Barnes & Noble

With less than 11 days to pack... I finally have something to definitely bring with me to France. My new France 2008 Guidebook by Fodor's. On a trip to Barnes & Noble with my little brother to find an SAT prep book, I found myself right next to the travel section. I remember our advisor telling us to pick one up but I totally neglected to put it on my list of things to get for the trip.

I had a really difficult time deciding between Lonely Planet and Fodor's. The information was similar with maps, restaurants, sites, etc. so I couldn't tell which would be more helpful. (On a random tangent, my brothers had a blast flipping through "How to Make Out in Chinese" while I sat there trying to decide. Must admit it was quite entertaining.) Both books contained some color pictures and were about the same size. I think in the end I chose Fodor's for its more story-like descriptions although it is more of a read just to find out the gist of something. I wanted more 'color' on what I could spend my time doing and plus the pages looked a tad prettier.

I also picked up Words in a French Life: Lessons in Love and Language from the South of France by Kristin Espinasse. The author is an American mother of French children who runs a French word of the day blog. I've already made it through the first few chapters. Her mini-stories are whimsical and endearing. I'm looking forward to reading it on the plane ride over.