I receive a glut of Paris books from Amazon. I haven't been back in five years and went so often I could not think of going again or even reading anything about the city of lights. The books came at a good time. It is so nice to sit out in the sun reading about the many places where I lived and worked and ate.' The Sweet Life in Paris' b y David Lebovitz is about his delicious adventures in the world's most glorious and perplexing city. He manages some interesting recipes along with his humorous adventures. I haven't tried any of them. I am bouncing from one scrumptious book to another. I like 'Patisseries of Paris' by Jamie Cahill too. It is a small manageable book with nice colored pictures and details of each shop and the way to get there. It is very easy to understand the directions and the writing and descriptions are cozy and readable. Unfortunately, she did not include any recipes which, I know, are difficult to get from the French. Their bakers have to be schooled for a long time and one cannot simply get a store front and open a patisserie...there is paper work, there is schooling, there is a trail of details which make many would- be owners and bakers simply throw in the towels. The shops in Paris are thought to be extensions of people's homes, and, upon entering, the person running the shop intends for you to behave as though you are a guest. They want salutations and respect to be shown before orders are grunted out. Both books give vivid instruction to Americans about how to behave in that rule-ridden, over taxed city.
I spent most of my time, which was considerable, in antique shops, at flea markets and antique shows, and, buying from carefully formed contacts that waited for my return with a bevy of merchandise to please my American customers. So the book 'Markets of Paris' By Dixon and Ruthanne Long should be interesting to me. We'll see.
