This book moves with compelling energy from the forests of north-western Ontario to the capitals of Europe to the tribal villages of Africa...and from there to South America, China, and into the mysterious world that existed behind the Iron Curtain when few Westerners dared, or got the chance, to visit there. It is an absorbingly personal document, with the power not only of insight and innocence but of deeply conveyed sensuality -- toward sun and seawater and mountain air; the music and hustle of cafes and cantinas; the tastes and smells of exotic kitchens and markets. There is an urgency here, bred of complex desires and a craving for experience and knowledge. Through her search, Petrone reveals not just the graces but the hard edges and uncertainties of a woman's ventures into foreign landscapes and into the foreboding terrain of the self.

A luminous novel in verse from the author of the Jefferson Cup award winner ALL THE BROKEN PIECES. Serafina hasa secret dream. She wants to go to schooland become a doctorwith her best friend, Julie Marie. But in their rural villageoutside Port-au-Prince, Haiti,many obstaclesstand in Serafina’s way--little money,never-ending chores,and Manman’s worries. More powerful eventhan all of theseare the heavy rainsand the shaking earththat test Serafina’s resolvein ways she never dreamed. At once heartbreaking and hopeful,this exquisitely crafted storywill leave a lasting impressionon your heart.

Serafina's defeat of the Man in the Black Cloak has brought her out of the shadows and into the daylight realm of her home, Biltmore Estate. Every night she visits her mother in the forest, eager to learn the ways of the cat¬amount. But Serafina finds herself caught between her two worlds: she's too wild for Biltmore's beautifully dressed ladies and formal customs, and too human to fully join her kin. Late one night, Serafina encounters a strange and terrifying figure in the forest, and is attacked by the vicious wolfhounds that seem to be under his control. Even worse, she's convinced that the stranger was not alone, that he has sent his accomplice into Biltmore in disguise. Someone is wreaking havoc at the estate. A mysterious series of attacks test Serafina's role as Biltmore's protector, culminating in a tragedy that tears Serafina's best friend and only ally, Braeden Vanderbilt, from her side. Heartbroken, she flees. Deep in the forest, Serafina comes face-to-face with the evil infecting Biltmore—and discovers its reach is far greater than she'd ever imagined. All the humans and creatures of the Blue Ridge Mountains are in terrible danger. For Serafina to defeat this new evil before it engulfs her beloved home, she must search deep inside herself and embrace the destiny that has always awaited her.

Serafina and Braeden make an epic return in the hotly anticipated fourth installment of Robert Beatty's #1 New York Times best-selling series. Serafina, the Guardian of Biltmore Estate, has won battle after battle against the dark forces encroaching on her home. Now, tranquility has returned to Biltmore. Serafina doesn’t trust it. She patrols the grounds night and day, hardly sleeping, uncertain of her place after her best friend Braeden Vanderbilt's departure for boarding school in New York. When Mr. Vanderbilt, the kind master of Biltmore, asks Serafina to move upstairs into one of the house's grandest rooms, she's sure it's to keep an eye on the guests who have arrived for the estate's annual hunt. But as Serafina investigates, she becomes more and more unsettled by what Biltmore has become—a place haunted by nameless terrors where no dark corridor is safe. Even worse, she begins to doubt her own senses. Is Braeden really hundreds of miles away, or did he return to Biltmore for one strange night before vanishing? Is the bond between them truly broken or is it stronger than ever? Then Serafina witnesses a crime that turns her world upside down. How can all that once seemed good and worthy of protection now be evil? And how can she guard those around her when she can't even be sure of the truth of her own heart? Serafina and the Seven Stars marks the return of a heroine like no other, as master storyteller Robert Beatty weaves his darkest, most astonishing tale yet.

From Italy’s farm country to your table, Vittorio Assaf and Fabio Granato share secrets of regional Italian food in this mouthwatering collection of modern takes on traditional dishes. Serafina was conceived while Vittorio Assaf and Fabio Granato were lost at sea in a small sailboat. Managing violent weather and severe hunger, the two stranded friends vowed to open a restaurant serving the best pasta and pizza in the world if they were to survive their ordeal. In 1995, they fulfilled their promise by launching the highly acclaimed Serafina in New York City. Following its success, they have gone on to open restaurants around the world from Dubai to Japan. In Serafina, the cookbook, easy-to-follow steps bring to the table centuries of regional culinary history and local traditions, including knowledge that generations of farmers, fishermen, tomato growers, orchard planters, olive oil millers, bread bakers, and wine makers have devoted to their craft. Italian cooking centers on the appreciation of quality ingredients from both land and sea. Farm to table is the central tenet of Italian cooking and this translates to simple and immensely rewarding dishes. This is what Vittorio and Fabio have embraced with passion and joy. With more than 100 delicious takes on traditional recipes, this lavishly illustrated book is a must-have for home cooks interested in modern Italian recipes and curious to delve deeper into regional cuisine.

This innovative novel combines Spanish folktales with Native American legends to create a captivating Southwestern version of The Arabian Nights. Like Scheherezade, who ensured her survival by telling her royal husband stories, the title character in Rudolfo Anaya’s creative retelling of The Arabian Nights must entertain the recently widowed governor with legends of Nueva Mexicana, or she and her fellow captives will die. With fresh snow covering the high peaks of Sangre de Cristo, a group of native dissidents prepare for revolt. In seventeenth-century Santa Fe, insurrection against a colony of the king of Spain is punishable by death. A Spaniard loyal to the governor names twelve conspirators. One of them is a young woman. Raised in a mission church, fifteen-year-old Serafina speaks excellent Spanish and knows many of her country’s traditional folktales. She and the governor strike a bargain: Each evening, she will tell him a cuento. If he likes it, he will release one prisoner the following day. The twelve tales recounted here mirror the struggle of a divided country. They include the social and political symbolism behind “Beauty and the Beast” and retell “Cinderella” as “Miranda’s Gift.” Interspersed with these timeless cuentos is the story of Serafina herself, and that of a people battling to preserve a vanishing way of life under the long shadow of the Inquisition.

An endearing story that narrates the life of a young girl who struggles with the pain of coping with staunched happiness and false identity during World War II. A wonderful tale of faith, inspiration, and life's capricious offerings.