When Tim Salmon first set out to explore the remote mountain regions of Northern Greece, he couldn't find anybody, either Greek or foreign, who knew anything about them or had ever been there. This, along with the absence of any books or detailed maps, proved irresistible to the Rough Guide author, travel journalist, mountaineer and linguist. "Those hazy bulwarks seen against a summer sky from lowland roads and tourist routes where the black-caped winter shepherds repaired in spring. Where did they go?" For the next 40 years Tim made it his business to find out. A close friendship, ongoing to this day, with a family of Vlach mountain shepherds lies at the heart of The Unwritten Places. The Vlachs are called Arumani in their own language, which today is their principal distinguishing feature. It is a language derived from Latin and is considered to be a dialect of Romanian. Tim has watched his friends' flocks grow in size and seen the road arrive as their children grew into their sophisticated twenties. Tim's final acceptance by these proud and secretive peoples (but never quite their dogs!) is marked by his participation in the annual transhumance of the shepherds and their flocks, walking between winter and summer pastures at a time just before the roads and the lorries took over. A beautifully-written, intimate portrait of an all but vanished way of Greek mountain life, uninterrupted for thousands of years. "He describes the remote parts of Greece beautifully, and comments hauntingly on their despoliation." The Times Literary Supplement "He has a sensitive and perceptive eye for mountainscape and skyscape, an eye any landscape painter might envy." The Anglo-Hellenic Review

The Unwritten Places: Wanderings in the Mountains of Northern Greece

Sports & Outdoors

Salmon, Tim

Hiking & Camping

Blackbird Digital Books

 "A Child Called 'It' meets Out of Africa in this stunning memoir of a woman's 1950s childhood in Kenya. Filled with candid humor and insights, this authentic tale captures one woman's incredible coming-of-age journey." BookBub The much-loved travel writer recalls a 1950s childhood in post-war London's every shade of grey and the splendours of Africa as, with her glamorous mother and father, Susie boards a ship bound for exotic, technicolor Kenya. Then in its final decade as a colony, Kenya was peopled with larger-than-life characters who had helped to forge its identity. There, with the threats of the Mau Mau uprising ever-present, Susie's life disintegrates at break-neck speed into a web of jealousy, rejection and casual cruelty. Each time it seems things cannot get any worse, they do as Susie lifts the lid on her own, often shocking, behavior in her quest to protect herself and those she loves. Rebellious, lonely and self-destructive, it is a small grey pony named Cinderella who saves Susie from herself and brings her the love she craves.

I Wish I Could Say I Was Sorry

Parenting & Relationships

Kelly, Susie

Family Relationships

At the age of 29, Diana Hill fell under a London train. In 7 seconds the tall, glamorous businesswoman went from busy woman of the world with everything to live for to double-leg-amputee, her life in ruins. Then it got worse. A few days after her accident, as she lay in hospital, traumatised and heavily sedated, she learnt via a newspaper article that the railway’s Transport Police were to interview “The Fall Girl”, as the Press had labelled her, with a view to prosecution. She had boarded a moving train, they said, and trespassed onto their railway line. Her fight for justice took five years and was, she declares with no hesitation, a more harrowing experience than having both of her legs ‘stolen’ from her. As any young, single woman would be, Diana was shocked to the core by the sudden, catastrophic change in her body image. What man would ever love her now? The issues surrounding sexuality and disability are explored here with stark honesty as she recalls her complicated love life, the High Court dramas, and the rawness of her pain amidst a turmoil of emotion, all told with tremendous humour, charm and heart. For Diana loves to tell stories. Especially true ones. A brutally honest, heartwarming memoir that shocks and delights in equal measure – when you're not crying for her you're laughing with her “A compelling story of how humour, friendship, grace and sheer grit can triumph over unthinkable catastrophe. Diana Morgan-Hill's unflinching memoir is proof that what does not kill us makes us strong.” Liz Jensen, Author of The Ninth Life of Louis Drax "Powerful and witty. It had me at the first line." Tricia Walker, author of Benedict's Brother

