Angel, not horror at all. :) More mystery with a rather fun and spunky character. Mystery with some cerebral humor. I'm looking forward to reading the others in the series. Unfortunately, I keep hearing that the 2nd book is the least interesting in the series, so I haven't felt particularly motivated to read it.

Angel, thank you. I may read it or, at least, see if dd would like to read it ... Good to know that it's not just my dd who has this very selective problem. ;) This title looks very interesting, even though I've been having a hard time reading most non-fiction lately. Agreeing with you on the Kindle. Mine came in very handy while traveling. I don't particularly care for it for non-fiction books, but I like it for fiction. I'm still a hard copy type of person and have to smell books and feel them. But the Kindle has so many positives also. :)

Joanne, I'm so very sorry. Will be praying. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

Thanks for sharing this. Dh and I saw the movie years ago and neither of us cared for it at all. I have always avoided the book since then. Maybe I'll give it a go. Wondering if my dd would like it. She's quite picky and is having a very hard time finding books that she loves. :confused:

I've missed this thread while we were away on vacation. :) Having just been in Paris and loving that area, just added this to my wish list. :D Stacia, liked your picture also :D. A Curable Romantic looks good. A Reliable Wife is on my Kindle ... I think. Books that I have read in the past month. None of them were "wow" books or in the amazing category for me. All were good, but not the absolute best. How Not to Look Old: Fast and Effortless Ways to Look 10 Years Younger, 10 Pounds Lighter, 10 Times Better - downloaded this to my Kindle a day before we left while having my hair done. I finished it in a few hours. Most of it, I already knew. Fun read while having my hair done. A Redbird Christmas - not my favorite Fannie Flagg book. Just okay. I generally love Fannie Flagg. The Paris Wife - very interesting, but dragged on a bit. Nice to read it while in Paris. About Hemingway's first wife. I'm glad I wasn't married to him. ;) I'm sure the feeling would be mutual. Island Beneath the Sea not my favorite Allende book. I usually love Isabel Allende. Didn't like the ending. Endings are everything for me. This book was quite depressing. What could I expect - slavery, Haiti ... Not sure what to read next. I have quite a lot to choose from, including catching up on some Nat Geo magazines.

sorry, double post

Thank you. Yes, I am planning on contacting RS. I never, ever wanted to pay that much. I couldn't get anything cheaper for a family of 4 in Paris during the summer. Seriously. I spent 2 months trying to find accommodation. Nothing. Paris is very expensive. Of all the other places we visited - various places in the U.K. and Israel - Paris was the most costly. Jeri, yes, thank you. I will most likely send a copy to the woman who runs the company. She's already given me a voucher that expires within a year for 25 Euros because of the laundry. But I don't want to ever stay in a B&B in Paris again. From what I've heard on other forums, Parisian B&Bs, on the whole, are not what they are in other places. My mistake. I had no idea. Thank you. You're sweet. :grouphug: That book sounds interesting. I'm off to search it on amazon. :) The rest of our trip was great. We did soooo much in Paris - went to most of the sights we wanted to, in fact, all of the ones we'd planned on. London was crowded and we didn't have enough time there. I usually love London, but because the rest of the family wasn't too crazy about it, it was less enjoyable than usual. The Cotswolds is, by far, the most beautiful place I've ever visited in the U.K. and I've been to lots and lots of places there, having grown up there. We should have spent a bit longer there. Wales was our least favorite part and we won't do that again. Mainly because of the weather, but other reasons also. There were some elements of nostalgia, visiting my old home and schools, etc. But we were happy to leave. Israel was our absolute favorite. Love the food, culture, people, weather, you name it. I've always loved Israel. Mind you, we do visit a very peaceful part. Hope I didn't bore you ... ;)

I thought the same thing :confused:.

Thanks so much, Jean. BTW, I have missed you and everyone here very much. :grouphug: The rest of our trip was great. We had a fabulous time in Paris nonetheless :D. I just thought that I should warn others in case they ever wish to consider this company :thumbdown:. I had mistakenly thought that because Rick Steves recommends it, that it must be good. Not always the case.

