Books for/about - paris

Publisher: Random House
Authors: Alan Furst

ISBN: 1400060192
List Price: $24.95
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 5
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Summary: An excellent historical novel
I enjoy reading this book: well-written, lively, realistic and credible description of period 1938-1939, some on Spanish War, mostly about Italian anti-fascist refugees in Paris in the pre-War climate, with visits to Nazi Germany and Austria, together with a discret romantic/dramatic story. One of my writing interests is France in that period, hence I am quite happy with the book.

Yves Beigbeder
Thonon les Bains, France

Summary: Quite disappointing
Alan Furst most certainly knows pre-war Europe and is adept at describing it in rich detail so vivid that it makes you feel like you're right there in the middle of it. In this case it's mostly Paris, and also some Berlin and Italy. Unfortunately, Furst seems to have forgotten to write much of a story. The environment is realistic and convincing, but there's just not much happening in it.

Almost nothing suspenseful or intriguing happens in this story until nearly three-fourths of the way through it. Then what does finally happen still isn't very suspenseful or intriguing and never amounts to much at all. I know Furst is capable of writing better stories than this (see Night Soldiers), but this is the third novel of his that I've read, and so far he has struck out twice (see The Polish Officer).

So why do I keep coming back for more when two of the three Furst novels I've read have been so disappointing? I suppose it's because Furst does such a convincing job of creating the setting for his stories. With a foundation like that, he's bound to get the story right from time to time. But if I don't find another one that I like soon, I'm afraid I'm going to have to give up on him.

Is this book worth buying? No, not in my opinion. But if your local library has it available and you don't have high expectations about a great story, you might like it okay.

Summary: His worst novel yet
I've read all his other novels. This is by far the worst. There's no intrigue or suspense

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Me Talk Pretty One Day

Publisher: Back Bay Books
Authors: David Sedaris

ISBN: 0316776963
List Price: $14.95
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Summary: Hilarious
What some people find incredibly funny, others find boring and just plain stupid. Good humor writing is one of those things that you either get, or don't.

That said, for me, David Sedaris is one of, if not THE, funniest writers out there today. His voice shines through in every story, and the sometimes insane thoughts that run through his head never fail to get at least a smirk out of me, and quite often a laugh. It is very difficult to write something funny enough to get people laughing out loud, but Sedaris does it over and over in this collection of short stories. Highly recommended.

Summary: I don't get why everyone raves about him
I must admit, while I found some of his stories interesting and things I could relate to, and very easy to read, I don't understand all of the raves about him - the funniest writer around, side-splittingly funny, etc. A friend who has read other things by him thought that it might just be an acquired taste, as she has found each of his works progressively funnier. Sorry, but I really didn't like reading it, kept waiting for it to be over, and would have put it down if I wasn't reading it for a book club. Just being honest.

Summary: Quite probably one of the funniest books written
This was probably one of the funniest books that I've ever read. No, his is not "politically correct" and yes his family is bizarre and no, you wouldn't want to read this to a room full of third graders. However, if you're an adult, a thinking adult who loves good stories, this is the book for you.
I liked it so much that in less than a week I bought ALL of his books and am waiting for another one soon.

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	Rick Steves' Paris 2006 (Rick Steves' Paris) Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing, Rick Steves Authors: Rick Steves Steve Smith Gene Openshaw
ISBN: 1566917301 List Price: $17.95 Amazon Price: $11.67 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 5 Reviews: Summary: Excellent, Informative, and Entertaining, too It was not my first visit to Paris. I scoured Amazon for guidebooks. I bought three, and the apartment I stayed in had a library of left-behind guides. Steves' Paris 2006 was by far the easiest to use (fantastic index), most interesting to read, and his commentary was exceptionally helpful in making touring decisions. And while my Michelin guide became another addition to the apartment's travel guides, THIS book came home with me. It's informative and entertaining to read at home, too. Supplement it with a good map (the handdrawn maps are great for zeroing in on an attraction, but the colored maps of The Paris Mapguide are essential to be sure you get there). These two, easily-carried items and you'll have a great time in Paris. Summary: Best travel guide I'm a college student and had spent a summer travelling in Europe. Among all the travel guides that i used, this is the best one and the only one i recommend to my sisters. Rick is very resourceful. His recommendation restaurants were great. This is a very user friendly travel guide. I feel like this is the only guide book that i'll always bring with me when i go to europe. I bought both Paris 2005 and Italy 2005. They were both great. Summary: Organized and Percise I have used Rick Steves in the past and I like the manner in which he guides the reader not only through the city but specifically through each site. He have great tips for places to stay, eat, and just general travel tips for those who are not as savvy in European travel as he. Each section is well organized and up-to-date. Also, he gives great history of each monument and what each little detail means. Moreoever, I love the walking tours. Such a great idea. Furthermore, his tour of the Louvre is on the money. I used him instead of anything else and I enjoyed my day there. Arc de Triomphe, La Tour Eiffel, La Seine, Le Louvre, Notre-Dame, Quartier Latin, Montmatre all were enjoyed thouroughly because of this guide. A definite recommend and gift to anyone going to Paris. I even use it when need to give a quick blerb about the history of a monument since Rick is able to it so quickly rather than drone on for pages. Bon s�jour � Paris Summary:

