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Roumeli
By Patrick Leigh Fermor. 1966
Patrick Leigh Fermor's Mani compellingly revealed a hidden world of Southern Greece and its past. Its northern counterpart takes the…
reader among Sarakatsan shepherds, the monasteries of Meteora and the villages of Krakora, among itinerant pedlars and beggars, and even tracks down at Missolonghi a pair of Byron's slippers.Roumeli is not on modern maps: it is the ancient name for the lands from the Bosphorus to the Adriatic and from Macedonia to the Gulf of Corinth. But it is the perfect, evocative name for the Greece that Fermor captures in writing that carries throughout his trademark vividness of description. But what is more, the pictures of people, traditions and landscapes that he creates on the page are imbued with an intimate understanding of Greece and its history.'BEGUILING, EVOCATIVE, WONDERFUL ... THE ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH OF FRANCE' Francis WheenIn the second mystery of this mouthwatering and bestselling…
series, Bruno, Chief of Police of a small rural French town, must balance local tradition and modern progress while bringing a killer to justice.Just before dawn one summer morning Bruno is summoned by the wail of the siren in the little town of St Denis in the Périgord. A fire is raging in a local barn and spreading to the surrounding fields. When Bruno arrives at the scene, the smell of petrol leaves no doubt: it was arson. The barn belongs to an agricultural research company experimenting with genetically modified crops - an unpopular move in deeply traditional St Denis.Meanwhile, a Californian producer wants to set up a wine-making business in the valley. Despite the money and jobs this would bring, many fear it would destroy their town. When a violent death follows the crop burning, it looks as though someone is prepared to do anything to stop the scheme. Bruno will have to draw on all his local knowledge to reach the truth.Head Over Heel: Seduced by Southern Italy
By Chris Harrison. 2009
'A perfect read for a Mediterannean beach' Daily TelegraphWhen Chris travelled from Sydney to Dublin, he never dreamed his life…
was about to change forever. There he meets Daniela - one L, smile as you say it to pronounce it correctly - and it's amore at first sight. Before he can say si, he's uprooted to follow her to her sun-kissed hometown of Andrano, Puglia, tucked in the heel of southern Italy.The whitewashed houses, olive groves and cobblestone lanes are beautiful, but soon Chris is getting to grips with everyday Italian life. There's infuriating bureaucracy, an anarchic road system and - biggest challenge of all - Daniela's mamma, who's determined to convert him to the Catholic faith and build an extension on her house where the couple might live la dolce vita.WINNER OF THE GROLLO RUZZENE FOUNDATION PRIZEThe Beach Hut: The perfect feel-good romance from the Sunday Times bestseller
By Veronica Henry. 2010
On Everdene Sands, a row of beach huts holds the secrets of the families who own them - secrets of…
unrequited love, plain old-fashioned lust, childhood dreams and long-forgotten hopes...'FOR SALE: a rare opportunity to purchase a beach hut on the spectacular Everdene Sands. "The Shack" has been in the family for fifty years, and was the first to be built on this renowned stretch of golden sand...'Jane Milton doesn't want to sell her beloved beach hut, which has been the heart of so many family holidays and holds so many happy memories. But when her husband dies, leaving her with an overwhelming string of debts, she has no choice but to sell.THE BEACH HUT follows the stories of the people who own the beach huts, families who come to Everdene each year, people who fall in - or out of - love, remembering their pasts, or trying to forget them...Escape to the seaside with Sunday Times bestseller Veronica Henry!Your favourite authors love Veronica Henry!'An utter delight' Jill Mansell'Truly blissful escapism' Lucy Diamond'A heart-warming, triumphant story combined with Veronica's sublime writing - the perfect mix!' Cathy Bramley'A delicious treat of a book' Milly Johnson'A beautiful book. Warm, emotional and full of hope' Sarah MorganMani
By Patrick Leigh Fermor. 1958
This is Patrick Leigh Fermor's spellbinding part-travelogue, part inspired evocation of a part of Greece's past. Joining him in the…
