My Kind of Place: Unabridged Selections

Sample

David Leavitt and Mark Mitchell

Now with stunning illustrations and color photographs, this newly expanded edition of In Maremma recounts David Leavitt and Mark Mitchell's restoration of a dilapidated 1950s farmhouse in southern Tuscany. Beautifully written, witty, and concise, it recounts the process by which they became initiated into a part of Italian life foreigners rarely see. The pleasures of the olive harvest and picking wild asparagus are juxtaposed with the vagaries of political corruption and self-perpetuating bureaucracy. Landscape and weather provide the stuff of reverie, as do the benefits of boredom and the lon.

Sample

Georgie Anne Geyer

Soviet Central Asia: an exotic region of harsh deserts and rugged mountains shut off by communism since 1917, mysterious lands that still evoke images of the ancient Silk Road caravans. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tatarstan, and Azerbaijan are primarily inhabited by Muslim peoples of whom we know very little. Now that the long winter of communism has ended and these new republics slowly open to the West, syndicated columnist and television personality Georgie Anne Geyer has taken it upon herself to learn more. A modern-day Marco Polo, she shares her eye-opening personal experiences in Waiting for Winter to End. Join her as she sets out from Moscow for Kazan and Alma-Ata, Bishkek and Tashkent, Samarkand and Baku. Sit in on her interviews with nascent political leaders about the post-Soviet situation, in which possible dangers for the United States are revealed. Travel with a witty, observant, and knowledgeable companion to a resources-rich region that will become more and more important for the world. Georgie Anne Geyer's latest book is a lively, multifaceted account of her adventures in places to which few Westerners have gone before. Part travelogue, part history, part insider's political briefing - an entirely enjoyable and entertaining read.

Sample

Ken Worpole

Ken Worpole weaves a rich literary tapestry as he reflects on memories of friends and places he has known and loved. Through a unique series of letters, Staying Close to the River takes you to the source of things, charting a route through four generations of family life, the political progress of the left, the cities of the world and human fallibility. At times moving and also very funny, Ken's style is a testimony to the art of detailed evocation and meticulous observation, whether sweating on the road in Tuscany, meditating on the pain of cycling or discussing the arrival of 'Dallas' on Russian TV.

Sample

Paul Smith

One man's attempt to travel the globe in 30 days, depending solely on the generosity of strangers through Twitter<P style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormal> <P style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormal>There were five rules of Twitchhiker. I can only accept offers of travel and accommodation from people on Twitter. I can't make any travel plans further than three days in advance. I can only spend money on food, drink and anything that might fit in my suitcase. If there is more than one offer, I choose which I take. If there is only one, I have to take it within 48 hours. If I am unable to find a way to move on from a location within 48 hours, the challenge is over and I go home. <P style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormal> <P style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt class=MsoNormal>Bored in the bread aisle of the supermarket one day, Paul Smith wondered how far he could get around the world in 30 days through the goodwill of users of social networking site Twitter. At the mercy of these rules, he set his sights on New Zealandthe opposite point on the planet to his home in Newcastle, England. All he had to do next was explain the idea to his new wife. In an adventure wrapped in nonsense, he traveled by road, boat, plane, and train; slept in five-star luxury and on no-star floors; schmoozed with Hollywood A-listers; and was humbled by the generosity of the thousands who followed his journey and determined its course.