Top 77 Cele mai vândute cărți din 2007

 In 1797, Lucia, the beautiful sixteen-year-old daughter of a Venetian statesman, was married off to Alvise Mocenigo, scion of one of the wealthiest and most powerful families of the once glorious maritime Republic. They were a golden couple in Venice's twilight years. But Lucia's life was suddenly transformed when the thousand-year-old Serenissima collapsed under the blows of young Bonaparte in 1797. This is Lucia's story, from dazzling young hostess in Habsburg Vienna, lady-in-waiting at the court of Prince Eugene de Beauharnais in Milan, single mother in Paris during the fall of Napoleon's Empire or as Byron's hard-fisted landlady during the poet's stay in Venice.

After years of minimalism, a new generation of designers is restoring spirit and vitality to the contemporary interior using vivid colour, bold pattern, and more than a touch of exuberance. As we pass the mid-point of the Noughties, Liz Wilhide takes a look at the new ideas and themes that are directing current interiors' trends, and discovers the new decor is about exciting twists on traditional forms using up-to-date imagery and cutting edge materials and techniques - a baroque chair made in Perspex, a chandelier twinkling with LEDs, a Toile de Jouy wallpaper featuring gritty urban scenes. On the flipside, there is also a contemporary chair upholstered in a traditional print, and a bold modern light fitting in room, decorated with a retro-print wallpaper. New Decor provides a wealth of inspiration to enable you to reintroduce exciting elements of colour and pattern to your home. Stunning examples of contemporary homes are showcased demonstrating how the look comes together to create vibrant and original interiors. Alongside these examples, tips and ideas boxes give sound practical advice - everything from how to use strong colour, to which rug to choose.   A comprehensive suppliers' directory cuts out the legwork.

Noi am schimbat lumea. Amintirile unui pionier al CNN-ului global Aceasta carte este povestea, la persoana intai, a unuia dintre personajele-cheie ale postului CNN international si director al statiei WTBS. Sidney Pike a lucrat cu Ted Turner timp de 25 de ani si a revolutionat televiziunea si sistemul de informare global. Traducere din limba engleza si note de Sanda Aronescu.

Polite, pensive, mature, reserved ...Charlie Brooker is none of these things and less. Rude, unhinged, outrageous, and above all funny, Dawn of the Dumb is essential reading for anyone with a brain and a spinal cord. And hands for turning the pages. Picking up where his hilarious Screen Burn left off, Dawn of the Dumb collects the best of Charlie Brooker's recent TV writing, together with uproarious spleen-venting diatribes on a range of non-televisual subjects - tackling everything from David Cameron to human hair.

After years of minimalism, a new generation of designers is restoring spirit and vitality to the contemporary interior using vivid colour, bold pattern, and more than a touch of exuberance. As we pass the mid-point of the Noughties, Liz Wilhide takes a look at the new ideas and themes that are directing current interiors' trends, and discovers the new decor is about exciting twists on traditional forms using up-to-date imagery and cutting edge materials and techniques - a baroque chair made in Perspex, a chandelier twinkling with LEDs, a Toile de Jouy wallpaper featuring gritty urban scenes. On the flipside, there is also a contemporary chair upholstered in a traditional print, and a bold modern light fitting in room, decorated with a retro-print wallpaper. New Decor provides a wealth of inspiration to enable you to reintroduce exciting elements of colour and pattern to your home. Stunning examples of contemporary homes are showcased demonstrating how the look comes together to create vibrant and original interiors. Alongside these examples, tips and ideas boxes give sound practical advice - everything from how to use strong colour, to which rug to choose.   A comprehensive suppliers' directory cuts out the legwork.

Killers, Crooks and Cons: Scotland's Crimes of the Century Going decade by decade through the 20th century and telling the true stories of crime on Scotland's mean streets, 'Killers, Crooks and Cons' is an exploration of the dark side of the country's past.

Loc de munca pentru cercetatori, loc de pastrare a unui patrimoniu nepretuit, bibliotecile sunt o punte intre trecut si prezent. Dar, desi menirea lor a ramas neschimbata din cele mai vechi timpuri, mijloacele de care dispun, precum si modurile de consultare si de folosire a cartilor sunt astazi in plina transformare. Lucrarea de fata isi propune sa prezinte istoria bibliotecilor din Occident si sa permita intelegerea schimbarilor de proportii prin care acestea trec de un secol incoace " altfel spus, intelegerea mizelor culturale si economice pe care le genereaza astfel de mutatii. Doctor in istorie, Denis Pallier este inspector general al bibliotecilor din Franta

From the author behind the wildly popular Mates, Dates and Truth, Kiss, Dare or Promise books comes Cinnamon Girl, a.k.a. India Jane. A globetrotter since birth, all she wants is a real home; but instead, she's packed off to her aunt's New Age holiday centre in Greece for the summer. Torn between alternative lifestlyes, not to mention a mystery boy, will Cinnamon Girl discover where true happiness lies?

Volumul de eseuri Melancolii portugheze radiografiaza cateva dintre varstele literaturii portugheze. Secventele alese ii au ca protagonisti pe Luis de Camoes, Mariana Alcoforado, Fernando Pessoa, Jose Saramago si Antonio Lobo Antunes. De la ardoarea baroca la melancolie, de la iesiri patetice la replieri nostalgice, traseul puncteaza treptele si centrii de tensiune ai unui tip de sensibilitate aparte, intors, dupa expresia lui Camoes, “cu spatele la pamant si fata spre mare”.

 A scathing attack on the idea of American Puritanism and the doctrine of Original Sin, Elsie Venner is the story of a young woman who, having been poisoned by rattlesnake venom while in the womb, emerges into the world half human, half snake. An intelligent and wealthy heiress, she repulses and fascinates those around her in equal measure. She falls in love with a young doctor, but her serpentine characteristics prevent him from returning her affection; her cousin is attracted by her money and, wrongly perceiving the doctor as his rival, determines upon his downfall. First published in 1861, this is a wonderfully inventive novel that meticulously dissects for the reader the social mores of small-town America in the middle of the nineteenth century, as viewed through the prism of Olive Wendell Holmes' powerful imagination.

When Rhodri is summoned to the Telling Pool little does he know the consequences this is going to bring not only for himself and his family but also for the future peace of the land. While his father is fighting in the Holy Wars, Rhodri must confront his own battles at home and be braver and more resourceful than he could have ever thought possible. Leaving behind his ailing mother, the beautiful Sarah and his friend William, Rhodri embarks on an awesome and epic journey darkened by thieves, rogues, an evil-handed sorceress and his own haunting nightmares. It will take all of Rhodri's strength, intelligence and maturity to come out of this task alive. But Rhodri will find help in unusual and unlikely places and the difficult choices he makes along the way will shape his true destiny in this multi-layered and exciting fantasy novel.

Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Baghdad's Green Zone From a walled-off enclave of towering plants, smart villas and sparkling swimming pools - a surreal bubble of pure Americana known as the Green Zone - the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority, under imperial viceroy L. Paul Bremer III, attempted to rule Iraq in the first twelve months after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and internal documents, Rajiv Chandrasekaran tells the memorable story of this ill-prepared attempt to build American democracy in a war-torn Middle Eastern country, detailing not only the risky disbanding of the Iraqi army and the ludicrous attempt to train the new police force, but also bringing to light a host of lesser-known yet typical travesties, among them: * the aide who based Baghdad's new traffic laws on those of the state of Maryland, downloaded * the contractor with no previous experience paid millions to guard a closed airport * the people with prior experience in the Middle East who were excluded in favour of lesser-qualified Republican Party loyalists * the case of the 24-year-old who had never worked in finance put in charge of revitalising Baghdad's stock exchange Written with wit and urgency by a sharp-eyed observer, Imperial Life in the Emerald City provides a hair-raising portrait of the gap between the Oz-like Green Zone and the brutal reality of post-war Iraq. It is American reportage at its best.

