Taef Lang must set out on his grand quest… … To find a job. Now a married man, the time has come for Taef to begin his long-delayed career as a professor of Island archaeology and/or Island history. To do so, he and Lessie, along with Sella and Carz, set sail for the Island and the University of Jarpara. Passage to Jarpara is a travelogue of that journey. It’s an account of islands called on, old friends and acquaintances met, new ones made, as well as potential pirates, curse-beasts, haunted Tiki palaces, fire islands, and a hidden race of immortals. In short, it’s an episodic record of the everyday life of the island-studded Tropic Sea. Passage to Jarpara is the third and final volume of Tales of the Tropic Sea from the pen of C. Litka. It draws a fitting conclusion to the adventures of Taef, Sella, and Lessie that begin with their voyage to Redoubt Island and continued with the freeing of the Prisoner of Cimlye. It blends fantasy, science fiction, adventure, and romance told in C. Litka's classic lighthearted style. Like all his novels, it features engaging characters, witty dialog, meticulous world-building, and mysteries to be solved in unexpected ways.

Twenty-two students of Winston Elementary School are being held hostage. The gunmen are demanding the release of ISIS leaders held in Iraq. A rescue attempt by the FBI could get the children killed. Altaf Khan, a 48-year-old Pakistani American, may be able to help them infiltrate the terrorists’ network. However, one of the captors is his son, Zain. Azalea Heights is a clash-of-cultures story of a diverse cast of characters wanting to make a fresh start. Naina is recently divorced and is learning to live alone. Rohan is a small-time restaurateur with big dreams. Altaf, a proud American citizen, is struggling with the radicalization of his teenage son. Gerard is a retired Iraq veteran fighting with his inner demons and legacy of the war. When they move to a new development called Azalea Heights, their paths inevitably cross and result in a chain of events that upend their lives. Azalea Heights captures the escalating tensions within the neighborhood, but also recognizes the American spirit, when people with disparate ideologies, beliefs, and politics come together in a moment of crisis. Azalea Heights deals with multiple layers of racism in American society. It delves into the protagonists’ psyches, their hopes, fears, and biases, the shocking secrets they keep, and the terrible choices they make. In the end, it boils down to a single principle: doing the right thing, regardless of consequences. Fans of Little Fires Everywhere, An American Marriage, and There There will enjoy this riveting tale of intercultural conflict in these unsettling times when prejudices have come to be accepted as normal.

The best laid plans “gang aft agley” as Robert Burns noted. As did the hopes of Sella, Lessie, the Meys, and Taef Lang. The Prisoner of Cimlye, a novel of some 54,000 words, is the sequel to Sailing to Redoubt. It takes up the story of Sella, Lessie, and Taef six months after the end of that first Tropic Sea novel, and ties up many of the loose ends left dangling at the close of that story. For instance, was Lieutenant Taef Lang able to convince his commanding officer that duty required him to spend several months sailing the Tropic Sea in a 12 meter yacht with two beautiful girls – the delightful Sella and her twin sister, the less than delightful Lessie? And what did that powerful premonition Taef felt when the dour Lessie shyly waved goodbye to him foreshadow? And, of course, how did the governments of the three continents of the world react to the message that they carried back from Redoubt Island? Indeed, were Sella and Lessie able to convince their angry Grandfather to forgive them for so often making a fool of him, and welcome the new age that that message promised? The answers to these and many other questions and mysteries can be found in the pages of The Prisoner of Cimlye, A Romance of the Tropic Sea. Please note: A new version was uploaded on 13 January 2021. Fingers crossed, hopefully it will fix the problems downloading this book noted by some reviewers. C. Litka writes old fashioned novels with modern sensibilities, humor, and romance. He spins tales of adventure, mystery, and travel set in richly imagined worlds, featuring casts of colorful, fully realized characters. If you seek to escape your everyday life for a few hours, you will not find better company, nor more wonderful worlds to travel and explore, than in the novels of C. Litka.

Working up the courage to take a big, important leap is hard, but Jabari is almost absolutely ready to make a giant splash. Jabari is definitely ready to jump off the diving board. He’s finished his swimming lessons and passed his swim test, and he’s a great jumper, so he’s not scared at all. “Looks easy,” says Jabari, watching the other kids take their turns. But when his dad squeezes his hand, Jabari squeezes back. He needs to figure out what kind of special jump to do anyway, and he should probably do some stretches before climbing up onto the diving board. In a sweetly appealing tale of overcoming your fears, newcomer Gaia Cornwall captures a moment between a patient and encouraging father and a determined little boy you can’t help but root for.

Sixteen essays in the social and economic history of the ancient world, by a leading historian of classical antiquity, are here brought conveniently together. Three overlapping parts deal with the urban economy and society, peasants and the rural economy, and food-supply and food-crisis. While focusing on eleven centuries of antiquity from archaic Greece to late imperial Rome, the essays include theoretical and comparative analyses of food-crisis and pastoralism, and an interdisciplinary study of the health status of the people of Rome using physical anthropology and nutritional science. A variety of subjects are treated, from the misconduct of a builders' association in late antique Sardis, to a survey of the cultural associations and physiological effects of the broad bean.