Mani, one of Europe's wildest and most isolated regions, cut off from the rest of Greece by the towering Taygettus mountain range and hemmed in by the Aegean and Ionian seas, we discover a rocky central prong of the Peleponnese at the southernmost point in Europe.Bad communications only heightening the remoteness, this Greece - south of ancient Sparta - is one that maintains perhaps a stronger relationship with the ancient past than with the present. Myth becomes history, and vice versa. Leigh Fermor's hallmark descriptive writing and capture of unexpected detail have made this book, first published in 1958, a classic - together with its Northern Greece counterpart, Roumeli.My Favourite Goodbye: A touching, uplifting and romantic tale by the #1 bestselling author
By Sheila O'Flanagan. 2001
Sheila O'Flanagan's MY FAVOURITE GOODBYE is a delicious novel about finding love in unexpected places - not to be missed…
by readers of Veronica Henry and Freya North. Ash O'Halloran is happy with her futon, her flat, her cat and her job as a party caterer. She doesn't do impulsive. She is absolutely, perfectly in control of her single woman's life. And if she can't have relationships without complications - then she's content to carry on as she is. Ms Self-Contained. But when she's employed to cook the supper over which Dan Morland plans to propose to his girlfriend, suddenly she becomes party to someone else's relationship - in all its tangled, heart-breaking complexity. And, as she watches Dan struggling to sort out the mess his emotions have got him into, Ash starts to realise she's not Ms Invulnerable after all...What readers are saying about My Favourite Goodbye: 'An absolutely excellent book - I don't think I've read a more touching story since' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars'I have read a couple of Sheila O'Flanagan's books already but this one is by far the best. I wanted to read it all in one go but I just didn't want it to end so like a delicious bar of chocolate I allowed myself a bit at a time' Amazon reviewer, 5 stars'What a delightful read! I cannot imagine anyone not enjoying this charming, light-hearted and humorous book' Amazon reviewer, 5 starsUPDATED EDITION WITH A NEW CHAPTERIntoxicated with dreams of a Greek paradise, John Mole inflicts upon his family a tumbledown…
ruin on a hillside with no water, no electricity, no roof, no floor, no doors, no windows and twenty years of goat dung... far away from the tourist resorts and posh hotels. Through hard work and comic misadventures a bond is formed with a vivid cast of village characters – from Elpida who cures back pain with raw eggs to beautiful Eleni yearning for Düsseldorf – over bottles of ouzo, whisky and wine. If only Hector the dog would calm down.Home & Dry in Normandy: A Memoir Of Eternal Optimism In Rural France
By George East. 2005
The brilliantly entertaining true story of how one couple set out with a dream of moving to France - and…
got far more than they ever bargained for.HOME & DRY IN NORMANDY is the first of two books following the adventures of George and Donella East as they try to realise their dream of living the good life in rural France. After months of property-hunting, the couple arrive at The Mill of the Flea, a dilapidated and long-abandoned eighteenth-century water mill set in ten acres of fields, woods, streams and mud in the heart of the magical Cotentin peninsula of Normandy. There, the Easts set about renovating the farmhouse and tiny mill cottage on a shoestring budget.As they struggle to adapt to a very different life and culture, the Easts find themselves with an unofficial estate manager as René Ribet moves on to their land in his ancient caravan. René will, he says, help them learn the ways of the countryside while returning the mill to its former glory. To the innocents abroad he appears a godsend. To the locals in the nearby village of Néhou, however, René Ribet is known as The Fox of Cotentin, notorious for his wily money-making schemes. Financial success eludes the couple but they gradually find their place amongst the characterful locals and develop an unlikely and enduring friendship with René. As the seasons pass, the couple finally realise that the real treasure has been around them all the time...How to Live and Work in the UK
By Mathew Collins, Nicky Barclay. 2010
This essential handbook is for anyone wishing to enter the UK to work, study, settle, join their family, or visit…
