Flawless

A New York Times Best Wine Book of 2018 Flawless is the first book of its kind dedicated to exploring the main causes of faults in wine. From cork taint, to volatile acidity, to off-putting aromas and flavors, all wine connoisseurs have encountered unappealing qualities in a disappointing bottle. But are all faults truly bad? Are some even desirable? Jamie Goode brings his authoritative voice to the table once again to demystify the science behind what causes a good bottle to go bad. By exposing the root causes of faults in wine, Flawless challenges us to rethink our assumptions about how wine should taste and how we can understand beauty in a glass.

"Tells the story with the gripping pace of a true-crime 'Ocean's Eleven.'" The New York Post • "Like a diamond, this true-life caper is clear, colorful, and brilliant." Publishers Weekly ★Starred Review★ The Antwerp Diamond Center was one of the most secure buildings in the world. With hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of diamonds stored in its subterranean vault, it had to be. Located in the heart of Belgium's ultra-secure Antwerp Diamond District, it benefited from two police stations, armed patrols, extensive video surveillance, and vehicle barriers securing an area where 80 percent of the world's diamonds traded hands. But on February 15, 2003, a band of skilled Italian thieves — fronted by the charming Leonardo Notarbartolo, who spent over two years clandestinely casing the building — subverted every one of the Diamond Center's defenses and made off with a record amount of loot. Experts estimate they got away with nearly half a billion dollars in diamonds, cash and other valuables. They'd pulled off the biggest heist in history--everybody loves diamonds and they now had more than any thief before them. The robbers did it with stealth and smarts; no one was hurt or even threatened during what was quickly labeled the largest diamond heist in history. The bandits — members of a group of professional thieves known as "The School of Turin" — used cunning in lieu of violence, successfully evading security cameras, thwarting an array of electronic sensors, and penetrating a vault protected by a double-locked foot-thick steel door. Even when the police zeroed in on who committed the crime, how it was done remained a mystery, like something out of a heist movie or TV show. Flawless is a fast-paced global scavenger hunt uncovering the truth behind the daring Valentine's Day weekend heist. Tracking clues, sources, and documents throughout Europe — from seedy cafés in Turin, Italy to sleek diamond offices in Antwerp, Belgium — authors Scott Selby and Greg Campbell retrace Notarbartolo's careful discovery of the building's security flaws. They recreate the heist and its aftermath — detailing how the thieves brilliantly neutralized each element of the security protecting the Diamond Center's vault while inviting the readers into the secretive world of diamonds and diamond dealing. The result is a thrilling ride through the better-than-fiction heist of the century. "Fans of caper books and movies will be in seventh heaven." Booklist ★Starred Review★

Sarah Burke is just about perfect. She has killer blue eyes, gorgeous blonde hair and impeccable school grades. She has just one tiny flaw - her nose! But even that's not so bad as Sarah has the bestest friend and big goals for print journalism fame. On the first day of senior year, Rock Conway walks into Sarah's journalism class and rocks her world. The problem is, her best friend, Kristen, falls for him too, and when Rock and Kristen stand together, it's like Barbie and Ken come to life. So when Kristen begs Sarah to help her attract Rock, Sarah does the only thing a best friend can do - she agrees. What was she thinking? This retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac is a sweet and witty romance that gently reminds us that we should all embrace our flaws.

A handsome celebrity chef. A treacherous ex. Can Verena Valent survive the biggest break of her career, or will it break her?A fun, circle-of-friends series from a USA Today bestselling author. After a chance meeting with celebrity chef Lance Martel in Beverly Hills, Verena Valent realizes there's more to life than business. A trip to Paris and a surprise meeting with Lance ignites a romance Verena hadn't expected, though after a failed relationship, Verena has learned to protect her heart against those who seem too good to be true. As heiress to a skincare empire, Verena Valent must navigate a dazzling yet treacherous world. Despite an international business tycoon and ex-fiancé who threatens her family business, Verena discovers that family, friends, and love are the unshakable pillars of life. But will she get a second chance with the chef who's stolen her heart? Flawless is the first book in the Love California series of linked, stand-alone books that can be ready in any order. Set in Southern California with international travel, this fun series features a group of best friends determined to live the lives of their dreams while navigating the turbulence of dating and family life. The perfect beach reads. Tasteful Women's Fiction. Also available in audiobook. Visit JanMoran.com. "Flawless is an astute, intelligent, gripping romance for the modern woman… a heroine you can't fail to care for and understand." - Hannah Fielding, Author of The Echoes of Love "An engrossing view into the world of 'beautiful people' with an ending that will leave you wanting more." - New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Melissa Foster THE LOVE, CALIFORNIA SERIES FLAWLESS (Verena and Lance in Beverly Hills and Paris) BEAUTY MARK (Scarlett and Johnny in Beverly Hills and Spain) RUNWAY (Fianna and Niall in Malibu and Ireland) ESSENCE (Dahlia and Alain in Paris and Monaco) STYLE (Penelope and Stefan in New York and Copenhagen) SPARKLE (Elena and Jake in LA and Sydney)

"This book is priceless. Contains secrets on how a man, any man...can achieve his ideal body. Bob gives away secrets." -- Joyce Vedral, author of Gut Busters "Learning from a champion like Bob will maximize your potential...Beyond Built will...provide a complete understanding of bodybuilding's most important elements."-Lou Ferrigno Champion bodybuilder Paris follows his Beyond Built with this unique program for "accelerated gains" that will give the reader the body he wants in only ten weeks. Included are step-by-step methods to accelerate the bodyshaping process, attain a total image, motivate the mind, customize one's diet, feel great, and keep the results.

