Paris and France as observed wryly and up-close by a long-term North American Paris resident. Seventy-two witty, sharply observed vignettes of daily life, personalities, women, society, culture, history, esthetics, economics and politics, with connecting mini-essays as context and introduction to each topic. A book full of color and humor that skewers French foibles and hypocrisies, while offering clear-eyed praise for France's values and lifestyle. Not a museum-by-museum guidebook, but a book that gives you an intimate "feel" for Paris and France today -- including their ever-present history...

The book is about America's unending "war on terror" -- how it is being lost, and how it could be won. Napoleon's remark about bayonets fits well America's inclination to see world affairs in military terms. Analyzing Islam and the 2011 Arab uprisings, the book explains U.S. militaristic culture, and shows how invading Muslim lands, and backing "safe" strongmen, clearly fosters terrorism. Strong national defense demands robust, multi-faceted counter-terrorism. But radical Islam opens a contest of ideas. And arms can't defeat ideas, only better ideas can. The West's "weapons of mass...

The ruthless owner of a top French champagne house lies bleeding to death in his own underground caves. Baffled by the secretive world of those who make and market champagne, the Reims region Police Judiciaire face a tangle of deadly rivalries, illicit passions and industrial espionage. All of this lands on the plate of Commissaire Denise Caron, the Police Judiciaire's opera-loving young chief investigator. Drawing on her knowledge of medieval legends, and leaning on her team of experts (and her carpenter-lover) she drives her pursuit to a heart-stopping finale.