LITERATURE

One of the books of the year. The true story of Rudi Vrba, the first Jew to escape Auschwitz

The Master of the Escape (Jonathan Freedland)

One of the books of the year. The true story of Rudi Vrba, the first Jew to escape Auschwitz and try to warn the world of Nazi atrocities. In April 1944, Rudolf Vrba became the first Jew to escape from Auschwitz. Vbra wanted to warn the last Jews of Europe of the fate that awaited them at the end of the railroad. A brilliant student of science and mathematics, he memorized every detail of the Nazi machine and risked everything to collect the first data on the Final Solution. His first full account would eventually find its way into the hands of Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and the Pope and would end up saving thousands of Jewish lives.  “A classic of Holocaust literature, superbly researched and written.”

Lejos de Lusiana (Luz Gabás)

They pursued their dreams on the banks of the Mississippi. Their lives were bigger than the river. After years of colonization, the Girard family accepts the controversial decision of their country, France, to cede part of the untamed lands of the Mississippi to Spain in 1763; however, they will suffer the consequences of the rebellions of their compatriots against the Spanish, the war of Americans against the English for the independence of the United States and the desperate struggle of the native Indians for the survival of their people. In such turbulent times, Suzette Girard and Ishcate, an Indian of the Kaskaskia tribe, will fight their own battle: to preserve their love from the threats of the world they live in. All this makes up a captivating and monumental novel that spans the four decades during which Spain possessed the legendary lands of Louisiana.

Historias de mujeres casadas (Cristina Campos)

Husbands, lovers and girlfriends come and go, but love, true love, remains forever. A sincere and contemporary novel about marriage, friendship, desire and love. Gabriela is a woman married to a man she loves. A man she adores. A man who begs her for sex once a month. And Gabriela, because she loves him, because she adores her husband, without wanting it, she gives it to him. But every morning, Gabriela meets a stranger, a man she incomprehensibly desires. Gabriela is a journalist and works alongside her fellow journalists, Silvia and Cósima, women with whom she has forged a precious and solid friendship. Like Gabriela, they also hide little secrets from their husbands.

Know your anxiety and learn to manage it (Publio Vázquez Alonso)

The novelty of this book is that it approaches anxiety management from a broad and integrative perspective and presents it using a new framework: “The Anxiety Cycle”.

It integrates knowledge and techniques from psychology with those of yoga and mindfulness to manage anxiety and promote resilience. It stands out for its simple language, its practical approach and its target audience. In addition, it includes 10 practical exercises, 10 clinical examples, 6 audios, as well as a large number of stories, poems and inspirational quotes.

The author assumes that all schools and models of psychotherapy are positive and contribute fundamental aspects to the understanding of anxiety and its treatment. Therefore, the reader will find references and contents of the different types of existing psychotherapies and their main authors (psychodynamic, humanistic, constructivist, experiential, cognitive-behavioural and the so-called third-generation therapies), as well as some techniques from yoga and meditation, material that will allow the reader to obtain a global vision of anxiety disorders and, beyond that, of human psychology in general.

The autor

Publio Vázquez Alonso. He is an economist, health psychologist and master in psychotherapy and mental health.

He is a practicing psychologist with expertise in stress and anxiety management. He is certified in yoga, as well as in mindfulness MBSR and practicum MBSR. He is also a professional coach CEC-P by the Spanish Association of Coaching AECOP and a trainer in management skills and leadership in companies and business schools.

As a former executive he has more than 20 years of experience in leading multinational organisations in the financial and consulting sector.

Relevant phrases from the book

  • “As human beings we need to have our own value system, but at the same time we have a need to belong, to be accepted by others”.
  • “Childhood experiences are sometimes not traumatic in themselves, but are traumatic because of the way they were experienced by the child (in his or her fantasy) and how he or she has channelled them psychologically thereafter (through the meaning and response he or she has given to them)”.
  • “Each person has to know where they are, what their real needs are at any given moment, as well as discovering the main themes around which their life project revolves at the present time”.
  • “Reality has a subjective component and that is why we live in interpretative worlds”.
  • “Research has shown that one’s self-image fundamentally influences the way one evaluates circumstances and the intensity with which one reacts to them”.
  • “A healthy identity is all that, the result of an individual who has matured enough to achieve an identity of his own, who has committed himself to values and goals of his own conscious choice, an individual also free from the yoke of outside influences and opinions”.

