The New York Times bestseller “The Shadow of the Wind is ultimately a love letter to literature, intended for readers as passionate about storytelling as its young hero.” —Entertainment Weekly (Editor's Choice) “One gorgeous read.” —Stephen King Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets--an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.
Making wine on Europe's largest active volcano doesn't come easy. Frequent changes in topography, elevation, and weather influence each vintage and every winemaker has an interpretation of the evolving volcanic landscape. This is part of what makes Etna so exciting. The wines are as inviting as the terrain. For millennia the mountain served as a backdrop in the development of Europe. Today, the UNESCO Heritage Site is a destination for the world. American wine expert Benjamin Spencer goes beyond the vines to explore the history and rebirth of the region that has everyone talking about Sicily.
"The Bestselling Hardcover Novel of the Year."--Publishers Weekly From the number-one bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes a powerful American epic about love and heroism and hope, set during the Great Depression, a time when the country was in crisis and at war with itself, when millions were out of work and even the land seemed to have turned against them. “My land tells its story if you listen. The story of our family.” Texas, 1921. A time of abundance. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic era. But for Elsa Wolcott, deemed too old to marry in a time when marriage is a woman’s only option, the future seems bleak. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows. By 1934, the world has changed; millions are out of work and drought has devastated the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as crops fail and water dries up and the earth cracks open. Dust storms roll relentlessly across the plains. Everything on the Martinelli farm is dying, including Elsa’s tenuous marriage; each day is a desperate battle against nature and a fight to keep her children alive. In this uncertain and perilous time, Elsa—like so many of her neighbors—must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or leave it behind and go west, to California, in search of a better life for her family. The Four Winds is a rich, sweeping novel that stunningly brings to life the Great Depression and the people who lived through it—the harsh realities that divided us as a nation and the enduring battle between the haves and the have-nots. A testament to hope, resilience, and the strength of the human spirit to survive adversity, The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation.
Wine serves an important role both in Scripture and in the Christian church, but its significance has received relatively little theological attention in modern times. This book fills that gap. Viewing wine as a gift of God's created bounty and as a special symbol used pervasively throughout Scripture, Kreglinger canvasses the history of wine in the church, particularly its use in the Lord's Supper, discusses the fascinating process of winemaking, and considers both the health benefits of wine and the dangers of alcohol abuse. Offering a vision of the Christian life that sees God in all things - including the work of a vintner and the enjoyment of a well crafted glass of wine.
New York Times best-selling author, Kate Summers, is facing a divorce in her 40's and up against a hard deadline for her next novel. She rents an Airstream on the Texas Wine Trail to find inspiration, but discovers much more... She meets Zach, a medical doctor from the Northeast scouting for a winery to invest in. They decide to spend a week enjoying tastings, but just as they are getting to know one another, he has to return suddenly back home. The holidays are hard for Kate, as she lost her mother two years ago. This Cactus Christmas is prickly and sweet as Kate must heal her heart, try to reconnect with her estranged sister, Lillie, and find her way on her own. Will she finish her book? Will she meet Zach again? Will timing ever be right? A delicious story of finding yourself (again), second chances at love, and taking huge risks that payoff.
The Pacific Ocean covers one-third of the earth’s surface and encompasses many thousands of islands that are home to numerous human societies and cultures. Among these indigenous Oceanic cultures are the intrepid Polynesian double-hulled canoe navigators, the atoll dwellers of Micronesia, the statue carvers of remote Easter Island, and the famed traders of Melanesia. Decades of archaeological excavations—combined with allied research in historical linguistics, biological anthropology, and comparative ethnography—have revealed much new information about the long-term history of these societies and cultures. On the Road of the Winds synthesizes the grand sweep of human history in the Pacific Islands, beginning with the movement of early people out from Asia more than 40,000 years ago and tracing the development of myriad indigenous cultures up to the time of European contact in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. This updated edition, enhanced with many new illustrations and an extensive bibliography, synthesizes the latest archaeological, linguistic, and biological discoveries that reveal the vastness of ancient history in the Pacific Islands.
