avoir bobo = to be hurt. Although Smokey is 99 percent bobo free, I cannot say the same about my latest book. Read on and see whether you can help! (photo taken this morning.)
bobo* (boh boh) noun, masculine
: owie, a sore, a hurt
*French baby talk
**Update: this just in, via email from Mac: "Also often used today for BOurgeois BOhemian. Un bobo."
A Day in a SELF-PUBLISHER'S Life…
Sorry for this intrusion, for sneaking in here between the MWF posts, but I need a big favor from those of you who have bought my latest livre…
I am about to order a large quantity of "French Word-A-Day" books but, before doing so, I will need to update the current edition with any changes. This will bring us to an exciting 2nd edition!
Corrections / Changes / Suggestions?
Have you noticed any typos or mistakes in the French Word-A-Day (Summer Stories) book? Format problems? (How about the 9-point type—too small?) Please point out to me any soucis by leaving an edit/a note/a suggestion in the comments box or via email (in the subject line, please write "corrections"). Do you have any additional thoughts for this or future French Word-A-Day books?
Mille mercis for your help! And thank you for continuing to buy my book for friends and family. Your orders, each and every one, are allowing me to make contacts in the book industry and to explore further publishing opportunities.
Amicalement,
Kristin
French Vocabulary
un livre (m) = book
un souci (m) = worry
Smokey's best impression of un phoque = a seal. He enjoyed skimming the icy surface of the vineyard this morning, out gallivanting with his mom, but regretted there weren't enough icy flakes to fall into, so as to make angels in the newly coated ground.
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I haven’t read every word yet, but looking through and reading here and there, I have not noticed any typos. I love all the photos. The type size is fine. Good Luck with the second edition! How exciting. Jeanne
À propos de bobo, one of my favourite French jokes (from a Carambar wrapper):
Question: Quelle est la capitale de Tamalou?
Answer: Jebobola
Favourite because I spent hours wondering where Tamalou is – until I realized:
T’as mal ou?
J’ai bobo là
Surrey, England. Blue sky, sunshine, but zero degrees C and 6 inches of snow on the ground.
I have also heard on sandrine’s bbc show on paris that a “bobo” is something between a bourgeoise and a bohemian- a kind of affluent hip person who shops in expensive or hip resale shops but is also very “left”. How about that???!!
The book’s look is lovely! I’d say go with slightly larger type, if feasible, perhaps 12 point. Good luck.
Kristi Darling,
Where do you come up with all of this “stuff” – I must say each time I open the email-box I am amazed with your creativity. Sounds to me like you’ve got your thinking cap on – ready to face 2010 with bang.
WHERE IS MY B-O-O-K !!!??? I feel like the
shoemakers “Mother”.
Sunny and 80 degrees in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico…
XOXO
JULES
I haven’t noticed any typos in what I have read. Pictures are beautiful. I like the font size.
Loved the pictures of Smokey this morning.
Jules – so glad your back – missed reading your thoughts
Cloudy and 54 degrees in Phoenix, AZ brrrrr!
Dear Kristin,
I have not noticed anything yet mostly because I was thrilled with the colors, paper quality and other such things. I did order the paperback so I can stick inside my big handbag, you know to have sth fun to read when necessary, but should get a hard copy too. So, I am off to checking now. I wish my first book of yours was of the same quality. And of course i love the photographs.
Smokey looks so cute.
xoxo
Kristin,
I haven’t noticed any typos. I’ll look again tonight when I get home. In looking at Smokey’s face I see un petit bobo but no tongue sticking out! Apparently he won’t have that side effect. I can’t say the same for my mother, Portia’s, Pomchi Jose. Jose has had all of his teeth pulled and his tongue is permanently in view. I’ll send you a photo of him at our house in New Jersey at Christmas.
Jeanne & Cheryl, I appreciate your words about the type size!
Chris, loved the Carambar joke (though this blond had to read it twice–don’t tell my son or he’ll NEVER let me live it down).
Dear Shoemaker’s Mother: your book should arrive in Mexico, via FedEx, anytime now. I love you, Mom! This book wouldn’t be possible without your cheers and support– and those of “our friends”, as you call everyone in the “comments club”–indeed, anyone reading your daughter’s blog is your friend! Thanks for the warmth & fun that you share which brings us all together.