Love & Justice: A Compelling True Story Of Triumph Over Adversity

Biographies & Memoirs

Morgan-Hill, Diana

Community & Culture

It is 1994 and an idealistic Vanessa Parker enters the world of international aid, bringing with her youth, beauty and passion to do good in the 'Wild East' of Ukraine after the sudden collapse of communism. Ukraine and its people completely win Vanessa's heart. As does Dan, a jaded American Deputy Bureau chief of USAID. Highly charged and turbulent, their love for each other is passionate and unyielding. Their romance unfolds in the beautiful lilac-filled city of Kiev, on frequent working trips to the coalfields of Donetsk and on weekend visits to the sparkling seas of Odessa, to the pristine ski runs of the Carpathians, and even to the chilling spectacle of Chernobyl.  Older, wiser, Dan laughs at Vanessa's determination to change the world, but helps her navigate the political minefield of overseas aid. He admires her achievements, not least the micro-credit scheme she sets up for the resourceful, magnificent wives of the Donetsk coal miners - her beloved Divas - but warns against her deep-felt passion and idealism.  At the age of just 26, Vanessa has landed her dream man as well as her dream job. But then Dan springs a bolt from the blue, which throws her into turmoil...  In a world where millions of dollars can either wash away in a moment's corruption, or turn around the lives of the neediest, Vanessa is then forced to pit her own naive desire to make a difference against the chaos of a country in transition.  "A touching love story that illuminates the aid business. Compelling and enjoyable."CLARE SHORT (former Secretary of State for International Development)    "Lifts the lid on aid." LYNN CURTIS, literary consultant

The Road To Donetsk

Literature & Fiction

Chandler, Diane

Literary

Let's face it, most cook books are selling a dream: mouth-watering recipes, styled to within a pea's hair, then photographed in the kind of pristine kitchens that very few of us own. More of us have kitchens like Susie's, veering towards the chaotic rather than clutter-free. So settle down with the bestselling travel author in the kitchen of her French farmhouse and enjoy this no-fuss, no-nonsense collection of wholesome, fail-safe, quick and simple meat-free recipes. Susie makes no claims to being a cooking queen. She admits that over the years she has made every cookery mistake possible, including pouring hot oil back into a plastic bottle and watching the bottle melt and flood most of the kitchen. Then there was the great icing sugar misunderstanding.... but in The Lazy Cook she has put together an irresistible collection of the tasty, comfort-food recipes that are enjoyed by her family and friends, spattered with generous blobs of anecdote and humour. One of those rare cookery books that won't be left on the shelf, but will mature with well-thumbed age as its pages become patterned with stains of food, wine, cream, butter and all things delicious.

The Lazy Cook (Book One): Quick And Easy Meatless Meals (The Lazy Cook Books 1 and 2)

Cookbooks, Food & Wine

Cooking Methods

While Susie doggedly tramps 500 miles over unknown terrain, frequently lost and either too hot or too cold, Texan Jennifer Shields copes heroically with lost dogs, erratic electricity, old men hiding in bushes, and a language she cannot speak. A touching, true story of English eccentricity, the Texan pioneering spirit, and two women old enough to know better. Susie and Jennifer find their resourcefulness and ingenuity tested to the limit as, in their own ways, they explore and enjoy the culture, cuisine and people of Europe's most fascinating country.

Best Foot Forward: A 500-Mile Walk Through Hidden France

Individual Sports

The author and her husband devised a simple plan - to take a tent and the dog and drive around the perimeter of France. Like many simple plans it went wrong before it started and they ended up with two dogs and a campervan named Tinkerbelle. Starting in Brittany, they drive along the Atlantic Coast south to the Pyrenees, then follow the Mediterranean resorts to the Alps before juddering off towards the north coast along terrifyingly high mountain causeways. But on the second day of their journey Tinkerbelle begins to self-destruct, helped by the new dog who does his best to eat her from the inside out. This is their story, as they travel from sandy beaches to snow-topped mountains exploring the diverse cultures, cuisines and countryside making up the country called France. Their journey takes them to places out of the ordinary, meeting interesting characters and witnessing ancient traditions. While the dogs rejoice in the freedom they find running on the beaches, Susie and Terry spend a lot of time holding their breath, wondering whether their clapped out old campervan called Tinkerbelle will manage to negotiate impossible mountain routes and get them home before she completely disintegrates.

