While the need to speak basic French is minimal in virtual vacations, it is still fun to learn a few phrases! Here are some terms as you watch your manners:
What is reading without snacks?! Bread is an essential part of meals in France. Here is a recipe from AllRecipes that uses a bread machine to do the kneading. If you do not have a machine, you can always borrow one from a friend. Or, you can always purchase baguettes from the bakery or boulangerie if you are in France! Click on the picture to get the recipe and click on the video to see what to put on your baguette!
Reading is an important part of French culture. In a survey conducted in 2017, 91% of those surveyed had read at least 1 book in the last 12 months. In the article, "What, where, why French people read. A survey for the Salon du Livre of Paris", when participants were asked why reading matters they responded that it brings pleasure (91%), it helps learn new things (95%), it contributes to one's happiness and life fulfillment (68%) and 65% agreed that it boosts their professional life. The benefits of reading were stated as "to improve one's mind (99%), be more openminded (97%), have a good time (97%), escape every day's life (95%), unwind (96%), pass the time (86%), forget your worries (80%), have a better understanding of the world (85%), share ideas with other readers (75%) and understand oneself better (68%)."
France has many famous authors including Jules Verne, Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo, and Emile Zola. Below is a short list of titles available from Project Gutenberg. Click on the book covers to access the free ebooks. Look for the headphone icon for audio books available on Librivox. Click on the titles for longer book descriptions. While the links provided are for English versions of the stories, feel free to look for French versions at both of these sites!
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
"A thrilling tale of narrow escapes, romance in the midst of a revolution, and battlefield heroism, Victor Hugo's sprawling 1862 novel focuses on the Parisian underworld." (Goodreads)
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo
"This extraordinary historical novel, set in Medieval Paris under the twin towers of its greatest structure and supreme symbol, the cathedral of Notre-Dame, is the haunting drama of Quasimodo, the hunchback; Esmeralda, the gypsy dancer; and Claude Frollo, the priest tortured by the specter of his own damnation." (Goodreads)
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantes is confined to the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to unearth the treasure and use it to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration. (Goodreads)
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
This swashbuckling epic of chivalry, honor, and derring-do, set in France during the 1620s, is richly populated with romantic heroes, unattainable heroines, kings, queens, cavaliers, and criminals in a whirl of adventure, espionage, conspiracy, murder, vengeance, love, scandal, and suspense. (Goodreads)
Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
One night in the reform club, Phileas Fogg bets his companions that he can travel across the globe in just eighty days. Breaking the well-established routine of his daily life, he immediately sets off for Dover with his astonished valet Passepartout. (Goodreads)
Germinal by Emile Zola
Etienne Lantier, an unemployed railway worker, is a clever but uneducated young man with a dangerous temper. Forced to take a back-breaking job at Le Voreux mine when he cannot get other work, he discovers that his fellow miners are ill, hungry, in debt, and unable to feed and clothe their families. When conditions in the mining community deteriorate even further, Lantier finds himself leading a strike that could mean starvation or salvation for all. (Goodreads)
The Red and the Black by Roger Stendhal
Handsome, ambitious Julien Sorel is determined to rise above his humble provincial origins. Soon realizing that success can only be achieved by adopting the subtle code of hypocrisy by which society operates, he begins to achieve advancement through deceit and self-interest. (Goodreads)
What, where, why French people read. A survey for the Salon du Livre of Paris. (2017, March 25). Book Around the Corner. https://bookaroundthecorner.com/2017/03/25/what-where-why-french-people-read-a-survey-for-the-salon-du-livre-of-paris/
