I'm back from visiting my daughter, who's studying in Paris for a semester. I toyed with the idea of blogging there, but found it incredibly difficult to type while holding a criossant aux amandes and sipping chocolat chaud.

This week I can catch everyone up on the trip, including the city's phenomenal bookstores and its rich literary culture. It's a marvel -- there's nothing like it in the United States.

But first I want to thank all the Read Streeters who suggested books to make my trip more meaningful. Here's my pre-flight list: The Black Tower by Louis Bayard, a well-written mystery built around the French Revolution; Metro Stop Paris by Gregor Dallas, a look at the city's cultural history through neighborhood Metro stations; The Flaneur by Edmund White, a collection of engaging essays about Parisian life, and Murder on the Ile St. Louis by Cara Black, part of the Aimee Leduc mystery series. Each provided a fresh look at the city.

My TBR list still includes the writings of A.J. Liebling, The Discovery of France by Graham Robb, and Seven Ages of Paris by Alistair Horne. On the trip, I also bought a couple of books by French authors: Have Mercy on Us All by Fred Vargas, and The Interrogation by J.M.G. Le Clezio, who won the 2008 Nobel for literature. It's an imposing pile, but it will help stretch the vacation memories. If you have others, let me know while I'm still riding the sugar-high of les patisseries and chocolatiers.