Lately I've been reading, or should I say listening to, audio books by Donna Leon: an American born author who has been living and working in Italy for several years. I like her style and her sharp perception of the Italian society, I find her novels pleasant to read, and I recommend them if you are preparing for a trip to Italy.

Guido Brunetti is the "commissario di polizia" who solves mysteries and tries to catch bad guys in the romantic city of Venezia; and as he does so, through the words of Donna Leon, his colleagues and family, tell us how things really work in Italy.

Donna Leon writes about Italy like a true Italian would, and she tenderly criticizes and points out the peculiarities and secrets of this curious society. Her understanding of the political mechanism makes it easier for other Americans to capture and be intrigued by "the story behind the scenes".

And if you plan to benefit from the audio book instead of the printed copy, so that you can carry "Signor Guido" with you while driving around Houston, then you'll have another guest in your car: Anna Fields, the one and only professional speaker that will systematically mispronounce every possible Italian word out of the book. Rest assured that if you learn to avoid her same mistakes, you'll be on your way to speak Italian like a native.

I hope you'll enjoy these titles.

Robert

Amazon.com Donna Leon's
Houston Libraries Paper and Audio Books
Books On Tape.com Donna Leon