Ingredients
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Book Information
Release Date: April 26, 2022
Publisher: Harlequin/MIra
Soft Cover: ISBN: 978-0778386353; 368 pages; $9.99; E-Book, $7.99
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3sfzSoa
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When busy trauma surgeon Dr. Kyle Chandler goes to a medical symposium in London, he agrees to two innocent meetings for his friend Ian Griffin, who runs a private investigation firm. During his time in England, Dr. Chandler stumbles on a mysterious system of illegal smuggling to the United States. How could the smuggling of products in bulk wine carriers have anything to do with the shipping of French antiques? As Kyle continues his investigation, he soon realizes he faces a powerful, complex network involving organized crime. At the same time, escalating threats to him reveal the truth-and the truth nearly costs him his life.
Product details
Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos) is a Mexican holiday
celebrated throughout Mexico, in particular the Central and South
regions, and by people of Mexican ancestry living in other places,
especially the United States. It is acknowledged internationally in many
other cultures. The multi-day holiday focuses on gatherings of family
and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have
died, and help support their spiritual journey. In 2008, the tradition
was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural
Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
The holiday is
sometimes called Día de los Muertos in Anglophone countries, a
back-translation of its original name, Día de Muertos. It is
particularly celebrated in Mexico where the day is a public holiday.
Prior to Spanish colonization in the 16th century, the celebration took
place at the beginning of summer. Gradually, it was associated with
October 31, November 1, and November 2 to coincide with the Western
Christianity triduum of Allhallowtide: All Saints' Eve, All Saints' Day,
and All Souls' Day. Traditions connected with the holiday include
building private altars called ofrendas, honoring the deceased using
calaveras, aztec marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the
departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts. Visitors also leave
possessions of the deceased at the graves.
Scholars
trace the origins of the modern Mexican holiday to indigenous
observances dating back hundreds of years and to an Aztec festival
dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl. The holiday has spread
throughout the world, being absorbed into other deep traditions in honor
of the dead. It has become a national symbol and as such is taught (for
educational purposes) in the nation's schools. Many families celebrate a
traditional "All Saints' Day" associated with the Catholic Church.
Originally,
the Day of the Dead as such was not celebrated in northern Mexico,
where it was unknown until the 20th century because its indigenous
people had different traditions. The people and the church rejected it
as a day related to syncretizing pagan elements with Catholic
Christianity. They held the traditional 'All Saints' Day' in the same
way as other Christians in the world. There was limited Mesoamerican
influence in this region, and relatively few indigenous inhabitants from
the regions of Southern Mexico, where the holiday was celebrated. In
the early 21st century in northern Mexico, Día de Muertos is observed
because the Mexican government made it a national holiday based on
educational policies from the 1960s; it has introduced this holiday as a
unifying national tradition based on indigenous traditions.
The
Mexican Day of the Dead celebration is similar to other societies'
observances of a time to honor the dead. The Spanish tradition, for
instance, includes festivals and parades, as well as gatherings of
families at cemeteries to pray for their deceased loved ones at the end
of the day.
Observance in Mexico
Origins
The
Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico developed from ancient
traditions among its pre-Columbian cultures. Rituals celebrating the
deaths of ancestors had been observed by these civilizations perhaps for
as long as 2,500–3,000 years. The festival that developed into the
modern Day of the Dead fell in the ninth month of the Aztec calendar,
about the beginning of August, and was celebrated for an entire month.
The festivities were dedicated to the goddess known as the "Lady of the
Dead", corresponding to the modern La Calavera Catrina.
By
the late 20th century in most regions of Mexico, practices had
developed to honor dead children and infants on November 1, and to honor
deceased adults on November 2. November 1 is generally referred to as
Día de los Inocentes ("Day of the Innocents") but also as Día de los
Angelitos ("Day of the Little Angels"); November 2 is referred to as Día
de los Muertos or Día de los Difuntos ("Day of the Dead").
Food
During
Day of the Dead festivities, food is both eaten by living people and
given to the spirits of their departed ancestors as ofrendas
("offerings"). Tamales are one of the most common dishes prepared for
this day for both purposes.
Pan de muerto and
calaveras are associated specifically with Day of the Dead. Pan de
muerto is a type of sweet roll shaped like a bun, topped with sugar, and
often decorated with bone-shaped phalanges pieces.. Calaveras, or sugar
skulls, display colorful designs to represent the vitality and
individual personality of the departed.
