Search results for ""Author Alex Wade""

A Season on the Med: Riviera Football in Italy and France (With a Trip to Athens for Stan) is a story of football where the sun always shines - with a difference. In the wake of Brexit, writer Alex Wade decamped to Menton, the last town on the Cote d'Azur. During a swim between France and Italy, he realised two things. An array of great football clubs - from Nice, Marseille and Monaco to Genoa, Sampdoria and Spezia - were on his doorstep on the French and Italian Rivieras. Plus his hero, Queens Park Rangers' talisman Stan Bowles, once played on the Med. Wade embarked on a journey of discovery to experience Riviera football over the 2021/22 season, with two questions in mind. Is football on the Med more laid-back, languid and amiable than elsewhere? And could he make it to Athens in a tribute to Bowles? Eloquently written with a blend of reportage, travelogue and memoir, A Season on the Med ends in Brumano, Italy, as Wade captures the spirit of Riviera football and confronts the meaning of heroism.

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This eclectic mix of surfing stories has something for everyone, from classic tales of monster waves and epic battles to stories of when life among the breakers goes wrong. There are accounts of death and disaster, as well as bravery and triumph. The bizarre and the extreme rub shoulders with perfect breaks and beautiful beaches. Be thrilled by legendary surfers, as well as learning about local heroes who never made the headlines. Each compelling tale has been chosen to stoke the fire of armchair surfers and hardcore wave-riders alike, and many are illustrated with colour photographs.

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In spite of being well into middle-age, Pac-Man's popularity shows no sign of decline and the character has appeared in over sixty games on virtually every games platform ever released. According to the David Brown celebrity index, in 2008, nearly three decades after initial release, 94% of Americans were able to recognise Pac-Man, which gave the character greater brand awareness than Super Mario. Pac-Man, with its avowed commitment to non-violence was a videogame of many firsts, including being designed to appeal to children and females and providing the first narrative interlude in a videogame. Although iconic, Pac-Man has not been subject to sustained critical analysis. This book helps to fill that gap, providing an extensive, sophisticated, but accessible analysis of the influence of Pac-Man on the way that we live in contemporary western societies.

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