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Dada: Zurich, Berlin, Hanover, Cologne, New York, Paris

Publisher: Distributed Art Publishers (DAP)
Authors: Leah Dickerman Brigid Doherty Dorothea Dietrich Sabine T. Kriebel

ISBN: 1933045205
List Price: $65.00
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Summary: Dada: The Movement of Absurdity and its Profound Effect on Art
With the world wholly at war in WW I everything sane seemed challenged - to a few artists. These important minds gathered into a movement that at the time seem absurd - straying away from the expected paintings and drawings and sculpture that had become the norm for the definition of Art: names such as Tristan Tzara, Hans Arp, Sophie Taeuber, Hans Richter, Hannah H?ch, Raoul Hausmann, George Grosz, John Heartfield, Kurt Schwitters, Max Ernst, Francis Picabia, Man Ray, and Marcel Duchamp challenged every aspect of the establishment and raucously boasted works consisting of photographs, collage, commonplace items such as the infamous urinal, performance, and poetry. The ultimate result of this at first dismissed movement (a movement which lasted only ten short years form 1916 to 1926) is now patently obvious in the manner in which art has been transformed in the post-Dada world.

This very fine catalogue for the both the National Gallery of Art in Washington and The Museum of Modern Art in New York wisely elects to divide the movement not into art forms but rather into the specific sites where history was changed. The divisions are by city: Z?rich, Berlin, Cologne, Hannover, New York, and Paris. Lavishly illustrated with the works of the forty artists included in the exhibition, the book is graced by superb writing with essays by Brigid Doherty, Sabine T. Kriebel, Dorothea Dietrich, Michael R. Taylor, Janine Mileaf and Matthew S. Witkovsky and one of the most sound introductions by Rusty Powell. The exhibition and catalogue are the results of curator and editor Leah Dickerman who deserves recognition for the finest book on the Dada movement in print! Highly recommended. Grady Harp, April 06

Summary: Abundant DADA
A remarkable and concise history of the art movement DADA. Beautifully illustrated and designed...easy to manuveur between the cities where DADA was happening after the first world war. I would heartily suggest the purchase of this wonderous publication.

Summary: the world turned upside down...
This catalogue illustrates and compliments the DaDa show in Paris, Washington DC, and New York. DaDa was a hugely influential avant-gardist art movement at the end of the 1910's and the beginning of the 1920's, reacting amongst other things to the shocking experience of WWI and the evident failure of conventional institutions. It's typically said that this movement was "anti-art" -- but this is not wholly the case. It is better described as a strategy, encompassing a messy fountain of creativity, some of it quite artful.

This work brings together a whole cast of characters and diverse approaches to what DaDa means or might have meant, and the show barely holds it together. This curatorial approach might actually be best for a movement as elusive and unconventional as DaDa, where tightly focused and carefully defined parameters for an "art movement" might be out of place. So the fact that the show's a bit of a mess is actually good news.

The book explores DaDa thematically city by city - a more reasonable grouping than artist by artist or chronological approaches. DaDa was an urban phenomena, a cacophony of performance that needed the bustle of city life to sustain it.

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Down and Out in Paris and London

Publisher: Harvest Books
Authors: George Orwell

ISBN: 015626224X
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Summary: Eye opener.
The seedy side to being a bohemian in the 20s and 30's in dives and poverty in London and Paris. A real eye opener for one of my favourite writers. I dont think I could have done what he did to survive.

Summary: Enlightening Book about the Poor

My first book by Orwell was Animal Farm which fascinated me and that I have read several times since leaving secondary school about three decades ago. I then read 1984 and again having been thrilled by both the message and good writing skills, led me to seriously search more books by this remarkable author. I then read Homage to Catalonia followed by Down and Out in Paris and London.

In "Down and Out in Paris and London", Orwell gives vivid and enlightening picture of the plight of the poor in London and Paris in the early 1900s. The book was written in 1933 and is partly based on his life experiences in Paris and London living the life of the poor of the poorest. He gives the reader a picture of what it is to be without money, shelter and being hungry and not knowing when the next meal is coming. He also describes the shameful and bleak lives of tramps in London, who were relying on begging and sleeping rough in filthy accommodation, whom he describes as "docile and broken-spirited creatures". The middle class is given insights into the life of the vagrants, and explains that they are not just worthless people who brought their own misery to themselves and suggests ways that society can ease their plight.

