Current features, travel adventures, and whatever interesting stuff I find on the net or in life.
Book sale: if you buy Intermediate French for Dummies between now and the end of April, you can get a $5 rebate – just download the rebate form and follow the instructions here: Dummies rebate
If you didn’t already know about it, my book includes intermediate-level grammar lessons, writing tips, and practice exercises, and is the most extensive (and, all modesty aside, the best) book I’ve written. Check it out at Amazon.com or your favorite bookstore:
Here are some links to help you celebrate with your beloved.
French love language
French terms of endearment
Spanish love language
Vegetarian aphrodisiacs
Freelance journalist Nadine Visagie of Suite101 recently tracked me down to answer some questions about The Importance of Learning French.
Good-bye 2009 and the unnamed first decade of the new millenium! Hello 2010 and another difficult to name decade! I spent nearly the entire year in France, other than my three weeks in Italy, and I’ll likely be in France for all of the new year as well. Best wishes to all!
Here’s some reading material and ideas for New Year’s Resolutions for you:
New Year’s in France
French New Year’s Resolutions
Veggie Table New Year’s Resolutions
I hope you and your families are happy, safe, and warm this holiday season. Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all!
Vegetarian Christmas Menu
Christmas in France
French Christmas Vocabulary
Spanish Christmas Vocabulary
Thanksgiving, as celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, is a uniquely American holiday, but you still might want to talk about it in French or Spanish. Here’s some vocabulary related to American Thanksgiving:
French Thanksgiving Vocabulary
Spanish Thanksgiving Vocabulary
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve started receiving tons of Facebook friend requests from people I don’t know and with whom I have no friends in common. I can only guess that my profile is showing up somewhere on theirs because we have something (most likely French) in common. Since it doesn’t seem right to “friend” someone I don’t know, I created a couple of other pages:
Learn French at About fan site, for people who love my free French site.
Laura K. Lawless fan site, if you love me for more than just my French site. 
So long 2008! Come on in, 2009! This was one of the best years of my life – I started out in Costa Rica and ended up – after trying to move here for almost 20 years – in France! May all your dreams come true, too.
Here’s some reading material and ideas for New Year’s Resolutions:
New Year’s in France
French New Year’s Resolutions
Veggie Table New Year’s Resolutions
I just finished watching the short-lived French series Cinq sÅ“urs (Five Sisters), and I’m very disappointed. It was on 5 nights a week and was supposed to last for a year (260 episodes), but was cancelled after just 108. It wasn’t brilliant by any means, but it was interesting and it was also great for French listening practice, as there were a variety of formal and informal situations (though the verbs tutoyer and vouvoyer were used more than I’ve ever heard them in real life). Plus, it ended on a cliffhanger, with numerous characters in mortal danger. Very uncool! 
Il n’y a pas de club de conversation française à Hyères, donc j’en crée un. Bavard’Hyères invite les Hyérois (qu’ils soient français ou étrangers) qui ont aussi de bavarder en français et de faire la connaissance d’autres amateurs de la langue française. Les sujets peuvent s’étendre des livres aux films et du voyage à la politique – la seule limitation est la langue de discussion: Bavard’Hyères.
