Books published by Martin Miller-Yianni

This book tells of the trials and tribulations of an English expatriate who set himself an endurance sporting goal just for the hell of it. Living in Bulgaria made the challenge even more demanding and was seen by many as a quintessential eccentric English quirk, pointless and mingled with madness. The goal was to complete a 2-mile open water swimming event based some 3000 kilometres away in London's Hyde Park. The biggest hurdle was not being able to swim with an acute fear of water. Not to be ignored here is age. It was perhaps getting old that motivated him more than anything as opposed to just limp and fade away into the lethargy of old age. The challenge seemed an impossible feat initially with many hurdles that had to be overcome. This was not just from starting out as a non-swimmer fearful of water, but from other logistic issues over the 6-month journey. Getting through the challenge needed lots of determination, strong resolve not least bloody-mindedness.

Bulgaria is one of the least known countries in Europe. Tucked away in the southeast corner of Europe it has been hiding many treasures away unbeknown to many outsiders. Most, if not all travel books about Bulgaria cover well-trodden tourist resorts and understandingly ignoring lesser-known parts of Bulgaria. These 'fortunate' neglected areas, where tourism hasn't affected, remain in my and many others' opinion the most treasured parts of Bulgaria. The writing contains a variety of titles ranging from an epitaph of a simple Bulgarian village farmer to a traditional Bulgarian recipe with a local twist; articles giving humorous moments to more serious issues that Bulgarians have to contend with. It is seen with a clear view of how Bulgarians live and work both in towns and villages remaining firmly family and community bound.