“Lucky to be here” Kindle & EPUB versions
At the moment, Geof (me) has three books, his autobiography “Lucky to be Here”, “Tsipouro Tales”, and “Travellers Tales”. All my books can be bought as either a paperback print version, a Kindle version, or an EPUB version. Links will take you to the various pages where you can buy the books in either $, £, or € – depending on your currency of choice, & to minimise postage. If you live in the States, use the US Amazon link, in Europe, the link goes to Amazon in Germany, & in the UK, to Amazon UK.
“Tsipouro Tales” is, in some way, a follow up to “Lucky to be Here”, but it is more of a compliment to it. It is about Greek culture, in particular the culture of drinking tsipouro & eating small snacks, which was revived in Central Greece some 30 years ago. It is about what is central to Greek life: good food, good drink, & (above all) good company. The “Tales” are the stories that are told around the taverna table whilst consuming tsipouro.
This book is all about Skiathos Island, a beautiful Greek island in the Aegean, and how it changed my life. Before I arrived there, I had been a Grammar School kid, a computer operator (when computers were massive boxes, kept in dust free, controlled environments, and had less memory than the cheapest mobile phone), a factory floor worker, a drop out (Hippie), worked in a betting shop, smoked a ton of dope and dropped quite a bit of acid, and had hitch-hiked around a lot of Europe. I was a boy/man in search of himself – but of course, I didn’t know that at the time. I was just too busy living and learning by moving from experience to experience. In retrospect, fate brought me to Skiathos and Zorbathes, the place where I found the love of my life and taught me to love life and live it to the full. It taught me what was really important in life, nearly killed me, and continues to bring me happy surprises even in my 70’s.The quote from Lawrence Durrell, at the beginning of this book, “Other countries may offer you discoveries in manners or lore or landscape; Greece offers you something harder – the discovery of yourself.” is true in many ways, except, it seems to me that it has not been hard. Skiathos, and its residents, made it easy for me.
You can read a sample here.
Prices, & Post & Packaging vary from country to country.
Amazon UK – Click here
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Amazon DE – Click here.
“Lucky to be here“ Kindle & EPUB versions
I have mentioned tsipouro many times in my Skiathos Newsletters & my autobiography, but some (many?) of you may not know exactly what tsipouro is.
It is a distillation of either wine, or a secondary fermentation of grape skins after the wine has been drained off. The more famous “Ouzo” was also originally made like this, but nowadays ouzo is made from any commercial alcohol & then flavoured with anise & sugar.
Tsipouro is still made in the traditional way, & is purer than ouzo, & is always drunk in combination with food. This is the famous “tsipouro & mezedes”, which is a specialty of dining out in the middle Greece area. Mezedes are small plates of food, usually (but not confined to) seafood, & in combination with tsipouro can make for a long lasting & satisfying afternoon or evening. Eating while drinking is a great way to prolong a good time & will not give you a hangover unless (of course) far too much is consumed.
Almost the most important part of Greek life is eating, drinking, & good conversation (good company). Of these the most important is good company, but is nearly always accompanied by food & drink – thus tsipouro & mezedes.
“Tsipouro Tales” is available via Amazon.com as a Print version, or a Kindle version.
Click here for US Amazon.
For the print book in Euros, Click here.
For the print book in UK Pounds,
Click here
It is also available as an EPUB:
Click here to find options to buy it.
“Travellers Tales” takes us on the journey around the world that Lida and I took in 2016, and the follow up to it India in 2018.
Our trip started in Skiathos, then Athens, London, San Francisco, Hawaii, NZ ,OZ, Malaysia, London, Bath, Athens, and finally Skiathos again.
The “World Trip” was to see and stay with friends that we had made in Skiathos, but who had subsequently left. We sent out emails saying things like, “You remember 30 years ago, you mentioned that, if we were passing by, to drop in? Well, we are passing by!
We had some wonderful times reconnecting with all those friends. We saw beautiful landscapes, amazing sunsets, ate delicious food, and met people from all walks of life.
Our trip to India 2 years later was also an eye opener.
We had some incredible times, and met people and cultures that were so different from our own.
“Travellers Tales” is available via Amazon.com as a Print version, or a Kindle version.
Click here for US Amazon.
For the print book in Euros, Click here.
For the print book in UK Pounds,
Click here
It is also available as an EPUB:
Click here to find options to buy it.