In addition to
food, drink is also important to the tradition of Day of the Dead.
Historically, the main alcoholic drink was pulque while today families
will commonly drink the favorite beverage of their deceased ancestors.
Other drinks associated with the holiday are atole and champurrado,
warm, thick, non-alcoholic masa drinks.
Jamaica iced
tea is a popular herbal tea made of the flowers and leaves of the
Jamaican hibiscus plant (Hibiscus sabdariffa), known as flor de Jamaica
in Mexico. It is served cold and quite sweet with a lot of ice. The
ruby-red beverage is called hibiscus tea in English-speaking countries
and called agua de Jamaica (water of Jamaica) in Spanish.
Setting
Resident Evil Village is set three years after the events of Resident Evil 7, largely on the day of February 9, 2021. Ethan Winters returns as the protagonist. Ethan has been living with his wife Mia and 6-month-old daughter Rosemary when Chris Redfield — the protagonist of previous Resident Evil entries — and his men suddenly appear, murder his wife in cold blood, and kidnap him and his baby daughter, bringing them to a mysterious European village. Ethan has to traverse the village to rescue Rosemary. The village is invaded by werewolf-like mutants called Lycans and governed by four different mutant lords, each controlling their own forces from strongholds within the village. Lady Alcina Dimitrescu, an unusually tall vampiric aristocrat, resides at Castle Dimitrescu with her three daughters Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela, and mutated female attendants. The hallucination-inducing and ghost-like Donna Beneviento rules from her mansion, House Beneviento, and acts through her puppet Angie. The grotesque Salvatore Moreau operates from a reservoir in close proximity to the village and is described as a "merman". Karl Heisenberg, who can manipulate magnetic fields, leads a group of Soldat simulacra from a contemporary factory. All houses respond to a supreme leader figure called Mother Miranda, the ruler of the village who is a "presence worshipped by the villagers."
Plot
Three years after the events in Dulvey, Ethan and Mia have been relocated to Europe by Chris Redfield to start a new life with their newborn daughter Rosemary. One night, Chris and his Hound Wolf squad raid the house, assassinate Mia, and abduct Ethan and Rosemary. Ethan awakens next to the crashed transport truck they were riding in and reaches a nearby village terrorized by werewolf-like creatures known as Lycans. Ethan is unable to save the remaining villagers and is captured and brought before the village priest Mother Miranda and her lords: Alcina Dimitrescu, Donna Beneviento, Salvatore Moreau, and Karl Heisenberg. Ethan escapes a death trap made by Heisenberg and ventures into Dimitrescu's castle to find Rosemary, with the support of a mysterious local merchant known as the Duke. Ethan eliminates Dimitrescu and her daughters, finding a flask containing Rosemary's head. The Duke explains that Miranda placed Rosemary's body parts in four different flasks for a special ritual and that she can be restored if Ethan recovers the other flasks held by the remaining lords.
While killing Beneviento and Moreau for their flasks, Ethan learns Hound Wolf is also in the village.
Ethan passes a test from Heisenberg for the fourth flask and is invited to the lord's factory where Heisenberg offers a proposal to defeat Miranda together. Ethan refuses once he learns Heisenberg intends to weaponize Rosemary and escapes. Ethan encounters and confronts Chris over Mia's death, learning the "Mia" Chris killed was Miranda in disguise. Chris reveals that Miranda possesses the power of mimicry and was attempting to abduct Rosemary, succeeding when she crashed the transport truck. Chris destroys Heisenberg's factory while Ethan uses a makeshift tank to defeat Heisenberg. Miranda confronts Ethan and kills him after she reveals her plans to take Rosemary as her own.
Witnessing Ethan's death, Chris leads Hound Wolf to extract Rosemary while a Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA) assault force distracts Miranda. Chris enters a cave beneath the village and discovers a Megamycete (called the "fungal root" (菌根, kin kon) and the "Black God" (黒き神, kuroki kami) in the Japanese game), the source of the mold. He plants a bomb on the Megamycete and finds Miranda's lab, learning that she has lived a century since coming into contact with the Megamycete and was a mentor to the Umbrella Corporation's founder Oswell E. Spencer; Oswell used her knowledge to eventually develop the t-Virus. Miranda experimented with the fungus in an attempt to revive her daughter, Eva, who had succumbed to the Spanish flu; the four lords, Lycans, and Eveline were failed experiments. Miranda found a suitable host with Rosemary due to her special abilities inherited from Ethan and Mia. Chris also rescues the imprisoned Mia, learning that Ethan is still alive when Mia reveals her husband's powers.