La Ovidiu, legendele erotice constituie, fiecare in parte, subiectul cite unui poem si joaca in universul poeziei acelasi rol pe care il detineau, in viata cotidiana, tablourile cu subiect mitologic care impodobeau locuintele. - Pierre Grimal

Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Baghdad's Green Zone From a walled-off enclave of towering plants, smart villas and sparkling swimming pools - a surreal bubble of pure Americana known as the Green Zone - the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority, under imperial viceroy L. Paul Bremer III, attempted to rule Iraq in the first twelve months after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and internal documents, Rajiv Chandrasekaran tells the memorable story of this ill-prepared attempt to build American democracy in a war-torn Middle Eastern country, detailing not only the risky disbanding of the Iraqi army and the ludicrous attempt to train the new police force, but also bringing to light a host of lesser-known yet typical travesties, among them: * the aide who based Baghdad's new traffic laws on those of the state of Maryland, downloaded * the contractor with no previous experience paid millions to guard a closed airport * the people with prior experience in the Middle East who were excluded in favour of lesser-qualified Republican Party loyalists * the case of the 24-year-old who had never worked in finance put in charge of revitalising Baghdad's stock exchange Written with wit and urgency by a sharp-eyed observer, Imperial Life in the Emerald City provides a hair-raising portrait of the gap between the Oz-like Green Zone and the brutal reality of post-war Iraq. It is American reportage at its best.

Padurea spanzuratilor este un roman din categoria prozei de analiza psihologica, scris de Liviu Rebreanu. Inspirat de un eveniment real, condamnarea la moarte si apoi executatia prin spanzurare a fratelui lui Liviu Rebreanu, Emil, ofiter in armata Austro-ungara, care a incercat sa dezerteze si sa ajunga in liniile romanesti. “Padurea spanzuratilor” configureaza un univers dominat de razboi, si pandit de perspectiva mortii prin spanzurare, prezentata chiar din primele scene ale romanului. Evident titlul cartii are o valoare simbolica. Personajul principal, Apostol Bologa, este un intelectual confruntat cu mai multe drame de constiinta. Identitatea sa etnica si nationala este pusa in discutie pe fondul prabusirii Imperiului Austro-ungar care inchisese intr-o celula mai multe popoare. Un personaj simbolic e locotenentul ceh Svoboda, de la care Apostol Bologa invata reteta libertatii. Formula narativa se schimba, naratorul investigheaza impactul evenimentelor in constiinta personajului. Carte recomandata de  Ioan-Aurel Pop in cadrul proiectului Libris, "Oameni si carti". Tema romanului o constituie evocarea realista si obiectiva a primului razboi mondial, in care accentul cade pe conditia tragica a intelectualului ardelean care este silit sa lupte sub steag strain impotriva propriului neam; "Padurea spanzuratilor" este "monografia incertitudinii chinuitoare" (G. Caiinescu). Rebreanu este in acest roman "un analist al starilor de constiinta, al invaimaselilor de ganduri, al obsesiilor tiranice". (Tudor Vianu) Geneza. Romanul este inspirat dintr-o tragedie personala, fratele scriitorului, Emil, ofiter in armata austro-ungara, fusese condamnat si spanzurat pentru ca incercase sa treaca linia frontului la romani si o intamplare conjuncturala si anume aceea ca Rebreanu vazuse o fotografie care-l cutremurase, imaginea reprezentand o padure de ai carei copaci atarnau spanzurati cehi. Prozatorul marturiseste insa ca tragedia fratelui sau a fost numai un pretext literar, deoarece Apostol Bologa nu are nimic din acesta, "cel mult poate cateva trasaturi exterioare si unele momente de exaltare [...], in Apostol Bologa am vrut sa sintetizeze prototipul propriei mele generatii, sovairile lui sunt sovairile noastre, ale tuturor."   Mai mult: http://www.ebacalaureat.ro/c/4/67/470/0/Padurea-Spanzuratilor-de-Liviu-Rebreanu#ixzz2jxN6Oqho Mare parte din operele lui Liviu Rebreanu sunt inspirate de diverse personaje sau locuri de care s-a batut scriitorul de-a lungul vietii. Este si cazul romanului „Padurea Spanzuratilor”, la care a lucrat intrerupt timp de patru ani, si care a fost inspirat tocmai de executia fratelui sau Emil, aflat pe front. Citeste mai mult: adev.ro/mvks59 Mare parte din operele lui Liviu Rebreanu sunt inspirate de diverse personaje sau locuri de care s-a batut scriitorul de-a lungul vietii. Este si cazul romanului „Padurea Spanzuratilor”, la care a lucrat intrerupt timp de patru ani, si care a fost inspirat tocmai de executia fratelui sau Emil, aflat pe front. Citeste mai mult: adev.ro/mvks59

Povestile stiintei sunt, adesea, tot atat de interesante ca dramele noastre comice, ori comediile noastre tragice de zi cu zi. Nu stiu altii cum sunt (vorba humulesteanului), dar eu mi-am facut timp si pentru ele. Unele sustin ca pana si stelele mor, altele - dimpotriva - ca noi insine calcam pe neobservate pragul nemuririi. Poate ca-i bine, poate ca nu-i bine nici intr-un caz, nici in celalalt. Oricum, grabiti-va! Se deschide la Discoteca. Autorul

A poignant meditation on the nature of desire, and the enduring power of love, Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Love in the Time of Cholera is translated from the Spanish by Edith Grossman in Penguin Modern Classics.   Florentino Ariza is a hopeless romantic who falls passionately for the beautiful Fermina Daza, but finds his love tragically rejected. Instead Fermina marries distinguished doctor Juvenal Urbino, while Florentino can only wait silently for her. He can never forget his first and only true love. Then, fifty-one years, nine months and four days later, Fermina's husband dies unexpectedly. At last Florentino has another chance to declare his feelings and discover if a passion that has endured for half a century will remain unrequited, in a rich, fantastical and humane celebration of love in all its many forms.   The nearest thing to sensual pleasure prose can offer. - Daily Telegraph   An amazing celebration of the many kinds of love between men and women... among Marquez's best fiction. - The Times   The greatest luxury ... is the eerie, entirely convincing suspension of the laws of reality ... the agelessness of the human story as told by one of this century's most evocative writers. - Anne Tyler , author of The Accidental Tourist

Celebra scriitoare americana Celeste Bradley a fost nominalizata in anul 2002 la prestigiosul premiu RITA, acordat in Statele Unite genului de carte romantico-istorica. Actiunea ultimei sale creatii se desfasoara in inalta societate a Londrei, in epoca in care diferentele sociale impuneau reguli nescrise, dar unanim acceptate. O serie de caricaturi ce accentueaza trasaturile corupte ale unor personalitati marcante, publicate intr-un periodic, face furori. insa adevarata identitate a autorului lor ramane invaluita in mister, fiind semnate cu pseudonimul Sir Thorogood. Unul dintre aceste extraordinare portrete satirice va declansa o puternica confruntare de forte, din care nu lipsesc Lord Liverpool, Prim Ministru al Angliei, si Dalton Montmorency, conducatorul Clubului Mincinosilor, o veritabila academie de spioni. Pentru a afla cine este de fapt Sir Thorogood, Dalton pretinde ca este chiar el. Iar cand Clara Simpson il intalneste la un bal, este sigura ca are in fata un impostor deoarece stie exact cine se ascunde sub acest nume. Problema prinderii creatorului desenelor este una foarte presanta si totul ar fi bine daca Dalton ar reusi sa scape de vaduva Clara Simpson care se tine scai de el... O poveste captivanta ale carei personaje se confrunta cu mari pericole, dar si cu pasiuni mistuitoare, o lectura cu adevarat reconfortanta.

In anul 955 d.hr., un filolog evreu preia din traditia orala evreiasca adevarata istorie a lui adam si a evei ­ numiti Adam si Havvah in scrierile sale. Prin compilarea datelor acestuia, rezulta povestea fascinanta a protoparintilor, poveste care nu are nimic in comun cu geneza. Au fost oare Adam si Eva alungati din paradis pentru ca au sfidat o porunca divina, pentru ca au dobandit cunoasterea? Cine pe cine a convins sa guste din fructul interzis? Chiar l-a ucis Cain pe Abel? Iata niste intrebari incomode la care Francisco Munoz incearca sa dea altfel de raspunsuri. O viziune mai putin obisnuita asupra trecutului si asupra originilor noastre.

Incredible but True Stories of Confronting Death and Emerging Victorious. The rock climber who cut off his own arm with a penknife. The hiker who fought off a mountain lion. Passengers who survive the crash of a bush plane in Alaska. We read headlines we sometimes find hard to believe, yet there are on record dozens of such events. Here is a collection of tales from everyday people who faced terrible odds, accidents, extreme weather, wild animals, or severe injury, many describing how they entered another state of consciousness - an "adrenaline high" - to get away alive. Forget reality TV - this is real entertainment for the survival-story fanatic.

