A Mediterranean Marriage

A Mediterranean Marriage
Author: Lynne Graham
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2015-08-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1760377929

Lily couldn't believe her luck when she met Rauf Kasabian in the exclusive London bar where she worked and found herself the object of this charming, wealthy Turkish tycoon's affection. But when Rauf witnessed Lily leaving a hotel with another man, his fierce jealousy drove him back to Turkey, with a vow never to see her again. Two years later, Lily finds Rauf and together they discover that their passion still burns. Even though he has his suspicions about this outstandingly beautiful woman, Rauf decides that she must become his bride...

The Sheik Retold

The Sheik Retold
Author: Victoria Vane
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2013-09-06
Genre: British
ISBN: 9781492169956

"Pride and passion vie for supremacy in this steamy retelling of E.M. Hull's romance classic"--Page 4 of cover

Empires of the Sea

Empires of the Sea
Author: Roger Crowley
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 378
Release: 2008-07-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1588367339

In 1521, Suleiman the Magnificent, Muslim ruler of the Ottoman Empire at the height of its power, dispatched an invasion fleet to the Christian island of Rhodes. This would prove to be the opening shot in an epic struggle between rival empires and faiths for control of the Mediterranean and the center of the world. In Empires of the Sea, acclaimed historian Roger Crowley has written his most mesmerizing work to date–a thrilling account of this brutal decades-long battle between Christendom and Islam for the soul of Europe, a fast-paced tale of spiraling intensity that ranges from Istanbul to the Gates of Gibraltar and features a cast of extraordinary characters: Barbarossa, “The King of Evil,” the pirate who terrified Europe; the risk-taking Emperor Charles V; the Knights of St. John, the last crusading order after the passing of the Templars; the messianic Pope Pius V; and the brilliant Christian admiral Don Juan of Austria. This struggle’s brutal climax came between 1565 and 1571, seven years that witnessed a fight to the finish decided in a series of bloody set pieces: the epic siege of Malta, in which a tiny band of Christian defenders defied the might of the Ottoman army; the savage battle for Cyprus; and the apocalyptic last-ditch defense of southern Europe at Lepanto–one of the single most shocking days in world history. At the close of this cataclysmic naval encounter, the carnage was so great that the victors could barely sail away “because of the countless corpses floating in the sea.” Lepanto fixed the frontiers of the Mediterranean world that we know today. Roger Crowley conjures up a wild cast of pirates, crusaders, and religious warriors struggling for supremacy and survival in a tale of slavery and galley warfare, desperate bravery and utter brutality, technology and Inca gold. Empires of the Sea is page-turning narrative history at its best–a story of extraordinary color and incident, rich in detail, full of surprises, and backed by a wealth of eyewitness accounts. It provides a crucial context for our own clash of civilizations.

The Architect's Apprentice

The Architect's Apprentice
Author: Elif Shafak
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 434
Release: 2016-05-31
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0143108301

A colorful, magical tale set during the height of the Ottoman Empire, from the acclaimed author of The Island of Missing Trees (a Reese's Book Club Pick) Chosen for Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall’s “Reading Room” Book Club In this novel, Turkey’s preeminent female writer spins an epic tale spanning nearly a century in the life of the Ottoman Empire. In 1540, twelve-year-old Jahan arrives in Istanbul. As an animal tamer in the sultan’s menagerie, he looks after the exceptionally smart elephant Chota and befriends (and falls for) the sultan’s beautiful daughter, Princess Mihrimah. A palace education leads Jahan to Mimar Sinan, the empire’s chief architect, who takes Jahan under his wing as they construct (with Chota’s help) some of the most magnificent buildings in history. Yet even as they build Sinan’s triumphant masterpieces—the incredible Suleymaniye and Selimiye mosques—dangerous undercurrents begin to emerge, with jealousy erupting among Sinan’s four apprentices. A memorable story of artistic freedom, creativity, and the clash between science and fundamentalism, Shafak’s intricate novel brims with vibrant characters, intriguing adventure, and the lavish backdrop of the Ottoman court, where love and loyalty are no match for raw power.

Cold Hard Truth

Cold Hard Truth
Author: Kevin O'Leary
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2011-09-27
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 038567175X

Kevin O’Leary shares invaluable secrets on entrepreneurship, business, money and life. Can you make millions just by “visualizing yourself rich” as some business prophets suggest? Don’t buy it, says Kevin O’Leary. If you want to be a successful entrepreneur and amass wealth, you’re going to have to work for it. But the good news is: with the right guidance, focus and perseverance, you can turn entrepreneurial vision into lucrative reality and have the personal freedom that only wealth can buy. Kevin O’Leary would know. The much-feared and revered Dragon on the immensely popular show Dragons’ Den (and Shark Tank in the U.S.) started his company in his basement with a $10,000 loan from his financially savvy mother. A few years later, Kevin sold that company for more than four billion dollars. In this compelling, candid and, above all else, brutally honest business memoir, Kevin provides engaging, practical advice and lessons that will give anyone a distinct competitive edge.

