Other books that might interest you

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  Engineers of the Soul - The...

  Frank Westerman

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  A “fascinating” account of how Gorky, Pasternak, and other great writers were coerced to create propaganda for Stalin (Cleveland Plain Dealer). 
   
  Sunday Times Best Travel Book of the Year 
   
  In the Soviet Union, writers of renown, described by Stalin as “engineers of the soul,” were encouraged to sing the praises of canal and dam construction under titles such as Energy: The Hydraulic Power Station and Onward, Time! But their enthusiasm—spontaneous and idealistic at first—soon became obligatory, and as these colossal waterworks led to slavery and destruction, Soviet writers such as Maxim Gorky, Isaak Babel, Konstantin Paustovsky, and Boris Pasternak were forced to labor on in the service of a deluded totalitarian society.  
   
  Combining investigative journalism with literary history, Engineers of the Soul is a journey through contemporary Russia and Soviet-era literature. Frank Westerman, a correspondent living in post-Communist Moscow, examines both the culture landscape under Stalin’s rule and the books—and lives—of writers caught in the wheels of the Soviet system as art and reality were bent to radically new purposes. 
   
  “Engagingly written and extensively researched, the book covers compelling historical and literary ground.” —Financial Times 
   
  “A detailed and enthralling account of his journey through Soviet literature including discovering the revolution’s best kept secrets while trying to appreciate the talented writers who created a web of deceit in the name of success.” —Publishers Weekly  
   
  “A literary travelogue revealing a remarkable geography and a strange, fraught alliance when the pen was not as mighty as the hammer and sickle of the Soviet Union . . . insightful.” —Kirkus Reviews

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  Desticity Nice (EN) - Visit Nice...

  Desticity

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  This audio book has been designed to be listened to on the spot, in front of Nice' monuments or sites of interest. This will enrich your visit experience. They can also be listened to again after your visit, or at any other time, to better know the monuments you like. 
  Each chapter of this book tells the story and architecture of a site, in a short format of a few minutes. Refer to the title of the chapter for the name of the monument. 
  Desticity will allow you to discover essential information on the history, architecture and cultural anecdotes of Nice' monuments, sites and tourist districts. 
  Your imagination will be stimulated by an immersion in the history of what you admire. These moments of visit are to be shared with family and friends. 
  Plug in your headphones and open your eyes wide... Enjoy your visit with Desticity!

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  This is Europe - The Way We Live...

  Ben Judah

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  A Times, Financial Times and Telegraph Book of the Year 2023'Illuminates some of the great trends of our time' - Gideon Rachman, Financial Times'Vivid, urgent and unsettling' - Tom Holland, author of Dominion_____What does it now mean to call yourself European? Who makes up this population of some 750 million, sprawled from Ireland to Ukraine, from Sweden to Turkey? Who has always called it home, and who has newly arrived from elsewhere? Who are the people who drive our long-distance lorries, steward our criss-crossing planes, lovingly craft our legacy wines, fish our depleted waters, and risk life itself in search of safety and a new start?In a series of vivid but always empathetic portraits of other people’s lives, journalist Ben Judah invites us to meet them. Drawn from hours of painstaking interviews, these vital stories reveal a vibrant continent which has been transformed by diversity, migration, the internet, climate change, Covid, war and the quest for freedom.Laid dramatically bare, it may not always be a Europe we recognize – but this is Europe._____'An astonishing achievement' - Evening Standard'Brilliantly told . . . highly readable' - The Times

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  My African Conquest - Cape to...

  Julia Albu

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  ‘Next year I’m going to be 80 years old. My car will be 20 years old. Together we’ll be 100. We’re going to drive to Cairo.’ 
    
  ‘And what route are you going to take?’ 
    
  ‘I have no idea. I think I’ll keep to the right.’ 
    
  When 80-year-old Julia Albu calls in to her favourite radio show with a zany, half-baked idea, she has no idea that it will lead her to the adventure of a lifetime. 
  From helping push a 30-year-old Toyota bakkie up a precipitous mountain pass in Malawi to being ‘adopted’ by the riotous ex-pat South African community in Dar es Salaam and being fed mildly hallucinogenic ‘herbs’ by her Ethiopian driver-guide, nothing deterred 80-year-old Julia Albu from her quest to drive through Africa from the Cape to Cairo. 
  	She and her 20-year-old Toyota Conquest, Tracy – a personality in her own right – travelled through 10 African countries, from South Africa to Egypt (and beyond). Julia was accompanied by a series of companions who added texture to her travels: three of her four grown-up children, her son-in-law, and at least one person who began as a complete stranger and ended up as a friend for life. 
  	Reminiscing about her long and interesting life along the way, and maintaining a bright and upbeat outlook regardless of the circumstances, Julia proves that you’re never too old to tackle that bucket list.

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  Beijing In 72 Hours - Maximize...

  Grizzly Publishing

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  Beijing in 72 Hours is designed for travelers to get the best knowledge on the capital of China.Beijing is one of the largest cities in the world and it is impossible to see everything in 72 hours. Where do you go first? What do you want to see and do the most? Walk along the Great Wall of China, explore the Forbidden City, wander through the hutongs, or take a boat trip on Lake Kunming at the Summer Palace? With so much to see and do, what do you do?This book is designed to help you with your dilemma. It first takes you through the process of understanding and applying for the invaluable 72-hour visa-free transit policy and the rules surrounding it.Learn more about the top attractions in the city, from the glorious Forbidden City, the iconic Tienanmen Square or the graceful Summer Palace where the Qing Emperors would spend the summer months to escape the oppressive heat, the Temple of Heaven, the various shopping districts, and many more!Some of the things you will learn:How to apply for the 72-hour visa-free transit policy for Beijing, which is different from other Chinese cities!Learn more about the attractions and sites in Beijing, including their history, architecture, and what makes them so specialUnderstand the local cuisine and the various snacks, beverages, and dishes that makes dining so uniqueDiscover the best places to shop, with sections on the main shopping districtsDiscover several itineraries you can follow which offers the best attractions to explore in different areas of Beijing

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  Thai History - Facts and...

  Kelly Mass

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  Learn more about the history of those countries. The topics addressed will be the following: 
  The Khmer Empire--Historians describe Cambodia as the Khmer State or the Angkorian Empire (Khmer:) from the 9th century to the 15th century, when it was a Hindu/Buddhist empire in Southeast Asia. The empire, which developed from the old societies of Funan and Chenla, governed and/or "vassalized" the majority of mainland Southeast Asia and parts of Southern China, covering from the suggestion of the Indochinese Peninsula northward to modern-day Yunnan province in China, and from Vietnam westward to Myanmar. The Khmer Empire was greater at its peak than the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire) that existed at the exact same period. 
  The Siamese-- Siam was just a much different name for what's now referred to as Thailand. The Siamese are the people who live there, though they're never ever called as such any longer. 
  Thailand is a fascinating country, with its own culinary arts, culture, history, royalty, infrastructure, and influence on the world. To learn more about these “Thai” people before they were called Thai, when they were Siamese, is to learn about those people’s roots.

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