Just thought to let others know, in case anyone plans plan on staying at a B&B in Paris. We stayed at one of the Alcove & Agapes B&B just over a month ago. We were there for a week. We stayed at property numbers 124 & 125 with Claudine. It looked lovely on the website and we read numerous glowing reviews which raved about the TV, free WiFi, etc. Our stay was not pleasant at all, to say the very least :thumbdown:. 1. It was far too overpriced for what we were paying. We paid $243 US per night. Perhaps if the cost had been half of that, it may, just may, have been worth it. But it's almost impossible to find reasonably priced accommodation in Paris for a family of 4 during the summer. 2. We never felt welcome. In fact, we were in a hurry to leave there in the mornings and not return until very late at night, even though we have 2 children. It was quite obvious that Claudine did not like us to be there. That's the problem it seems with Parisian B&Bs. There really is no privacy. This has not been our experience with B&Bs in the UK or in the US. 3. The breakfasts were extremely minimal and she was very, very cheap. Each person was allowed 2 very small pieces of bread and it would not fill any of us up – not even the kids. The juice (only one type offered) was foul. The breakfasts were not at all as shown in the pictures and described on the website. They were very sub-standard. The site says that we were to receive flaky croissants that she would warm for us each morning. There was none of that. 4. The shower was awkward and very old. Seriously needs an upgrade. The room with the toilet was quite bad also. 5. Our kids’ bed was very hard and uncomfortable. Both of them had backaches every morning. Our bed was nothing to rave about either. 6. The website says that laundry is free for all stays that are longer than 4 nights. When I approached Claudine about it, she went absolutely hysterical and started screaming away about how hard it is to do laundry, and how in France, people don’t wash their clothes very often, etc. Our load was small for a family of four. She said that she would have to charge me 10 Euros. I paid her, while reminding her that the site says that laundry should be free. She said that rule no longer applies. She continued screaming and started throwing our laundry everywhere – underwear ended up in the kitchen sink :lol:, socks on the kitchen floor. You get the picture. It was actually quite comical, but maybe now others will understand that staying at B&Bs in France, or at least, in Paris, may not be the best idea. 7. We were never really able to use the TV, since Claudine was always there watching it first. WiFi was only available in the TV room where she would always sit. WiFI was not available in our bedroom. 8. I honestly don’t believe that this lady in particular is cut for this job. She’s elderly and is unwilling to change. She walks around at night and starts turning off lights while we are using them. She’s of the post-WW2 generation of cheapness, yet the rates are certainly not cheap. We definitely did not get what we paid for. This establishment is stuck in the 70s, but charges 21st or possibly 22nd-century prices. I would never recommend this company and am quite surprised and disappointed that Rick Steves recommends it. Their customer service is good at first, until they receive payment. After that, they really do not care.

I don't get it either. I actually think they're kind of gross :thumbdown: and weird :leaving:.

I need to bookmark and re-read this thread.

Downloaded a sample of it today to my Kindle before going to the hairdresser. Liked it. Downloaded the entire book and read the whole thing at the hairdresser's - while spending 4 hours there today. Love that book. :D Thank you, and thank you, Missisemick, for recommending this. :iagree: Paula Begoun (cosmeticscop) says this also. I do this a few times a week, or, sometimes once a week. Love it. My skin is not very sensitive, so I can't honestly say. But I can say that I think it would be okay. The grains are quite fine. I think you'll be fine. When I think of this product, the words "silky" and "gentle" do come to mind. BTW, always love your avatar pic. :) I have been told by two estheticians (and I myself, being a former esthetician MANY years ago) was also told this - but can't remember the reason - to avoid those harsh apricot-type scrubs. I think it's just common sense. Too harsh and rough. It's always better to err on the side of babying the skin, to be cautious and gentle with it. Good reminder for me also. Interesting. Good to know. Years ago, when I used to wear make up, the Dior mascara was absolute heaven. Loved it. :D

Love hearing about your trip. :D :grouphug: Reading about it is so helpful for us. Thank you for taking the time to share and for PM-ing me throughout. :) Really do appreciate it.

Slight change in plan - probably not going to the Vanves Flea Market after all on Day 1. If anyone has any suggestions as to what to do on the morning of Day 1 - please do share. Should we just take it easy and head to: Rue Cler/Saint Eustache area Jardins de Luxembourg then we have MANY hours free before the evening at Tour d'Eiffel, etc. I don't know why, but I'm feeling so indecisive about day one. On the one hand, I like to take it easy and relax and hang out in cafes. OTOH, I feel that the family may want to do more. We like to have a plan, but then be flexible with it and to go from there. Maybe we should do one of Rick Steves Walks in the morning ... Thanks.