Ethan revives after encountering Eveline in limbo who reveals that he was killed in his first encounter with Jack Baker in Dulvey, but was revived by her mold which gave him regenerative powers. The Duke brings Ethan to the ritual site where Miranda is attempting to revive Eva, but only succeeds in reviving Rosemary. An enraged Miranda battles Ethan, who kills her, before the Megamycete emerges from the ground. Ethan, his body deteriorating from his regenerative powers having reached their limit trying to stall Miranda's damage on his body, sacrifices himself to detonate the bomb planted on the Megamycete, while Chris transports Mia and Rosemary to safety. As Mia mourns the loss of Ethan, Chris discovers that the BSAA soldiers sent to the village were organic bioweapons and orders his squad to head for the BSAA's European headquarters.
In a post-credits scene, a teenage Rosemary visits Ethan's grave before being called away for a mission on behalf of an undisclosed organization. As she and her escort drive off into the distance, an unknown figure is seen approaching their vehicle.
Anime
Black Butler
Vampire Knight
Vampire Knight Guilty
Manga
Black Butler
Cain
Godchild
Vampire Knight
Movies
Dracula Rising (1993)
The Evil Dead (1981)
Evil Dead II (1987)
Fright Night 1 and 2 (1985 and 1987)
Howling VI: The Freaks (1991)
Jack Be Nimble (1993)
Night of the Creeps (1986)
Sometimes They Come Back Again (1996)
To Die For: Dracula: The Love Story (1989)
PC Games
Gabriel Knight 1: Sins of the Fathers
Gabriel Knight 2: The Beast Within
Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned
Phantasmagoria
Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh
Quest for Glory: Shadows of Darkness
TV Shows
Blood Ties
Videogames
Clock Tower Series
Fatal Frame Series
Haunting Ground
Resident Evil Series
Rule of Rose
Silent Hill Series
Obscure Series
Until Dawn
Nightcry
Plot
Yuki's earliest memory is of a stormy night in winter, where she was
attacked by a rogue vampire and rescued by Kaname Kuran, a Pureblood
vampire. Now ten years later, Yuki Cross, the adopted daughter of the
headmaster of Cross Academy, Kaien Cross, has grown up and become a
guardian of the vampire race, protecting her childhood crush, Kaname,
from discovery as he leads a group of vampires at the elite boarding
school. At her side is Zero Kiryu, a childhood friend whose hatred for
the creatures that destroyed everything he held dear leaves him
determined never to trust them. This coexisting arrangement seems all
well and good, but have the vampires truly renounced their murderous
ways, or is there a darker truth behind their actions? In this world of
secrets, nothing is as it seems. The price of misplaced trust may even
be worse than death. Should Yuki truly find out what was in her past, is
the truth going to hurt her worse than not knowing?
Plot
In Victorian-era London lives a thirteen-year-old earl named Ciel
Phantomhive, who acquired this position after the events of December 14,
1885 (Ciel's 10th birthday), when the Phantomhive manor was attacked by
unidentified perpetrators and was set ablaze. Ciel, amidst the chaos,
discovers his parents, Vincent and Rachel Phantomhive, to be dead along
with the family dog, Sebastian. The same night he is kidnapped by the
attackers and then sold into slavery, where he ends up in the hands of a
sadistic, demon-worshipping cult. Ciel then endures endless physical,
mental and sexual abuse at the hands of his captors. Ciel was also heat
branded with a mark referred to as the "mark of the beast". One night,
during a sacrificial ceremony to summon a demon, instead of forming a
contract with the cult members, the demon states that he was summoned by
Ciel, therefore he only agrees to form a contract with him, killing all
the cultist members in the process. To show a contract was formed, the
demon places a contract symbol referred to as the Faustian contract
symbol on Ciel's right eye, giving it a purple hue, and his iris and
pupil now showcase the symbol of the covenant. After the formation of
the contract, the demon reveals he will consume Ciel's soul as payment
for helping him achieve his goal; revenge on those who brought down the
House of Phantomhive. Afterwards Ciel names the demon Sebastian
Michaelis, after his deceased pet dog. The duo then return to society as
Ciel takes over his now late father's previous position as the queen's
watchdog, a very high-profile individual who is tasked with
investigating cases that Queen Victoria herself deems especially
important or threatening to England and the crown.