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Crete, the rugged island set in the southern Aegean Sea, is home to the Minotaur, Minoans and Zorba the Greek. The southernmost of the Greek Islands, the Winters are mild, Summers hot and dry, and the rains in the first three months of the year mean beautiful flowers in the Spring. Think remote beaches - like this one at gorgeous resort Daios Cove, and hilltop villages where all you can hear are the braying donkeys, and the incessant buzz of crickets.
Out of the Blue by Belinda Jones
Selena Harper is usually to be found working on the cruise ships but on a whim she decides to spend a weeks shore-leave on the island of Crete, in the company of Alekos, an incorrigible womaniser. The island is steeped in mythology and it starts to work its magic and so does Alekos. This book wonderfully evokes the island and the people.
The Island by Victoria Hislop
This book is often cited as one of the top travel book to transport the reader to Crete and Spinalonga, Greeces former leper colony. Alexis longs to find out more about her Mother Sofias past, when she lived in a small Cretan village. On the island, she finds understanding of her familys history rent by tragedy, war and passion.
Zorba The Greek by Nikos Kazantzak
Set in the early 20th century, this chronicles a young writer who arrives in Greece, and is taken under Zorbas wing. Now a byword for all things Greek, this tale can still draw the reader into a way of life that is full of colour, vitality and charm, and rich in the sights, smells and sounds of the island.
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