Keith Van Sickle

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Keith Van Sickle

Goodreads Author


Website

Twitter

Genre

Influences
Marcel Pagnol, Peter Mayle, Bill Bryson, David Sedaris

Member Since
November 2016


Keith Van Sickle grew up in Alameda, California, the son of public school teachers. He got his first taste of overseas life while spending a college term in England and later backpacked around the world for six months.

Grateful for the scholarships that helped him pay for college, in 1987 he started a foundation that helps students from Alameda pursue a college education.

Keith fell in love with Europe during a five-year expat assignment in Switzerland, where he and his wife Val lived in a village with more cows than people. After returning to the US, Keith helped start a company whose product was so geeky that he still doesn’t quite understand it.

Keith and Val dreamed of living abroad again but were unable to find another expat gig. So they
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Keith Van Sickle My wife and I once had the opportunity to live and work in Switzerland as expats. After five years our assignment ended and we tried to find another, …moreMy wife and I once had the opportunity to live and work in Switzerland as expats. After five years our assignment ended and we tried to find another, but no luck.

Eventually we invented our own expat gig by quitting our jobs and becoming consultants (allowing us to sometimes work from afar). Then we moved to France part-time, despite having only the most tenuous command of the language. Hilarity, as they say, ensued.

We have eventually settled into France, mastered the language and developed a wide circle of friends. I thought that our story would be interesting to others, both for the way we worked our way into French society and because we split our time between two countries. Plus I have a lot of funny stories about how France is, um, different than the US!(less)
Keith Van Sickle I'm getting ready to write a follow-up book, continuing the story of the adventures my wife Val and I have enjoyed in France.

So here's a question for …more
I'm getting ready to write a follow-up book, continuing the story of the adventures my wife Val and I have enjoyed in France.

So here's a question for any readers who may wish to weigh in - what, if anything, would you like to be different in this second book? You can either comment on my blog (at www.keithvansickle.com) or my Facebook page (Keith Van Sickle, Author) or write directly at author@keithvansickle.com.

Thanks!(less)
Average rating: 3.92 · 949 ratings · 141 reviews · 4 distinct worksSimilar authors
One Sip at a Time: Learning...

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Are We French Yet? Keith & ...

4.14 avg rating — 326 ratings4 editions
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An Insider's Guide to Provence

4.28 avg rating — 43 ratings2 editions
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An Insider's Guide to St-Ré...

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* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

Dry January in France

There is a program called Dry January that encourages drinkers to forgo alcohol for the month and ask themselves questions like: How many drinks do I have a day? Why? And how do I deal with the social pressure to drink? 

Begun in the UK in 2013, Dry January has spread throughout the world. In 2020 it was launched in France as Défi de janvier (January challenge), but it was unclear if it would b

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Published on January 28, 2026 09:17

Keith’s Recent Updates

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L'Adversaire by Emmanuel Carrère
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This book wasn't easy to read, given the subject, but was compelling and well-written. What kind of person does what Romand does? How does he live with himself? It is still a mystery, but Carrère helps us understand at least some of it. ...more
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Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
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So interesting! Calvino has quite the imagination, with so many different and fascinating takes on the city.
Keith Sickle is currently reading
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
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Un peu plus loin sur la droite by Fred Vargas
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One of Fred's better books, really a fun read. ...more
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L'exil et le royaume by Albert Camus
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Some of the stories were interesting, others not so much.
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Sans feu ni lieu by Fred Vargas
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Not Vargas' best, but still a fun read. We had less of the Three Evangelists than usual and more of Louis and his toad. I can see why Vargas didn't write any more in this series, it seems she ran out of ideas. ...more
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Junil by Joan-Lluís Lluís
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A pleasant read.
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Mesopotamia by Olivier Guez
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The life of Gertrude Bell was fascinating, and I learned a lot about the construction of the modern Middle East and her role in it. At the same time, I found the jumping back and forth in time confusing, and
Keith Sickle rated a book really liked it
Alameda by Rail by Grant Ute
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This is kind of the definition of a hyper-local book. But if you grew up on the island as I did, it's great. Lots of Alameda history, tons of great photos, I learned a lot and appreciate all the work that went into the making of this book. ...more
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Educated by Tara Westover
Educated
by Tara Westover (Goodreads Author)
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Wow. Very well written, compelling, and thought provoking, this is an important book.
More of Keith's books…
Frédéric Mistral
“When the Good Lord begins to doubt the world, he remembers that he created Provence”
Frédéric Mistral

Colette
“Faites des bêtises, mais faites-les avec enthousiasme”
Colette

459487 NEW FRENCH FICTION IN TRANSLATION : My French Life™ BOOK CLUB — 128 members — last activity Sep 17, 2024 11:07PM
NEW FRENCH FICTION IN TRANSLATION This group is part of My French Life™ - Ma Vie Française® French Book Club. A great way to stay up to date with F ...more
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