Tilly Trotter has devotedly served Mark Sopwith at Highfield Manor for twelve years. His wife in all but name, theirs is a scandalous yet happy arrangement. But when Mark dies Tilly is left pregnant with his illegitimate child. Cast out of the manor house by Mark's spiteful grown-up daughter, Tilly is forced to face the prejudices of the local village. No stranger to hardship, she makes do as best she can but when a villager's vicious attack leaves her baby son, Willy, half blind she knows that it's time to leave her native Tyneside. A new love seems to offer an escape and so she follows her heart to America, sure that this will be the beginning of a better life. But new perils await Tilly across the ocean...

Told in free verse in the spare and haunting voice of 14-year-old Billie Jo Kelby, Out of the Dust is a journey to the heart of a family caught in the Oklahoma dust-bowl. It is the story of Ma, who sees the idea of herself burn away with every parched day, until she herself is consumed by fire. It is the story of Bayard, her husband, who cannot comes to terms with his failure to provide for his family. But most of all, it is the story of Billie Jo who knows she must find a way to get out of the dust, even if it means leaving behind everything she has ever loved.

At Grandma's house there's a dark and dusty attic. There are all sorts of scary and mysterious things hidden up there, like the Ten o'Clock Rocking Horse and the Cage of the Vampire Bat. Worst of all is Jumble Joan, the old woman who hides in the wardrobe. A young boy enlists his friend in an attempt to scare his younger sister as they explore their grandmother's attic but the plan backfires in an unexpected way.

Banes, Mississippi, 1938. The Catfish creek separates the Patch from the town, black from white. These worlds and their prejudices are hauntingly evoked in the rich accents of the American South. Cinder is a woman who belongs to neither, her beauty marking her out as different.   Time passes slowly, and the inhabitants of Banes follow the same daily rhythm as they have done for years. Shorty sweeps up in Mister Macky's store, then drinks his wages at LeRoy's bar, men sit spitting outside the Rosey Gray, old people watch the world go by from their porches. But one quiet Sunday morning, when the bombs are dropped on Pearl Harbor, change comes to this small Mississippi town.   Spanning four years, Cinder is the follow-up to Albert French's outstanding novel Billy. It is at once the story of a woman whose life has been torn apart by tragedy, and the portrait of a town divided. It is about loss, community, history and the ties that bind.

 Cum putem folosi metafora pentru a ne depasi limitele, pentru a ne elibera de spaime si a ne impaca sufleteste? Care este rolul metaforei vindecatoare in viata de fiecare zi si cum ne-o putem face aliat? Cuvantul potrivit la momentul potrivit este provocarea pe care o propune acest eseu poetic despre functiile limbajului, despre arta comunicarii si salvarea spirituala prin restaurarea fortei cuvantului capabil sa ne influenteze destinul si sa ne optimizeze existenta.

Ion este primul roman obiectiv din literatura romana, fiind aparut in anul 1920, dupa o lunga perioada de elaborare, asa cum insusi autorul mentioneaza in finalul operei, intre martie 1913 - iulie 1920. Aparitia romanului a starnit un adevarat entuziasm in epoca, mai ales ca nimic din creatia nuvelistica de pana atunci nu anunta aceasta evolutie spectaculoasa. Liviu Rebreanu marturiseste ca in lunga sa truda de creatie, in cei 7 ani in care a lucrat la roman, un rol important l-a avut, pe de o parte „impresia afectiva“, emotia, iar pe de alta parte, acumularea de material documentar. O scena vazuta de scriitor pe colinele dimprejurul satului l-a impresionat in mod deosebit si a constituit punctul de plecare al romanului „Ion“. Aflat la vanatoare, Rebreanu a observat „... un taran imbracat in haine de sarbatoare“, care s-a aplecat, deodata „si-a sarutat pamantul. L-a sarutat ca pe-o ibovnica. Scena m-a uimit si s-a intiparit in minte, dar fara vreun scop deosebit, ci numai ca o simpla ciudatenie“. Carte recomandata de  Ioan-Aurel Pop in cadrul proiectului Libris, "Oameni si carti".

Readers of BBC's Olive magazine will love these delicious, sophisticated supper recipes, designed to impress everyone around the dinner table.   It's always nice to treat yourself to something special and the food experts at Olive magazine have come up with 101 failsafe recipes, each accompanied by a full-colour picture so you that you can create that extra-special dish with ease.   You'll never be stuck for meal ideas with this handy little cookbook.

In Bucurestiul interbelic oamenii au trait si idealul, si prostia insangerata, au simtit si rafinamentul extrem, si opacitatea grosolana, au avut generosi si ticalosi, echilibrati si fanatici, lucizi si fantasti, buni si rai, bine si rau. Nu semanau unii cu altii si nimeni nu-i obliga sa gandeasca la fel si sa spuna acelasi lucru. Minunat este ca lumea lor nu era nici paradis, nici infern ci o lume normala, o lume a tuturor posibilitatilor si un loc sub soare ca oricare altul. Au avut de toate. Bucurestiul interbelic este locul unde s-a intamplat totul.

With a Foreword by Paolo Coelho In her bestselling book Losses and Gains, Lya Luft draws on her own experiences of loss and gain in marriage and family to address the universal themes of childhood, love and maturity. She portrays love as the common thread through all phases of life. As children, the unconditional love we receive from our parents determines our expectations for all the other forms of love we experience later. And as adults, she argues, the complex task of loving another depends, initially, on self-love and self-esteem.   Luft's ardent reflections on existence and the human spirit are a powerful reminder to us all: we have lost everything only when we believe we deserve less than everything still to be gained.

Banes, Mississippi, 1938. The Catfish creek separates the Patch from the town, black from white. These worlds and their prejudices are hauntingly evoked in the rich accents of the American South. Cinder is a woman who belongs to neither, her beauty marking her out as different.   Time passes slowly, and the inhabitants of Banes follow the same daily rhythm as they have done for years. Shorty sweeps up in Mister Macky's store, then drinks his wages at LeRoy's bar, men sit spitting outside the Rosey Gray, old people watch the world go by from their porches. But one quiet Sunday morning, when the bombs are dropped on Pearl Harbor, change comes to this small Mississippi town.   Spanning four years, Cinder is the follow-up to Albert French's outstanding novel Billy. It is at once the story of a woman whose life has been torn apart by tragedy, and the portrait of a town divided. It is about loss, community, history and the ties that bind.

It is London, 1826. Leaving behind his father's tragic failures, Gabriel Swift arrives to study with Edwin Poll, the greatest of the city's anatomists. It is his chance to find advancement by making a name for himself. But, instead, he finds himself drawn to his master's nemesis, Lucan, the most powerful of the city's resurrectionists and ruler of its trade in stolen bodies. Dismissed by Mr Poll, Gabriel descends into the violence and corruption of London's underworld, a place where everything and everyone is for sale, and where - as Gabriel discovers - the taking of a life is easier than it might seem.

In Lake Wobegon lives a good Lutheran lady who wishes for her ashes placed inside a bowling ball and dropped into the lake, no prayers, no hymns, thank you very much. Meanwhile, a wedding between a veterinary aromatherapist and her boyfriend Brent is set to take place aboard a pontoon boat. Then a delegation of renegade Lutheran pastors from Denmark come to town on their tour of America - their punishment for having denied the divinity of Jesus. And then there is Raoul of the cigars and tinted shades, come to visit his elderly lover. All is in readiness for the wedding - the French champagne, the flying Elvis, the giant duck decoys - until something quite unexpected happens ...

 The year is 1814. The Allies have driven Napoleon's once-mighty armies back to Paris. Trapped, forced to abdicate after two decades of triumphant rule, the Emperor takes leave of his comrades-in-arms and sets sail for his new domain - the tiny, poverty-stricken, pestilential island of Elba. Yet within ten months Napoleon will enter Paris once again, at the heels of the fleeing Bourbon king, flushed with victory and cheered by the masses. The Escape From Elba tells the heroic story of Napoleon's exile and phoenix-like return. In this classic account, now republished in paperback, Norman MacKenzie chronicles this extraordinary year: the tense last hours of Napoleon's empire, his humiliating exile, his midnight escape and his whirlwind march over snowbound mountains to Grenoble where, in a dramatic confrontation with the French army, he became a reigning prince again. Described in vivid detail are Napoleon's adventures as the head of Elba. He brought society, splendour, organization and political intrigue to this run-down backwater. And he displayed on this small stage the many sides of his charismatic.