Travels With Tinkerbelle: 6,000 Miles Around France In A Mechanical Wreck

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Pets & Animal Care

Susie has already walked 500 miles across France (Best Foot Forward) and driven its circumference (Travels With Tinkerbelle), but cyclist she is not. By suggesting an electric bicycle that will get her through the uphill slogs, her husband persuades her that travelling on two wheels is by far the best way to see the little-known, virtually undocumented part of France they plan to explore. And so, with not a few mishaps and misgivings, it turns out. Susie's cycling adventure follows the route taken by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette on their abortive escape from the French Revolution and their journey back to their executions. After a hair-raising journey through Paris that nearly ends in her own execution by traffic, Susie finds an area of calm waterways and tranquil countryside bursting with history. Idyllic territory for cyclists. Their route takes them from Paris and Versailles to the vineyards and champagne cellars of Epernay and Reims then through the Marne valley, the scene of unimaginable horror and devastation during World War 1. In three weeks Susie and Terry cycle 500 miles, dining sometimes in luxury and often on weird makeshift meals in their tent. Along the way there are traumas, epiphanies, occasional matrimonial disagreements and the odd glass of champagne. A quirky, highly entertaining and endearing mix of personal travel adventure and French history.

The Valley Of Heaven And Hell: Cycling In The Shadow Of Marie Antoinette

History

Europe

As the world's worst housekeeper, running holiday homes wasn't, with hindsight, a sensible idea. But two collapsing buildings on Susie Kelly's land would cost more to demolish than to restore. Thus she became a seasonal landlady. Before the guests came the builders. No's 1, 2, 3 all started promisingly, but by builder No. 4, and with her first guests just hours away, her patience was stretched to its limit. Susie's summer and winter visitors couldn't, as they say, be made up, though, to spare their blushes some of them have been air-brushed. They brought with them laughter, tears, romance, friendship and occasional madness. And they all left behind jars of jam and pots of pepper. From them Susie learned that you don't need to travel to find adventure. If you run holiday homes it comes to your doorstep. Unfortunately for Susie this included Ivy. The cleaning lady from hell. A hilarious tale of restoring and running two holiday cottages in a remote hamlet of SW France Susie's unique, opinionated but self-depreciating humour shines through on every page. 'This is another Susie Kelly great read that often had me laughing out loud as we meet the various builders, her local friends, the good guests and the bad who popped into her life over a four year period. Anyone who has any experience of running gites in France will love this book and anyone who is thinking about having gites in France should read this book.' French Village Diaries 'Its absolutely brilliant, it made me laugh - in fact snort out loud - and then cry when her dog died. Susie is a marvellous writer.' The Good Life France Magazine

Swallows & Robins: The Laughs And Tears Of A Holiday Home Owner

"LSD was a part of the new landscape. A place to explore, like a book, or film or painting." UCLA college friends Michael Lawrence and Jim Morrison were drawn together by their mutual commitment to the arts. It was a chaotic, stimulating, unresolved time as both searched for their path with deep intensity. They wanted to make magic. Change people's responses. Those aspects of their personalities needed to find a vehicle that would drive them home. Jim thought it was film. His poetry saved him. Michael wasn't sure which art to follow. Whilst Jim was seduced by his own creation, himself, a conquerer much like Alexander, Michael dropped out. His painting and sculpture and inquisitiveness saved him. This is the story of how they began their separate canvases in life. "My road is long. Jim's was cut far too short. These are some of our salad days, when we sat in the front seat of unfolding realities, our Venice LA and beyond. I too am Jim's fan. A friend who deeply cherishes these memories I am sharing with you. Jim's sweetness and mischievous promptings...his gracefulness, his poetic avant garde nature, his writings." Michael Lawrence, 2016Michael Lawrence's art, described by Roy Lichtenstein as "vibrant, joyous and colourful" is well-known amongst collectors. His fine, poetic words and funny stories are destined to become equally so in this coming of age tale like no other.

Tripping With Jim Morrison & Other Friends

Lawrence, MIchael

Arts & Literature

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