Casa editrice: Exisle Publishing
An epic train journey from New Zealand to Spain, across 19 countries in 89 days on 33 different trains. From New Zealand's Northern Explorer to the Eurostar, the book captures the romance of rail travel, exploring cultures, cuisines, history and people along the way.
Overcome with mental anguish, Monica A. Coleman's great-grandfather had his two young sons pull the chair out from beneath him when he hanged himself. That noose remained tied to a rafter in the shed, where it hung above the heads of his eight children who played there for years to come. As it had for generations before her, a heaviness hung over Monica throughout her young life. As an adult, this rising star in the academy saw career successes often fueled by the modulated highs of undiagnosed Bipolar II Disorder, as she hid deep depression that even her doctors skimmed past in disbelief. Serendipitous encounters with Black intellectuals like Henry Louis Gates Jr., Angela Davis, and Renita Weems were countered by long nights of stark loneliness. Only as Coleman began to face her illness was she able to live honestly and faithfully in the world. And in the process, she discovered a new and liberating vision of God. Written in crackling prose, Monica's spiritual autobiography examines her long dance with trauma, depression, and the threat of death in light of the legacies of slavery, war, sharecropping, poverty, and alcoholism that masked her family history of mental illness for generations.Mostra libro
With the release of their debut album in 1997, HIM and their charismatic frontman, lead singer Ville Valo, took the music world by storm, unveiling their trademark sound that eventually would make them Finland's top selling international band of all time. With a strong and loyal fan base across Europe, and after their US breakthrough in 2005, hits such as Wicked Game and Join Me have long since reached anthem status among HIM fans worldwide. In 2012, the band recorded their eighth studio album. This authentic unauthorised secret biography retraces the steps of HIM's creative mastermind and his band mates from their early days in the suburbs of Helsinki to global rock stardom. Aided by Finnish promoter legend Silke Yli-Sirniö who discovered and worked with HIM for many years, Marc Halupczok provides a comprehensive and unbiased insight into Love Metal creator and global heartthrob Ville Valo.Mostra libro
Simón Bolívar, born Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar, was a prominent Venezuelan military and political leader who played a pivotal role in the liberation of several South American countries from Spanish colonial rule. Bolívar's full name, a reflection of the Spanish naming tradition, encompassed multiple middle names, highlighting his family's social status. His leadership and vision helped Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Bolivia secure their independence from the Spanish Empire during the early 19th century. Bolívar was born into a wealthy, aristocratic family in Caracas, Venezuela. As was customary for the sons of affluent families at the time, he was sent abroad to receive his education. Initially, he traveled to Spain and later to France, where he encountered Enlightenment ideals that deeply influenced his political and philosophical beliefs. These ideas, particularly the notions of liberty and self-determination, fueled his desire to rid Latin America of Spanish control. Bolívar’s campaign for independence began in earnest in 1808, seizing the opportunity presented by the political instability in Spain caused by the Napoleonic Wars. This chaos allowed Bolívar and other revolutionaries to push forward their independence efforts.Mostra libro
Recalling some of the most memorable escapades ever conducted in the Canadian Arctic with bush planes, Flying to Extremes takes place in the late ’60s and early ’70s from a base at Yellowknife, in the heart of the Northwest Territories.Beyond recounting so many near-mishaps, this book is also about colourful people: the trappers, prospectors, miners, adventurers and gold-ingot thieves who constituted the fauna at the main bar in Yellowknife in those days. For Arctic dreamers, there was always the flight to the Nahanni River, with its Deadman’s Valley, hot springs, tales of lost or dead prospectors, the many airplanes crashed in pursuit of gold, and much more Nahanni lore.This entertaining book recollects Prinet’s adventures as a young man while capturing the humour, beauty, danger and unique culture of northern communities, in the dramatic landscape of the Canadian Arctic. Readers familiar with the region and those who can only dream of visiting it will both find this title a nostalgic and captivating read.Mostra libro
This audiobook is narrated by an AI Voice. Beyond the Midnight Express: The Real Story From American Dream to Turkish Nightmare – A Harrowing True Story of Survival and Escape In 1970, Billy Hayes was a young American with dreams of adventure who made one fateful decision that would change his life forever. Attempting to smuggle hashish from Istanbul back to America, Billy was caught at the airport and thrown into the brutal Turkish prison system. What began as a four-year sentence suddenly became a thirty-year nightmare when Turkey's Supreme Court changed his charges. This is the complete, unvarnished true story behind the famous book and controversial film "Midnight Express" – told here with unprecedented accuracy and detail. Follow Billy's incredible journey from his first successful smuggling runs to his dramatic arrest, his descent into the hellish world of Turkish prisons, and his desperate attempts at survival in a foreign land where he didn't speak the language. Witness his transfer to the island prison of Imralı, surrounded by treacherous seas that served as the ultimate security system. Experience the psychological torture, the violence, the loss of hope, and the tragic death of his loyal friend Patrick, who died trying to help him escape. But this story doesn't end in despair. On a stormy October night in 1975, Billy executed one of the most daring prison escapes in modern history – crossing dangerous waters in a small wooden boat, navigating hostile borders, and ultimately reaching freedom after five years of captivity. More than just an escape story, this is a raw examination of the human spirit under extreme duress, the price of poor decisions, and the controversial aftermath of fame that followed Billy's return to America.Mostra libro
Laying next to the tomb effigy of King Henry II of England in France's Fontevraud Abbey is a curious coffin chiseled in the shape of a young woman in repose. The once vibrant paint on the effigy is flaking, and several areas of the centuries-old tombs are chipped, but her general features are still somewhat recognizable. The beautiful, crowned queen, depicted with a soft smile on her face, was dressed in a simple, but elegant gown in white and blue, and an open book in her arms. The effigy is for none other than Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine. Over the years, this mysterious 12th century figure has been portrayed in countless ways, from a valiant warrior queen and resourceful politician to a control-obsessed and manipulative siren whose only objective in life was power. What is clear is that during her long life, Eleanor she played an outsized role in both French and English history, and she also had an impact on the course of the Crusades, not just with her first husband, France’s King Louis VII, but also through her offspring with her second husband, Henry II. The enduring figure of the Middle Ages is the chivalrous knight who served as a hero across much of Europe, and nobody played a more defining role in casting the popular image of medieval knights than Eleanor’s son Richard the Lionheart, one of the most famous English kings and crusaders. In many respects, it was ironic that Richard became one of the central characters of the Middle Ages, and his very popular legacy today belies centuries of controversy. Richard I Plantagenet, better known by his nickname “Coeur de Lion” (Lionheart), eventually became King of England, Grand Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Poitou, and Duke of Anjou, but as the third son in a large family, he did not expect to or even want to rule England. Nevertheless, it was he who eventually came to the throne upon his father's death, assisted in great measure by his statesmanlike mother Eleanor.Mostra libro