This is another thrilling book by Orwell that makes reading the book an enjoyable and enlightening experience. The way that he portrays the human condition when people are very poor and desperately eking out a living; people living solitary and miserable lives; people living eccentric lives, freed by poverty and deprivation from normal standards of behavior is marvelous. I find it remarkable that Orwell, who came from middle class background, had to live for a time with the poor and so enlightened the world of their condition. The book provides an excellent historical perspective of life for the poor in the 1920s and 1930s. Things have since radically changed in France and Britain (indeed in all the developed countries) since the 1930s, with an advanced welfare system in place. However, his insights about misconceptions about the poor are still relevant today, particularly as to why they are so poor, their attitude to charity and malnourishment.

Summary: Writing at it's best
Down and Out in Paris & London is a very vivid read. I found it funny and heartbreaking at the same time. I walked the streets and felt the hunger and cold with the charaters.

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	Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine Publisher: Scribner Authors: George M. Taber
ISBN: 0743247515 List Price: $26.00 Amazon Price: $16.38 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 5 Reviews: Summary: Beginners and seasoned onophyles will love this book The best part about the great "Double Blind Tasting" is not that we won, or even better, we won twice, the joy is the well written account by someone who was there, knew the 'players' and saw first hand the tastings. There is so much information packed into this very readable book, that no matter what your level of wine experience, you will learn somthing new, that will give added pleasure to your wine experiences. Summary: Great Read and a great gift I bought 2 of these books for our annual family wine tasting contest. We set a category (ie, Pinot Noir and Savignon Blanc) and then blind taste for Best Red and Best White. The books were a huge hit for our winners. I had heard about this event for many years but never actually read the details until this very interesting book. ESL Charleston,SC Summary: Fun reading for wine lovers. Mr. Taber writes in a very personal manner. He writes so that you are caught up in an almost novelesque approach to this exciting story. The characters he writes about come to life in a way that most of us would never get to see or understand. Hard to put this one down, an excellent read. Summary:

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Streetwise Paris (National & International Titles)

Publisher: Streetwise Maps
Authors: Michael Brown

ISBN: 0935039252
List Price: $7.95
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 3
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Summary: Limited yet detailed
I hope to adventure out to places this map will not take me. The layout is very much East / West and I am frustrated by having to flip it many times when planning a North / South adventure.

Summary: Excellent!!!!
We were in Paris for a week and this map was a amazing!!!!! I saw at least 5 other people carry it.

Summary: Good, but has its limitations
It's durable, and pretty convenient to use, but (1) it doesn't cover the entire city, and (2) some of the tinier streets on the Left Bank are not marked. If you're not planning on going to any outlying areas it's probably good enough, but if you think you might want to venture out farther, pick up a Plan de Paris par Arrondissement, and you'll never be lost.

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Paris (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

Publisher: DK ADULT
Authors: DK Publishing

ISBN: 075661547X
List Price: $25.00
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Summary: A seeing eye
If you are a grown-up and want context for your travels, this series brings it. They figure, reasonably for me, that you already know how to shop and that club-hopping is not the be-all and end-all--and that, if it were, you would probably be able to suss all that out.

No no no. Paris has history and you get a well-digested if detached version of it. Paris has neighborhoods that were villages, and you get a nicely laid-out approach to each, including well-marked maps and a variety of delights in each. Paris has a wealth of all kinds of cultural attractions, and you get a sense of many many many of them (and how to get to them). Paris has flavors, and I find the authors' characterizations accurate and evocative.

I admit that I find the lists of restaurants disappointing, in that those listed are very very safe and therefore less interesting, but I am good at reading a restaurant from its menu, and enjoy going to places where English is not spoken and where the locals hang out. Others might find the establishments exactly what they want.

By the way, the editors are scrupulous about updating information and maintaining accuracy. I wrote to them about a minor error, and they not only responded, but thanked me with a freebie. Great attitude, and it shines on all the (glossy high clay-content) pages. In fact, that is my only real complaint about this book: it is a heavy little package, and I would not want to carry it around with me. As a reference, however, it is very fine indeed.

Summary: Good for Planning
The Eyewitness guides are known for their full color photos which make them an interesting read for armchair travellers. However, they are also known for being a little light on travel information, and this holds true for the Paris edition as well. You get lots of great photos of the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and of the art treasures of the Louvre, so this guide is actually a good one to get in the early stages of planning your trip. The full-color photos will help you to decide which areas and sights you would like to see most. However, when you're ready for more serious information, you'll have to look elsewhere. Perhaps this book would be good for those who are travelling with a package tour, but those who are travelling independently will need to get another guidebook. Basically, if you can only afford one guidebook, then I recommend getting something else, but if you have the cash to buy two or three guidebooks, then you won't regret adding this one to your collection.

Summary: very pretty
Maybe it's not the most practical guidebook, but wow, it sure is gorgeous to look at! I love all the pictures & history. Its gives you a feel for Paris & helps you pick places to see when you go.

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