Friendships form with another American student, and with Cesare, an Italian medical student living in the same "hotel." But what transpires is something no one ever expected, especially her mom. Over the next 45 years, Debbie returns 11 more times, mostly alone. Other trips include her two best friends, another with her father, and horseback riding adventures in the Chianti Region of Tuscany with cousins. Some of the places visited include Rome, Tuscany, the Almalfi Coast, Sicily, Capri, and a 2,500 year-old village in Umbria where the only mode of transportation allowed is a moped or donkey. One hundred years after her great grandmother migrated to America, Debbie locates her family in the most unusual way, culminating with a heartwarming reception. Rarely staying in hotels, My Love Affair With Italy describes each of the trips, all the types of accommodations such as the agriturismi (farmhouses), the apartments, vineyards, the medieval villages, monastery, villas, and horseback riding centers she stayed in addition to the romances and friends met along the way. At the age of 50, Debbie learns how to horseback ride English style and takes a 100-mile tour cantering through Tuscany, something she was not nearly qualified to do. Within a year, she becomes an exchange student and enrolls in school in Siena, one of Tuscany's most magnificent cities, to learn Italian and moves in with a local family, she not knowing Italian and they not knowing English. While in school, she befriends a German woman who invites her to stay at her home in the beautiful Bavarian Alps during her next visit to Europe, and Debbie accepts in an attempt to practice Italian with her former classmate, but the trip becomes a shocking revelation. The book also details the "jewels" of Rome not mentioned in brochures such as The Scala Sancta, the Holy Stairs, holy because they are said to be the stairs that Jesus climbed on his way to his trial before Pontius Pilate, and the Aventine Keyhole, a nondescript-looking door on the Aventine Hill, neatly placing the dome of St. Peter’s right in the center. Each trip also details why she returns each time, the struggles endured at home after becoming a caregiver, the 50-year friendships that get her through it all, and the shocking way her father shows his presence in Piazza Navona. Lastly, four decades after it all began, there are very surprising reunions and the most unusual romance.

    Add to that, two of the four horses are not fit for the knacker's yard. Yes, that's exactly what I did - like so many of my adventures I 'fell' into this one as well with hilarious results.

    Tired of being unable to park anywhere near his cramped house in a noisy town he doesn’t like, he hatches a plan to move his wife and young son to a remote corner of the Loire Valley in search of serenity and space. Several years later, Ian finds himself up to his neck in bilingual offspring, feral cats, promiscuous horses, dysfunctional spaniels and needy hens; he’s wrestling with electric fences, a foreign language, a mountain of animal waste and a wife who collects livestock like there’s a biblical flood on the horizon, all while trying not to dirty his loafers. But despite the ups, downs and increasing demands of Ian’s showbiz career, the Moore family persevere in true Brit style to create a unique, colourful and ultimately rewarding life in their new home – à la campagne and à la mod!

    As soon as they drive across Andalusia, they fall in love with its rugged beauty, whitewashed villages, red geraniums, giant aloes, and endless olive trees. After weeks of visiting ruins and dilapidated sheds advertised as homes, they find a little stone cottage in a mountain valley in the middle of nowhere. Equipped with everything that a romantic soul desires: a patio shaded by grape vines, an ancient bay leaf tree, and a formidable oak in front of a long driveway, they fall in love with this property and decide to reform it into a guest house. With little foresight or planning, they exchange cushy expats lives for a life in the sun.Quite quickly, however, they find themselves battling cowboy builders, no electricity, a dry well, torrential rain storms, and a freezing cold winter without a roof over their heads. Through all these adventures, they develop relations with their neighbours who had lived in the valley for many generations. Puzzled by the strangers’ behaviour, the neighbours teach them about olive picking, and the cultivation of local vegetables. But primarily, they offer their endless generosity and insight into life in rural Andalusia.As they begin to settle in, financial problems confront our somewhat naïve couple. Without steady pay checks and construction bills piling up, their idea of the good life starts to fall apart. Written with a wry sense of honest humour, this story is filled with twists and turns that take the reader on a journey from a life where every day was monotonously repetitive to a place where every day presents a new challenge.