Darling Kristi,
I am now most excited about my Christmas Present…I do hope it is the deluxe hardbound wrap-a-round cover. I am daydreaming today about having my own studio and I know just the place I will display your book. I always thought it would be cool to have them displayed in shadow boxes on the wall – looks like my collection will keep on growing with all of the new and exciting energy you are displaying this early in 2010. Yes! This is going to be a great year for all of us. Somehow I survived 2009 and have come out on the other side full of excitement and joy over what lies ahead. I must say I couldn’t have made it without FWAD…always surprising me with happy stories. So many of our friends here in the comments box supported me with their little notes and love – thank you for standing by me when I was silent. Last night I went over to our Darling Mona’s blog and just spent time with her adorable cats Ollie and Augustus. Augustus reminds me of my cat MAX – yes he is named after your Max who is named after my dear and departed dog Max – etc. etc. Today I am getting my life in order and making a list of my favorite photographs of your blog for future paintings…after almost a year of not painting I am finally ready to fly with the brushes.
Karen – i am always so touched that you remember me here – Robin,Candy and Cyndi too and all of the rest of you beautiful people. I love you – I am back and happy and ready to enjoy FWAD with all of you.
XOXO
JULES
Dear Kristin,
I haven’t noticed any typos, but I am not a good editor. I love the book, the pictures, the colour, the overall quality. And of course the stories. I will email Mara and ask her to check for typos. She is a much more carefull reader than I am.
Hi Jules, glad to hear your “E-voice” again.
Sunny, -6 with about 10 cm of snow. Lots of birds at my feeders.
Hi Kristin
I haven’t read every page either, I keep dipping in and out, which is lovely. But I haven’t noticed any typos and like others above have stated, the photos are great. Font size? Maybe 12… but it’s not critical.
Good luck your book is a pleasure.
Thinking of you all in freezing Europe, it is sunny and heading for 34deg C here today in Melbourne. Sorry guys…keep warm. 🙂
Kristin, I think that the more you take your words from la vie familiale quotidienne, the more useful they will be for people who might find themselves living in France even for a short time. Today’s word is a great example. I am learning, learning, learning! And having such fun, along with you and your dogs and your kids.
Smokey is a love and a trouper! I especially warmed to the photo from a day or so ago of Smokey asleep on his mother’s side…a precious image! These images, and the story of his trauma and recovery (including well wishes from all over the world), would make a great future book, not just for children!
New Year’s greetings and best wishes for a healthy and prosperous year ahead to you and your family from very cold and snowy Minnesota,
Kate Johnson
katearts@aol.com
Hi Kristin,
Your new book arrived in today’s mail. The special cover with the design printed on it instead of an outer flap is beautiful, and I can’t wait to read the stories and look at your amazing photographs.
It might be good to consider increasing the point size in future editions to make the text more legible for older eyes. I can read the text easily without contact lenses in though but would need my reading glasses to read the small print otherwise.
I look forward to your stories and photos of life in France.
Bonne année et bonne santé!
Lorena Meunier, lcmeunier@yahoo.com
Smokey does not need to make any snow angels, as he is a snow angel himself!
You spelled my name correctly in your story about your needless worries about being my editor. That is the only thing I checked carefully. What else matters? 😉
Having read all the stories in the emails, I have not re-read every one. I love the photos. The stories I’ve read have seemed easier to read than the blog posts, perhaps because a nice crisp font on bright white paper even at 9-pt is much easier to read than most anything on a computer screen. Lou, who does not follow the blog, has been happily reading through the book enjoying the stories for the first time and asking questions like, “so that was Braise we met?” She is fastidious about grammar and punctuation and I haven’t heard her complain about anything. I’ll ask her if she has noticed anything.
My one suggestion would be a table of contents. Not only would it help readers find a story about a particular word, but would also alert someone like me that there were recipes and other things at the end of the book. I just discovered them when I thought I ought to look more carefully before I wrote this note!
It is a beautiful book. As I told you, I ordered the book the first day after I saw on the website that you included that photo of the sign for Le Bateleur in Vaison. And whenever I need a hearty laugh I turn to p. 78 to read “Sauve qui peut.” 😉
I’m glad you have a need for a second printing! Congratulations!