- and who wants to remain in the UK indefinitely. It is ideal for students, would-be immigrants to the UK, HR professionals, and expats. It will help them to identify which visa category is applicable to them, and will prepare them for passing the Life in the UK test as set by the Home Office for those applying for British citizenship. Written by immigration practitioners, this book is an easy to use handbook that readers will refer to, time and time again. This book is an essential read for those planning to come to the UK and who need to make a visa application. It covers: - critical information on which visa categories may be appropriate to their circumstances - how to make a visa application - what to expect when they arrive in the UK, including important information on how to establish a National Insurance number (for working), familiarising themselves with the taxation system, how to register with a Doctor and Dentist, plus much more. For those employing non-UK/EU citizens, this book explains: - what essential checks you must put in place - details of the Points Based System and how individuals can qualify - how to obtain a licence to employ foreign nationals and the HR compliance issues that need to be in place in order to remain compliant with the UK Border Agency For employers dealing with intra-company transfers and global people mobility issues, it offers a simple and understandable way to assess employees and whether they meet the appropriate visa requirements.The Cheffe: A Culinary Novel
By Marie NDiaye. 2019
The Cheffe is born into a very poor family in Sainte-Bazeille in south-western France, but when she takes a job…
working in the kitchen of a couple in the Landes region, it does not take long before it becomes clear that the Cheffe has an unusual, remarkable talent for cooking. She dreams in recipes, she's always imagining food combinations and cooking times, she hunts down elusive flavours and aromas, and she soon usurps the couple's cook.But for all her genius, the Cheffe remains very secretive about the rest of her life. She becomes pregnant, but will not reveal her daughter's father. She shares nothing of her feelings or emotions. And when the demands of her work and caring for her child become too much, she leaves her baby in the care of her family, and sets out to open her own restaurant, which will soon win rave reviews and be lauded by all.But her relationship with her daughter will never be easy, and before long, it will threaten to destroy everything the Cheffe has spent her life perfecting.The Fields of Death (The Wellington and Napoleon Quartet)
By Simon Scarrow. 2010
THE FIELDS OF DEATH is the epic final novel in Simon Scarrow's bestselling Wellington and Napoleon Quartet. Essential reading for…
fans of Bernard Cornwell.1809. Viscount Wellington and Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte have made their mark as military commanders. Lifelong enemies, they both believe their armies are strong enough to destroy any rival. But in war victory can never be certain.While Wellington's success continues in Spain, Napoleon feels the sting of failure. Yet despite a disastrous Russian campaign and humiliating defeat at Leipzig, he persists in fighting on.With Napoleon's power waning, the newly titled Duke of Wellington is perfectly placed to crush the tyrant. But his enemy refuses to surrender, and so the two giants must face a final reckoning on the bloody battlefield of Waterloo...Heaven and Hell
By Jón Kalman Stefánsson. 2007
In a remote part of Iceland, a boy and his friend Barður join a boat to fish for cod. A…
winter storm surprises them out at sea and Barður, who has forgotten his waterproof as he was too absorbed in 'Paradise Lost', succumbs to the ferocious cold and dies. Appalled by the death and by the fishermen's callous ability to set about gutting the fatal catch, the boy leaves the village, intending to return the book to its owner. The extreme hardship and danger of the journey is of little consequence to him - he has already resolved to join his friend in death. But once in the town he immerses himself in the stories and lives of its inhabitants, and decides that he cannot be with his friend just yet. Set at the turn of the twentieth century, Heaven and Hell is a perfectly formed, vivid and timeless story, lyrical in style, and as intense a reading experience as the forces of the Icelandic landscape themselves. An outstandingly moving novel.A Place to Belong: A gripping, heartwrenching saga set in World War Two Ireland
By Cathy Mansell. 2019
Set against the glorious backdrop of World War Two Ireland, this dramatic, emotional and romantic novel is perfect for fans…
of Maeve Binchy, Lorna Cook, Tracy Rees and Jenny Ashcroft!'A romantic saga writer to watch' PETERBOROUGH TELEGRAPHShe lost everything in one night. Now she must fight for happiness.It's 1943 and Ireland has escaped the worst of the war raging in Europe, but life is not without its hardships. When fire breaks out at the convent in Cavan where she has spent the past ten years, orphan Eva Fallon barely escapes with her life.She's offered a bed for the night by Ma Scully, whilst her nephew Cathal, visiting from Dublin, helps battle the blaze. Seventeen-year-old Eva has never known such kindness but she's too proud to take advantage, and finds a job at Blackstock's farm, setting in motion a chain of events that will change her life forever.Amidst tragedy and hardship, the