    L. Gardner, includes five novels and one novella: 1929 Elizabeth’s Heart 1930 Drifter Purgatory Cove 1931 1929 When Black Tuesday triggers financial despondency, three young couples in New York City trade their lives of luxury for poverty. From back-breaking jobs to a shabby, rundown apartment, the couples’ rocky path leads to more turmoil when a business rival creates one disaster after another. A story set in the past, Gardner’s first novel is more than memorable—1929 is unforgettable. Elizabeth’s Heart Institutionalized in 1929 for having prophetic visions, Simon Sinclair narrates from inside the Massachusetts Asylum. There he meets Elizabeth, a young woman with a shadow personality and a traumatic past. As their lives become entwined, their attachment for each other grows. Their actions set off a chain reaction that directly touches the lives of the characters from 1929. 1930 A memorial service for Aryl Sullivan isn’t enough closure for the 1929 characters. Claire, now a pregnant widow, is too devastated to cope, Caleb drowns his sorrow in a bottle of whiskey, and Jonathan awaits the birth of his child. Maura is put to work to see them past the worst of it, facing setbacks of her own. As the gears of life slowly start to move again, new friends are made and old enemies return. Claire finds refuge through a common bond with widower Gordon, finally allowing her to move on and accept her new life. Until she’s met with a shocking surprise. Drifter Richard Sloan, a Massachusetts missing person’s detective, is losing his touch. After six months, he hasn’t found anyone alive and becomes desperate to redeem his reputation. Aryl Sullivan, who suffered amnesia in a boating accident, finds himself caught up in a series of events that land him in London. While in the hands of Gina, a secretive and controlling woman, Aryl is forever changed as he does what he has to in order to survive. Purgatory Cove Elizabeth William’s mind is full of fissures and hairline fractures held together by the love of fellow patient, Simon Sinclair. But when the staff at the Massachusetts Asylum informs her that her soul mate, Simon, has died, she instantly shatters. Retreating within the depths of her mind, she must confront the fractured personality that’s tried to control her for years. But Elizabeth discovers that she’s outnumbered and must live in the shadows of her own personal purgatory until she finds the strength to change her fate. 1931 The saga of the 1929 Series continues as Aryl’s battle with opiates forces Jonathan and Caleb to take drastic measures in an effort to save him. Claire clings desperately to the hope that the man she fell in love with—and lost—will reemerge from the depths of his addiction. Ava confronts a dark secret from her past that sends her spiraling deeper into her postpartum depression. Instead of reaching out to Jonathan, she withdraws. While Arianna is expecting their third child, Caleb finds himself ensnared in Marvin’s tangled web of deceit and blackmail. He struggles to keep his family safe as he maneuvers his way out of the nightmare. Will they have the tenacity to overcome their obstacles? Or will this forever destroy their friendships as they know it? Get all six novels in one digital boxed set.

    We have your favourite table ready and waiting and a selection of tasty and unusual dishes for your delectation and delight (but do bear in mind that the kitchen closes shortly as the Chef needs to go to his second job, rodding out blocked sewers). We have a few choice 'nostalgedy' stories for Starters, some meatier ones for your Mains, a selection of 'curmudgeonly rants' or keen observations (you take your choice) for Dessert, and something unspeakable to go with your Coffee and Mints.Philip Whiteland tickles your fancy (it's not a crime yet) once again with this compilation of stories, often with a food-based theme, from today and yesterday. Pull up a chair and tuck in!

     Alan has no desire to move to Spain, but his sister Cathy and brother-in-law Bernie are going regardless, so he decides to tag along. Despite his initial pessimism, he soon sees that life in their new home has more to offer than he first suspected, and by befriending a pair of local oldies he finds surprising new opportunities opening up to him. A coin dealer by trade and an idler by nature, his new, dynamic attitude surprises Cathy, Bernie and, most of all, himself, as he gets to grips with the language, tries out new activities and embraces the outdoor life. When the bar in the nearby village is reopened by two enterprising ladies, he also begins to realise that bachelorhood may not be his destiny after all. Part Two is now also available.

