This book tells the compelling story of a Christian noblewoman named Tamta in the thirteenth century. Born to an Armenian family at the court of queen Tamar of Georgia, she was ransomed in marriage to nephews of Saladin after her father was captured during a siege. She was later raped and then married by the Khwarazmshah and held hostage by the Mongols, before being made an independent ruler under them in eastern Anatolia. Her tale stretches from the Mediterranean to Mongolia and reveals the extraordinary connections across continents and cultures that one woman could experience. Without a voice of her own, surviving monuments - monasteries and mosques, caravanserais and palaces - build up a picture of Tamta's world and the roles women played in it. The book explores how women's identities changed between different courts, with shifting languages, religions and cultures, and between their roles as daughters, wives, mothers and widows.

'Spitting & Screaming: The Story of The London Pub Rock Scene & 70s British Punk' is rather a grand title. Does it over promise? Who is this guy Neil Saint who calls himself The Saint podcasting and broadcasting his RETROPOPIC RADIO show? If you think that folks then you're wrong... The book represents a thorough investigation of the London Pub Rock and British Punk scene in the seventies from over 50 interviews with the participants themselves. Amongst others the author has spoken to...Sally Jane Delaney, daughter of Tally Ho publican Lillian Delaney, shares memories of listening to the birth of London Pub Rock as 'Eggs Over Easy' play a residency at her home, Steve Conolly, known as Roadent, conveys his direct knowledge of the early punk scene roadying for The Pistols and The Clash, Charlie Harper, founder member of The UK Subs, recounts the very earliest days of The Roxy as punk goes overground in 77 after The Grundy interview and Andrew Lauder, a player in the music scene, informs you how much he disliked The Stranglers before falling in love with them and signing them to UA. Spanning that early to late seventies the book is a must read for the music lover!

'The story focuses on love, trust, and sacrifice, against a backdrop of the cruelty of war' STEVE JOHNSON As a quaint old Norman church bathed in the late morning sunshine, a young bride waits anxiously for her groom. Anna, a German of Roma origin is stepping into a new life in London. She will finally escape the horrors of her past. When Anna flees the death camps of 1930s Germany to England, she is relieved. But events in her adopted homeland throw her best-laid plans in disarray. This is her story. It's a story about hope and heartbreak, love and hate, anger and confusion, blind prejudice and intolerance, and even redemption. Sam Martin's gritty prose tells a sensitive story. Seamlessly, he gives a well-rounded view of the war on the home front; its claustrophobic, tense atmosphere, the prevailing opinions of the day, and the seismic decisions taken by those in power. Just hope what happens to Anna, never happens to you.