More information:

Bibiana Ripol – 93 368 84 66 – 607 712 408 – bibiana@ripol.es

Alison Segarra – 615 194 649 – prensa@bibianaripol.com

Madrid Book Fair 2022

The 81st edition of the Madrid Book Fair 2022 returns from May 27 to June 12 to the Retiro Park, with 378 booths, which will go from the Puerta de Madrid (O’Donnell Street) to the Rosaleda, at the intersection with the Paseo de Uruguay (Puerta de Granada).

Visitors will be able to enjoy cultural diversity with proposals for all audiences. More than 50 writers are expected to be invited.

Within the program, the organization has planned a tribute to the writer Almudena Grandes, on June 11, with “popular character” where people can come to the fair to read paragraphs of his books.

 

Signings at the 2022 book fair

The official website of the event allows to check which writers will sign at the Book Fair 2022 filtering by day, time, booth or author’s name.

Poetic Silence (Patricia Morueco)

Silencio poético (Poetic Silence) is the title of the literary debut of Patricia Morueco from Madrid. The work, published by Aliar ediciones, includes a selection of 65 poems and some 50 aphorisms written by the author during the last two decades.

In its more than 170 pages, readers will be able to perceive the author’s need to bet on a world that makes utopia a reality. Elements such as social criticism, the need for justice, dreams or love in its purest form are also present in a work that seeks to heal open wounds, expressing in some way what cannot be said with words.

Poetic silence (Silencio poético) is, in the words of the author, “that place where the spoken word does not reach. The place
that is left free for the soul to express itself through imagination and intuition. Through it the emotion contained in meaningful and sonorous poetic silences is expressed. It is, in short, the place where art is born”.

The official presentation of the book of poems will take place on Thursday, March 31 at 6 p.m. at the headquarters of the SGAE in Madrid (C/ de Fernando VI, 4). During it there will be a recital of music and poetry. The musical part will be in charge of Rafael Garcés and violinist Paula Cerezo. Also present will be the actresses María José Alfonso and Celia Monedero and the poet Ángeles Fernangómez. Admission will be free until full capacity is reached.

Patricia Morueco

Keston Duke

Patricia Morueco is an actress, singer, composer, writer and director of film and theater. She has been trained in different artistic disciplines (acting, singing, theater criticism, dubbing, dramaturgy, film scriptwriting, directing and production) with some of the best professionals in the world (Cristina Rota, Andrés Lima, Jaime Chávarri, Bernard Hiller and Antonio Malonda, among others).

About ten years ago he decided to tell his own stories and created the musical Ishaluna. This was presented in a dramatized reading at the Calderón Theater in Madrid. In addition, Patricia traveled to New York to make this project a reality in the Big Apple and from there to distribute it to the main capitals of the world. She has also created her first documentary (Every woman), a co-production between Spain and the United States about gender violence in the workplace.

In recent months Patricia has been part of Amalia en el otoño, one of the films nominated for the Goya Awards, and the documentary Una asamblea una revolución, which has won awards at international festivals such as Cannes. To this recognition must be added those obtained by the short films Pandémico and ANA. In addition, he has just shot his first international production (Little Squares) directed by Leonard Zelig.

The works in which Patricia participates always have a transforming value, which is what she believes art should be: a tool for communication and transformation of society.

The book can be purchased through the website of the publisher Aliar ediciones. www.aliarediciones.es/autor/patiricia-morueco

Pages of interest about Patricia

Website – www.pacosanjose.com/actrices/patricia-morueco

Ishaluna music website – www.ishaluna.com 

HUMANISING LONELINESS (Consuelo Santamaría, José Carlos Bermejo)

Understanding and accompanying

Loneliness has as many faces as human beings have faces.

It is inspiration where the beloved dreams of the beloved. It is the subject of romantic songs. It is a philosophical meeting place with the ideas and questions of life. It is psychic territory where sanity and madness, optimism and depression, passion for life and suicidal ideations, serenities and obsessions, sensations and insanities can all fit in. It is a protectorate of the soul that facilitates the opening of spaces of mystical experience. It is a place of encounter with ourselves. It is a vital dungeon imposed by the unsatisfied need for companionship.