Me too. :) I also exfoliate every morning and/or evening. I alternate nights with Paula's Choice BHA Gel, which I absolutely love, and a bunch of other stuff in the mornings. One evening I exfoliate. Then I skip. Same thing for mornings. I apply a mask once a week. Exfolia Cloth Baking Soda paste DHC Facial Scrub (which I just got and am excited to start using) Mary Kay Timewise Microdermabrasion Me too. I hope to find the perfect concealer. I hope I won't need powder and all the other junk also. I just want simple, effective, and natural. Hope I find it. Someone here recommended YSL Touche Eclat and I'm going to look into that. I really should get this book. I've often been reluctant since I'm not a huge make up person anymore. I also don't plan on dying my hair. Other than skin care, which I really like to take care of, I'm quite low-maintenance, I think, compared to many, or, at least, compared to what I used to be. ;) I have and love Charla's other book - How to Never Look Fat Again. Fabulous book.

Alley, this year, unlike all previous years, I had absolutely no luck with getting ANY PL hotels and I'm usually the Queen of PL. I don't know if it was me that they have something against personally or what ... but it was really frustrating and rather odd. I tried and tried for different locations and countries even for months and months. http://www.betterbidding.com/ is good - lists winning bids in different cities, etc. http://www.biddingfortravel.com/ has far more useful tips and winning bids, etc. Lists all the hotels. I think the other one does also. Far more traffic on this site, but the lady who runs it is very, very touchy, cold, and quite frankly, really unpleasant. I'm not the first one to point this out. Many have issues with her. :glare:

I was, but then read that you will very soon start receiving lots and lots of spam. It was true. I did and it was awful :glare:. Had to change my email address. Hope it doesn't happen to you. I joined Library Thing instead.

:iagree: I know. I wish there was. I wish there was a nice, quick and easy way. :glare:

Man, oh man, that's too much work :glare:. I'd rather go without. It's something I would have considered doing back in the day, but not with my lifestyle and where we live, where hardly anyone wears heavy make up. I wish there was an EASY way to look nice that didn't look obvious that just looked natural, that made you look like you always get 10 hours of sleep, never suffer stress, have just fallen madly in love, you KWIM ... :lol: Wishful thinking, I know. Most of it is healthy living anyway - diet, sleep, exercise, fresh air, and most importantly being happy and content. :)

Fabulous idea :). Thank you for the reminder. We have lots of Green Magma. Although I am hoping to travel lightly (always seems impossible for me), this may be essential. Dc won't touch it. But dh and I will.

:iagree: Love Paula also. Dislike some of her ingredients, particularly in her sunscreens. I don't wear make up at all, but am considering concealer for dark under eye shadows, specifically YSL Touche Eclat since it was recommended so highly here by someone (sorry, can't remember who, but I am grateful). The only make up I do wear is tinted lip balm from time to time. I used to wear lots and lots of make up. I feel that I look better without it. Dh agrees. I dislike make up looking too obvious, or even obvious at all. My question: about foundation - I have never been able to find the right shade. Ever. Even with professional make up artists in NYC walking outside the store with me onto the street. I'm talking a famous make up artist that used to (at that time anyway) appear on TV talk shows. I would always end up with a horrible line of demarcation. Hate that obvious look. :glare: Should i just stick with nothing, tinted moisturizer, or what??? I have a shiny forehead that I would love to hide. But I dislike too much powder. I like to take care of my skin and exfoliate regularly. I also like to have my eyebrows professionally waxed and tweezed once a month. The only times that I seem to even think about make up are when we travel. In my day-to-day life here - teaching my dc and a very simple life that we have (me being quite an introvert), I really don't feel the need to wear make up much at all. I guess my problem is that I've been watching too much of What Not to Wear and Carmindy has me hooked. :)

I'm no longer too concerned about food in France or Britain. Israel didn't worry me at all. I love Israeli food. I was worried about food in France mainly, simply because there has been some very recent cases of e coli there and more specifically, a few deaths. I'm sure we won't die on this trip, but, since we don't go to Europe very often, I just don't want us to get sick. That's all. :) I love street food :D. Funny enough, I never get sick from street food in this part of the world. Everything I get is cooked well, however. My mother has always told me to avoid salads in most places, and I do that for the most part.

Kate, good for you both :D. I haven't yet been able to do P3 successfully due to many things going on. I've still lost lots of weight and am very close to my goal/ideal weight. I hope to start another round within the next year and hope to follow it more according to protocol. I would love to do P3 properly and to really and truly find out which foods I'm sensitive to, specifically, which ones cause me to gain, etc. I'm so curious about that. So happy for you and your dh! :grouphug:

Thank you all so much. I feel a bit better. France has had some new cases, but hopefully no more. None in Israel or the U.K. that I am aware of.