between the books shelves, there are about twenty racks of books, hardly any, ..........ever worth reading, but hey! we have about 10 computers and a Meeting room, grrrrrrrrh.

I buy most of my books but never pay full price, I also ask for them for Birthdays and Christmas.

I give them away when I have read them apart from some of my Reference books (Interior design, Cook books etc.)

There was a disscussion on the Radio the other day about how Libraries have gone down the pan, now being more like Internet cafe's , so I think this is quite a Universal problem

By the way we have to PAY for EACH book we order from the Inter-Library loan sheme, it costs about $1.25 US/C$ 1.50-1.75 (ish, equivalent) and we can only keep them for 3 weeks, and you can only re-new them after that if no one else is on the list

You can see why I tend to buy my books ( one of my few indulgences, that I can justify, because I give them away after & thus am sharing

...................)

Karen

**canadian gardener** · 08-05-2005, 12:09 PM

Oh wow, so I'm not the only one coping with a dying library?

You know I think you are onto something there. This system is big on internet access for all, and there is a lot of space for the computers, which I am all for, as long as it doesn't crowd the books out.

I end up spending far more money on books than I should although I do try to get most of them in on inter library loan, but that process can last months. The ones I buy are often second hand, and I frequently cull my stacks to sell to make space for more, and to create a positive balance on my account at the second hand bookstores in town.

But online bookbuying is more and more attractive. I get a 30% discount at Chapters and Amazon, plus an extra 10% at Chapters for my membership there. If I buy 39$ worth in an order it's free shipping, and the books take about 3 to 4 days on avg to get here. That is practically half price new books. My second hand bkstore charges about half the cover price so why not?

I woke up thinking about why I keep a huge personal library, and it's because over the years, the public libraries are pretty sketchy at best and getting worse about keeping things in stock.

One example is Winston Churchill. I have his 6 volume WW2 set that I got second hand when I was at the end of homeschooling the kids, and COULDN'T FIND THIS CLASSIC AT THE LIBRARY here.

I remember one library had 6 Agatha Christies all of which I'd read. That was 21 years ago back when I still enjoyed fiction and that is when I made a vow to myself that I'd take care that I always had my favourite books on hand. Never ever relying on a library to have them in stock ready and waiting.

So many times I want to refresh my mind on something, and go find it in my bookshelves. I find it very frustrating when I remember oh, I got rid of that book last year when I cleaned.

It's like my bookshelves are an adjunct to my brain. I won't forget the stuff as long as I remember my little mental note about where to find it-- what title and where it's likely to be found. Second shelf near the right on the bookcase in the kitchen.

I am otherwise a decluttered minimalist kind of gal except for the books. And boy do they make up for any sterility anywhere else.

**canadian gardener** · 08-25-2005, 11:10 PM

Ok here we are on the update:
Entre Nous: A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl by Debra Ollivier (Author) this is really good to read, --there are some wonderful thoughts in here on how culture affects our ability to live simply. I've enjoyed it very much, highly recommend it for a nice light read that makes you think.

Dress Like a Million (on Considerably Less): A Trend-Proof Guide to Real Fashion by Leah Feldon --- Well the library has yet to disgorge this one from it's tentacles.

Joie de Vivre : Simple French Style for Everyday Living by Robert Arbor (Author), Katherine Whiteside (Author) SUPERB book. I loved it, a little more to it than Entre Nous, but a wonderful walk thru this man's life with his Vietnamese wife and their two sons in the French countryside, following the kind of life his parent's gave him.

The Fat Fallacy: the French Diet Secrets to Permanent Weight Loss by William Dr Clower (Author) OK a fun read in a diet book. Portion control is everything, and the concept of eating really good food with high pleasure and flavour to satisfy the part of us that keeps eating past the calorie limit in search of some kind of self nurture.

The Parisian Woman's Guide to Style by Virginie Morana (Author), Veronique Morana (Author), Philippe Sebirot (Author) Well this one hasn't got much to say for itself. BORING. Just a bunch of pictures of some not so stylish clothes that were the height of style in a classic way a few years ago. The perfume list is great though. Definitely not one to buy!!!!

Does This Make Me Look Fat?: the Definitive Rules for Dressing Thin for Every Height, Size, and Shape by Leah Feldon (Author) (well probably, almost anything does, BUT I'm not giving up my white jeans, pastel tshirts and colourful sweaters for ANYBODY)

Well Leah Feldon is great. This one of her books is excellent, and while I'm never giving up wearing white, ivory, camel, and pastels, it has some very good tips on line and cut.

Wear More Cashmere: 151 Luxurious Ways to Pamper Your Inner Princess by Jennifer Sander -- JUST BOUGHT THIS LITTLE MARVEL!!!! It's a great little list to work thru at least the less expensive and the free ways to pamper myself without involving food.

The Martini Diet: The Self-Indulgent Way to a Thinner, More Fabulous You!
by Jennifer "Gin" Sander (Author)

More on keeping yourself pampered and cared for without high calorie intake. This book is the most fun of all the diet books in the "french" line I've been reading so far.

On Rue Tatin : Living and Cooking in a French Town by Susan Herrmann Loomis OH THIS IS A GOOD ONE. Much like the Robert Arbor book, it's a lot of fun to read. Her personality comes right thru on each page, and it's like hearing a friend tell of her adventures. Great book.

My French Kitchen: A Book of 120 Treasured Recipes by Joanne Harris (Author), Fran Warde (Author) Haven't gotten a hold of this one yet, still trying.

Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong: Why We Love France, But Not the French by Jean-Benoit Nadeau (Author) Not so interesting. Full of facts, and opinions strung together and maybe I just couldn't keep my attention focused on a book long enough with the painting project going on. My reading has been about fun, and this was more serious in tone and needed more brain space to process. Right now I'm using all my brain space for more frivolous stuff. If I want something dense and chewy I'm going for some physics.

Chic & Slim Encore: More About How French Women Dress Chic Stay Slim -- and How You Can Too! (Paperback) by Anne Barone not yet seen but the next one is great.

Chic & Slim: How Those Chic French Women Eat All That Rich Food And Still Stay Slim (Paperback) by Anne Barone I'm thinking of buying this one from her website. Reading it made me feel that losing weight was a do able project. Very encouraging. A lot like the Martini diet book, fun frothy and feminine with a real kick to it.

so that is it on the trip to France thru reading.

I'm having fun with it in between painting.

What is really coming across is the french attitude towards minimalism and simplicity. There are some interesting contrasts between them and North America.

Some things they do better, other things we do better. Learning about how another culture handles personal things, family life, food, cleaning, and money is really eye opening in my own pursuit of self nurture, simpler living and frugality.

**krisathome** · 09-01-2005, 09:57 PM

Joie de Vivre : Simple French Style for Everyday Living by Robert Arbor

The Fat Fallacy: the French Diet Secrets to Permanent Weight Loss by William Dr Clower

And of course French Woman Don't Get Fat.

I own these books! I got into French diets and culture this summer, too. I have always had a love of anything French ever since I took french language classes in high school.

Thank you for this wonderful list! I will have to see if I can find some of these titles in my sad library. I say sad because they rarely have the kinds of books I am interested in. They have a huge amount of fiction but I prefer nonfiction, too.

**canadian gardener** · 09-02-2005, 03:51 PM

I'm glad you are enjoying my list. I sure am. I'ts like my personal no cost (almost-- cause I did pop for some of the books) trip to France crossed with my own home spa version of let's revamp me and really celebrate the last kid getting launched and my fiftieth b'day coming up next summer.