Loneliness is part of life. But there is an unwanted loneliness that makes us suffer. A particular sensitivity to this loneliness is emerging nowadays.

These pages seek to understand this experience in order to humanise it, to accompany it in a healthy way, to make it fruitful when it is unavoidable, to kill it when it is avoidable by means of accompaniment in accordance with human dignity.

“What determines our ability to understand loneliness as a space of freedom or as a condemnation?”

ABOUT THE GOOD LIFE (Emilio Cabrera)

Achieve personal flourishing and live a good life

There are those who yearn for the good life and lose everything in their quest, even themselves. No matter how much success, fame or money they may accumulate. No one is immune to work, existential or health crises, stress, the loss of a loved one or the pain of a failed relationship. The good life promised by stoicism and Buddhism, on the other hand, is accessible to anyone regardless of their circumstances, because virtue “areté” and personal flourishing can be developed at any time. Especially in the most difficult ones. This book is an ode to freedom, as understood by the Stoics, and to Buddhist philosophy; to the good and calm life. This peaceful state of mind is a gift we can only give ourselves, and at the same time the greatest gift we can give ourselves, and at the same time the greatest gift we can give to others. The teachings shared in On the Good Life have centuries of history and allow us to broaden our thinking and adopt a more reflective attitude. A guide to Stoic and Buddhist philosophy, with transcriptions, reflections, advice and a final practical part, which the author calls “strategies”, that allows us to apply the teachings in daily life.

The Author

Emilio Cabrera is a speaker at the Economic Courts, trainer and writer. Trained in law at the Autonomous University of Madrid, postgraduate and student of Philosophy. After practicing law, in 2018 he obtained two places as a career civil servant and wrote his experience in El camino del opositor. In 2019 he began to prepare civil servants by founding his own academy. He trained in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), qualified by The Society of NeuroLinguistic Programming. In 2020 he wrote The Little Book of Good Luck. He is also the author of several technical manuals for students. He works in a permanent quest to develop the highest potential of his students, readers and followers. He shares his reflections on studies and philosophy in social networks.

Book highlights

  • “True and lasting happiness can only come from within, and without peace of mind, no matter how much leisure and pleasures we have in life, we will be happy”.
  • “What does depend on us is our interpretation of what happens and our conduct accordingly.”.
  • “In a state of calm or peace of mind where we are conscious of our things, these setbacks will not affect us or, certainly, not so intensely”.
  • “Our choices are the thread with which we weave our future, and it is our responsibility to try to make this future the best possible one, for ourselves, but above all for others.”
  • “We can direct our life by decisions based on instincts, letting ourselves be dragged along like a drifting ship and behaving like slaves to our destructive emotions: or we can do so by reasoning a vital choice and cultivating good steps (eupatheia) and virtue (areté). According to our decision, so will be the quality of our life.”

www.bibianaripol.com

THE BEAST – Planeta Award 2021 (Carmen Mola)

La bestia is set in 1834 in Madrid, during the cholera epidemic that hit the city. In this situation there is a wave of murders of girls of low social status, who appear dismembered. It will be a journalist, a policeman and a girl who will do everything possible to unravel the enigma behind this mysterious crime.

The 70th edition of the Planeta Prize brought a great surprise when the winner was named Carmen Mola, the pseudonym behind which Antonio Mercero, Jorge Días and Agustín Martínez write.

NO ME BUSQUES (Sara Medina)

Silvia, an executive who lives in the highest and most luxurious area of Barcelona, discovers that her son Martí has not attended the last session of the rehabilitation therapy he has been undergoing for months. It is then that her worst fears are confirmed: Martí has disappeared without a trace. The only news she has of him is a message that says: “Don’t look
for me”. 

After trying to report the disappearance to the police, Silvia decides to investigate on her own and gets in touch with Moni, Marti’s ex-girlfriend, an eccentric young woman who deals cocaine in order to fulfill her dream: to move to Tonga, an island paradise in the South Seas. Soon Moni also discovers that she has a motive to find him: Marti has stolen the last bundle she kept at home and with which, at last, she would have enough money to leave.

Distrustful of each other, Silvia and Moni will go down to the dangerous underworld of Barcelona, where they will have to face violence and the threat of Tigre, the head of a foreign mafia that could make their worst nightmares come true.

