The narrator arrives in his 117th rented room at the end of an epic journey, abandoned by his lover, almost broke, and certainly feverish. A razor sharp chronicle of experience that grew out of a seven-month stay in Sri Lanka.

A captivating and transporting travel novel, Scorpionfish reveals how what we leave behind may be exactly what we've been looking for all along. After the unexpected deaths of her parents, academic Mira returns to her childhood home in Athens. On her first night back, she encounters a new neighbor, a longtime ship captain who has found himself, for the first time in years, no longer at sea. As one summer night tumbles into another, Mira and the Captain’s voices drift across the balconies of their apartments, disclosing details and stories: of careers, of families, of love. For Mira, love has so often meant Aris, an ex-boyfriend and rising Greek politician who has recently become engaged to a movie star. There is, too, her love for her dear friend Nefeli—a well-known artist who came of age during the military dictatorship—as well as Dimitra and Fady, a couple caring for a young refugee boy. Undergirding each relationship is the love that these characters have for Athens, a beautiful but complicated city that is equal parts lushness and sharp edges. Scorpionfish is a map of how and where we find our true selves: in the pull of the sea; the sway of late-night bar music; the risk and promise of art; and in the sparkling, electric, summertime charge of endless possibility. Award-winning author Natalie Bakopoulos braids a story of vulnerability, desire, and bittersweet truth, unraveling old ways of living and, in the end, creating something new.

Weakened by illness, an historian begins to believe in his encounters with hallucinations and magic, including a levitating Jesuit monk, on the island of Sri Lanka.

Simple text and photographs describe the lives of scorpion fish.

Biology and Ecology of Venomous Marine Scorpionfishes examines the diversity, utilization, and ways to safeguard against the world’s most dangerous fish species. It covers the biological and ecological factors that differentiate each species in the Scorpaeninae (Scorpionfish) family and its Pteroinae (Lionfish) subfamily. This book offers important anatomical and identification information on marine scorpionfishes and delves into the diversity, habits and behaviors of each venomous species. In addition, it discusses the health risks that can plague these fish in and out of the wild, including parasites. This book is an essential resource to educate marine biology researchers and students on the various species of scorpionfish that also provides sea-goers with a guide that will help protect them against venomous stings from these fish. Details the importance of researching and safeguarding against scorpionfishes Covers venomous scorpionfish species within 25 genera, including various lionfish, rockfish and the blackfoot firefish Details the anatomy of scorpionfishes to prevent human contact with their numerous barbs

In 1953, twenty-four-year old Nicolas Bouvier and his artist friend Thierry Vernet set out to make their way overland from their native Geneva to the Khyber Pass. They had a rattletrap Fiat and a little money, but above all they were equipped with the certainty that by hook or by crook they would reach their destination, and that there would be unanticipated adventures, curious companionship, and sudden illumination along the way. The Way of the World, which Bouvier fashioned over the course of many years from his journals, is an entrancing story of adventure, an extraordinary work of art, and a voyage of self-discovery on the order of Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. As Bouvier writes, “You think you are making a trip, but soon it is making—or unmaking—you.”

The Complete Hawaiian Reef Fish Coloring Book includes over 200 colorable illustrations to help the reader learn to identify these colorful and fascinating fishes. Each illustration is accompanied by a complete description of the fish, including the scientific, common and Hawaiian names. Their anatomical features, coloration, body designs, feeding habits and reproductive strategies are also explained in a fully illustrated section devoted to these topics. In addition, an overview of coral reef ecology is provided to help the reader understand the relationship between the fishes and the coral reef. This book may be used by the casual snorkeler, diver, or marine enthusiast. Students of marine biology will also find it to be a useful tool for academic work and practical monitoring projects. This book can also be used in the classroom to supplement a course in marine biology or ecology, or it may simply be used by younger audiences who just want to enjoy coloring in the fishes.