THE PIRATES OF THE HIGH SEAS – Know Your Infamous Buccaneers, Their Exploits & Their Real Histories

THE PIRATES OF THE HIGH SEAS – Know Your Infamous Buccaneers, Their Exploits & Their Real Histories
Author: Daniel Defoe
Publisher: e-artnow
Total Pages: 1365
Release: 2017-11-15
Genre: Young Adult Nonfiction
ISBN: 8027230845

This unique collection of "THE PIRATES OF THE HIGH SEAS – Know Your Infamous Buccaneers, Their Exploits & Their Real Histories (9 Books in One Edition)" has been designed and formatted to the highest digital standards. A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates (Captain Charles Johnson) Book of Pirates: Fiction, Fact & Fancy (Howard Pyle) The Book of Buried Treasure: Being a True History of the Gold, Jewels, and Plate of Pirates (Ralph D. Paine) The Pirates Own Book: Authentic Narratives of the Most Celebrated Sea Robbers (Charles Ellms) Sea-Wolves of the Mediterranean (Currey E. Hamilton) The Pirates of Panama (A True Account by a Pirate) (John Esquemeling) The Story of the Barbary Corsairs (J. D. Jerrold Kelley and Stanley Lane-Poole) The Pirate Gow (Daniel Defoe) The King of Pirates (Daniel Defoe)

Cinderella and the Tycoon Next Door

Cinderella and the Tycoon Next Door
Author: Kandy Shepherd
Publisher: Harlequin
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2024-05-21
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0369737997

A marriage of convenience with her best friend—what could possibly go wrong? Dive into the next installment of the One Year to Wed quartet by Kandy Shepherd. THE KEY TO CINDERELLA’S INHERITANCE… When Anastasia finds herself in need of a husband, she turns to her best friend, millionaire tycoon Connor. She’s always carried a torch for the guy from next door, but anything romantic is completely off-limits. The relationship might be faux, but once she’s wearing Connor’s ring, Ana’s very real desire for him becomes impossible to hide any longer… Especially when his “I do” kiss feels anything but fake! From Harlequin Romance: Be swept away by glamorous and heartfelt love stories. One Year to Wed Book 1: Secretly Married to a Prince by Ally Blake Book 2: Reluctant Bride's Baby Bombshell by Rachael Stewart Book 3: Cinderella and the Tycoon Next Door by Kandy Shepherd Book 4: Claiming His Billion-Dollar Bride by Michelle Douglas

Candide

Candide
Author: By Voltaire
Publisher: BookRix
Total Pages: 169
Release: 2019-06-10
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 3736801785

Candide is a French satire by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. It begins with a young man, Candide, who is living a sheltered life in an Edenic paradise and being indoctrinated with Leibnizian optimism (or simply Optimism) by his mentor, Pangloss. The work describes the abrupt cessation of this lifestyle, followed by Candide's slow, painful disillusionment as he witnesses and experiences great hardships in the world. Voltaire concludes with Candide, if not rejecting optimism outright, advocating a deeply practical precept, "we must cultivate our garden", in lieu of the Leibnizian mantra of Pangloss, "all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds". Candide is characterized by its sarcastic tone, as well as by its erratic, fantastical and fast-moving plot. A picaresque novel it parodies many adventure and romance clichés, the struggles of which are caricatured in a tone that is mordantly matter-of-fact. Still, the events discussed are often based on historical happenings, such as the Seven Years' War and the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. As philosophers of Voltaire's day contended with the problem of evil, so too does Candide in this short novel, albeit more directly and humorously. Voltaire ridicules religion, theologians, governments, armies, philosophies, and philosophers through allegory; most conspicuously, he assaults Leibniz and his optimism. As expected by Voltaire, Candide has enjoyed both great success and great scandal. Immediately after its secretive publication, the book was widely banned because it contained religious blasphemy, political sedition and intellectual hostility hidden under a thin veil of naïveté. However, with its sharp wit and insightful portrayal of the human condition, the novel has since inspired many later authors and artists to mimic and adapt it. Today, Candide is recognized as Voltaire's magnum opus and is often listed as part of the Western canon; it is arguably taught more than any other work of French literature. It was listed as one of The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written.

We Are Made of Earth

We Are Made of Earth
Author: Panos Karnezis
Publisher: Myriad Editions
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2019-09-26
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1912408287

From the heart-in-mouth opening scene to its melancholy ending, We are Made of Earth is a skilled blend of seductive linguistic simplicity and luminous moral depth. In Karnezis' confident hands, a timely story of refugee arrival on a foreign shore—a prismatic exploration of the moral and emotional price those leaving their homeland must pay for peace and security—is transformed into a timeless narrative of connection and disorientation, longing and self-doubt. With Karnezis' trademark 'details catching like splinters in that part of the imagination that responds to pure storytelling' (TLS), We are Made of Earth opens when an overcrowded dinghy capsizes at sea. A doctor is among the refugees thrown overboard. In the panic, he saves one life and condemns another. The doctor and the boy he saves—the only witness to the crime—wash up on a tiny Greek island where they are offered shelter by the owner of a small travelling circus. Debt-ridden, the circus owner has just one asset: an Asian elephant, far from her natural habitat but lovingly tended by the owner's wife even as she mourns their young daughter. As the two refugees await an endlessly deferred ferry to continue their journey, the displaced elephant becomes both symbolic and substantial, and the unfortunate catalyst for precisely the kinds of misunderstandings and misinterpretations that regularly drown lives. At once timely and timeless, this powerful and absorbing novel by Panos Karnezis explores the price of peace and security through the intimate motivations and moral dilemmas of people bound together by fate and circumstance.