Seven top podcasts on culture, ideas, and current events that gain my attention each week. What are your podcast favorites?

JournalLeslie FarnsworthMay 26, 2021cultureComment

Why the Loire Valley Has So Many Castles

Why does the Loire Valley have such a high concentration of castles? And why are so many of the Loire Valley castles so well preserved?

WanderingLeslie FarnsworthMay 19, 2021France, travel, culture, Loire ValleyComment

Best Novels for French Language Learners by CEFRL Level

Reading a book improves language learners’ grammar, spelling, and vocabulary. Here are my recommendations for novels in French that language learners will enjoy, categorized by CEFRL level.

Month-in-Review Highlights: April 2021

How our friends and our workouts change our minds and our bodies.

JournalLeslie FarnsworthMay 5, 2021writing, exercise, fitness, postmortemComment

How to Choose a Wedding Planner from a Distance

How do you find a wedding planner to help you get married in a location far from where you live? Whether you want to get married in France (from a U.S. home base, like me) or elsewhere, here’s what you need to know.

WanderingLeslie FarnsworthApril 28, 2021wedding, franceComment

Hoodies in Pop Culture: Positive and Negative Representations in Fictional Narratives

How have fictional representations influenced the image and impressions we have of the hoodie today—if at all?

ThinkingLeslie FarnsworthApril 21, 2021hoodie, fashion, culture Comments

Stakes [Pull Up / Put Down]: An Interview with Cristina Silingardi

“I appreciate people a lot more. I realized there are so many ways to expand who you are and your enjoyment of life. It brings choices.”

MigratingLeslie FarnsworthApril 14, 2021expat, culture Comments

Books I've Read: Q1 2021

Need book recommendations to keep up with your reading goals for the year? Check out my reading list for Q1 2021, with my favorites in bold.

JournalLeslie FarnsworthApril 7, 2021reading, literature, books Comments

Month-in-Review Highlights: March 2021

I’ve struggled in the first quarter of this year with making progress on one of my creative goals.

JournalLeslie FarnsworthApril 1, 2021goals, postmortem, fitness, coronavirus diariesComment

Traveling in France: Navigating Cultural Differences

Each of these four categories of “French travel surprises” tie to often-unexpected cultural differences. In expecting them—and reducing the “surprise” factor—you’ll have a much better travel experience.

WanderingLeslie FarnsworthMarch 25, 2021France, culture, travel Comments

The Coronavirus Diaries: The Anniversary Edition

Though I knew I would write a coronavirus diaries anniversary post, I’d thought that one year after the start of the COVID-19 saga would look much different than it does.

Misguided Thinking on Paying Markups and Commissions

Why buying “at cost” is a myth. You can’t avoid markups and commissions—and you waste time by even trying.

ThinkingLeslie FarnsworthMarch 10, 2021sales, business Comments

Month-in-Review Highlights: February 2021

For most of my goal-setting years, I’ve easily accomplished my exercise objectives. Typically, I’ve even exceeded them.

JournalLeslie FarnsworthMarch 3, 2021goals, postmortem Comments

Stakes [Pull Up / Put Down]: An Interview with Greg Foley

“Home is where everything converges,” Greg said. “Home is where the heart is, and that’s a pretty good definition.”

MigratingLeslie FarnsworthFebruary 23, 2021expat, stakes, cultureComment

Side Benefits to Learning a Language

In the process of learning French, I discovered three unexpected side benefits that I’ve found interesting to contemplate (and that have kept me slogging forward).

ThinkingLeslie FarnsworthFebruary 10, 2021education, language learningComment

Month-in-Review Highlights: January 2021

I had the sinking feeling all month that I’d already fallen grossly behind schedule across several fronts.

JournalLeslie FarnsworthFebruary 4, 2021postmortem, goalsComment

Stakes [Pull Up / Put Down]: An Interview with Mark Cohen

“I’d never looked at America as an outsider before,” he said. “Before, I’d been guilty of having an American-centric point of view.”

MigratingLeslie FarnsworthJanuary 28, 2021stakes, expat, cultureComment

The Best Books I Read in 2020

After a lot of reflection, I’ve named my best-of-the-best reads of 2020. I would recommend these three books highly to anyone seeking meaty, story-driven fiction that will still make you think—and feel.

JournalLeslie FarnsworthJanuary 20, 2021reading, books, cultureComment