only ray of light is the friendship of Ma Scully and her growing, secret love for Cathal. And through it all Eva clings to her hope that one day she will find a place where she can truly belong.Don't miss Cathy Mansell's next powerfully heartrending family saga of three sisters in 1950s Ireland - The Dublin Girls - out now! Here's what readers are saying:'Glorious - a cross between Maeve Binchy and Catherine Cookson' 5* early reader review'A superb saga' PETERBOROUGH TELEGRAPH'A heart-warming story full of characters you'll come to love' ROSIE GOODWIN'Page-turning and compelling... Most highly recommended' MARGARET KAINE'Rarely have I read a book where every character springs from the pages so authentically' JEAN CHAPMAN'A warm-hearted, engaging story' MARGARET JAMES, WRITING MAGAZINEOur Man In Hibernia: Ireland, The Irish and Me
By Charlie Connelly. 2010
Each year on St Patrick's Day eighty million people around the world celebrate their Irish ancestry. Millions more don leprechaun…
hats and down pints of Guinness in the annual high-fiving of Ireland and the Irish. Charlie Connelly was one of them. He thought he had a good idea of what Ireland was all about. He was, after all, practically Irish. He had a bodhran and everything. Then, when he was least expecting it, he went to live there. Our Man in Hibernia follows Charlie's adventures among the Irish. Immersing himself in Ireland's language, music and literature, he learns how closely the rose-tinted image he'd grown up with matches the reality, and explores the land, from the small patch of Connemara bog that changed the world to the Holy Tree Stump of Rathkeale. From defining moments of the country's history - the Great Famine and the Easter Rising - to its quirkier phenomena, such as the National Ploughing Championships and the Rose of Tralee, in Our Man in Hibernia Charlie Connelly paints an evocative, entertaining and witty portrait of Ireland today.Travelling with Pomegranates: A Mother-daughter Story
By Sue Monk Kidd, Ann Kidd Taylor. 2011
TRAVELLING WITH POMEGRANATES is a touching and perceptive memoir about mothers and daughters that will resonate with women of all…
ages. From Sue Monk Kidd, the New York Times bestselling author of THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES and THE INVENTION OF WINGS, and her daughter Ann Kidd Taylor. Sue Monk Kidd and her daughter Ann chronicle their travels together at a time when each had reached an important turning point in her life. What emerged was a quest for Ann and Sue to redefine themselves and also rediscover one other. Against the backdrop of the sacred sites of Greece, Turkey and France, Sue grapples with the problem of how to expand her vision of swarming bees into the novel that she feels compelled to write, whilst newly raduated Ann ponders the classic question of what to do with her life.What readers are saying about Travelling with Pomegranates:'Wise, moving and beautiful''A thought provoking read''Magical, revealing and inspiring''Wonderful writing'The Breakers
By Claudie Gallay. 2008
In the storm-swept landscapes of Normandy's coastline lies a village that might just be at the ends of the earth.…
A woman has recently arrived to seek healing for some deep sorrow, and spends her days cataloguing migratory birds. On the day of a battering storm a stranger appears in the bar, arousing her curiosity. He stirs up suspicion in the village, looking for answers to apparently unanswerable questions about his family lost long years ago in an accident at sea. What actually happened? How was it that the lighthouse did not guide them safely to shore? The eccentric inhabitants of this desolate village seem riveted to old hatreds, determined to leave secrets buried. Gradually the bird-watcher succeeds in unravelling a tragedy at the heart of a community in which many are suffering still from the loss of people they have loved. And in the process finds her own peace. The Breakers is an immensely satisfying and evocative mystery of great depth. Claudie Gallay unpeels the emotions of her unforgettable characters with such subtlety that the reader is captivated.A Summer In Gascony: The Other South of France
By Martin Calder. 2008
The only travel writing book on Gascony, A Summer in Gascony is a charming and humorous tale of an extraordinary…