Scriitoarea engleza Vera Cowie este autoarea a 17 romane, publicate in milioane de exemplare, ce i-au adus celebritate in intreaga lume. Eroina acestei carti, Eve Czerny, reprezinta prototipul femeii care, cu o tenacitate extraordinara, incearca sa-si depaseasca conditia sociala, lansandu-se si reusind sa se afirme in lumea afacerilor. Spre a-si atinge telurile, ea nu ezita sa faca uz, fara scrupule, de frumusetea cu care Dumnezeu a inzestrat-o din plin. Utilizand cunostintele preluate de la bunica sa despre insusirile miraculoase ale unor plante si modalitatile lor de combinare, ajunge sa prepare lotiuni si creme extrem de apreciate in domeniu. In timp, Eve reuseste sa intemeieze un adevarat imperiu al industriei cosmetice, comparabil cu cel al Helenei Rubinstein. Devenita bogata si celebra, nu este scutita totusi de loviturile dure pe care soarta i le rezerva… O extraordinara poveste de viata, cu intamplari ce se succed intr-un ritm ametitor, despre o femeie de succes care nu inceteaza niciun moment sa forteze mana destinului.

Weaving the intrigue of a romance with the haunting evocation of a legendary Mediterranean city, Dan Hofstadter reveals Naples to us. He is our guide to its decaying architectural beauty - the falling palace of his dreams; the conversations that start in the cafes and continue into the night; the countless curio shops where treasures mingle with kitsch. And he brings to life on the page his Neapolitan friends, people whose gestures and superstitions seem as old as Vesuvius: chief among them, Benedetta, the object of his fascination and affections, and, like her home city, at once inviting and unfathomable.

Polite, pensive, mature, reserved ...Charlie Brooker is none of these things and less. Rude, unhinged, outrageous, and above all funny, Dawn of the Dumb is essential reading for anyone with a brain and a spinal cord. And hands for turning the pages. Picking up where his hilarious Screen Burn left off, Dawn of the Dumb collects the best of Charlie Brooker's recent TV writing, together with uproarious spleen-venting diatribes on a range of non-televisual subjects - tackling everything from David Cameron to human hair.

Colleen McCullough's sweeping saga of dreams, struggles, dark passions, and forbidden love in the Australian Outback has enthralled readers the world over. This is the chronicle of three generations of Clearys, ranchers carving lives from a beautiful, hard land while contending with the bitterness, frailty, and secrets that penetrate their family. Most of all, it is the story of only daughter Meggie and her lifelong relationship with the haunted priest Father Ralph de Bricassart, an intense joining of two hearts and souls that dangerously oversteps sacred boundaries of ethics and dogma. A poignant love story, a powerful epic of struggle and sacrifice, a celebration of individuality and spirit, Colleen McCullough's acclaimed masterwork remains a monumental literary achievement - a landmark novel to be cherished and read again and again.

Sunt greu de povestit nuvelele lui Dimitra Dinev. Cum ar putea fi intelese dintr-o simpla relatare povestea inspectorului de politie Evlogi Ditschev si a posetei confectionate din pielea unor arestati sau povestea lui Spas, Ilja ori Lazarus, care reflecta situatia tragica a miilor de refugiati aflati in strainatatea o literatura remarcabila din punct de vedere stilistic, adresata unui public foarte larg. - Der spiegel Dimitra Dinev s-a nascut in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, in 1968. In 1990 se refugiaza in Austria, unde incepe sa scrie scenarii de film, piese de teatru, proza, fiind recompensat cu importante premii literare.

As a result of what she calls 'the only stroke of genius I've ever had', Jane Juska placed a personal ad in a newspaper, that began: 'Before I turn 67 - next March - I would like to have a lot of sex with a man I like.' The response was overwhelming, and it changed Jane's life. She told all in A Round-Heeled Woman, which Lynne Truss called 'the best book about sex I have read', and which shocked some, amused many and became a bestseller. Five years later, Jane has, like it or not, become a kind of icon for the post-menopause generation. She's a friend and confessor to women of all ages with poignant, tragic or enchanting stories - unaccompanied women, alone for now but searching for sex and romance. And despite her success, Jane herself is still looking for a man to keep her company - not a husband, not even a partner, but the perfect lover, described by Katharine Hepburn as one who 'lives nearby and visits often'. So the story continues, looking around at her generation, back to her youth, and forward to...whatever grabs her fancy. And like many unaccompanied women, Jane's also in search of a better place to live. Her current tiny apartment doesn't allow for much in the way of romance, let alone the giant toy box she wants to fill for her granddaughter, born on her birthday and now just two, who's brought another kind of love to her life. But as a sporadic earner on a teacher's pension, she can never afford the dream house. So the search continues, for love, friendship, sex, a roof over her head - it's what keeps this seventy-two year old author young, and will keep readers wonderfully entertained in this funny, deft and touching memoir.

In 2001 Andrew Anthony was 39, a successful "Observer" and "Guardian" journalist who had just become a father. He was perfectly poised to settle into English middle-class middle-age life. A signed-up member of the liberal left, he'd even spent time supporting the Sandinistas in Nicaragua in the 80s. There were assumptions that, like wallet and keys, he never left the house without: the greatest menace to world security was America; crime was a function of poverty; Israel was the source of all the troubles in the Middle East. Then came the wake-up call: 9/11. Shocked by the response of liberal friends and colleagues - a belief that America had it coming, a determination to understand the perpetrator rather than support the victim - Anthony was forced to re-examine and unpick his prejudices. It seemed there were other threats in the world far more malicious and dangerous than America. Could he really go on tolerating the intolerable? The Fall-Out is his memoir, an account of his political education in Thatcher's Britain and the painful midlife reassessment. It shifts from the universal to the personal, the global to the local. The Iraq war, the vicious murder of Theo van Gogh, the 7/7 bombings, ethnic divisions and violence on quiet London streets: Anthony touches on all these to show how the 'muddled thinking, hypocrisy and cant' of the liberal middle-class has led to a world where guilt leaves people too timid to confront the vital issues of the day. Along the way there are revealing encounters with Christopher Hitchens, George Galloway, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Yusuf Islam and Michael Moore. From one of the country's finest journalists, this a major book about broken dreams, darkened illusions and big questions that no longer match their received answers. This is a controversial and humane reality check - an invitation to wake up and smell the cordite.

Miraculosul ovidian nu poate fi descris in cuvinte, pentru ca nu apartine niciunei categorii literare. Metamorfozele tin, deopotriva, de epopee, de basm, de povestirea edificatoare si — de ce nu? este adevarat, cel putin, pentru episodul lui Dedal si pentru un anume climat pseudostiintific — de literatura de anticipatie. - Simone Viarre

In Now I Know the body of a young man, crucified on a metal cross, is found dangling from a crane in a scrapyard and subsequently vanishes. Tom, an ambitious young police officer, thinks he's had a lucky break when he's put in charge of this bizarre murder investigation. Nik is doing research for a film about a contemporary life of Jesus. Their independent investigations ultimately bring them together in an unexpected climax. This is a thought-provoking book about faith, spiritual experiences and teenage love and relationships. In The Toll Bridge, everyone seems to know best when it comes to Jan's future - but he's still working out for himself who he really is. He feels so hemmed in by the pressures of family and friends, he decides to leave home and live alone in the house on the toll bridge. While there, he meets Tess and Adam and their close bond of friendship develops into something which has devastating effects for them all.

Discover the ultimate manga experience with the Naruto  Series! Naruto is a ninja-in-training with a need for attention, a knack for mischief, and sealed within him, a strange, formidable power. His antics amuse his instructor Kakashi and irritate his teammates, intense Sasuki and witty Sakura, but Naruto is serious about becoming the greatest ninja in the village of Konohagakure!   Zabuza, the ninja assassin, was stopped from his first try at killing Tazuna the bridgebuilder - but Zabuza still lives! While the ninjas recover from their injuries, Kakashi puts Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura on a strict training regimen to protect Tazuna's family - including Tazuna's embittered grandson Inari - and prepare for Zabuza's next attack. But the next time won't be as easy, because joining Zabuza is his apprentice, Haku. And as the bridge comes closer to completion, our heroes must be willing to die - or kill - to protect the ones they love.