    This book is near and dear to my heart because my readers contributed to it. Thankful for all those brave quotes. One night changed CeeCee’s life forever. At only seventeen, CeeCee is out on the streets. For her, it is all about finding a place to sleep and something to eat. Yet, just when staying alive can't get any harder, she meets someone worse off than herself. The last thing she needs is to get involved in someone else's troubles, but even though she wants to, she can't just walk away - or can she? Not intended for readers under the age of 15 due to subject matter.

    It was the lifestyle change that many dream of and most are too sensible to attempt.Wife, mother and now reluctant alpaca owner, Fiona jumped in at the deep end. Gradually Tasmania got under her skin as she learned to stack wood, round up the kids with a retired lady sheepdog, and stand on a scorpion without getting stung.This charming tale captures the tussles and euphoria of living on the land in a place of untrammelled beauty, raising your family where you want to and seeing your husband in a whole new light. Not just a memoir but an everywoman’s story, and a paean to a new, slower age

    This often harrowing tale reveals their lives in the sixties and seventies, and through to Mother's Day 1985 when Michael suddenly becomes a 'missing person.'In 2017, Catherine set out to resolve the facts surrounding her adoption by taking a DNA test. The results are not what she expects. An ambitious undertaking follows using genealogy records, DNA-matched relatives and the construction of a family tree of over three thousand people. As pieces began to fall into place, her search takes an unexpected turn.While seeking an elusive parent, Catherine is vastly unprepared to receive news of Michael. The closed door of an unsolved mystery is suddenly thrown wide open and Catherine is faced with the aftermath affecting many more lives than her own.

    Lillian Low's homespun values-people come in all flavors just like ice cream-bring joy and humor into the Low house. When restless Joe Low ditches one suburb for another because he wants a do-over, Lillian tells him, "How the hell many do you need? Don't you know that wherever you go, you've got to take yourself with you?" Along for the ride is the colorful, extended Low clan, who turn up to celebrate the arrival of Joe and Lillian's army of kids. They eat, sing, Joe gets plastered, and all too often, scotch-fired arguments lead to some good old-fashioned fistfights. The mayhem that actually started the brawl gets swept under the carpet, and when Curran finally pulls it up, pandemonium emerges from hell with a vengeance. Through the vision of a sensitive young girl with a wickedly funny voice, "Secondhand Scotch" uncorks some harsh realities, but never ceases to warm and entertain.

    These twelve cases cover 100 years of crime history over several different countries, demonstrating once more that serious crime is a phenomenon that knows no boundaries. One of the major themes of this volume is crimes against the most vulnerable people in our society, including the elderly and the young. You will read about a case in Indiana where a twelve-year-old girl was brutally tortured and murdered, not by a deranged pedophile or a career criminal, but by girls her own age who let their undeveloped minds and peer pressure get out of hand. The bizarre case of a serial killer who targeted elderly women in Australia is also profiled, demonstrating that not only are killers driven by diverse motives, many of which will be impossible for most of us to understand, but also that not all serial killer victims are society’s “throw aways.” You will also read about two contestants for the “worst parent of all-time award.” These two separate cases involved men, who instead of protecting and caring for their children, ultimately played major roles in the horrible, painful deaths of their children. Educate yourself on the world of true crime and learn that not everything is always as it seems. Follow the criminal investigations as detectives from around the world broke some of the most baffling true crime cases of the last 100 years.