The French word terroir is used to describe all the ecological factors that make a particular type of wine special to the region of its origin. James E. Wilson uses his training as a geologist and his years of research in the wine regions of France to fully examine the concept of terroir. The result combines natural history, social history, and scientific study, making this a unique book that all wine connoisseurs and professionals will want close at hand. In Part One Wilson introduces the full range of environmental factors that together form terroir. He explains France's geological foundation; its soil, considered the "soul" of a vineyard; the various climates and microclimates; the vines, their history and how each type has evolved; and the role that humans--from ancient monks to modern enologists--have played in viticulture. Part Two examines the history and habitat of each of France's major wine regions. Wilson explores the question of why one site yields great wines while an adjacent site yields wines of lesser quality. He also looks at cultural influences such as migration and trade and at the adaptations made by centuries of vignerons to produce distinctive wine styles. Wilson skillfully presents both technical information and personal anecdotes, and the book's photographs, maps, and geologic renderings are extremely helpful. The appendices contain a glossary and information on the labeling of French wines. With a wealth of information explained in clear English, Wilson's book enables wine readers to understand and appreciate the mystique of terroir. The French word terroir is used to describe all the ecological factors that make a particular type of wine special to the region of its origin. James E. Wilson uses his training as a geologist and his years of research in the wine regions of France to fully examine the concept of terroir. The result combines natural history, social history, and scientific study, making this a unique book that all wine connoisseurs and professionals will want close at hand. In Part One Wilson introduces the full range of environmental factors that together form terroir. He explains France's geological foundation; its soil, considered the "soul" of a vineyard; the various climates and microclimates; the vines, their history and how each type has evolved; and the role that humans--from ancient monks to modern enologists--have played in viticulture. Part Two examines the history and habitat of each of France's major wine regions. Wilson explores the question of why one site yields great wines while an adjacent site yields wines of lesser quality. He also looks at cultural influences such as migration and trade and at the adaptations made by centuries of vignerons to produce distinctive wine styles. Wilson skillfully presents both technical information and personal anecdotes, and the book's photographs, maps, and geologic renderings are extremely helpful. The appendices contain a glossary and information on the labeling of French wines. With a wealth of information explained in clear English, Wilson's book enables wine readers to understand and appreciate the mystique of terroir.
- A perfect gift for any wine lover who revels in the stories about wine - Full of humorous, philosophical, literary and knowledgeable articles and extracts, all from great writers - A modern day tribute to Cyril Ray's - The Compleat Imbiber An elegantly bound collection of fine wine writing past and present - the perfect gift for wine lovers everywhere (or the wine lovers in their life). With contributions from Michael Broadbent on good and bad vintages, Ian Maxwell Campbell on Bordeaux vs Burgundy, George Orwell and PG Wodehouse on the complementary pleasures of wine and tea, Randall Graham on the search for California's 'magic grape' and Andrew Caillard MW on the art of the wine label, it brims with wit and wisdom from some of the most erudite wine writers ever to raise a glass. Also includes Steven Spurrier, Jason Tesauro, Jane MacQuitty, Giles MacDonogh, Philippe de Rothschild, Fiona Morrison MW, Dan Keeling, Charles Walter Berry and many more. Like Cyril Ray's classic Compleat Imbiber before it, In Vino Veritas might rightfully be described as 'the quintessential late-evening or bedtime book for those who like wine'. 'Denied wine's bridge to gregariousness, "cabined, cribbed, confined, bound in to saucy doubts and fears," as Macbeth once complained, we need an antidote, and rummaging around in this anthology of wine writing is a good one: It's a set of keys to open the windows and let some sun shine in.' - World of Fine Wine
Wines from Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage and Châteauneuf-du-Pape have made the Rhône Valley world famous. This may be a classic wine region, but as Matt Walls reveals in Wines of the Rhône that doesn't mean it is set in its ways. Change here is not only driven by innovations in winemaking and fashions in wine, it is also an essential response to a rapidly shifting climate, which has seen temperatures rise significantly over the last 40 years and extreme weather events become more commonplace. Walls provides a rounded picture of this large and complex region, which varies greatly along the 200-kilometre stretch of river, from Vienne in the north to Provence in the south. Beginning with a vivid journey through the terrain, he explores one of the region's constants, its varied geology, before moving on to the pressing issue of climate. A short tour through the Rhône's winemaking history, from early Greek settlers to the modern industry, is followed by vignettes of all the AOC-permitted grapes and an explanation of the five levels of the region's appellation system. While the region contains some of the world's most recognizable appellations, there are also many that are less well-known. Walls encourages readers to venture beyond the famous crus, making it easy for those eager to explore by detailing the terroir of every appellation and describing and assessing typical wines. Profiles of 200 key producers complete the picture. Boxes throughout the text provide interesting asides on current issues as well as key appellation facts, while an appendix on ageing wines offers a guide to the last 40 vintages. This comprehensive examination of a renowned region is an ideal introduction for those new to the Rhône, while providing fresh insights for long-time admirers of the wines.