Aparut in anul 1922, romanul este considerat „primul roman de introspectie din literatura romana”, dar si primul roman de analiza psihologica, obiectiv si realist. Aparitia romanului este prefigurata de nuvelele Catastrofa, Itic strul dezertor si Hora mortii.   Tema romanului o constituie evocarea realista si obiectiva a primului razboi mondial in care accentul cade pe conditia tragica a intelectului ardelean care este silit sa lupte sub steag strain impotriva propriului neam.   Geneza romanul este inspirata dintr-o tragedie personala, fratele autorului, Emil, ofiter in armata austro-ungara, fusese condamnat si spanzurat pt ca incercase sa treaca linia frontului la romani. O alta sursa de inspiratie o constituie o fotografie vazuta de Rebreanu care l-a cutremurat, imaginea reprezentand o padure de ai carei copaci atarnau spanzurati oameni cehi. Prozatorul marturiseste insa ca tragedia fratelui sau a fost numai un pretext literar, deoarece Apostol Bologa nu are nimic din acesta „cel mult poate cateva trasaturi exterioare si unele momente de exaltare (...)”.   Avem in Padurea spanzuratilor unul dintre acele romane care s-au impus nu doar printr-o tema majora, dar si prin incercarea de a schimba formula literara. E. Lovinescu prevazuse ca romanul modern se va indrepta spre viata urbana, dupa ce fusese dominat de interesul pentru sat, si spre psihologie, dupa ce socialul prevalase. Paradoxul face ca tocmai scriitorii ardeleni, majoritatea, fii de preoti, de invatatori sau de notari de la tara, sa fi fost aceia care sa "importe" in Romania tematica rurala. Nu scrisese, in definitiv, Rebreanu insusi Ion? In Padurea spanzuratilor el face pasul spre urban si psihologic. Mai exact, o jumatate de pas, poate totusi cea mai importanta. Al doilea roman al lui Rebreanu este unul de tranzitie, intre doua varste ale genului.   Liviu Rebreanu nu e doar un martor al celei mai radicale prefaceri din istoria romanului romanesc, dar un actor important. Intre Ion si Patul lui Procust romanul romanesc isi schimba infatisarea, comportamentul si stilul de viata. Padurea spanzuratilor reprezinta o treapta. Nici un alt roman al vremii nu ne ajuta in egala masura sa intelegem aceasta schimbare.

It is the summer of 1975. An Onassis-like tycoon is nearing the end of his life. When he finds out that his daughter, with whom he's having a problematic relationship, is pregnant by a man he does not approve of, he has a birthday party for her on his private island, secretly intending to persuade her to end the pregnancy: a doctor is standing by to perform the procedure on the spot. The story starts on the morning of the party before the guests arrive and ends the following day when all the guests are gone. The novel intersperses the events that take place before, during and after the party with flashbacks to the tycoon's rise to wealth and fame, from his childhood in Asia Minor in the 1920s to old age, via Buenos Aires, New York, London and Paris.

O premiera pe piata editoriala romaneasca! Bukowski este cel mai vindut, citit si imitat poet american. Si, cum poezia americana nu a avut egal in secolul XX, putem spune ca Bukowski este cel mai important poet al secolului XX… E foarte greu sa faci o antologie din cele peste 30 de volume de poezie ale lui Bukowski, iti pare rau pentru fiecare text pe care trebuie sa-l dai la o parte. E ca si cum ai sta la capatiiul unui muribund care-si povesteste viata - cu umor si farmec - si l-ai asculta pe sarite, ca si cum ai tot intra si iesi ca nesimtitu’ din camera… Si e pacat, pentru ca, desi viziunea lui asupra lumii nu e deloc una dulce, la capatul povestii descoperi o importanta lectie de supravietuire. Sa nu-ti pierzi niciodata mindria, fiindca e singurul lucru pe care-l ai cu adevarat. -  Dan Sociu

Told in free verse in the spare and haunting voice of 14-year-old Billie Jo Kelby, Out of the Dust is a journey to the heart of a family caught in the Oklahoma dust-bowl. It is the story of Ma, who sees the idea of herself burn away with every parched day, until she herself is consumed by fire. It is the story of Bayard, her husband, who cannot comes to terms with his failure to provide for his family. But most of all, it is the story of Billie Jo who knows she must find a way to get out of the dust, even if it means leaving behind everything she has ever loved.

 A scathing attack on the idea of American Puritanism and the doctrine of Original Sin, Elsie Venner is the story of a young woman who, having been poisoned by rattlesnake venom while in the womb, emerges into the world half human, half snake. An intelligent and wealthy heiress, she repulses and fascinates those around her in equal measure. She falls in love with a young doctor, but her serpentine characteristics prevent him from returning her affection; her cousin is attracted by her money and, wrongly perceiving the doctor as his rival, determines upon his downfall. First published in 1861, this is a wonderfully inventive novel that meticulously dissects for the reader the social mores of small-town America in the middle of the nineteenth century, as viewed through the prism of Olive Wendell Holmes' powerful imagination.

Weaving the intrigue of a romance with the haunting evocation of a legendary Mediterranean city, Dan Hofstadter reveals Naples to us. He is our guide to its decaying architectural beauty - the falling palace of his dreams; the conversations that start in the cafes and continue into the night; the countless curio shops where treasures mingle with kitsch. And he brings to life on the page his Neapolitan friends, people whose gestures and superstitions seem as old as Vesuvius: chief among them, Benedetta, the object of his fascination and affections, and, like her home city, at once inviting and unfathomable.

Billy Nolan e inconjurat de o aura magica. Nu numai ca proprietarul de bar din Brooklyn este nemaipomenit de chipes, dar toate femeile cu care iese si de care se desparte se casatoresc imediat cu urmatorul barbat pe care il intalnesc. Singura femeie aparent imuna la farmecul lui este energica Kate Jameson care, dupa ce a plecat din Brooklyn pentru a se muta in Manhattan, nu are de gand sa se lase vrajita de un individ aratos din vechiul ei cartier. Dar poate ca "efectul Billy" va functiona la cea mai buna prietena a lui Kate, Bina Horowitz, al carei logodnic tocmai a parasit-o ca sa lucreze in Hong Kong si "sa isi exploreze posibilitatile". Kate nu trebuie decat sa aranjeze ca Billy sa iasa cu bine si sa se desparta de ea, apoi sa astepte ca logodnicul ratacitor sa se intoarca si sa se produca miracolul. La inceput, planul pare sa functioneze de minune. Insa Kate nu l-a luat in calcul tocmai pe... Billy.

IRELAND 1984 After Shell's mother dies, her obsessively religious father descends into alcoholic mourning and Shell is left to care for her younger brother and sister. Her only release from the harshness of everyday life comes from her budding spiritual friendship with a naive young priest, and most importantly, her developing relationship with childhood friend, Declan, charming, eloquent and persuasive. But when Declan suddenly leaves Ireland to seek his fortune in America, Shell finds herself pregnant and the centre of a scandal that rocks the small community in which she lives, with repercussions across the whole country. The lives of those immediately around her will never be the same again. This is a story of love and loss, religious belief and spirituality - it will move the hearts of any who read it.

It is London, 1826. Leaving behind his father's tragic failures, Gabriel Swift arrives to study with Edwin Poll, the greatest of the city's anatomists. It is his chance to find advancement by making a name for himself. But, instead, he finds himself drawn to his master's nemesis, Lucan, the most powerful of the city's resurrectionists and ruler of its trade in stolen bodies. Dismissed by Mr Poll, Gabriel descends into the violence and corruption of London's underworld, a place where everything and everyone is for sale, and where - as Gabriel discovers - the taking of a life is easier than it might seem.

Incredible but True Stories of Confronting Death and Emerging Victorious. The rock climber who cut off his own arm with a penknife. The hiker who fought off a mountain lion. Passengers who survive the crash of a bush plane in Alaska. We read headlines we sometimes find hard to believe, yet there are on record dozens of such events. Here is a collection of tales from everyday people who faced terrible odds, accidents, extreme weather, wild animals, or severe injury, many describing how they entered another state of consciousness - an "adrenaline high" - to get away alive. Forget reality TV - this is real entertainment for the survival-story fanatic.

 This is the sequel to One More River. Time has moved on, it is the 1990s and this is the story of Lesley's Israeli daughter Nilli. The First Intifada is underway and people are being murdered in the streets of Israeli cities. Palestinian anger has overflowed and Mustafa has become a killer, he can see no other way to free his people from Occupation. When Mustafa fails to kill Nilli he becomes a hunted man. This book brilliantly captures the tragedy and hopelessness that has gripped the region and presents both sides with sympathy and balance. There are so few fictional accounts of the Arab/Israeli conflict that Lynne Reid-Banks splendidly readable and well-researched account fills a gap. Short-listed for both the Guardian Award and the Carnegie Medal when first published in 1994.

