Saratoga News
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Spectors share French adventures in Saratoga Library presentation
If there's one thing Ira and Barbara Spector like to do, it's nothing.
Not just any kind of nothing, though--the kind that comes with the tranquility of a villa in the south of France.
The Los Gatos couple has been staying in a villa in Sainte Maxime on the Mediterranean coast for a month every year since 1996. A few years ago, they decided to immortalize their treasured vacations in literature and wrote A Month of Sundays: Villa Life in the South of France, about their pursuit of peace and relaxation in a foreign culture.
The Spectors say writing a book together came with its share of challenges. They settled on each writing particular chapters, with the author identified in the running head so readers would always know whose voice they were reading. Then, they would trade chapters and help edit and critique each other's work, often in local restaurants.
"There are some restaurants in Los Gatos that we are no longer welcome in," Barbara jokes.
The Spectors will give a talk, hosted by Friends of the Saratoga Libraries, on Sept. 6 at 9:30 a.m. at the Saratoga Library, the corner of Saratoga and Fruitvale avenues.
Elaine Brett of the Friends says, "The Spectors are funny, articulate and passionate about sharing their experiences with other Americans who are considering spending time abroad without the benefit of tour guides."
For more information, visit www.santaclaracountylib.org/saratoga or call 408.867.6128.
