Vivianne Knebel was born illegitimate in 1943 in the epicenter of Nazi power, Berlin, Germany. Her free-spirited and strong-willed mother, Marija, fought to keep her alive among falling bombs and Soviet attacks. After the end of World War II, with much of Berlin razed to the ground, Vivianne came to know poverty and constant hunger. As a teenager, she immigrated to Canada, but in her new homeland, times became so desperate that she had to beg for money to eat. After dropping out of school to find work, Vivianne became the victim of sexual harassment. Spiraling into depression, she attempted to take her life, but was miraculously saved by a six-year-old child. Falling in love with a fellow German immigrant, Wiland, proved a pivotal turning point for Vivianne. He saw a wellspring of potential in her and believed that she could become more than she had ever imagined. They married and moved to the United States. In the land where so many immigrant dreams are built, Wiland encouraged Vivianne to pursue endeavors that would test her mettle, including piloting a plane, running a marathon, and taking on a key role in supporting his business enterprise. Vivianne's journey of personal growth later gave her the courage to battle cancer and embrace a spiritual life.

Vivianne Knebel was born illegitimate in 1943 in the epicenter of Nazi power, Berlin, Germany. Her free-spirited and strong-willed mother, Marija, fought to keep her alive among falling bombs and Soviet attacks. After the end of World War II, with much of Berlin razed to the ground, Vivianne came to know poverty and constant hunger. As a teenager, she immigrated to Canada, but in her new homeland, times became so desperate that she had to beg for money to eat. After dropping out of school to find work, Vivianne became the victim of sexual harassment. Spiraling into depression, she attempted to take her life, but was miraculously saved by a six-year-old child. Falling in love with a fellow German immigrant, Wiland, proved a pivotal turning point for Vivianne. He saw a wellspring of potential in her and believed that she could become more than she had ever imagined. They married and moved to the United States. In the land where so many immigrant dreams are built, Wiland encouraged Vivianne to pursue endeavors that would test her mettle, including piloting a plane, running a marathon, and taking on a key role in supporting his business enterprise. Vivianne's journey of personal growth later gave her the courage to battle cancer and embrace a spiritual life. Through hardship, demoralization, yearning, searching, loving, inspiration, and growth, Vivianne has discovered the ultimate secret to a life well lived: a grateful heart. "From Rubble To Champagne" "Rising from the ashes of war-torn Berlin to a life of grace, beauty and gratitude" is the remarkable story of Vivianne Knebel. From a lonely childhood in ravaged, post WWII Berlin, to young adulthood as part of a wave of struggling German immigrants in Canada, to marriage, family and ultimate fulfillment in the United States, Vivianne's mindful and insightful journey moves and inspires the reader. Rising from the Ashes is a woman's celebration of challenges overcome and a life fully lived. Stephen Metcalfe - author of The Tragic Age and The Practical Navigator Ms Knebel's spell binding book is a first hand account of something most of us in the US haven't been exposed to and can't fathom. There are many heart wrenching German Holocaust stories. A story that hasn't been told though is, with post WWII Germany in ruins, the horrific challenges that everyday citizens and families face and how one young girl deals with them. It demonstrates what the human spirit can accomplish when challenged in unfathomable ways. Tom Gegax Author, Winning in the Game of Life and The Big Book of Small Business. The autobiography entitled "From Rubble To Champagne" "Rising from the ashes of war-torn Berlin to a life of grace, beauty and gratitude" draws the reader into a riveting account of the author's life story of triumph over tragedy. Vivianne transports you to her early life surviving the horrors of war in Hitler's Nazi Germany. Her indomitable spirit of optimism and perseverance are evident throughout her story and should serve as inspiration for anyone who feels defeated and suppressed. The author tells her life story with grace, charm, and wit. It is a must read for contemporary readers who wish to draw life lessons from our past. Susan Stuart, M.D. Board certified top Dermatologist