Ne jucam de-a orbii, de-a orbul mai bine zis. Eram Borges al Balcanilor, caram tot atat talent pe cata lene, scriam texte scurte, percutante, pline de inteligenta, rafinate si reci ca un cutit proaspat. - Autorul

Lefevre, a French archaeologist, has arrived in Istanbul determined to uncover a lost Byzantine treasure. Yashim is commissioned to find out more about him. But when Lefevre's mutilated body is discovered outside the French embassy, it turns out that there is only one suspect: Yashim himself. Once again, Yashim finds himself in a race against time to uncover the startling truth behind a shadowy secret society dedicated to the revival of the Byzantine Empire, caught in a deadly game deep beneath the city streets, a place where the stakes are high - and betrayal is death.

Mihai Eminescu a fost un poet, prozator si jurnalist roman, socotit de cititorii romani si de critica literara postuma drept cea mai importanta voce poetica din literatura romana. Miracolul eminescian putea fi contemplat aici in schita lui premergatoare si in mecanismul lui demontat. Proza lui Eminescu merita insa a fi citita pentru ea insasi. Cateva dintre frumusetile cele mai de seama ale artei romanesti de-a povesti au cazut din condeiul poetului.

When Rhodri is summoned to the Telling Pool little does he know the consequences this is going to bring not only for himself and his family but also for the future peace of the land. While his father is fighting in the Holy Wars, Rhodri must confront his own battles at home and be braver and more resourceful than he could have ever thought possible. Leaving behind his ailing mother, the beautiful Sarah and his friend William, Rhodri embarks on an awesome and epic journey darkened by thieves, rogues, an evil-handed sorceress and his own haunting nightmares. It will take all of Rhodri's strength, intelligence and maturity to come out of this task alive. But Rhodri will find help in unusual and unlikely places and the difficult choices he makes along the way will shape his true destiny in this multi-layered and exciting fantasy novel.

In Now I Know the body of a young man, crucified on a metal cross, is found dangling from a crane in a scrapyard and subsequently vanishes. Tom, an ambitious young police officer, thinks he's had a lucky break when he's put in charge of this bizarre murder investigation. Nik is doing research for a film about a contemporary life of Jesus. Their independent investigations ultimately bring them together in an unexpected climax. This is a thought-provoking book about faith, spiritual experiences and teenage love and relationships. In The Toll Bridge, everyone seems to know best when it comes to Jan's future - but he's still working out for himself who he really is. He feels so hemmed in by the pressures of family and friends, he decides to leave home and live alone in the house on the toll bridge. While there, he meets Tess and Adam and their close bond of friendship develops into something which has devastating effects for them all.

O carte deosebita despre intruparea lui Isus Cristos in umanitate. El a venit nu ca o strafulgerare de lumina sau ca un cuceritor pe care nu-l poti atinge, ci ca Unul ale carui tipete au fost auzite de o tarancuta si de un tamplar somnoros. Mainile care L-au tinut pentru prima data in brate nu aveau manichiura aranjata, ci erau murdare si aspre. Intoarceti-va in timp si retraiti momentul in care Cristos, Fiul lui Dumnezeu, S-a facut om. Alaturati-va lui Max in incercarea lui de a readuce la viata cel mai important moment al istoriei... acela in care „Dumnezeu S-a apropiat”. Iar atunci cand veti surprinde o viziune a acestui moment de necrezut, lasati-l sa va marcheze inceputul unei vieti noi. Dumnezeu S-a apropiat. Daca El este ceea ce spune ca este, atunci nu exista niciun alt adevar care sa merite atentia si timpul vostru.

First published in 1887 and regarded by the author as his finest work, Red Spider draws on Sabine Baring-Gould's fascination with rural life, folklore and mythology. According to popular superstition, the red spider has the power to spin money in the pocket of the person who secures its services. When Hillary Nanspian squashes such a spider, the consequences for his relationship with his brother-in-law, Taverner Langford, and for the very life of the rural part of Devonshire to which they both belong are immense. A masterly study of human relationships, with vividly painted characters and an intricate plot, Baring-Gould draws the reader into a fantastical world of country lore which has long since passed from view.

The Jungle Book introduces Mowgli, the human foundling adopted by a family of wolves. It tells of the enmity between him and the tiger Shere Khan, who killed Mowgli's parents, and of the friendship between the man-cub and Bagheera, the black panther, and Baloo, the sleepy brown bear, who instructs Mowgli in the Laws of the Jungle.   The Second Jungle Book contains some of the most thrilling of the Mowgli stories. It includes Red Dog, in which Mowgli forms an unlikely alliance with the python Kaa, How Fear Came and Letting in the Jungle as well as The Spring Running, which brings Mowgli to manhood and the realisation that he must leave Bagheera, Baloo and his other friends for the world of man.

