Svetlana's Reads and Views

Name of Book: Season of the Dragonflies Author: Sarah Creech ISBN: 978-0-06-233227-1 Publisher: William Morrow Type of book: Magical realism, perfume, Blue Ridge Mountains, mysterious flowers, love, power succession, sisterhood, mother/daughter relationships, 2000s, scents Year it was published: 2014 Summary: As beguiling as the novels of Alice Hoffman, Adriana Trigiani, Aimee Bender, and Sarah Addison Allen, Season of the Dragonflies is a story of flowers, sisters, practical magic, old secrets, and new love, set in the Blue Ridge Mountains For generations, the Lenore women have manufactured a perfume unlike any other, and guarded the unique and mysterious ingredients. Their perfumery, hidden in the quiet rolling hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, creates one special elixir that secretly sells for millions of dollars to the world's most powerful-movie stars, politicians, artists, and CEOs. The Lenore's signature perfume is actually the key to their success. ...

General Information: Name of Book: How does one dress to buy Dragonfruit? True Stories of Expat Women in Asia ISBN: 978-988-12195-6-5 Publisher: Signal 8 Press Year it was published: 2014 Overall theme: "As you read these stories, put yourself in their shoes, their dresses, their motorcycle boots. These women are making choices every day. They must ask: Who am I in this culture, this place? Follow along as they explore the balance they've found in themselves and in their homes abroad." (From foreword.) Summary: In this collection, twenty-six women reveal the truth about expatriate life in modern East Asia through original works of memoir and creative non-fiction. Their experiences are varied and unique, demonstrating that expat women's lives go far beyond the stereotypical. The writers hail from a dozen different countries and walks of life. Some are well-known; others are fresh voices adding nuance to the expat conversation. Through deeply persona...

Name of Book: Sinful Folk Author: Ned Hayes ISBN: 978-0-9852393-0-5 Publisher: Campanile Type of book: Hidden Jews, fire, secrets, journey, Medieval Ages, 1300s, Edward the Black Prince, plague, surviving, proof, religion, unburied dead, seeking justice and answers, keeping promises Year it was published: 2014 Summary:  A terrible loss. A desperate journey. A mother seeks the truth. In December of the year 1377, five children were burned to death in a suspicious house fire. A small band of villagers traveled 200 miles across England in midwinter to demand justice for their children’s deaths. Sinful Folk is the story of this treacherous journey as seen by Mear, a former nun who has lived for a decade disguised as a mute man, raising her son quietly in this isolated village. For years, she has concealed herself and all her secrets. But in this journey, she will find the strength to claim the promise of her past and find a new future. Mear begins her journey...

Title of the book:  The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon: The Diary of a Courtesan in Tenth Century Japan Author:  Sei Shonagon, Arthur Waley Publisher: Tuttle Publishing Date: 2011/ written sometime in 10th to 11th century. ISBN: 978-4-8053-1108-0 Summary: Japan in the 10th century stood physically and culturally isolated from the rest of the world. Inside this bubble, a subtle and beautiful world was in operation, and its inhabitants were tied to the moment, having no interest in the future and disdain for the past. In a small diary, a young courtesan of the Heian period gives her account of the Japanese courts of the day, providing perspective on a unique time in Japanese history. A contemporary of Murasaki Shikibu, the author of The Tale of Genji, Sei Sho-nagon's commentary brings an added dimension to that timeless and seminal work. In a place and time where poetry was as important as knowledge and beauty was highly revered, Sei Shonagon's private writings g...

Name of Book: The Virtues of Oxygen Author: Susan Schoenberger ISBN: 9781477822791 Publisher: Lake Union Type of book: Recession, polio, life, money, friendship, widowhood, survival, bills, debt, newspaper, small town, community, 2000s Year it was published: 2014 Summary: From the award-winning author of "A Watershed Year" comes a heartrending story of unlikely bonds made under dire straits. Holly is a young widow with two kids living in a ramshackle house in the same small town where she grew up wealthy. Now barely able to make ends meet editing the town's struggling newspaper, she manages to stay afloat with help from her family. Then her mother suffers a stroke, and Holly's world begins to completely fall apart. Vivian has lived an extraordinary life, despite the fact that she has been confined to an iron lung since contracting polio as a child. Her condition means she requires constant monitoring, and the close-knit community joins together to ...

Title of the book:  The Gifted: How to Live the Life of Your Dreams Author: Daphne Michaels Publisher: Self published Publishing Date: 2014 ISBN: 978-0-9914689-0-4 Summary: The Gifted: How to Live the Life of Your Dreams is an inspirational, groundbreaking book from author, motivational speaker and licensed psychotherapist Daphne Michaels. Describing and celebrating the nine gifts we are all born with, Michaels teaches readers how to recognize each gift and use it on their journey of personal development and spiritual growth. Michaels shows us that the first three gifts we must recognize are Awareness, Potential and Stillness. These three allow us to identify and use with real life-changing power the remaining six: Disharmony, Harmony, Ease, Clarity, Freedom and Engagement. By approaching these nine gifts with real-world metaphors, Michaels answers common questions about personal transformation -- such as how it works and what kind of commitment it takes to reach a ...

Publication Date: June 29, 2014 Tod Publishing Formats: eBook, Paperback Genre: Historical Fiction In 1914 Paris half the city expects war while the other half scoffs at the possibility. With knowledge gained from his role at the War Department, Henri Noisette fears that Germany may soon attack Paris. He therefore sends his wife, mother and two younger children to Beaufort, a small village in northern France. By late 1914, instead of a safe haven, Beaufort is less than twenty miles from the front. As war unfolds, Henri’s daughter, Helene, grows up quickly and in 1917 falls in love with Edward Jamieson, a young Canadian soldier. The novel examines love and loss, duty and sacrifice and the unexpected consequence of lies. Praise for Lies Told in Silence ‘Dramatically depicts the horror and heartbreak of war, while also celebrating the resilience of the human spirit.’ - SHARON KAY PENMAN author of A King’s Ransom 'An intricate, well-researched novel of life forever changed b...