No me busques is a fast-paced thriller full of contrasts about two women who only together can find the meaning of their lives. A strange friendship is woven between them as they search for the young man they love, each in their own way, and whom they don’t know if they will find dead or alive.

How does the book begin?

“If a police patrol found him in an accident, they would take him to the hospital, call a tow truck for the machine and someone would end up discovering that in the suitcase, in addition to rubber rain boots and a toolbox, he was carrying a shipment of almost half a kilo of cocaine in one and two gram sachets, to sell at sixty euros a gram. Thirty thousand euros a gram”.

www.bibianaripol.com

YOUR EPIC LIFETIME (Magda Barceló)

A roadmap to take charge of your life and release the force of purpose.

“If we concentrate on satisfaction we will not succeed, but if we concentrate on what excites us and makes us vibrate, even if it also makes us suffer, we will gain something much more precious: energy and inspiration to live and to fight” says Magda Barceló in her book Epic Lifetime.

Through the fundamental principles of life, the author calls the reader to ask themselves existential questions such as: “what is your goal” and “how do you carry it out? Step by step Magda Barceló acts as a guide in creating the necessary conditions to be capable of responding to these questions with the mind and the heart.

In this book, structured in inspiring stages of the journey, you will discover practical exercises, poems, exhortations and true stories with which the author has guided and inspired many people:

“I suggest an exercise: meet with 10 people and ask them what they think you bring to them and what, in their opinion, are your talents because, often, that uniqueness is seen first by others rather than by us”.

On social media, the author writes that “it is a great showcase in which we only show what is considered acceptable about us, and this creates the false psychological feeling that people have a better life than we do”. He adds in conclusion: “Our passions and our sufferings are sources of energy. By looking at these dimensions within ourselves we can find our goal”.

www.bibianaripol.com

MICROBIOTA UNIVERSE (Dra. Silvia Gómez Senent)

Chronic inflammation is behind many cardiac, respiratory, joint and digestive diseases. And also cancer. In this book you will discover several of the factors that produce this situation: stress, the amount of physical exercise, the type of food we eat, the emotions we harbor, the social relationships we establish… All of this influences the microorganisms that live in our intestine: the so-called intestinal microbiota.

With almost twenty years of experience, Dr. Silvia Gómez Senent has treated almost half a million people with digestive problems, who have gone from leading a dull, sluggish and unhealthy life to a completely different, healthy one, full of energy and enthusiasm.

«A balanced diet, regular exercise, enjoying a purpose in life and good social relationships are the keys to living longer. But most importantly, to do so with a higher quality of life».

 

Author’s note: «With this book, I want you to become participants of the importance of a good intestinal health and its implication in a multitude of diseases, as well as the treatments and nutritional recommendations for the improvement of our intestine, through the endearing story of two good friends. And as a result, you will be able to enjoy not only a longer life, but especially a better life».

www.bibianaripol.com

STREMGTJEM YOUR DEFENSES (Álvaro Vargas)

The immune system is the set of ­biological elements and processes within an ­organism that allows it to maintain its internal balance in the face of external aggressions, whether of a biological (pathogenic agents) or physical-chemical nature (such as contaminants or radiation­), and internal (e.g. ­cancer­ cells­).

Through these pages, we will know what it is and how it works and we will learn what to eat and what not to eat to have a strong immune system to fight possible infections. From the ten fundamental foods to the most ­harmful, how probiotics and prebiotics ­help us­, as well as the habits that benefit it and those that weaken it.

INTERVIEW WITH DIETICIAN ÁLVARO VARGAS for the publication of his book “Strengthen your defenses”

“Taking care of the immune system goes hand in hand with good nutrition.”

How did your interest in food and cooking, and its link to the immune system, come about?

I became curious about nutrition when I took the step towards veganism. I lacked information, I had doubts about how to do it and I was so passionate about it that I decided to turn my life around and study, train and then work in nutrition. Taking care of the immune system goes hand in hand with good nutrition, they are closely linked.

However, he is also a journalist

Yes, in short, what I like is to communicate, in whatever format and on whatever platform. That training helped me a lot to dedicate myself to what I am most passionate about today: creating and disseminating content on nutrition, prevention and healthy habits.