Prin varsta, mai degraba insa prin promotie (prin generatia de creatie, daca vrem), Laurentiu-Ciprian Tudor (el a debutat, imi amintesc bine, in 2003) putea fi ispitit, literar vorbind, de mai delectabilele registre ale nouazecismului, douamiismului, fracturismului scl: nepasarea la ideistica, sfidarea constiintei teoretice, amputarea, ca sa zic asa, a organului metafizic (unii am auzit ca jubileaza obraznic la aceasta carenta), absente inlocuite, de regula, de mistica ablutiei in sordidul cotidianului ar fi, intre altele, insusirile acestor confrerii; si s-ar mai adauga, daca suntem atenti, deopotriva lipsa organului pentru cultura, aceasta reducandu-se la acestia, ca la epileptici, pe spatiu ingust, de exemplu la incropirile grupusculelor sau cislei. Din contra insa, cum spuneam a propos de cartea lui de debut, Laurentiu-Ciprian Tudor nu a evitat intalnirea cu conceptualul, il va reafirma totusi numai dupa o petrecere prin retortele obscure ale duhului liric: netemator, deci, ca acelea ii vor subtia sau amplifica enigmele, ca, mai departe, in ele s-ar mai si putea contamina de la elementul profan ori corupt, florile si ingerii, e convins de pilda poetul, suferind ca orisice vietuitoare de o sudoare mai mult sau mai putin diafana, iar in cosmos, privind-o, galaxia ni se va arata cateodata ca o albastra maioneza. Sa citim prin urmare din poemul Cand iubita e ca un fel de apa si cand ceasul fericirii nu se termina, nu fara a remarca totusi ca titlul (cum se va mai intampla de cateva ori in cuprinsul cartii) e el insusi un poem lapidar sau un poem in devenire. Asadar: "cu bratele puse pe solduri/usor imbufnata pari/mai dulce/amfora de miraculoase licori/de-elixiruri picurate din sinele verii/miruri si-uleiuri de flori si de ingeri/goala te tragi ca ciuta la poala padurii/.../sa nu oprim/sa nu oprim/invarteala aceasta a acelor de ceasornic/a acestei ore/indragostita de sine ca un dervis in transa/ora oprita/ora spirala/scoasa din lant/exilata-n plutire/ca o planeta halucinanta/prin cosmos//sa nu oprim invarteala aceasta a acelor de ceasornic/timp iesit din sine/galaxia e ca o maioneza albastra/care nu se mai lasa taiata".   Precum in volumul de debut (si atunci, se vede, titlul era din nou inspirat, era o cautata stihuire: Teama de cerc si fuga dupa aripi) materiile venale nu sunt dispretuite, se vor impaca mai curand in eufemismul contemplatiei sau al ritualului ludic cu abstractiunea, sa spunem jenanta, deopotriva cu adierea romantica. Iata, acum din volumul recent, al treilea, Apostolul verilor (Editura Arania, Brasov 2007), poemul cu desuetul titlu, Zaraza: "parai/pentru ce e-n rai/in acel serai/cocosata/alfabetul iti cadea din gura/odata cu fluturii din stoamc/hatanata din tatani/de tate;/eram tanar/si te minteam ca un print arab/tu devneai arabila/cu toate iluziile zmee,/gura mi-era ca o punga cu galbeni/cu parai/cat sa platesti intrarea/la filmul cu happy/fara de end.//Zaraza/s-a facut amintirea ca vinul cel nobil/si-n raia/imi pare ca treci pe sub stresini".   Daca recunoastem, odata cu Laurentiu-Ciprian Tudor, ca cea mai mare parte a lumii noastre e, asa-zicand, subterana, sigilata de intunecate taine - e dificil a-i recunoaste si garanta iluminarea, luminile promise. Un chip nocturn al fiintei este dintotdeauna in banuiala ochiului nostru care o priveste. Poetul interpreteaza in chipul urmator aceasta dilema a sa fata cu nepatrunderea (inevitabila, tautologica) la lucrurile in sine, la esente - o imposibilitate pe care el si-o asuma cu ironie si tandrete deopotriva, cu o imprecatie duioasa. Precum aci, in Frumoasa naibii:: "m-arunca-n priviri imposibile/fara plasa/conspir cat imi sta in luneta/desenez jupuirea/cu haita trezita in nervi//frumoasa naibii//facuta in ciuda/rinocerilor insomniaci/s-o intorc in lut/in mixerul bratelor lacome/ca-mi sta ca un lat deasupra capului/lucind ca aurul viu/sa nu-i mai fiu/ca-i sunt/ocnas in vara/fiara legata cu fier/liber/sa gandesc verdele/doar pentru verde". Nu mai putin in caz se vadeste si melancolia, una ce-si ascunde insa durerea, o stancatie mai degraba, e aci oboseala aceea metafizica, de desertaciune, precum in exemplul biblic cunoscut: ea apasa si opreste astfel orsice initiativa, chiar si cotidiana, candid-corupta miscare a vietii sub vremuri. In Nemiscata iarna, poetul scrie asa: ,,trotuarele poleite/purul alb falsificat in pulberea rece/mincinoasa mana cereasca/cazand (sic, n.n.) confetti prin golurile/vartejurilor de frig ce musca pielea;/izgonit din plimbarea tacuta/ghemul plansului nedesirat/ramane/fara de tihna ochii ce-au izvorat dupa/iubita;/nu ma primesti iarna/nu ma ascunzi/dorul sa-l ratacesc unde ?". Sau in chipul acesta, in scurta poezie intitulata In noapte: "ies in noapte/ca intr-o stare de tristete a pamantului/ca intr-o realitate paralela/latra cainele pamantului/vantul.../cu noapte in cap/doliu al gandurilor/ies".   Dedublarea eului, o "poveste lirica" la Laurentiu-Ciprian Tudor, cum o apreciaza Mona Mamulea pe coperta a 4-a a volumului, e tema remarcabilului poem eu si Eu. O dedublare a unitatii egotice si totdeodata dialectica dramatica din jocul micro si macrocosmosului: "eu/lepadat de mine/devenim doi/eu-insumi si eu-lepadatul,/eu-insumi sunt asta:punctul/ce se rostogoleste din idealul izvorarii,/al curgerii, al inrauririi//cu eu-lepadatul e mai greu de inteles/pentru ca eu fara de eu-insumi/devin lume, devin cosmos, devin/Dumnezeu/cum poti sa intelegi ca punctul poate/cuprinde Totul?/cum sa intelegi ca micul cuprinde/Marele?". Pana aici, cum e cu putinta sa credem, prin identificarea orgolioasa cu divinitatea a eului liric poemul se plaseaza intr-un regim difamant, blasfematoriu (cum se imtampla frecvent in demonismul romaticilor). Citit pana la capat, observam ca nu e asa: "fata in fata cu eul-lepadat/te cuprinde coplesirea/ingenunchezi,pleci capul;/eul meu lepadat e acelasi cu eul lui/lepadat, acelasi/cu eul ei lepadat, cu eul lor/acelasi/noi/tragem dupa noi absolutul, acelasi/ne tinem la spate idealul/fara s-o stim/in loc invers/sa strangem toate lepadatele-euri/ca niste bucati ale aceleiasi franghii/aceluiasi cordon/ombilical/al luminii/pururea fiitoare". Versurile de mai sus dau seama, dupa priceperea mea, de constiinta ordonatoare religioasa a poetului: revelatia aci nu e numaidecat frisonanta, nu cheama adica numaidecat stupoarea, inlemnirea aceea din catatonia mistica obisnuita la anahoretii monastici sau ai pustiei. Este mai curand o comunicare suava, - primire adica a gratiei; e o comunicare - spre a evoca aici ganditorul cunoscut - ca o cuminecare, o comunicare antrenata va sa zica eucharistic si, cu tot lexicul atipic (limbajul acela deghizat, limbajul secular) impartasind inca, iata, limpiditate si delicatete. Vestirea e acum fara de tremurul retoric al primitorului de nepatruns - misterul e cu putinta a fi gestionat cu mintea si cu inima deopotriva. Poemul eu si Eu al lui Laurentiu-Ciprian Tudor este, de vrem, si o "anamneza" - o scoborare, o descensiune, prin sacralitatea omului, spre punctul initial: orisice revenire, reurcare vor aduce pe superficia profana a umanitatii un picur din roua divina ( cum spunea cineva) a inceputurilor, cine sa-i indure povara, cine infricosarea ? Cu alte cuvinte (asa cum se intelege din poem) frica de a intrupa in tine insuti - dupa o lunga, rabdatoare asteptare, chiar dupa osteneala si deznadejduire - picatura de dumnezeire ce ti-a fost fagaduita.   Aflat la a treia sa carte de versuri, Laurentiu-Ciprian Tudor este (comentatorii sai au remarcat aceasta fara sovaire) un poet tanar care confirma. - A.I. Brumaru

Killers, Crooks and Cons: Scotland's Crimes of the Century Going decade by decade through the 20th century and telling the true stories of crime on Scotland's mean streets, 'Killers, Crooks and Cons' is an exploration of the dark side of the country's past.

Cartea abordeaza rolul important pe care l-au avut, la vremea lor, hanurile. Aparute in a doua jumatate a secolului al XVII-lea, in stransa legatura cu dezvoltarea economica, ele au reprezentat, pe langa o cerinta imperativa a comertului bucurestean, si locuri pline de culoare. Erau un amalgam de ziduri trainice, etnii si marfuri, niste edificii care mult timp s-au contopit cu soarta orasului, fiind parte si sprijin in incercarile la care natura si oamenii au supus de-a lungul timpului asezarea de pe malurile Dambovitei. - Lelia Zamani Fragment din cartea "Comert si loisir in vechiul Bucuresti", de Lelia Zamani "b. Hanurile de tip "pasaj" Un al doilea model de han, care a aparut in timp, a fost cel tip "pasaj", ori "de trecere", cu doua porti si o curte interioara ingusta si lunga, cladirile fiind situate de o parte si alta a acestei curti. Un exemplu de astfel de han il constituie Hanul cu Tei, aflat atat in strada Lipscani, cat si in strada Bacani, gratie celor doua cai de acces, situate pe cele doua strazi. Hanul a fost construit la 1833 de catre doi negustori, Atanasie Hagi Gheorghe Polizu si Stefan Popovici, iar numele i-a fost dat din pricina teilor din curtea interioara. Hanul dispunea la parter de cate 14 pravalii, a cate doua randuri, aflate fata in fata, etajul fiind destinat camerelor de locuit. Pravaliile erau asezate pe pivnite adanci cu bolti mari, urmand exemplul primelor tipuri de hanuri, iar ferestrele si usile lor aveau obloane de fier, care noaptea se inchideau, punandu-se pentru o mai buna siguranta si bare de fier. Un caz mai aparte l-a constituit Bazaca, un nume acum uitat al unei strazi demult disparute si care la origine se considera ca ar fi fost han, in genul Hanului cu Tei. In sprijinul acestei informatii a stat marturie mult timp, pe partea dreapta a Bazacai, o constructie veche cu pravalii solide, iar pe stanga, alte pravalii, adapostite in niste case mult mai vechi, peste care vremea isi pusese vadit amprenta. Seara, dupa inchiderea pravaliilor, se spunea ca se puteau vedea mai bine obloanele cu chingile lor de fier si belciugele in care se prindeau, facute de mesterii secolului al XIX-lea, ca si ultima pravalie de pe stanga, care era si cea mai veche constructie. "

As a result of what she calls 'the only stroke of genius I've ever had', Jane Juska placed a personal ad in a newspaper, that began: 'Before I turn 67 - next March - I would like to have a lot of sex with a man I like.' The response was overwhelming, and it changed Jane's life. She told all in A Round-Heeled Woman, which Lynne Truss called 'the best book about sex I have read', and which shocked some, amused many and became a bestseller. Five years later, Jane has, like it or not, become a kind of icon for the post-menopause generation. She's a friend and confessor to women of all ages with poignant, tragic or enchanting stories - unaccompanied women, alone for now but searching for sex and romance. And despite her success, Jane herself is still looking for a man to keep her company - not a husband, not even a partner, but the perfect lover, described by Katharine Hepburn as one who 'lives nearby and visits often'. So the story continues, looking around at her generation, back to her youth, and forward to...whatever grabs her fancy. And like many unaccompanied women, Jane's also in search of a better place to live. Her current tiny apartment doesn't allow for much in the way of romance, let alone the giant toy box she wants to fill for her granddaughter, born on her birthday and now just two, who's brought another kind of love to her life. But as a sporadic earner on a teacher's pension, she can never afford the dream house. So the search continues, for love, friendship, sex, a roof over her head - it's what keeps this seventy-two year old author young, and will keep readers wonderfully entertained in this funny, deft and touching memoir.