A vibrantly illustrated, authoritative guide to sparkling wine from James Beard Award winner Katherine Cole in the follow-up to her popular Rosé All Day Sparkling Wine Anytime introduces readers to every style of sparkling wine, from Champagne and Prosecco to Cava, Lambrusco, Pét-Nat, and more. Wine expert Katherine Cole digs deep into sparkling wine’s compelling history, role in culture today, and the unique process by which it is made, explicating the most complicated concepts with light, bubbly prose. Organized by region, this comprehensive guide includes producer profiles, tasting notes, cocktail recipes, food pairings, and bottle recommendations for any budget. Filled with playful illustrations and infographics, Sparkling Wine Anytime is an effervescent exploration of all things sparkling.

Both the region of Champagne and its wines have always been associated with prestige and luxury. Knowledgeable wine enthusiasts have long discussed top Champagnes with the same reverence they reserve for the finest wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy. But everyday Americans usually keep Champagne way back on the high shelf. It’s for big celebrations, send-offs, and wedding toasts and, more often than not, is bought by the case. The good stuff costs plenty—and frankly, rarely seems worth the price. Today, though, Champagne is in the midst of a renaissance—no longer to be unjustly neglected. Over the past decade, an increasing number of wine enthusiasts have discovered the joys of grower Champagne—wines made by the farmers who grow the grapes. Thanks to a few key wine importers and America’s newfound obsession with knowing where food comes from, these shipments have been climbing steadily. In But First, Champagne, author David White details Champagne’s history along with that of its wines, explains how and why the market is changing, and profiles the region’s leading producers. This book is essential reading for wine enthusiasts, adventurous drinkers, foodies, sommeliers, and drinks professionals. With a comprehensive yet accessible overview of the region, its history, and its leading producers, But First, Champagne will demystify Champagne for all. From the foreword: "Smart, entertaining, and valuable . . . one of those rare wine books that should appeal to people just getting into Champagne and longtime Champagne obsessives." —Ray Isle, Executive Wine Editor, Food & Wine

Friend of Hemingway, John Huston, and lover of beautiful women, Capa lived a life that was equal parts glamour and danger. He was the best of combat photographers, yet no one knew that Capa was not his real name, and that his greatest artistic achievement may well have been himself. Two 8-page photo inserts.

Young British miner Harry Speares is no admirer of Josef Stalin. But when, in the late 1930s, his communist father Joseph is invited to work at the headquarters of Moscow’s global subversive network, the Comintern, he reluctantly accompanies him - lured by promises of an education denied him at home. In the Hotel Lux, foreign communist leaders live alongside exiled revolutionary fighters, teachers, writers and spies. Here, Harry meets Rosa Zander, a beguiling German woman who verses him in the mysterious rites of his new home. Rooms hum with debate, laughter and music. Children play in the corridors. But for Harry, the outsider, there is something unsettling about those ‘believers’ so set on remaking the world. As the threat from Nazi Germany escalates, Stalin turns against his loyal servants in the Lux. Rosa struggles to explain a bloody betrayal that bewilders and infuriates Harry. But Harry's fascination with her grows, along with his fear of her power, as she draws him into the darker corners of the Comintern. Is she friend, sweetheart or jailer? Desperate to escape Russia, Harry embarks on a perilous journey into Moscow’s criminal underworld that leads him to the gates of the British Embassy. Where he goes, Rosa follows.