    From the day they met, they’d been talking about “travelling more”, but in ten years they hadn’t advanced very far toward that dream and it had become more of a nagging dissatisfaction than an inspiring goal. Every time they returned from one of their brief yearly vacations, Joyce would spend weeks depressed, thinking there had to be a way to do more than this. They gradually came to the somewhat obvious realization that “travelling more” wasn’t just going to happen, they would need to decide what exactly they wanted, make a plan and commit to a lot of work. In early 2012, they made a decision to go all in on their travel dream, sell everything, and hit the road for an open-ended period of time.On March 31, 2013, they locked up their house one last time and left on a tour that would take them to 23 countries and 23 U.S. states over the next 14 months. This book is the chronicle of the first six months, spent in Central America and Africa, as they learned to slow down, look around and embrace wherever the heck they were. Alternately funny, frustrating and inspiring, their journey proves that anyone can travel more and that you don’t have to be rich, young or all that brave to get out and see the world.

    When she sees a job posting for a new international school in Bali, she convinces her schoolteacher husband Victor to apply. Six weeks after his interview, Lisa, Victor, and their six-year-old daughter, Loy, move halfway around the world to paradise. But instead of luxuriating in ocean breezes, renewed passion, and first-rate schooling, what Lisa and her family find are burning corpses, biting ants, and a millionaire founder who cares more about selling bamboo furniture than educating young minds. Not to mention Lisa’s fear that one morning she might see the Dengue Fever rash on her young daughter. RASH is an unfiltered, sharply-written memoir about a woman who goes looking for happiness on the Island of the Gods, and nearly destroys her marriage in the process. For anyone who has ever dreamed of starting over in an exotic locale, this is a poignant reminder that no matter where you go, there you are. "In this stingingly satisfying memoir, Kusel uses her wicked wit to explore the flip side of starting over in a new country. RASH got under my skin starting on page one and felt like Calamine lotion for my own restless soul." ~Nancy Stearns Bercaw, author of Dryland: One Woman's Swim to Sobriety "Raw, honest and funny: in RASH, Lisa Kusel captures perfectly the reality of living in a tropical Indonesian jungle, trying to hold on to a semblance of normal family life while dealing with the physical and emotional challenges that adapting to such a different lifestyle and culture brings. RASH will make you feel the heat and smell the smoke - and have you scratching at imaginary insect bites as you turn the pages. A healthy dose of reality for daydreamers and those who believe the grass is always greener on the other side." ~Emma Bamford, author of Casting Off and Untie the Lines. "A richly narrated, decidedly wistful, soul-searching travel memoir. Open and honest, Lisa ruminates on quiet insights of the reality behind the ever-present mosquito net. After finishing RASH, I wanted her to be my new best friend." ~Elizabeth Fournier, author of The Green Reaper: Memoirs of an Eco-Mortician "While it might sound good on paper, running away from home doesn’t always lead to salvation. In this bitingly frank and funny tale, Kusel takes us on a journey from her safe and semi-satisfied life in California to her unexpectedly pandemonic time in Bali. I was delighted to go along for the ride with this smart, charming woman who writes with such verve and intimacy. RASH is a must read for all those who are in search of their own patch of greener grass." ~Sarah Alderson, author of Can We Live Here?: Finding a Home in Paradise

    But playing tennis, avoiding coffee mornings and being a perfect wife and mother in the Middle East is not enough. Charlotte convinces a local veterinary clinic to employ her and throws herself into assisting the vets, overcoming her fear of birds and rehoming hundreds of stray cats and dogs. Cyclones, earthquakes, transvestites, unwanted paramours, cultural differences, tears and laughter follow as seven years flash by. Will Charlotte stay, or gather up the motley crew of pets she has collected and head for home? Charlotte was born, raised and lived in West Sussex, UK, with her children, animals, Aga and husband until 2006. She dreamed of spending time with Colin Firth, or Gordon Ramsey, and couldn't wait for Christmas to come around for Love Actually to be on the TV. But then she was dragged off to live in Oman, in the heart of the Middle East, where coffee mornings and sets of tennis soon gave way to a life of animal rescue and re-homing. Her first book, Paw Prints in Oman, is full of wonderful stories and unique insights into her life in this mystical land.