Read: Peter Mayle - Provence A - Z

This book is a hodgepodge of short essays on various things French, arranged alphabetically. It makes for a fun, quirky encyclopedia. I actually got answers to a few questions (like why there was a trophy of a bare-bottomed woman for sale in the trophy store down the street - it's Fanny, awarded to the loser) and practically information I can use (like how to choose a ripe melon at the market).