At the beginning of the book, you talk about the intoxication of information that we experience on a daily basis. Do you think that nowadays people tend to talk about food and health in a very light-hearted way?

Social networks, as in other sectors, are the best and the worst tool. We have more and better access to quality information than ever, but also nutritional myths, miracle diets or outright lies for economic purposes spread quickly. It is up to the consumer of this content who they choose to inform themselves. I think we all know what good nutrition is; it’s just that we don’t want to see it and we stick with those who sell us the quick and easy solution.

Should we apply the guidelines discussed in the book seriously and long ago (before the pandemic, when the word “immunity” was hardly mentioned)?

Completely. One of the very few good things that this situation has brought us is that we are much more aware of some aspects to improve, we have learned how viruses are spread and how to protect ourselves, to a certain extent… But there is still little talk about the importance of healthy eating and disease prevention, when it is a basic pillar for good health.

There is still little talk about the relevance of healthy eating and disease prevention.”

It is clear that the Covid situation has generated and continues to generate stress for many people. Do you think that this feeling of being overwhelmed or uneasy can also affect food?

I think we are under a lot of pressure with food, long before COVID. Some influencers try to impose their vision in a very rigid and strict way, generating more burden than solutions. I think that as professionals we should offer information without a paternalistic or dictatorial tone and let each person decide. The important thing is to have scientific information, but without scaremongering. Of course, we must be aware that a large part of our health depends on the way we eat.

“It’s in the hand of the consumer of this content who they choose to inform themselves.”

At the end of the book there is a recipe booklet with healthy dishes that are quite easy to prepare and based on vegetable ingredients. Can a vegetarian or vegan diet provide us with all the nutrients we need to be healthy?

I think the question should be the other way around, do all omnivores eat a healthy diet? The answer is emphatically no. With vegan and vegetarian diets the same thing happens, it will depend on the planning of each person. It is possible to have a 100% vegetable and 100% healthy diet, we will only have to take into account that supplementation with vitamin B12 is mandatory and that an extra of Omega-3 would be highly recommended.

Finally, do you consider that this book and its healthy advice can be applied to people of all ages, from children to the elderly?

Yes, in fact, we should pay special attention to these groups. It has been demonstrated that children who acquire healthy patterns maintain them, in a very high percentage, in adulthood. In addition, their immune system is still immature, so it is important to pay more attention to them. At the opposite pole are the elderly, their defenses are already suffering from so many years of work, therefore, they must row in favor and help them in this tireless task.

Edurne Sagasti / brcomunicacion@ripol.es

RESCATE GRIS

Volcanic activity covers your village with ash. Your wife has just been kidnapped. Your day has just begun.

Cristian Perfumo has become an emerging talent in self-publishing. Rescate gris is a fast-paced and disconcerting psychological thriller. A story that heightens the reader’s tension and immerses him in an enveloping atmosphere where ashes are all around.

Puerto Deseado, Patagonia Argentina, 1991. Raul needs two jobs to earn a living. When he turns off his alarm clock to go to the first one, he knows something is wrong. His small town has dawned covered by the ash from a volcano and Graciela, his wife, is not at home. Everything seems to indicate that Graciela has left of her own free will… until the call from the kidnappers arrives. The instructions are clear: if he wants to see her again, he has to return the stolen million and a half dollars. The problem is that Raul didn’t steal anything.

Don’t miss this psychological thriller set in one of the most convulsive and unforgettable times in the history of Patagonia: the Hudson volcano eruption days. 

INTERVIEW WITH CRISTIAN PERFUMO for the publication of his book Rescate gris

«A book is a portable universe. If reality gets too hard, we can take refuge in their pages to go far away and live a thousand adventures». 

 

Rescate Gris is set at the time of the Hudson volcano eruption in Puerto Deseado, your hometown. Did you experience it firsthand?

Yes, I was eight years old and it is an image that will stay with me all my life. I remember waking up and seeing the sky a color between orange and gray. It looked like the end of the world. The volcano was 600 kilometers from my house, but the Patagonian wind is unforgiving. The ash cloud was the size of Austria.

He studied computer science, an interesting career move.

That’s right [laughs]. You never know the paths life will take you down. Anyway, curiously, there is a lot in common between writing a novel and programming the code of an algorithm. Both tasks are based on solving a problem by making everything fit perfectly. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t work. Both are like doing a jigsaw puzzle.

