Peter Mayle
While I didn’t really consider this book as part of the “travel” genre when I first started it, it made me want to pick up and travel more than any other travel book has. Every part of this book made me want to move to Provence, buy a 200-year old farmhouse, learn French, and enjoy French food and wine. The lifestyle, the people, the food [especially], and of course, the abundance of wine, all made it seem like there isn’t a better place on earth. Mayle and his wife were fortunate enough to realize a dream that many, including me, share, and this book is his story of their first year in a new home and a new country. Mayle is English and his stories about the differences in culture and language are funny as he and his wife learn to adjust to the slower pace of life in Provence. Mayle’s story-telling makes you feel like you’re in Provence while reading this book, and it was a great way to escape the craziness of life here for a bit each day.