From the straight boulevards that smashed their way through rambling old Paris to create the city we know today to the televised implosion of Las Vegas casinos to make room for America’s ever grander desert of dreams, demolition has long played an ambiguous role in our lives. In lively, colorful prose, Rubble rides the wrecking ball through key episodes in the world of demolition. Stretching over more than five hundred years of razing and toppling, this story looks back to London’s Great Fire of 1666, where self-deputized wreckers artfully blew houses apart with barrels of gunpowder to halt the furious blaze, and spotlights the advent of dynamite—courtesy of demolition’s patron saint, Alfred Nobel—that would later fuel epochal feats of unbuilding such as the implosion of the infamous Pruitt-Igoe housing complex in St. Louis. Rubble also delves beyond these bravura blasts to survey the world-jarring invention of the wrecking ball; the oddly stirring ruin of New York’s old Pennsylvania Station, that potent symbol of the wrecker run amok; and the ever busy bulldozers in places as diverse as Detroit, Berlin, and the British countryside. Rich with stories of demolition’s quirky impresarios—including Mark Loizeaux, the world-famous engineer of destruction who brought Seattle’s Kingdome to the ground in mere seconds—this account makes first-hand forays to implosion sites and digs extensively into wrecking’s little-known historical record. Rubble is also an exploration of what happens when buildings fall, when monuments topple into memory, and when “destructive creativity” tears down to build again. It unearths the world of demolition for the first time and, along the way, throws a penetrating light on the role that destruction must play in our lives as a necessary prelude to renewal. Told with arresting detail and energy, this tale goes to the heart of the scientific, social, economic, and personal meaning of how we unbuild our world. Rubble is the first-ever biography of the wrecking trade, a riveting, character-filled narrative of how the black art of demolition grew to become a multibillion-dollar business, an extreme spectator sport, and a touchstone for what we value, what we disdain, who we were, and what we wish to become.

A tour of the French winemaking regions to illustrate how the soil, underlying bedrock, relief, and microclimate shape the personality of a wine. For centuries, France has long been the world’s greatest wine-producing country. Its wines are the global gold standard, prized by collectors, and its winemaking regions each offer unique tasting experiences, from the spice of Bordeaux to the berry notes of the Loire Valley. Although grape variety, climate, and the skill of the winemaker are essential in making good wine, the foundation of a wine’s character is the soil in which its grapes are grown. Who could better guide us through the relationship between the French land and the wine than a geologist, someone who deeply understands the science behind the soil? Enter scientist Charles Frankel. In Land and Wine, Frankel takes readers on a tour of the French winemaking regions to illustrate how the soil, underlying bedrock, relief, and microclimate shape the personality of a wine. The book’s twelve chapters each focus in-depth on a different region, including the Loire Valley, Alsace, Burgundy, Champagne, Provence, the Rhône valley, and Bordeaux, to explore the full meaning of terroir. In this approachable guide, Frankel describes how Cabernet Franc takes on a completely different character depending on whether it is grown on gravel or limestone; how Sauvignon yields three different products in the hills of Sancerre when rooted in limestone, marl, or flint; how Pinot Noir will give radically different wines on a single hill in Burgundy as the vines progress upslope; and how the soil of each château in Bordeaux has a say in the blend ratios of Merlot and Cabernet-Sauvignon. Land and Wine provides a detailed understanding of the variety of French wine as well as a look at the geological history of France, complete with volcanic eruptions, a parade of dinosaurs, and a menagerie of evolution that has left its fossils flavoring the vineyards. Both the uninitiated wine drinker and the confirmed oenophile will find much to savor in this fun guide that Frankel has spiked with anecdotes about winemakers and historic wine enthusiasts—revealing which kings, poets, and philosophers liked which wines best—while offering travel tips and itineraries for visiting the wineries today.

Humans may be used to ruling their world, but in Nebula Award winning author, Kevin Anderson's galaxy, they find themselves at the bottom of the food chain. In our galaxy's distant future, humans are one of three known intelligent races. Having had the ability to navigate star travel for only a few centuries, we are considered "the new kids on the block" in a long-established universe. The second intelligent race is the Ildirans, who are ruled by their Mage-Imperator; and the third race, the Klikiss, seems to have vanished and left behind a world full of artifacts and remarkable technology, which humans are now beginning to find and utilize. One such piece of technology is a device that has the power to turn a gaseous and useless supergiant planet into a small sun, thereby creating a new solar system in which humans can live. But when the device is tried for the first time, it awakens the wrath of a previously unsuspected fourth race, the Hydrogues -- and a galaxy-spanning war that threatens all life begins.