The emperor not only of fashion but also of l art de vivre, Valentino Garavani is in a class all his own. At the Emperor s Table is an invitation into his refined world of graceful and cultured living. The remarkable collection of table settings and objets d art housed in his five residences, in Gstaad, London, Rome, New York, and Paris, as well as on his yacht, evoke the grandeur in which he lives and are presented in this first-ever edition with photographs by Oberto Gili. Recipes by Mr. Garavani s personal chefs are also included and bring readers one step closer to discovering his extraordinary surroundings."

Two novellas about family life and fraudsters by one of the twentieth century's best Italian novelists. Valentino and Sagittarius are two of Natalia Ginzburg’s most celebrated works: tales of love, hope, and delusion that are full of her characteristic mordant humor, keen psychological insight, and unflinching moral realism. Valentino is the spoiled child of doting parents, who have no doubt that their handsome young son will prove “a man of consequence.” Nothing that Valentino does—his nights out on the town, his failed or incomplete classes—suggests there is any ground for that confidence, and Valentino’s sisters view their parents and brother with a mixture of bitterness, stoicism, and bemusement. Everything becomes that much more confused when, out of the blue, Valentino finds an enterprising, wealthy, and strikingly ugly wife, who undertakes to support not just him but the whole family. Sagittarius is another story of misplaced confidence recounted by a wary daughter, whose mother, a grass widow with time on her hands, moves to the suburbs, eager to find new friends. Brassy, bossy, and perpetually dissatisfied, especially when it comes to her children, she strikes up a friendship with the mysterious Scilla, and soon the two women are planning to open an art gallery. But knowing better than everyone, it turns out, is not that different from knowing nothing at all.

These imaginative thought experiments are the inventions of one of the world's eminent brain researchers. These imaginative thought experiments are the inventions of one of the world's eminent brain researchers. They are "vehicles," a series of hypothetical, self-operating machines that exhibit increasingly intricate if not always successful or civilized "behavior." Each of the vehicles in the series incorporates the essential features of all the earlier models and along the way they come to embody aggression, love, logic, manifestations of foresight, concept formation, creative thinking, personality, and free will. In a section of extensive biological notes, Braitenberg locates many elements of his fantasy in current brain research.

Rudolph Valentino was the silver-screen legend who for ever changed America's idea of the leading man; a frightened young fellow who became the cinematic sex-god of his day. In this definitive retelling of Valentino's short and tragic life - the first fully documented biography of the star - Emily W. Leider looks at the Great Lover's life and legacy, and explores the events and issues that made him emblematic of his time. Valentino was reviled in the press for being too 'feminine' a man; yet he also brought to the screen the alluring, savage lover who embodied women's darker, forbidden sexual fantasies. In tandem, Leider explores notions of the outsider in American culture as represented by Valentino's experience as an immigrant who became a celebrity - the silver screen's first dark-skinned romantic hero.

Valentino Bellamorte thought he had the perfect life. A sober, wealthy environmental lawyer on Cape Cod, he owned a beachfront home and yacht, was engaged to a mysterious Southern belle named Kim and he was a celebrated marathoner. And then came New Year's Day 2000, when he wanted to kill himself. Angry and selfish, Val returns to his drinking when his fiance is murdered, his mother dies and his father blames him. This handsome, rich lawyer finds himself out at sea about to commit suicide when he can no longer take the pain. Val is rescued in a tragically comic scene, then, a fishing trip to New Mexico leads to a spiritual experience and certainty about what he needs to do next. He stops practicing law and becomes emersed in the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Val takes a job in a supermarket, begins a rewarding, unlikely friendship with an octogenarian suffering from Parkinson's Disease named Nettie, who helps Val renew the relationship with his father, which is symbolized by an unforgettable day of fishing. She also helps Val forgives himself for Kim's and his mother's death. He returns to running and metaphorically sheds his past at the Falmouth Road Race. In this extraordinary first novel, Michael Tempesta takes us on Val's life-saving spiritual odyssey. We laugh, we experience pain, we discover renewed hope and inspiration. Though Val does not think it possible, he finds true love with Alexandra, who shares his passion for opera, and his father finds companionship, too. Ultimately, Val realizes helping other people, not amassing financial wealth, is what makes a man truly rich. The truth sets him free.

Under the Sicilian sun, Valentino’s mistress tempts him like no other! A blazing-hot romance from the USA Today–bestselling author. Their relationship is scorching, its intensity unmatched, the desire indescribable. Only, love can never be mentioned . . . But Faith Williams—Valentino Grisafi’s stunning, intriguing American lover—is testing his resolve. He said he’d never marry again, that his principles won’t allow it. The one person to tame the untamable Valentino is Faith—the woman who’s carrying his child . . . “Monroe has set a new standard for Harlequin Presents. It will be hard for others to reach her level now . . . I felt like I was in Sicily while lost in the pages of this romantic tale . . . Be sure to check out this heartwarming read!” —Fresh Fiction “Lucy Monroe has a fabulous love story on her hands with Valentino’s Love-Child. Faith is a heroine readers will relate too on so many levels and Valentino is her perfect hero.” —Fallen Angel Reviews

Paige, single mother and nurse, is worn out from everyday life. Abandoned by her selfish husband, she has no room for romance while working and taking care of her deaf daughter at the same time. It’s a financial stretch for her to even be able to attend the wedding of her best friend, Natalie. She feels uneasy with the bold, passionate stares she receives from a man during the wedding. He’s one of the groom’s cousins and looks like an Italian playboy type. She feels guilty for unconsciously enjoying his attention and finds herself awaiting his seduction…

One click to start his epic paranormal adventure today! Can one woman save an immortal race on the brink of extinction? Laura Whitney is the newest member of the Paranormal Intelligence Agency. Too bad she feels like a complete fraud. Failing sections of her training didn’t stop the P.I.A. from passing her, because no one has a talent like hers. Unfortunately, it’s killing her. Valentino Moretti had forsaken his race long ago. Now, on the brink of extinction, with his demon long gone from the world, he welcomes his death. He feels nothing. When his brother is assassinated and the P.I.A. is called in to investigate, Valentino vows to avenge his murder before seeking his death, but the new agent sent in to interview him changes everything. With his demon awakening for a woman that shouldn’t exist and an unseen foe seeking his destruction. Can this predator tame the beast within long enough to ensnare the heart of the only human alive that can save him? Enjoy the first book in the bestselling New Immortals Series that readers are comparing to Christine Feehan, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and J.R. Ward.

classics classics classics classics Seduced under the Sicilian sun… Valentino's Love-Child Their relationship is scorching and its intensity is unmatched… Only love can never be mentioned. But Valentino Grisafi's stunning, intriguing American lover is testing his resolve. He said he'd never marry again. His principles won't allow it. The one person to tame the untamable Valentino is the woman now carrying his child… Innocent Secretary…Accidentally Pregnant Plain Emma Stephenson doesn't look like a tycoon's assistant, but for playboy Luca D'Amato, breaking through her no-nonsense attitude is his favorite new game. Emma thought all they'd be sharing was an office—not a bed! Now he's offering her a promotion, and she's trying to find the words to tell him…she's pregnant!