WORD FOR SURGE IN FRENCH? Maybe you should know

How do you say 'surge' in French? Or any other word in French. How about learning that foreign language you studied for two years in college and don't remember a damn thing about. It's not too late. Hey, my grandfather learned fluent Italian when he was 80. So what's stopping you? I know. Everyone speaks English. You don't have time. Well, on your next trip to Whole Foods, I bet you won't be hesitant to buy Spanish olive oil, French mineral water, or dozens of other products. Admit it. You won't try speaking another language because it's hard. Remember those studies in aging. Use it or lose it. In other words, maybe you should get off your butt.

ALICE MCDERMOTT

Real writing for real women. Charming Billy by Alice McDermott. Does not have warning label "May cause drowsiness" as do the books by, among others, Toni Morrison, Anne Tyler, and Sandra Cisneros. "Eloquent...heartbreaking...McDermott is brilliant." —The New York Times Book Review "An astoundingly beautiful novel about the persistence of love, the perseverance of grief, and all-but-unbearable loneliness, as well as faith, loyalty and redemption." —The Philadelphia Inquirer "In Charming Billy, Ms. McDermott writes...with wisdom and grace, refusing to sentimentalize her characters even as she forces us to recognize their decency and goodness. She has written a luminous and affecting novel." —Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times