Francesco Dimitri

Four old school friends have a pact: to meet up every year in the small town in Puglia they grew up in. Art, the charismatic leader of the group and creator of the pact, insists that the agreement must remain unshakable and enduring. But this year, he never shows up. A visit to his house increases the friends' worry; Art is farming marijuana. In Southern Italy doing that kind of thing can be very dangerous. They can't go to the Carabinieri so must make enquiries of their own. This is how they come across the rumours about Art; bizarre and unbelievable rumours that he miraculously cured the local mafia boss's daughter of terminal leukaemia. And among the chaos of his house, they find a document written by Art, The Book of Hidden Things, that promises to reveal dark secrets and wonders beyond anything previously known.

‘Philosophy begins in wonder,’ said Plato. Descartes agreed that ‘wonder is the first of all emotions’. Wonder is the impulse behind all scientific and philosophical endeavour, art and spirituality. It is the most fruitful human sense: fuelling our creativity; firing our curiosity; inspiring us to hope and to dream. But our sense of wonder – that feeling we had as children seeing the Milky Way for the first time – gets used up. Faced with mortgage and money, we trade a sense of wonder for a sense of reality. And with the world getting ever more complex, reality too often brings anxiety and unhappiness. Francesco Dimitri argues that this is because we have lost touch with our sixth sense – that of wonder. By exploring the nature of wonder in many areas of human experience – in religion and spirituality; in myth and folk tales, in modern science and technology – he sets out to show how we can reclaim our sense of wonder – not to become children again, but to become happier and more fulfilled adults.

A page-turning literary fantasy filled with terror and wonder, set in a sun-baked Southern Italy, for fans of The Girls by Emma Cline, The Magus by John Fowles and The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. It’s been labelled a doomsday cult, but the Bastion might be humanity’s last hope. Amidst all the lies and chaos, come hear their true story, in their own words. On the rural coast of Puglia, Italy, Becca and Ric run the Bastion, offering solace and a home for lost souls. Each year they welcome new members to join the Open Feast, where they teach them to release their burdens and create a better world, in a journey of self-discovery and spiritual teachings. But the Bastion has secrets. The Bastion has a destiny. Deep in the Inner Pinewood, a place of real magic and beauty, they are all that stands against the dark forces that would tear the sky wide open And what of those who call Becca and Ric liars? Cult leaders and con artists? What of those who tried to leave the Bastion? As it becomes increasingly difficult to tell truth from fiction, who can you trust to save us all?

Londra, giorni nostri. Martin ha diciott’anni, un futuro tutto da inventare e un padre che detesta. Quando incontra Bruce e Summer scopre di far parte dei Pellegrini, creature che si reincarnano nei secoli e la cui guerra continua di vita in vita; a ogni incarnazione possono cambiare sesso, origine, nazionalità, ma restano sempre se stessi. Ogni volta il fato li riporta in contatto e ogni volta nessuno di loro ricorda nulla del passato. Recuperare quei ricordi è possibile, ma ha un costo; spezzare la ruota, invece, sembra impossibile. Fino alla comparsa di un’arma leggendaria. Per trovarla, Martin dovrà decidere per cosa combattere – e quanto sarà disposto a sacrificare.

CUTTING EDGE Locuzione inglese • (di lama) tagliente; • fig. avanguardia f; to be at the ~: essere all'avanguardia.Sono ciò che di meglio l'umanità ha da offrire. Un colosso della finanza propone loro una sfida incredibile che metterà le loro vite in gioco e li spingerà oltre i limiti. La ricompensa sarà, letteralmente, inconcepibile. É qui che cambia la storia. Sul Cutting Edge...

A bittersweet gothic fantasy of family, friendship, memory, and the uncanny told from the perspective of a blind teenager, set in the same world as The Book of Hidden Things, perfect for readers of Neil Gaiman, Donna Tartt and Haruki Murakami. Praise God, never the wind 1996 - Luca Saracino is thirteen and has been completely blind for eight months when his parents move to a Southern Italian farmhouse they dream of turning into a hotel. With his brother dropping out of university and the family reeling from Luca’s diagnosis, they are chasing dreams of rebirth and reinvention. As Luca tells his story without sight - experiencing the world solely through hearing, smell, taste and touch - he meets the dauntless Ada Guadalupi, who takes him out to explore the rocky fields and empty beaches. But Luca and Ada find they can’t escape the grudges that have lasted between their families for generations, or the gossiping of the town. And Luca is preyed upon by the feral Wanderer, who walks the vineyards of his home. As Luca's family starts to crack at the seams, Luca and Ada have to navigate new lands and old rivalries to uncover the truths spoken as whispers on the wind.

How to reclaim wonder in our lives and achieve the good life. All of us experience a sense of wonder at some point in our lives. Perhaps you felt it when you experienced your first kiss; when you grasped the perfectly balanced beauty of an equation; or when you first saw the rose windows of Chartres Cathedral? Whatever the circumstances that triggered the feeling, you were left speechless by this extraordinary world of ours. We may speak different languages, cling to different ideas about politics, religion and love – but a longing for wonder connects us all through space and time. Wonder is the impulse behind scientific and philosophical inquiry, artistic creativity and spiritual yearning. It is the most fruitful human firing our curiosity; inspiring us to hope and dream. But our sense of wonder – that feeling we had as children seeing the Milky Way for the first time – gets used up. Faced with the practical demands of adulthood, we trade a sense of wonder for a sense of reality, which all too often brings anxiety and unhappiness in its wake. By exploring the nature of wonder in many areas of human experience, from the natural world to the spirit world, from science to storytelling, Francesco Dimitri reveals how we can reclaim our sense of wonder – not to become children again, but to become happier and more fulfilled adults, better equipped to face the challenges of modern life.