Staff Pick
British author Peter Mayle and his wife make real their dream of living in the French countryside when they purchase a 200-year-old stone farmhouse. When Mayle's publisher complains about the lateness of his expected manuscripts, Mayle writes back a detailed account of the trials and indignities he faces with the upkeep of said farmhouse. That letter to his publisher eventually becomes A Year in Provence, and the book is hilarious, charming, and nightmarish in equal measure. Mayle, at the center of this chaos, is the quintessential befuddled man-of-the-country, and he has the writing chops to tell you all about it. Hysterical! Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com