So far, I haven’t noticed anything & love the book & am thrilled that a second printing is necessary. Jules, so glad to see you back here. I often don’t have time to read all the responses but always scan them to see what you have to say and have been disappointed lately with nothing from you–makes me concerned that you are OK, but hard to imagine you as anything but OK++.
bobo* (boh boh) noun, masculine
: owie, a sore, a hurt
I can’t believe no one has mentioned this…in English, at least in American English, un bobo is a boo boo!
Kristin, have not received my book yet but will be happy to check for typos and mistakes when I get it; also will recommend it to my book club!! Did you receive my email with my order number for CV?
Jules; you sound wonderful and I send you a warm hug!!
Wishing all of you a Happy and Healthy 2010 full of good times and laughter!
Dev
Snowing and 18 degrees in Madison Alabama!
Kristin, I, also, have not noticed any typos, but I haven’t read the whole book in detail. As far as the type size goes, I would prefer a slightly bigger type, but it’s not a big deal to me.
Kristin,
I definitely suggest a larger type font. As one gets older, it’s maddening to not be able to see print clearly with fetching one’s glasses. Thanks for asking about it.
Smokey’s picture provides an interesting perspective. Take your hand and hide the “bobo” side of his face. His normal side looks at life with a calm eye, mixed with a bit of boredom. Now cover the left side of his face. We see the uneasiness that life’s malicious events can cause. He looks at life with a wary eye that remembers and distrusts the unpredictable world. What a beautiful mixture in that sweet, and now wise, face! You have a beautiful, and now quite original, dog!
Polly (from Fort Mill, South Carolina, where the weather now is quite brutally cold for us Southerners, and has been all week: in the high teens at night and never getting much above freezing during the day. Brrrrrr!)
Hi Kristin,
I just finished your new book and I enjoyed it very much! I didn’t see any typos and the font size seems good. Congratulations and look forward to more! I would love to see a coffee table book of your photos!!
Eileen
Dear Kristin ~
I haven’t read all of the book as yet, but I love it so far! The stories are delightful and the pictures wonderful! I also agree, however, that perhaps a larger print might be beneficial for those of us whose eyesight isn’t what it used to be.
I also liked the idea of a recipe section. We’ve tried your tomato tart and yogurt cake recipes. The tart was really good, but the cake for some reason did not cook in the middle. I would like to share a recipe that our friends near La Rochelle made for us when we visited last September:
Alexandra and Marc’s Zucchini Casserole
Saute one sliced onion
Lay the onions in the bottom of a baking dish or pan, then alternate layers of sliced zucchini and sliced tomatoes.
Salt and pepper optional.
Sprinkle one crushed (or crumbled) chicken bouillon cube on top. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-60 minutes. Every 15 minutes press down with spatula to make juice.
We also tried it with (cooked) ground beef and it was very good.
We look forward to your next edition ~ keep up the good work.
Angela & Robert from “sunny California”
Hi Kristin ~
Well, personally, I liked the yogurt cake! True, the center was more like pudding than cake — but that was the best part! I tried making it twice, in different shaped pans, but it came out the same both times. According to a cooking website I found, the cause was likely the amount of oil in the recipe, but it didn’t give a possible solution. Have you ever had the same outcome? (If not, why not?)
About your book — the only suggestion I have is for anyone who hasn’t yet bought it. For heaven’s sake, put out a few extra dollars and purchase the “Hardcover, ImageWrap” version (the cover image and text are printed directly on the cover rather than on a dust jacket) — it is simply beautiful!
I envy you for the snow — I grew up in Canada at about the same latitude as Domaine Rouge-Bleu — and loved the winters (until I learned to drive).
Cordialement ~
Bob Fowler,
Monterey Park, CA
Angela and Bob, hmmm… not sure why the cake is “pudding” in the middle. Did you preheat the oven? Try changing the cooking time (to 45 minutes) and temperature and please let me know!
Thanks to everyone for the excellent book suggestions! I have been working away on the second edition: adding more photos (there were no photos of my daughter or Jean-Marc–for I knew they would appear in future books. Still, why leave them out of this one? I’ve added a two page collage at the end of the book. I’ve also added a “Contents” page (thanks Gary!) and found some nice ornamental decor for a few of the section titles. I agree with Bob: the Imagewrap version is the best! I am working to get the price down for you, on this imagewrap, which means I will need sell a greater volume. Stay tuned!
Thanks again for all these lovely notes!