A Scorpion In The Lemon Tree

Book 3 of the Peloponnese series Following on from the first two acclaimed books (Things Can Only Get Feta and Homer's Where The Heart Is), Marjory, Jim and their crazy dog Wallace are on a second odyssey in the southern Peloponnese but this time they end up in a peninsula they didn't choose, and a house they never thought they'd live in. How did this happen? Easy, this is Greece and nothing ever goes to plan. The couple's latest adventure in Koroni, on the Messinian peninsula, takes them on another perilous and funny journey, with house rental dramas, scorpion threats, the challenge of Greek language classes, and an unexpected publishing battle. But when they finally fall for the charm of unspoilt Koroni, make new friends and connect with some of the memorable characters from their Mani days, they discover once more just how Greek is their love. And there's not even a sting in the tale. Well ... almost! REVIEWS: "This book is rare within the travel writing genre. It cleverly combines a travel narrative with enlightened observations about Greece, while retaining a light and entertaining touch throughout." - Peter Kerr, best-selling author of Snowball Oranges

Two journalists embarking on a year's adventure in Greece just as the country faces economic collapse seems foolhardy—but it's their decision to bring their crazy Jack Russell to a crisis-weary country with zero dog tolerance that tips the plan into actual madnessAfter an Arctic winter, a recession, and a downturn in the newspaper industry, two journalists and their dog embark on an adventure in the wild and beautiful southern Peloponnese. A perfect plan, except for one thing—Greece is deep in economic crisis. And if fiscal failure can't overturn the couple's escapade in rural Greece, perhaps macabre local customs, a scorpion invasion, zero dog-tolerance, health scares, and touchy expats will. This is a humorous and insightful journey through one of the last unspoiled regions of Greece. It is full of encounters with warm-hearted, often eccentric, Greeks who show that this troubled country still has heroes, if not euros. In a hillside village in the Mani, the locals share their lives, their laughter, and their stories, and help chart the couple's own passage back to happiness. They even find a place in their hearts for their Greek nemesis—the local pungent goat cheese. Things really can only get feta.

When Sam is drawn back to his grandparent's homeland in Leros Greece by a family death, he finds himself entangled in local gossip, strict traditions, prejudices, and old animosities. Attempting to make a life for himself there with a new love, he is forced to deal with the consequences of generational trauma when he delves too deep into events that some would rather forget. This is a multi-generational story of war, immigration, adaptation, and cultural contradiction, which explores what it means to belong to a society or not to belong to one, as well as the poisonous consequences of betrayal.

Thomas Crocker and SEAL Team Six are back for another adrenaline-packed adventure from former SEAL commando Don Mann. When a cargo ship is captured by pirates off the east coast of Africa, SEAL Team Six is called into action. What looks at first like a simple search and rescue turns much more perilous when the ship's cargo is revealed to be yellowcake, a critical component in nuclear weaponry. Thomas Crocker and his squad are dispatched to Libya with a clear objective: to secure the dangerous materials before terrorists can unleash nuclear havoc on the world. Hunt the Scorpion is a lightning-fast thrill ride - a bold new chapter in the Thomas Crocker SEAL Team Six adventures. It will leave readers breathless, charged, and ready for the next op.

Liza Picard immerses her readers in the spectacular details of daily life in the London of Queen Elizabeth (1558-1603). Beginning with the River Thames, she examines the city on the north bank, still largely confined within the old Roman walls. The wealthy lived in mansions upriver, and the royal palaces were even farther up at Westminster. On the south bank, theaters and spectacles drew the crowds, and Southwark and Bermondsey were bustling with trade. Picard examines the Elizabethan streets and the traffic in them; she surveys building methods and shows us the decor of the rich and the not-so-rich. Her account overflows with particulars of domestic life, right down to what was likely to be growing in London gardens. Picard then turns her eye to the Londoners themselves, many of whom were afflicted by the plague, smallpox, and other diseases. The diagnosis was frequently bizarre and the treatment could do more harm than good. But there was comfort to be had in simple, homely pleasures, and cares could be forgotten in a playhouse or the bull-baiting and bear-baiting rings, or watching a good cockfight. The more sober-minded might go to hear a lecture at Gresham College or the latest preacher at Paul's Cross. Immigrants posed problems for Londoners who, though proud of England's religious tolerance, were concerned about the damage these skilled migrants might do to their own livelihoods, despite the dominance of livery companies and their apprentice system. Henry VIII's destruction of the monasteries had caused a crisis in poverty management that was still acute, resulting in begging (with begging licenses!) and a "parochial poor rate" paid by the better-off. Liza Picard's wonderfully vivid prose enables us to share the satisfaction and delights, as well as the vexations and horrors, of the everyday lives of the denizens of sixteenth-century London.

Told through the eyes of an observant and resilient boy, the book begins with the German seizure of Athens in 1941. Grim events of war, displacement, and exile never extinguish the curiosity – even the joys – of his childhood. Compelling writing mixes reality and fantasy to concoct a memorable tribute to the human spirit, from Asia Minor to Greece to Canada. — Douglas Babington, the Bivouac Prayers. “The ugliest phases of the Civil War were just beginning. It would pit household against household, village against village, and sometimes, brother against brother. The blood-letting would go on and on. The adults seemed to sense that all of this was going to happen and they only spoke in muted tones.” — Tasouli With curiosity and humor Tasouli tells us about his life, including stories about his cat the Resistance hero, the intricate relationships between a young Jewish physician, German offi cers, and Greek partisan communists and their British captives. A strange character appears in his dreams, sometimes supportive, sometimes terrifying, and they develop a strong bond. Occupation Child is ultimately about how a child views hunger, language, politics and love.

This virtually unknown, insightful account by a highly intelligent, observant and forthright Frenchwoman of her decade-long stay in Brazil during the 1850s provides a remarkable firsthand view of a slaveocrat society. In an effort to improve their family's fortune, enterprising and highspirited young Parisian AdFle Toussaint-Samson traveled with her husband from France to Brazil in the mid 1800s. While there, she wrote of her experiences, painting a vivid and detailed portrait of the reality of slavery, gender relations, and daily life in mid-nineteenth century Brazil. This eminently readable primary document provides a firsthand view of a slaveholding society, describing both men and women, slave and free, rich and poor. Well written and lively, A Parisian in Brazil is an excellent resource for courses on Latin America, women in Latin America, and Brazilian history.