About BC Books Online
BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
A quick tip: When reviewing the "Browse by Category" listings, please note that these are based on standardized BISAC Subject Codes supplied by the books' publishers. You will find additional selections, grouped by theme or region, in our "BC Reading Lists."
Description
A gloriously batty adventure that takes readers through Balkan minefields, border bribes, and Sarajevo graveyards at 2 am.
In this hilarious and eccentric traveler's tale, Scotsman Angus Bell leaves the Montreal magazine industry and sets off in his äkoda to discover a hidden cricketing world across central and Eastern Europe. From Estonia to Crimea, Bell learns that Slavs are playing the Englishman's game.
Between games, Bell is pursued by the KGB, becomes embroiled in a drug bust on the Midnight Express, and seeks emergency treatment from a Romanian dentist. His travel companions include a Guatemalan anarchist, a Ukrainian chicken, and a tobacco farmer who played cricket and rugby for Rhodesia.
Editorial Reviews
"The cricket world is generally considered to consist only of England and its ex-colonies. Bell, prompted by a Canadian psychic, set out to disprove this by embarking on a cricketing tour of Eastern Europe...Crossing borders, dealing with corrupt officials and taking on all manner of opponents, this sporting Everyman undertakes a surreal odyssey and discovers the passion that cricket breeds in the most diverse people."
— Books Quarterly
"The book is an incredible debut by Angus Bell, who jumped on this most unlikely of trips on a whim after being advised by a psychic. The result is a laugh-aloud mix of melodramatic comedy scenes and poignant observations about some of the world's most underrated destination...it's a trip about barriers and preconceptions, against the backdrop of the world's oddest sport. A great read."
— Real Travel Magazine
"Like A.A. Gill, another Scottish-born travel writer with a gimlet eye, Bell's participatory journalism is immersed in snappy, concise observations that create genuine belly laughs...Even if you've never picked up a cricket bat, Batting on the Bosphorous is a great read from a very funny wee man."
— Globe & Mail
"Batting on the Bosphorous has an eye-catching cover, an explanation of cricket for the novice, and the glossary of terms. While it focuses on cricket, it is a travel memoir at heart, and readers will enjoy descriptions of places in Eastern Europe that they've been or would like to visit."
— About.com
