Bøger af Dianne Hales

A celebration of the language and culture of Italy, La Bella Lingua is the story of how a language shaped a nation, told against the backdrop of one woman's personal quest to speak fluent Italian. For anyone who has been to Italy, the fantasy of living the Italian life is powerfully seductive. But to truly become Italian, one must learn the language. This is how Dianne Hales began her journey. In La Bella Lingua, she brings the story of her decades-long experience with the "the world's most loved and lovable language" together with explorations of Italy' s history, literature, art, music, movies, lifestyle and food in a true opera amorosa - a labor of her love of Italy.Over the course of twenty-five years, she has studied Italian through Berlitz, books, CDs, podcasts, private tutorials and conversation groups, and, most importantly, time spent in Italy. In the process the Italian language became not just a passion and a pleasure, but a passport into Italy's storia and its very soul. She invites readers to join her as she traces the evolution of Italian in the zesty graffiti on the walls of Pompeii, in Dante's incandescent cantos and in Boccaccio's bawdy Decameron. She portrays how social graces remain woven into the fabric of Italian: even the chipper "ciao," which does double duty as "hi" and "bye," reflects centuries of bella figura. And she exalts the glories of Italy's food and its rich and often uproarious gastronomic language: Italians deftly describe someone uptight as a baccala (dried cod), a busybody who noses into everything as a prezzemolo (parsley), a worthless or banal movie as a polpettone (large meatball). Like Dianne, readers of La Bella Lingua will find themselves innamorata, enchanted, by Italian, fascinated by its saga, tantalized by its adventures, addicted to its sound, and ever eager to spend more time in its company.

A jubilant celebration of Italy's outsize impact on culture, from literature to art, music to movies, that "masterfully examines the multitude of reasons why so many people fall in love with Italy and the Italian lifestyle" (Forbes)Can you imagine painting without Leonardo, opera without Verdi, fashion without Armani, food without the signature tastes of pasta, gelato, and pizza? The first universities, first banks, first public libraries? All Italian.New York Times bestselling author Dianne Hales attributes these landmark achievements to la passione italiana, a primal force that stems from an insatiable hunger to discover and create; to love and live with every fiber of one's being. This fierce drive, millennia in the making, blazes to life in the Sistine Chapel, surges through a Puccini aria, deepens a vintage Brunello, and rumbles in a gleaming Ferrari engine.Our ideal tour guide, Hales sweeps readers along on her adventurous quest for the secrets of la passione. She swims in the playgrounds of mythic gods, shadows artisanal makers of chocolate and cheese, joins in Sicily's Holy Week traditions, celebrates a neighborhood Carnevale in Venice, and explores pagan temples, vineyards, silk mills, movie sets, crafts studios, and fashion salons. She introduces us, through sumptuous prose, to unforgettable Italians, historical and contemporary, all brimming with the greatest of Italian passions-for life itself.A lyrical portrait of a spirit as well as a nation, La Passione appeals to the Italian in all our souls, inspiring us to be as daring as Italy's gladiators, as eloquent as its poets, as alluring as its beauties, and as irresistible as its lovers.Praise for La Passione"[An] effervescent love letter to all things Italian."-Newsday "In this sweeping account of la passione italiana from ancient to modern times, Dianne Hales shows once again why she is one the world's foremost guides to the riches of Italian culture. Every page resonates with the author's love for Italy and her joy in sharing its remarkable discoveries and exquisite pleasures with her readers." -Joseph Luzzi, author of My Two Italies and In a Dark Wood "Hales takes us on an enriching and delightful journey, filled with fascinating characters, scintillating sensual details, and an authentic connection to the ever-inspiring Italian heart and soul that has given the world boundless pleasures." -Susan Van Allen, author of 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go

EVERY DAY STARTS WITH A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEPDid you just suppress a yawn?Are you one of the walking weary—the 100 million Americans who suffer from occasional or chronic sleep problems? If so, you know how serious the problem can be: troubled sleepers can lead troubled lives. On an average, we spend one third of our lives sleeping—and how we sleep can make the difference between feeling tired all of the time and facing each day with a fresh, energetic attitude.   This practical guide to healthy sleep by sleep expert Dianne Hales can help you get the rest you need to get the most out of life. It covers the latest discoveries of “sleep scientists”—whose probing of the mysteries of sleep has led to breakthroughs in treating sleep problems—and includes:• 101 mental maneuvers for putting yourself to sleep• New treatments for age-old complaints like snoring and sleepwalking• Effective methods for overcoming sleep rhythm disorders caused by jet lag or shift changes• New insights into how dreams can help you solve daytime problems• Simple self-tests to determine if you need professional help—and where to turn if you doYour sleep problem is not insurmountable. You, too, can sleep like a baby and wake up ready for a healthy, active life.

Everybody knows her smile, but no one knows her story: Meet the flesh-and-blood woman who became one of the most famous artistic subjects of all timeMona Lisa.A genius immortalized her. A French king paid a fortune for her. An emperor coveted her. Every year more than nine million visitors trek to view her portrait in the Louvre. Yet while everyone recognizes her smile, hardly anyone knows her story. Combining history, whimsical biography, personal travelogue, and love letter to Italy...Mona Lisa is an entertaining (Publishers Weekly) book of discovery about the worlds most recognized face. Who was she? Why did the most renowned painter of her time choose her as his model? What became of her? And why does her smile enchant us still? Dianne Hales, author of La Bella Lingua, became obsessed with finding the real Mona Lisa on repeated trips to Florence. In Mona Lisa: A Life Discovered, she takes readers with her to meet Lisas descendants; uncover her familys long and colorful history; and explore the neighborhoods where she lived as a girl, a wife, and a mother. In the process, we can participate in Lisas daily rituals; understand her personal relationships; and see, hear, smell, and taste her Florence. Hales brings to life a time poised between the medieval and the modern, a vibrant city bursting into fullest bloom, and a culture that redefined the possibilities of manand of woman. Mona Lisa is a readable and affectionate my-search-for-story for art lovers and anyone interested in glorious and gory Florence in the fifteenth to sixteenth centuries, and in the divine Leonardo in particularHaless assiduous research has made it possible for us to know Mona Lisa just a bit, enough to wonder if this otherwise ordinary Florentine housewife could ever have imagined her portrait enchanting millions for centuries (USATODAY.com).