No one writes suspense like Heather Graham Read this brand-new romantic thriller by one of today's most popular authors... There's a pub in New York City that's been in the Finnegan family for generations. Now Kieran and her three brothers own it. Kieran Finnegan is also, as it happens, a criminal psychologist--a fitting reaction, perhaps, to her less-than-lawful teenage past. Meanwhile, New York's Diamond District has been hit by a rash of thefts. No one's been killed--until now. FBI agent Craig Frasier is brought in to investigate; he and Kieran meet at a jewelry store in the middle of a heist. She's there to "unsteal" a flawless stone taken by her light-fingered youngest brother as an act of vengeance. Craig's there to stop the gang. But the police and FBI begin to wonder if there are two gangs of diamond thieves, the original and a copycat group of killers--who seem to think their scheme is as flawless as the stones they steal. Thrown together by circumstance, drawn together by attraction, Kieran and Craig are both assigned to the case. But to Kieran's horror, there's more and more evidence that, somehow, the pub is involved. Because everyone goes to Finnegan's

Sir William Christie, ruthless tycoon and notorious ladies’ man, is dead. Now his four grown children have gathered for the reading of his will. What lies in store for stepsiblings Vivienne, Alexander, and twins Gareth and Gwyneth? Stunning challenges that will test their fortitude across a royal empire . . . and lead them to the marvelously passionate adventures of their lives. Lady Vivienne Bancroft fled England for New York, hoping to shed the confines of her arranged marriage to unrepentant rogue Miles Durham, Viscount Bancroft—though she never forgot the fiery desire he unleashed with his slightest touch. And when the gambling man arrives on her doorstep for a little sensual revenge for her desertion, he is met with Vivienne’s dilemma: She must earn her father’s inheritance by profitably running a diamond business worth millions in colonial South Africa. Swept together in an exotic undertaking filled with heated passion and hungry temptation, will Vivienne and Miles discover that the marriage vows they once made are the greatest snare—or the most treasured reward?

Champion bodybuilder Paris follows his Beyond Built with this unique program for "accelerated gains" that will give the reader the body he wants in only ten weeks. Included are step-by-step methods to accelerate the bodyshaping process, attain a total image, motivate the mind, customize one's diet, feel great, and keep the results. 150 photos.

One of Porchlight's Business Books of the Year | One of Vox's Best Books of 2023 | An NPR Book of the Day | Required Reading from New York Post | One of Nylon's 13 May Books to Add to Your Reading List | One of PureWow's 14 Books to Read for AAPI Heritage Month | One of W Magazine's 14 Books to Dive Into This Summer | One of Betches' Best Summer Reads of 2023 An audacious journalistic exploration of the present and future of beauty through the lens of South Korea's booming "K-beauty" industry and the culture it promotes, by Elise Hu, NPR host-at-large and the host of TED Talks Daily K-beauty has captured imaginations worldwide by promising a kind of mesmerizing perfection. Its skincare and makeup products—creams packaged to look like milkshakes or pandas, and snail mucus face masks, to name a few—work together to fascinate us, champion consumerism, and invite us to indulge. In the four years Elise spent in Seoul as NPR’s bureau chief, the global K-beauty industry quadrupled. Today it's worth $10 billion and is only getting bigger as it rides the Hallyu wave around the globe. And fun as self-care consumerism may be, Elise turns her veteran eye to the darker questions lurking beneath the surface of this story. When technology makes it easy to quantify and optimize ourselves—from banishing blemishes, to whittling our waistlines, even to shaving down our jaws—where do we draw the line? What are the dangers for a society where a flawless face and body are promoted and possible? What are the real financial, physical, and emotional costs of beauty work in a culture that valorizes endless self-improvement and codes it as empowerment? With rich historical context and deep reporting, including hours of interviews with South Korean women, this is a complex, provocative look at the ways hustle culture has reached into the sinews of our bodies. It raises complicated questions about gender disparity, consumerism, the beauty imperative of an appearance obsessed society, and the undeniable political, economic, and social capital of good looks worldwide. And it points the way toward an alternative vision, one that's more affirming and inclusive than a beauty culture led by industry.

In Space, No One Can Hear You Sing … Grayson Eck's life is a drag, in all the best possible ways. He's perfectly happy working in the belt alone as a wildcatter, prospecting asteroids by … well, not exactly by day. At night, he transforms into the Inner System's most famous Valeriana Storm — a secret identity that even his closest friends and family don't know about. When someone tries to steal one of Greyson's mining scores, he has half a mind to just toss the guy off his rock and into open space. But that all changes when he discovers the stranger's identity — and that he knows Greyson's secret. Now he's being chased by a pirate, and has to decide what to do with the apparent thief while also putting on his show. What's a space drag queen to do?