It is the summer of 1975. An Onassis-like tycoon is nearing the end of his life. When he finds out that his daughter, with whom he's having a problematic relationship, is pregnant by a man he does not approve of, he has a birthday party for her on his private island, secretly intending to persuade her to end the pregnancy: a doctor is standing by to perform the procedure on the spot. The story starts on the morning of the party before the guests arrive and ends the following day when all the guests are gone. The novel intersperses the events that take place before, during and after the party with flashbacks to the tycoon's rise to wealth and fame, from his childhood in Asia Minor in the 1920s to old age, via Buenos Aires, New York, London and Paris.

 Jack Swaab joined the veteran 51st (Highland) Infantry Division on 3 January 1943. He kept a series of diaries over the following two and a half years, recording the combination of boredom and fear that characterises active service. In mid-March 1943 he saw battle for the first time as Montgomery attacked the Mareth Line. In July that year Swaab took part in the Allied landings on Sicily, writing of the scorching humidity of the Sicilian summer. In May 1944 he records the restless time as his regiment prepared for the invasion of Normandy. In September 1944 Swaab's role changed dramatically, as he moved from commanding a troop to being a forward observation officer. His new position meant that he was working closely with the infantry in the front line. Swaab's first five months as a forward observation officer came to an abrupt end on 13 February, when he was wounded in the leg by shellfire. He was again selected for FOO duty during Operation 'Varsity', the Rhine crossing, in March 1945, and received the Military Cross.

„Zapada mieilor” face parte din tetralogia romanesca „Vulturi de noapte” („Sculptorul”, vol. I, „Noaptea strainului”, vol. II, „Marile jocuri”, vol. III) si constituie cel de-al patrulea volum. Romanele acestei autoare (stufoase, polifonice, lente, cu desfasurari epice imprevizibile), sunt scrise impotriva curentului, fiind in esenta o serie de bildungsromane, romane de formare. „Dintr-un presupus outsider al generatiei 90, Aura Christi ajunge o figura pregnanta a congenerilor ei, recupereaza teren (literar) printr-o maturizare cu totul spectaculoasa.” (Mihail Galatanu, Flacara, martie 2008)

From the author behind the wildly popular Mates, Dates and Truth, Kiss, Dare or Promise books comes Cinnamon Girl, a.k.a. India Jane. A globetrotter since birth, all she wants is a real home; but instead, she's packed off to her aunt's New Age holiday centre in Greece for the summer. Torn between alternative lifestlyes, not to mention a mystery boy, will Cinnamon Girl discover where true happiness lies?

In 2001 Andrew Anthony was 39, a successful "Observer" and "Guardian" journalist who had just become a father. He was perfectly poised to settle into English middle-class middle-age life. A signed-up member of the liberal left, he'd even spent time supporting the Sandinistas in Nicaragua in the 80s. There were assumptions that, like wallet and keys, he never left the house without: the greatest menace to world security was America; crime was a function of poverty; Israel was the source of all the troubles in the Middle East. Then came the wake-up call: 9/11. Shocked by the response of liberal friends and colleagues - a belief that America had it coming, a determination to understand the perpetrator rather than support the victim - Anthony was forced to re-examine and unpick his prejudices. It seemed there were other threats in the world far more malicious and dangerous than America. Could he really go on tolerating the intolerable? The Fall-Out is his memoir, an account of his political education in Thatcher's Britain and the painful midlife reassessment. It shifts from the universal to the personal, the global to the local. The Iraq war, the vicious murder of Theo van Gogh, the 7/7 bombings, ethnic divisions and violence on quiet London streets: Anthony touches on all these to show how the 'muddled thinking, hypocrisy and cant' of the liberal middle-class has led to a world where guilt leaves people too timid to confront the vital issues of the day. Along the way there are revealing encounters with Christopher Hitchens, George Galloway, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Yusuf Islam and Michael Moore. From one of the country's finest journalists, this a major book about broken dreams, darkened illusions and big questions that no longer match their received answers. This is a controversial and humane reality check - an invitation to wake up and smell the cordite.

With a Foreword by Paolo Coelho In her bestselling book Losses and Gains, Lya Luft draws on her own experiences of loss and gain in marriage and family to address the universal themes of childhood, love and maturity. She portrays love as the common thread through all phases of life. As children, the unconditional love we receive from our parents determines our expectations for all the other forms of love we experience later. And as adults, she argues, the complex task of loving another depends, initially, on self-love and self-esteem.   Luft's ardent reflections on existence and the human spirit are a powerful reminder to us all: we have lost everything only when we believe we deserve less than everything still to be gained.

 Jack Swaab joined the veteran 51st (Highland) Infantry Division on 3 January 1943. He kept a series of diaries over the following two and a half years, recording the combination of boredom and fear that characterises active service. In mid-March 1943 he saw battle for the first time as Montgomery attacked the Mareth Line. In July that year Swaab took part in the Allied landings on Sicily, writing of the scorching humidity of the Sicilian summer. In May 1944 he records the restless time as his regiment prepared for the invasion of Normandy. In September 1944 Swaab's role changed dramatically, as he moved from commanding a troop to being a forward observation officer. His new position meant that he was working closely with the infantry in the front line. Swaab's first five months as a forward observation officer came to an abrupt end on 13 February, when he was wounded in the leg by shellfire. He was again selected for FOO duty during Operation 'Varsity', the Rhine crossing, in March 1945, and received the Military Cross.

Lefevre, a French archaeologist, has arrived in Istanbul determined to uncover a lost Byzantine treasure. Yashim is commissioned to find out more about him. But when Lefevre's mutilated body is discovered outside the French embassy, it turns out that there is only one suspect: Yashim himself. Once again, Yashim finds himself in a race against time to uncover the startling truth behind a shadowy secret society dedicated to the revival of the Byzantine Empire, caught in a deadly game deep beneath the city streets, a place where the stakes are high - and betrayal is death.

Readers of BBC's Olive magazine will love these delicious, sophisticated supper recipes, designed to impress everyone around the dinner table.   It's always nice to treat yourself to something special and the food experts at Olive magazine have come up with 101 failsafe recipes, each accompanied by a full-colour picture so you that you can create that extra-special dish with ease.   You'll never be stuck for meal ideas with this handy little cookbook.

Faimosul erou al lui le Carre, agentul serviciului de informatii britanic, George Smiley, se confrunta cu o problema de viata si de moarte: trebuie sa descopere o "cartita"- un agent dublu sovietic, care a reusit sa se infiltreze pana la cele mai inalte nivele in Serviciu Secret din Marea Britanie. Cu ajutorul lui Karla, omologul lui Smiley din Uniunea Sovietica, agentul dublu a periclitat deja cateva operatiuni importante si a deconspirat cele mai eficiente retele de spioni britanici. Acum Smiley este implicat intr-o lupta a vointelor si a indemanarii cu un dusman care are aceleasi resurse si capacitati ca si el. Ramane de vazut cine va castiga...

Tilly Trotter has devotedly served Mark Sopwith at Highfield Manor for twelve years. His wife in all but name, theirs is a scandalous yet happy arrangement. But when Mark dies Tilly is left pregnant with his illegitimate child. Cast out of the manor house by Mark's spiteful grown-up daughter, Tilly is forced to face the prejudices of the local village. No stranger to hardship, she makes do as best she can but when a villager's vicious attack leaves her baby son, Willy, half blind she knows that it's time to leave her native Tyneside. A new love seems to offer an escape and so she follows her heart to America, sure that this will be the beginning of a better life. But new perils await Tilly across the ocean...