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I'm a sucker for lost manuscript stories whether it's a brilliant piece of literature such as Suite Française by Irene Nemirovsky or the fun read of a Red Leather Diary by Lily Koppel. The back story of When Washington Was in Vogue grabbed me: lost manuscript with initmate, first-hand details about Washington DC's black high society in the jazz age. I couldn't put it down.

Julie Hersh surprised me the first time she read her work. This woman, who looked to me a lot like Jackie Kennedy Onassis, had written a riveting account of her depression and attempted suicide.

This moving humanitarian adventure tale continues the story of building schools in remote villages of Pakistan and Afghanistan begun in Three Cups of Tea.

Still Alice is a heartwarming story of Alice, a 49 year old, highly intelligent, well-educated and successful woman who is diagnosed with Alzheimers. It begins with Alice forgetting simple things, and becoming disoriented in familiar places. By the end of the two-year period covered by the book, Alice doesn't always remember her family members, and is unable to work.

If you're always the last one standing at baggage claim waiting for giant bags that require a stevedore to lift, you need help from the little black dress. Packing for the long trip does not require steamer trunks with the packing space of a New York apartment closet.

Yesterday we drove to Dijon. Had a fabulous lunch at La Maison Milliere, a small cafe in a fifteenth century building just behind the Eglise Notre Dame. This was perfect because the famous owl of Dijon, La Chouett, is on that church's north wall. Legend has it that rubbing the owl's stomach with your left hand brings luck and makes your wish come true.

Today we drove through the lovely towns and villages of the Rhone Valley and into Burgundy. Everything was covered in snow until we reached Macon and then there was nothing at all. It didn't diminish slowly--there was a lot of snow and then none at all.

Haruki Murakami took up running in his early 30s. A heavy smoker, owner of a jazz club in Tokyo, he'd recently decided he wanted to write a novel. Three moderately successful novels later, he realized if he wanted to have a long life writing novels, he'd need to get healthy.

The last full day for Alex and Erin to be with us. We had big plans. Got up early and went to the Saturday morning market. We checked out all the cool stuff they had for sale.