Are you Normale Superiere, or just Grand? These are the kinds of delightful questions that you can ponder
- Image by graham chandler via Flickr
as you plan your immediate escape – to Paris! In these depressed economic times, there are very few things that can 1) boost your joy habit and are also 2) affordable, 3) enjoyable and 4) good for your brain. But one of the absolute best is a Good Read. As things get more economically grim, it’s time to start making a post-it list for your refrigerator of the kinds of activities you and your family can do to take charge of your entertainment, and drag yourselves out of the dolldrums.
Take the author, Cara Black (obligatory conflict-of-interest notice: this a superb human, and I say this despite the fact that she is NOT giving me cash in any way, shape or form), and her Aimee Leduc series of mysteries. Cara is known for her ability to transport you to Paris (for only the cost of a book! And no cramming yourself into coach!). Cara’s latest book will take you inside the Latin Quarter where you get to visit the Comparative Anatomy Research Facility – part of the Natural History Museum and tied to the Ecole Normale Superieure – one of the Grands Ecoles in Paris. How often are you going to get to do that in your life?
But maybe you’re not interested in buying a book (or can’t afford to?). Well, check out your local bookstore for the best, cheapest, highest-quality entertainment around (what’s better than FREE performances by people KNOWN for their verbal wit and virtuosity?). Go to the website of your favorite author (including kids’ books) and you may be amazed at how these people are just there, waiting to you to show up and listen, free of charge! Don’t believe me? Take a gander at Cara’s list of appearances purely for the first half of March: here. I’m blown away just reading it!
Do you have a Joy Habit tip to share that combines affordability, entertainment and good for your health/brain? Share them with us in the comments section!