«There is a lot in common between writing a novel and programming the code of an algorithm. Both tasks are based on solving a problem by making everything fit together perfectly».

What made you start writing?

On one of my trips back to Patagonia to visit my people, I had the opportunity to listen, with a glass of good Malbec in between, to the story that ended up making me a writer. The man who told it to me is Marcelo Rosas. In the 1980s, Marcelo heard, almost by chance, that a British warship had sunk in Puerto Deseado in 1770. With few resources, a lot of willpower and several friends, he decided to look for her… and he found her! and he found it! At the age of seventeen, Marcelo started underwater archaeology in Argentina.

What a great story!

I found in his story an irresistible combination of mystery and scuba diving, one of my passions. As soon as I returned to Barcelona I started writing El secreto sumergido. I finished it two years later on the other side of the world, I had moved to Australia.

He then decided to publish his story.

Being so far away from any Spanish-speaking country, it was difficult for me to send the manuscript to publishers, because almost ten years ago, many only accepted hard copies. So I decided to self-publish my novel. I had 500 copies printed in Argentina and also put it on a print-on-demand website so that it would be available anywhere in the world. I also published it as an ebook for Kindle and other e-readers.

How did success come?

What came next I could never have imagined. Soon after, the first edition was sold out. I printed another one. Someone told me that a teacher was using the novel with his students. The second edition also sold out. There were already four schools using it with the children. People from other cities organized trips to visit Puerto Deseado. The town library made copies in Braille. It was published in English. The third and fourth editions were sold out. Readers from all over the world wrote to tell me that they loved my mystery book, that they couldn’t put it down. They all encouraged me to write another one, so I wrote another one [laughs].

«Winning the Amazon Literary Award gave me the energy to keep writing for a long time to come».

Also, like all his work, set in Patagonia.

Setting my novels in Patagonia is a triple joy. On the one hand, it allows me to stay connected every day with the place I love so much, where I grew up, where my family is, where my best friends are, and where I go every year with the excuse of presenting a new book. On the other hand, I show people who have never been there what the place is like, the customs, the incredible landscapes and all those things that make Patagonia world famous. And, thirdly, it allows those who have been there or are there to relive it with my stories.

In 2017 he won the Amazon Literary Award for his novel The Arrow Collector.

It was incredible. There were more than 1800 authors from 39 countries, so my expectations of winning it were absolutely zero. When they called to notify me I was doing the dishes. They said to me:

– The jury thinks your novel is the best” and I replied:

– What does that mean, that I won?

They said yes. Then I went out to the balcony and gave a big shout of joy. Now that I think about it, I never apologized to the neighbors.

What did this recognition mean?

Winning such an award gave me a lot of visibility. Readers from all over the world decided to give my novels a chance and some of them continue to read me to this day. That gave me the energy to keep writing for a long time to come.

The six novels you have written are thrillers. Why did you choose this genre?

It’s the genre I’ve always been most attracted to as a reader, so when I sat down to write my first story, I had no doubts. It was going to be a thriller.

«A book is a portable universe. If reality gets too hard, we can take refuge in its pages to go far away and live a thousand adventures».

During the coronavirus crisis, have you noticed an increase in readership of your books?

Yes, I have noticed an increase in readership. The other day talking to the owner of a bookstore he told me that he saw it too. The book industry is very big and I’m sure there are sectors that haven’t had a good time, but I think that in general people read more novels. First, because during the confinement there were fewer things to do and, second, to escape a little.

Do you consider that your stories can help in the current situation we are living in?

A book is a portable universe. If reality gets too hard, we can take refuge in its pages to go far away and live a thousand adventures. 

www.bibianaripol.com

bibiana@ripol.es / comunicacion@ripol.es

ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS MAKING A LEGEND

When he’s not helping us and our partner companies tell their stories, FORCE Family Office Communications Director, Harvey Briggs spends a lot of time thinking and writing about cars.

We’re proud to recommend his latest achievement, this gorgeous book on the most prestigious luxury brand in the world. Making A Legend is a fantastic gift for anyone on your list.

