Have you ever wanted to travel the Kings Highway in Jordan and walk down the famous Siq Gorge to the ancient city of Petra? Or wanted to spend an Orthodox Christmas in Bethlehem? Wondered how you would feel if stuck with a flat tyre in the middle of the Sudanese desert at sunrise? Or pondered about the Call to Prayer as it echoes repeatedly across Istanbul at sunset? Have you ever wondered how so many people live and survive in the Middle East without the rules and regulations of western building, working, and plumbing? Meet Shazam the Jordanian taxi driver, the boys in the Sea of Shoeshine, Mr Ali and his famous Green Door Pizza in Jerusalem, Russell from Noosa, and the Great Paperweights of Giza as you travel on a journey of adventure, mishaps, revelations, architectural wonders, and lack of plumbing, though Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey. And dont forget the Cats of Istanbul, the Cairo Cat Shop, and Camel School and the Art of Haggling . In 1997, architect Mahalath Halperin, together with her colleague and his wife, Peter and Pauline Buckwell, spent four crazy weeks travelling by plane, train, and automobile throughout the Middle East on a journey to discover architecture, culture, and of course, plumbing. And they found lots of cats along the way. This is the story of that adventure.

Humans of New York meets The French Cat in this carefully cultivated, gorgeous full-color collection featuring New York’s iconic felines and the stories behind them. They inhabit New York City’s most legendary and coziest spots—the Algonquin Hotel, a whiskey distillery, Bleecker Street Records, and a host of yoga studios, bodegas, bookstores, and bike shops in between. True New Yorkers—masters of people watching—they perch on wine crates, piles of books, and a classic hotel countertop, taking in the activity around them. Depending on their mood, these cats will ignore enthusiastic admirers, offer a few delightful purrs, or occasionally even take a swipe. Some even find a mouse or two to chase. Shop Cats of New York introduces forty of New York’s favorite felines—all who have an extraordinary story to tell. Popular cat blogger Tamar Arslanian and Instagram pet photographer Andrew Marttila capture these deeply loved and well cared for animals in their city habitat and reveal how they came to reign over their urban kingdoms. A celebration of some of the city’s most revered citizens and a unique look at New York life, this enchanting illustrated volume is a must for every cat lover, and every Big Apple devotee.

A heartfelt, funny memoir about how a kitten rescue project changed one cynic’s life… Journalist Heather Green was finally putting down roots: in shiny, buzzing Manhattan. She loved her work and threw herself into sixty-hour weeks—once walking into a subway pole, getting a concussion, and still going to the office. Her new boyfriend Matt lived across the river in a New Jersey town that had none of the glamour of New York. She liked Matt—a lot—yet she wasn’t sure what to make of weekends in gritty, dilapidated Union City. But things changed the summer morning Heather discovered a beautiful stray cat and her three black-and-white kittens in Matt’s neighbor’s backyard. When she made eye contact with one of the kittens, she felt something she’d never felt before. She and Matt had to save the little animals. Because if they didn’t, who would? The crazy world of cat rescue soon drew Heather in. As she and Matt worked together to figure out how to trap, tame, and find homes for their foundlings, she began to question the life she had back in Manhattan. This is the story of how three furry beings taught one woman about love, community, and what truly matters in life.

A surreal, utterly unique Turkish novel about a human chess game.

"An ideal guidebook to facing the inevitable." Foreword Reviews After her brother died unexpectedly and her mother moved into a dementia-care facility, spiritual travel writer and Episcopal deacon Lori Erickson felt called to a new quest: to face death head on, with the eye of a tourist and the heart of a pastor. Blending memoir, spirituality, and travel, Near the Exit examines how cultures confront and have confronted death, from Egypt's Valley of the Kings and Mayan temples, to a Colorado cremation pyre and Day of the Dead celebrations, to Maori settlements and tourist-destination graveyards. Erickson reflects on mortalityâ€"the ways we avoid it, the ways we cope with it, and the ways life is made more precious by accepting itâ€"in places as far away as New Zealand and as close as the nursing home up the street. Throughout her personal journey and her travels, Erickson  helps us to see that one of the most life-affirming things we can do is to invite death along for the ride.

With 55 black-and-white photos, this is a an intimate look at the absurd shenanigans and perverse expressions of the author's cat Ernie, and is now back in print for the first time in years.

Featuring more than 100 photos and quotes from cats in America’s most glamorous city, Felines of New York exposes the furry underbelly of New York City’s most glamorous, self-important residents. Where New York humans are accomplished, interesting, thoughtful, creative, and even sometimes tragic figures, the cats are simply cats. They do not stand in line for brunch, or have season tickets to the Met, or go indoor-rock climbing in Brooklyn. They do not shop at thrift stores or nibble finger sandwiches at the Russian Tea Room. And they certainly do not give a flying f*ck about the Yankees. No, the felines of New York bathe, purr, bask languidly in the sun, and occasionally cast baleful glances at the humans who provide them food and shelter. They are proof that behind every New Yorker, there lays a cat just waiting to destroy their IKEA futon and then eat their faces off when they die.