summer spent in this relatively unknown part of south-western France, the home of D Artagnan, Cyrano de Bergerac, gutsy red wine, fine sweet wine Armagnac and sunflowers. It is a tale of two love affairs: an idyllic summer romance and a lifelong love affair with Gascony with its village festivals, dusty roads and sun-baked wine country. Stretching from Toulouse in the east to the Atlantic coast in the west, from the river Garonne in the north to the Pyrenees in the south, Gascony is a golden land of rolling hills and wide horizons, swathed with vineyards, sunflowers, maize and pastures. It has a distinct identity which sets it apart from the rest of France and old affinities with England: the Gascons fought alongside the English in the Middle Ages and the Napoleonic Wars against their common foe the French. In the tiny hamlet of Peguilhan, Martin Calder is introduced to the Gascon way of life: working in the fields, shepherding and slaughtering sheep, feeding the cattle, harvesting the wheat, watering the crops. He discovers a unique people, fiercely proud of their independent heritage. Full of colourful characters: the charismatic and convivial Jacques-Henri, the hardworking farmer whose family take Martin into their home and hearts; the yoga-practising Germans; Pattes, the mischievous stray dog; Madame Parle-Beaucoup , the town gossip and Monsieur Fustignac, whose pride in his Gascon heritage is unforgettable. But the real star of the book is Gascony itself, with its strong spirit of independence and the simple pleasures it provides. Written by a true Francophile who has come to know the people and understands their way of life, A Summer in Gascony evokes the spirit, sights, smells and sounds of this still relatively unknown and unspoiled other South of France.The Sweetness of Life
By Paulus Hochgatterer. 2006
It is Christmas in the alpine town of Furth am See and a six-year-old girl is playing ludo with her…
grandfather. The doorbell rings, and the old man goes to answer. The next time the girl sees him, he is lying with his skull broken, his face a red pulp against the white snow. From that time on, she does not speak a single word. Raffael Horn, the psychiatrist engaged to treat the silent child, reluctantly becomes involved in solving the murder along with Detective Superintendent Ludwig Kovacs. Their parallel researches sweep through the town: a young mother who believes her new-born child is the devil; a Benedictine monk who uses his iPod to drown the voices in his head; a high-spending teenager who tortures cats. The psychological profile of this claustrophobic, winter-held town is not reassuring - which, if any, of its inhabitants was the brutal night-time slayer of the suffering girl's grandfather?The First Fingerprint
By Xavier-Marie Bonnot. 2008
In an underwater cavern off the coast west of Marseille are the first human engravings known to man. Among them…
is a crude drawing of a three-fingered hand, which has long puzzled archaeologists. Is it a hunting signal? A mystic sign invoking the spirits? Or is it, as many believe, evidence of ritual mutilation in a Shamanistic world? "The Hunter" evidently believes the latter. Driven by inhuman voices to maim and kill, he severs the body parts of his victims - and signs his savagery with a print of a three-fingered hand. Commandant Michel de Palma, of the Marseille murder squad, heads to the university in Aix-en-Provence to investigate further, but the clique of pre-history professors he encounters are as hard to unravel as the meaning of the cave-drawing itself. As he gets closer to the truth, the group of academics close ranks. Slowly and alone, de Palma begins pursuing a mystery that dates back to the Ice age.The First Fingerprint introduces a policeman as polished as he is brutal, as charming as he is deceptive. Michel de Palma, called "the Baron" by his colleagues, knows the dark underside of the city of Marseille as do none of his rivals. But his enemies are everywhere: in the crime-infested sinks of the suburbs; in the sleek and squalid bars of the old quarter; even in the police ranks themselves.The Olive Harvest: A Memoir of Love, Old Trees, and Olive Oil
By Carol Drinkwater. 2004
The third episode of a bestselling story which began with THE OLIVE FARM - now in a gorgeous new look."The…
stars shimmer like spilled handfuls of glitter. The day is beginning to rise with a faint mist. As I turn my head, ghostly halos, auras of light, appear and disappear ... The silence is truly awesome. Not a bird, not a whisper of wind, not a breath of life. Only the two of us, a most implausible pair, standing shoulder to shoulder gazing upon an awakening heaven"Returning to their home after an extended absence Carol and her husband Michel are looking forward to summer together on the farm. A shocking blow leaves Carol alone and the future is uncertain. Feeling isolated and with no olives to harvest, Carol ventures beyond the farm to explore other aspects of Provencal life - from hunting to bee-keeping, the ancient language to the ever-present demands of family and friends. And ultimately, Provence's generous diversity - and Carol's own persistence in sharing it with those she loves - paves a path to joy.