Harvey and his co-author, Simon Van Booy, spent two weeks in England last summer interviewing dozens of people at Rolls-Royce to bring you this insiders’ view on the making of these fantastic vehicles. From the design of the cars through the casting of the world’s most famous brand icon, the Spirit of Ecstasy, you see how it’s done and meet the extraordinary people who do it.

Now available in bookstores.

AQUITANIA (Eva García Sáenz de Urturi)

1137. The Duke of Aquitaine -the most coveted region in France- is found dead in Compostela. The body is left blue and with the mark of the “blood eagle”, an ancestral Norman torture. His daughter Eleanor decides to take revenge and for this purpose she marries the son of the one she believes to be her killer: Luy VI the Fat, King of France. But the king himself dies during the wedding in identical circumstances. Eleanor and Luy VII will try to find out, together with the Aquitanian cats -the epic spies of the dukes-, who wants the inexperienced kings on the throne.

Decades before the death of the Duke of Aquitaine, a nameless child is abandoned in a forest by his five mothers. Perhaps a monster, or perhaps a saint, the little survivor will end up becoming one of the most exceptional men of medieval Europe.

AN OCEAN TO REACH YOU (Sandra Barneda)

After her mother’s death, Gabriele returns to the village of her childhood summers. Her father, with whom she has not spoken for years, is waiting for her there.  Together they set out to fulfill Greta’s last wish: that the three most important people in her life – her husband, her only daughter and her sister-in-law – scatter her ashes in a place where they were happy. The secrets that Greta reveals in the letters she leaves to her family will end the silence between father and daughter and, as in a domino, will alter everyone’s life and bring about an unexpected encounter that will make Gabriele discover that in vulnerability lies the magic of life.

INFINITY IN A JUNK (Irene Vallejo)

This is a book about the history of books. A journey through the life of this fascinating artifact that we invented so that words could travel in space and time. The history of its manufacture, of all the types we have tried over almost thirty centuries: books of smoke, stone, clay, reeds, silk, leather, trees and, the latest arrivals, plastic and light. It is also a travel book. A route with stops in the battlefields of Alexander and in the Villa of the Papyri under the eruption of Vesuvius, in the palaces of Cleopatra and in the scene of the crime of Hipatia, in the first known bookstores and in the workshops of manuscript copy, in the bonfires where they burned forbidden codices, in the gulag, in the library of Sarajevo and in the subway labyrinth of Oxford in the year 2000. A thread that unites the classics with the dizzying contemporary world, connecting them to current debates: Aristophanes and the judicial processes against comedians, Sappho and the literary voice of women, Titus Livius and the fan phenomenon, Seneca and the post-truth.

 

THE LIAR (Mikel Santiago)

There are novels that are impossible to abandon once the first pages have been read. Stories that reinvent the suspense and make the reader doubt every time he or she finishes a chapter. In this absolutely original and addictive thriller, Mikel Santiago breaks the limits of psychological intrigue with a story that explores the fragile boundaries between memory and amnesia, truth and lie. In the first scene, the protagonist wakes up in an abandoned factory next to the body of an unknown man and a stone with traces of blood. When he flees, he decides to try to reconstruct the events himself. However, he has a problem: he hardly remembers anything that happened in the last forty-eight hours. And the little he does know is best left untold. So begins this thriller that takes us to a coastal town in the Basque Country, among winding roads on the edge of cliffs and houses with walls cracked by the nights of storm: a small community where, only apparently, no one has secrets from anyone.

 

POSTCARDS FROM THE EAST (Reyes Monforte)

In September 1943, the young Ella was taken prisoner to Auschwitz concentration camp from France. The head of the women’s camp, the bloodthirsty SS Maria Mandel, nicknamed the Beast, discovers that her calligraphy is perfect and incorporates her as a copyist in the Women’s Orchestra. Thanks to her knowledge of languages, she begins to work in the Kanadá Block where she finds numerous postcards and photographs in the luggage of the deportees, and decides to write their stories on them so that no one forgets who they were. While she forms friendships with the prisoners, survives the evil of her captors and prevents them from discovering her particular resistance made by words, a rebellion is gestated among the prisoners that threatens even more her life and that of the man she loves, Joska. Almost forty years later, the young Bella receives a box full of postcards. «These are postcards that your mother wrote when she was in the East. That’s what she called them: Postcards from the East. She wanted you to read them in due time. And that time is now. »