Svetlana's Reads and Views

General Information: Name of Book: The Fall of Icarus ISBN: 9780993190582 Publisher: Self published? Year it was published: 2015 Summary: Three interconnected short-stories set in Paris explore the issue of choice, survival and transformation. In the first story, a young man on his first business trip is waylaid by an aberrant elevator. In the pivotal tale, a young scientist re-imagines the Greek myth of Icarus and his fall to earth. In the final story, a young woman who cannot recall her own name relates the fantastical tale of a girl who can fly. Author: N.R. Bates About the Author: (From France Book Tours) NR Bates  was born in London, grew up in Wales, and lived in Canada and Bermuda. He shares his life with his wife and his house with seven cats, one dog and the subtropical wildlife of lizards, wolf spiders and ant colonies that seek out a better life indoors. He is an oceanographer and scientist, and has published more than one hundred and thirty scien...

Name of Book: The Fault In Our Stars Author: John Green ISBN: 978-0-14-242417-9 Publisher: Penguin Type of book: Teenage cancer, pretentiousness, "Ooh look, aren't I cool by stretching out so many metaphors?" offensive, frustrating, "romance," "true love", death, pointless metaphors, Indiana, overseas travel Year it was published: 2012 Summary: Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten. Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love. Characters: Oh god, the characters!...

Name of Book: Alchemy's Daughter Author: Mary A Osborne ISBN: 978-1-936181-17-9 Publisher: Lake Street Press Type of book: 1344-1348, midwives, witches, Italy, romance, self fulfillment, marriage, choices, philosopher's stone, young adult, herbs, medieval ages Year it was published: 2015 Summary: Santina Pietra is seventeen and in medieval San Gimignano, daughters of merchants are expected to marry. But Santina cares only for Calandrino, a brilliant young scholar who is preoccupied with his ancient alchemical texts. Soon Santina meets Trotula, the village midwife, who might or might not be a strega, or witch. Trotula challenges her to forget Calandrino and become the woman she is meant to be. Some say she is a victim of the midwife’s spell, but Santina is determined to follow in Trotula’s footsteps even as calamities strike. The setting is 14th century Italy, yet in Santina contemporary readers will discover a strong-minded young woman whose search for ...

Name of Book: Two Hearts When I said I do, I meant Forever Author: James Eric Richey ISBN: 978-0-9909181-0-3 Publisher: JER Books Type of book: Montana, mining, true love, two hearts, cheating, grizzly bear, overseas travel, burdens, finances, infidelity, contemporary, 2000s, gold, debt collectors, friendship, marriage Year it was published: 2014 Summary: Jaxon Tagget is a cattle-rancher’s son, born and raised on the Double T, just outside of Dillon, Montana. In love with his high-school sweetheart, Annie, Jaxon proposes on graduation night, presenting her with a wedding ring made from gold he mined himself. Annie accepts immediately, to the horror of her bitter, man-hating mother. Jaxon’s a wonderful husband, but the warnings of Annie’s mother linger in the young bride’s ears. And it doesn’t help that women continue to fall all over the markedly handsome Jaxon. Unaware of his wife’s persistent doubts, Jaxon is struggling with his own troubles when he finds out ...

Name of Book: Her Sister's Shoes Author: Ashley Farley ISBN: 9780986167218 Publisher: Self Published Type of book: South Carolina Lowcountry, women's interest, sisterhood, family, community, abuse, infidelity, family business, losing memory, changing lives, change, accidents, life after accident, finances Year it was published: 2015 Summary: Set in the South Carolina Lowcountry and packed with Southern charm and memorable characters, HER SISTER'S SHOES portrays three sisters—Samantha, Jackie, and Faith—who struggle to balance the demands of career and family while remaining true to themselves. Samantha Sweeney has always been the glue that holds her family together, their go-to girl for love and support. When an ATV accident leaves her teenage son in a wheelchair, she loses her carefully constructed self-control. In the after-gloom of her dreaded fiftieth birthday and the discovery of her husband’s infidelity, Jackie realizes she must reconnect with...