SLOWLY BUT THOROUGHLY
a novel by B.D. Fischer
The
relentless mania of the global information economy has crushed greater men than
the CEO of DotCom.com but in the tradition of Huck Finn and Patrick Bateman
he’s far from out of the contest. At the
crucial moment in the twin sagas of both his company and his families,
oblivious to the canards of religion, capitalism, and democracy, he moves
gamely forward. As the secret past of
his adopted hometown is revealed, he senses a post-millennial ecstasy of sex,
hallucination, bureaucracy, and drugs, on the verge of fruition. Yet his devotion to technologies he doesn’t
understand, memories not his own, and relationships so brittle they crumble in
his hands, may obscure the distinctions between history personal and political
that have eluded him all his life.
Prose of
shining chrome.
-Frank Moorhouse, author of Dark Palace
and Grand Days
The
indisputable strength of this novel is that "one voice" of the
narrator, in its stunning amalgamation of lucidity and obsessiveness, blunt
honesty and self-conscious performativity, sensitivity and cruelty, insight and
blindness, wide-ranging curiosity and referentiality and self-absorption.
-Evan Carton, author of Patriotic Treason and Joan
Negley Kelleher Centennial Professor in Rhetoric and Composition at the University of Texas
at Austin
*
B.D. Fischer grew up in a small town that Money
magazine called the best place to live in the entire U.S.A. Naturally, he dropped out of high school and
moved as soon as he could to upstate New
York where he poured beer, repossessed cars, and
published his first story. He spent the
first decade of the new century across the American South, mostly in Austin, Texas,
where he graded standardized tests, taught interior design, and ran an elevator
in an ADA-compliant museum. He moved to Wuhu, Anhui, China, in 2011, where he met his future wife,
before settling in Chicago. You can reach him at ThreeStrangeThings.com
*
COVER by Katerina Dramitinou
-
e-book format available through www.smashwords.com
**
52 EYELANDS - A SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY THROUGH THE GREEK ISLANDS
By Gregory Papadoyiannis
This is a “sentimental” guide for travellers, through
52 of the Greek islands.
The term "sentimental guide" implies
something more than a commonplace guide and I assure you that my book is not
written in the style of a classic guidebook. There is already a plethora of
classic guidebooks; the internet is rife with a lot of useful – yet even more
useless – information. This book has simply been written out of an outrageous
love for the islands, to describe of what it feels like to actually “live the
island” – even for a week – and to find out what it’s like, from how it looks
to how it can be characterized in terms of its deeper essence. I liken this
process to getting to know a friend, or perhaps even falling in love.
What you will find here
For every island, you will find information about its history and its connection with the other islands which belong to the same group.
You will also find basic information about how to get around and spots that I think you should not miss, in order to get a complete picture and enjoy your stay on the island. Keep in mind that this is a guide for travellers and not for ordinary tourists. As such, what I believe is most significant is to give you information based on my own experience, about the style, character, profile and personality of each island.
Along with the commentary on the islands, this book contains some basic yet essential tips for travellers to Greece – and particularly for those travelling to the islands.
Moreover, there is a small section with some tips – one might say an emotional survival guide – for all those who need to know what to do during their first day on an island.
For every island, you will find information about its history and its connection with the other islands which belong to the same group.
You will also find basic information about how to get around and spots that I think you should not miss, in order to get a complete picture and enjoy your stay on the island. Keep in mind that this is a guide for travellers and not for ordinary tourists. As such, what I believe is most significant is to give you information based on my own experience, about the style, character, profile and personality of each island.
Along with the commentary on the islands, this book contains some basic yet essential tips for travellers to Greece – and particularly for those travelling to the islands.
Moreover, there is a small section with some tips – one might say an emotional survival guide – for all those who need to know what to do during their first day on an island.
What you will not find
You won’t find recommendations about the best
restaurant, the best night club or the best hotel on each island. This
information can be accessed using many other resources. This is not a book
containing typical advice for tourists and not just another classic travel
guide for the Greek islands; there are already plenty of excellent ones to
choose from. This is something unique that cannot be found anywhere else; it is
a sentimental journey through the Greek islands and I want to share it with
you.
BOOK REVIEW, by Lane Ashfeldt
http://seamagic.org/
Coasting along in the Greek islands
28/08/2013
I never
take a guidebook on my travels: long lists of things to ‘cover’ or ‘do’ would
only be a source of stress. But if I ever revisit the Greek Islands, I may well
pack a copy of Gregory Papadoyiannis’s genre-busting ‘52 eyelands’. Far from
stressing you out with detailed lists, Papadoyiannis offers only the lightest
touch of “must sees”. In fact, among the book’s top tips for travel is the
refreshing advice to set aside all guidebooks or maps as soon as you can, and
trust your instincts instead.
The tone of the book is relaxed and accepting
of the traveller’s lot: things might go awry from time to time, but that is to
be expected. Sometimes the ferry is late and the bus driver who is paid to meet
it gives up waiting and goes home to bed, and so the disembarking passengers
must reach their destinations on foot. But Papadoyiannis makes light of such
challenges. However bad the situation, he remains an optimist. What you must
do, he seems to be saying, is keep going, and the next day you will find the
good stuff.Sustained throughout is the voice of a
travelling companion who is always careful not to tell you too much, always
conscious that travel is about making choices, and that since each traveller is
different they will each have discoveries of their own to make about the
islands that he knows and loves so well.
At last: a no-spoilers guidebook. This could
be a thing.
GREGORY PAPADOYIANNIS
was born in Crete
in 1961. He has a university degree in law and journalism, and also studied
film directing. He is the person in charge and also writes about book &
cinema on the website www.eyelands.gr
His career history includes work with
newspapers, magazines, radio and television for well-known broadcasting
organisations and television stations, initially as a sports correspondent and
later as a columnist and editor and has collaborated in redacting various
travel guides.
At the
same time he was worked as a translator, working in collaboration with
prominent publishing houses. He was also active within the realm of theatre. In
1991 he received the top national award for new playwriters. In the following
years he received two times the 2nd prize in the national contest for
playwriters. He also wrote a novel, a short stories collection and a comic
album.
See more about the book:
http://52eyelands.blogspot.gr/
52 EYELANDS - A SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY THROUGH THE GREEK ISLANDS
available
through www.paraxenesmeres.gr / strangedaysbooks.gr
& www.amazon.com - kindle edition
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