Je T Aime La Folie

How do you find the woman of your dreams when you're nearly forty, living in the middle of nowhere and spectacularly ungifted in the art of seduction? Three years into his solo adventure in rural France, Michael Wright has everything he ever wanted: a ramshackle house, several manly power tools, a cat, a grand piano and a vintage aircraft. Yet the lovelier his life becomes, the lonelier he feels. Three unfulfilled wishes return to haunt him: to grow a perfect potato, to fly a Spitfire and, most of all, to meet his soulmate. Written with honesty, self-deprecating wit and life-affirming passion, Michael Wright's new memoir reveals how, while his livestock seem bent on reproduction, a solitary man can learn to accept being single . . .Or so he thinks until a bumptious American Labrador and a perilous landing in a light aircraft conspire to offer a glimpse of romance that could turn his whole world upside down.

"If you had three wishes, what would you wish for? Having spent two years alone in France, doing his best to survive in a foreign land, and failing miserably to woo a dishy French copine, Michael Wright has everything he ever wanted- manly powertools; a cat, chickens and sheep; earthy neighbours; an aircraft and a grand piano. Yet he is still alone and - in a moment of rare self-knowledge - decides that the only way to find the girl of his dreams is to stop looking for her. Yet barely a week after coming to this momentous decision, an email from an old school friend re-introduces him to Alice - a paid-up city girl who speaks only three words of French and comes with an expensive shoe habit and a deep-rooted mistrust of the countryside. Even worse, she lives and works on the far side of the Atlantic, in Baltimore, USA.And so begins an unlikely romance, conducted across two continents, as Michael the rustic hermit struggles to unlearn his lessons in living alone and contemplates the alarming prospect of sharing his French life (not to mention his aeroplane) with someone else"--Publisher's description.

New reading series brings foreign language acquisition into the 21st century While the world produces more and more reading material each year, from magazines to newspapers to websites, why are most language learners still relying on contrived texts and classic literature for language acquisition? Providing entertaining contemporary texts in the original language, the Better Reading Language series is for those who want to brush up on a foreign language. With the authentic materials provided in this series, readers will be able to peruse a Latin Grammys write-up in Spanish, a feature on Alain Ducasse's favorite recipes in French, or a review of a Milan fashion show in Italian. Readings on everything from music and sports to cinema and contemporary family life are arranged in increasing difficulty within chapters. Along the way, learners will find instruction and exercises to help develop improved reading speed, comprehension, and vocabulary.

Sharpen your French language skills through readings about its speakers' daily lives and culture Better Reading French offers you entertaining, "real world" texts to help you understand and learn more French vocabulary and phrases. Each chapter features articles that cover a specific topic, such as cuisine, music, sports, film and theater, art, the family, today's lifestyle, or politics and history. Along the way, you will find instruction and exercises to help develop improved reading speed, comprehension, and vocabulary. The articles become gradually more difficult as you proceed through the book to keep you challenged and engaged. Better Reading French is an easy, engaging way to boost your language skills and learn more about the language and its speakers as you go.