Fantastic news for the start of the new year…Robert Shepherd and Geoff Motley's new book in the Why Bother? series is now available to download on all platforms! This time, their italian travels have taken them to Florence and this ebook contains their guidance, musings and thoughts on the best places to visit in Florence. You even get two for the price of one in this book with some very handy tips for places and things to do in Pisa. 

Once again, Geoff has provided some great illustrations and the book is full of the pair's humorous banter. After reading this, you will truly understand why you should bother with Florence, and sample a slice of Pisa too. 

About the Book
"At last, a refreshing guide to Florence, with a slice of Pisa, brought to you by the chalk and cheese of travel writing, Robert Shepherd and Geoff Motley. 

Written from the heart and fuelled by local food, wine and a mischievous sense of humour, this book is by two guys who are generations apart and come at Florence from different directions. It does not lead you by the hand, but it certainly whets your appetite, encouraging you to be adventurous and find your own way with a hint or two from the guys. 

Absorb what they know, through their banter, style and wit. This is a travel guide with different views, humour, cartoons and useful facts all about Florence and Pisa: that is why you should bother."

About the Authors
Robert Shepherd is a writer and journalist and Geoff Motley is a writer, broadcaster and cartoonist. This is their third in the series of Why Bother? Guides. In an excerpt from the book, they both tell us why we should bother with them: 

Rob Shepherd
"Here I am again, the guy with a journalist’s keenness for finding out facts others miss. Every time I ‘go Italian’ I ask Geoff why he hasn’t snapped up a cool pad somewhere given his Italian family history. Italians know how to enjoy life and I love being part of it. 

I have to say that out of the books we have written in the Why Bother? series, this was probably the most challenging. I say that because I had visited the other cities on numerous occasions but had only just skirted around the Tuscan gem that is Florence. I also had my wife with me this time, so I had to be on my best behaviour. 

It did also pain me to have to follow Geoff's advice when I arrived and so it pleased me no end when I told the old campaigner about some things I noticed myself. Nevertheless, I made the trip with very fresh eyes and saw a lot of things for the first time. A bit like you." 

Geoff Motley 
"Yes, an English name but a colourful Italian family history. They tell me there was once an aristocrat in the family many, many years ago. Wouldn’t that be useful for getting a decent table in a restaurant? I speak Italian because it was a matter of having to as a lad in north eastern Italy. 

I have broadcast for the BBC from Italy back to the UK about Italian lifestyle, even the Papacy. The dynasties of Florence that established banking, plus the ancient family rivalries over centuries have been a constant fascination to me. 

The countryside around Florence is great to explore. My Tuscan friends sure know how to have a good time, but always with style and always with a warm welcome. Their apartments are often in very old, historic looking edifices. 

History is always in the air. From a 21st century modern kitchen you can look down on a square or narrow lane where medieval bankers and traders argued and swordplay happened at the drop of a silk hankie. 

Robert, it is time for my second glass and for your information, the cool pad in Italy tempted me, but the place I liked most had no lift and the trek to the apartment’s door was 129 steps!"

Where can I buy the book?
You can buy Florence: Why Bother?…with a slice of Pisa in the following places:
Amazon          iBooks          Kobo

The Why Bother? Guides

We've recently published Brendan Murphy's new book and it's packed full of food and travel stories drawn from his 30 year career in the hospitality industry. Brendan Murphy qualified as a Chef in 1983. He lived, travelled and worked extensively throughout the UK, Europe, Asia and Australia during the ‘80’s and ‘90’s before qualifying as a TAFE Lecturer at Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia in 1995 and as a Freelance Travel Writer in 1997.

From the Author:

“Someone should write a book about this crazy Industry!” 

I have heard that exclamation many times over the last 30 years in which I have been employed as a Chef in the Hospitality Industry. And yes, a few books have been written, but not quite like this one! This is not a cookbook from a Celebrity Chef, but more of an exploration of what it’s really like to work in the Hospitality Industry, and especially as a Chef. Combine this with traveling and working all over the world as a Chef, Lecturer and Writer and somehow keeping nearly 30 years of diaries to research from! 

The Hotel and Catering Industry worldwide is full of the same crazy characters that even the best imagination would be hard pressed to dream up! My Diaries are full of them, as well as true drama, humour and travelling that enthralled me over the years. From my College roots in Manchester, England, to the City of London, from the ski slopes of Switzerland and Germany to the Outback of Australia and from the Greek islands to the Thai island of Phuket. I have especially spent over a decade as a Chef in Australia from Sydney to The Great Barrier Reef in Queensland and in Perth, Western Australia where I arrived in 1990, and finally settled in 2002. 

Food and cookery is also about life and culture, and as a chef working around the World I have learnt more about different peoples and their culture than I ever could have at school and college! 
And the best is still yet to be because as a cook you NEVER stop learning. 

Many years ago as an older teenager living in a grim city struggling with massive unemployment rates, I was on the dole and uninspired. I decided to hitch-hike around Europe. Suddenly I got a ‘Taste of the World’, just a taste, but enough to inspire me so much, that I felt unstoppable in my quest to become a fully qualified Chef and travel the world. Thirty years later, I may have slowed down a bit, but I’m still travelling and still tasting! 

This first book in a series is as it is titled, just a ‘Taste’ of the World and probably more of a Travel Book than a cookery lesson. However, the stories are all true and include authentic recipes and a brief cultural profile of each country that I either worked or travelled in. My aim is to mix the essential ingredients of a true Chef-y and Traveller story or cultural experience thrown in the pot with a dash of humour, to hopefully make it a richer experience for you, the reader, who is about to embark on a bit of Chef-Exploring of your own!