Svetlana's Reads and Views

Books I'm reading: The Russian Saga-Kate Furnivall 1. The Jewel of St. Petersburg 79/250 The Earthsong Trilogy-Mary Mackey 3. The Fires of Spring 80/378 The Story of the Stone- Xueqin Cao 1. The Golden Days 414/525 The Elven Nations Trilogy- Paul Thompson, Tonya Carter, Douglas Niles 1. Firstborn 39/305 D'Artagnan Romances-Alexandre Dumas 4. Louise De la Valliere 338/671 The Decameron-Boccaccio 169/833 The Moonstone-Wilkie Collins 66/434 Sisters of the black moon-F.J Pesando 34/414 Books that are waiting for reviews: Tigress Sextet-Jade Lee (Will not get or read Desperate Tigress and Corned Tigress ) 6. Tempted Tigress Earthsong Trilogy-Mary Mackey 1. The year the horses came 2. Horses at the gate The Chosen-Chaim Potok The Promise-Chaim Potok Tell me your secrets-Cara Summers Coyote Dreams-Jessica Davis Stein The Secret Life of the bees-Sue Monk Kidd 'Till Morning Comes-Han Suyin North China Lover-Marguerite Duras The Mysteries of Udolpho- Ann R...

Name of book:   The Hundred Secret Senses Author Name:  Amy Tan ISBN:  0-8041-1109-X Publisher:  Ivy Books, Ballantine Books Type of Book:  Adult, fantasy-history china, contemporary Year it was published:  1995 Summary:   From amazon: "Olivia, the narrator of this story, was born to an American mother and a Chinese father. She meets her 18-year-old Chinese half sister, Kwan, for the first time shortly after their father's death. Kwan adores "Libby-ah" and tries to introduce her to her Chinese heritage through stories and memories. Olivia is embarrassed by her sibling, but finds as she matures that she has inadvertently absorbed much about Chinese superstitions, spirits, and reincarnation. Olivia explains, "My sister Kwan believes she has Yin eyes. She sees those who have died and now dwell in the World of Yin..." Now in her mid-30s, Olivia, a photographer, is still seeking a meaningful life. The climax of the story comes when she and her...

Name of the Book:  Jewels Author Name: Danielle Steel ISBN:   0-440-21422-X Publisher: Dell, Bantam Doubleday Dell Type of Book: Adult, historical Year it was published:   June 1993 Summary:  "On Sarah Whitfield's seventy-fifth birthday, memories take her back to New York in the 1930s. To a marriage that ends after a year, leaving Sarah shattered. A trip to Europe with her parents does little to raise her spirits, until she meets William, Duke of Whitfield. In time, despite her qualms, William insists on giving up his distant right to the British throne to make Sarah his duchess and his wife. "On their honeymoon, the newlyweds buy an old French chateau, but not long after, the war begins. William joins the allied forces, leaving Sarah, their first child, an infant, and their second child on the way, in France. Sarah survives the terror of the Occupation, unwavering in her belief that her missing-in-action husband is still alive. "After the war...

When I was in middle school, I used to be a fan of Danielle Steel and read a lot of her books such  Jewels,  Daddy, Fine Things, Kaleidoscope, Family Album, Zoya, Star, etc.  How I got involved reading her books is a curious story. This part will discuss how I got involved reading Danielle Steel, along with some books I read, consistencies along the books, and what I wish she would do in the future with her books. In the year of 2000, she published her fiftieth novel  Journey.  (Which I hadn't read and will not read.) About the time she published her novel, I would guess that the publishing company she works for makes a choice to make all Danielle Steel novels free. Perhaps because they were free, my mom brought three books;  Family Album, Kaleidoscope  and  Fine Things.  About that time, I guess I was in seventh grade and of course beyond Judy Blume, R.L Stine, Lurlene McDaniel I believe and maybe few other authors I was not familiar with ...

Name of the Book: Star Author Name: Danielle Steel ISBN: 0440205573 Publisher: Dell, Bantam Doubleday Dell Type of Book: Adult, historical, romance Year it was published: March 1990 Summary: Young, innocent and strikingly beautiful Crystal Wyatt was an outcast, envied and resented by all but her devoted father, with whom she shared a deep love for their remote California ranch. When her father dies, Crystal is alone and unprotected. Devastating events shake the once peaceful valley. With nothing but her dreams, her beauty, and her awe-inspiring voice, Crystal escapes to embark on the career that will ultimately make her a star. But stardom itself is shadowed by danger and violence and haunted by a memory that must be resolved before Crystal can find happiness and peace. Characters: The characters are on the flat side, women more so. There are two main women in the novel: the beautiful and innocent looking Crystal Wyatt and the smart intelligent Elizabeth Barclay H...

Name of book:  The Burning Author Name:  R.L Stine ISBN: 0-671-86833-0 Publisher:  Archway Paperback, Parachute Inc Type of book:  Kid to young adult, attempt at being historical, horror Year it was published:  October 1993 Summary: Simon Fear thought changing his name would stop the evil. He was wrong-dead wrong. After generations of unspeakable horror, it is up to Daniel and Nora, brought together by their fateful love, to unite the feuding families. But is their forbidden love strong enough to withstand such awesome evil? Poor Nora-desperate to tell the truth and bury the family curse…before it buries her. Characters: Again the characters are interesting and somewhat fascinating for one dimensional characters. I do have problem with Angelica though. In the novel we get a chance to get a glimpse at her thoughts and actions and behavior. In thoughts, there is no indication that she thought Simon was her soul-mate until later o...

Name of book:  The Secret Author Name:  R.L Stine ISBN:  0-671-86832-2 Publisher:  Archway Paperback, Parachute Inc Type of book:  Kid to young adult, attempt at being historical, horror Year it was published:  September 1993 Part of the series:   The Fear Street Saga Summary:  What is the secret of Fear Street? Why has its horror lasted for so long? Ezra Fier wants to find out. He searches for the answer among the rotting bones in the ghostly town of Wickham. But he finds only betrayal and death. Elizabeth and Kate are in love with the same boy. How can they know that they too are caught by the evil that will haunt this family forever? Characters:  The characters are a little far more unique and entertaining; in beginning two sections of the book you have Jonathan who is good and doesn't desire or want the father's power; then you have the mother who confuses her youngest daughter for her eldest, (the si...

Name of book:  The Betrayal Author Name:  R.L Stine ISBN:  0-671-86831-4 Publisher:  Archway Paperback, Parachute Inc Type of book:  Kid to young adult? Year it was published:  August 1993 Summary: Why do so many horrifying things happen on Fear Street? Nora knows. She knows how the terror began. She knows about the young girl who burned at the stake-and the bloody feud between two families that caused the unspeakable horror that has lasted 300 years!  She knows, and she wants to tell. Are you sure you want to hear it? Characters: The characters are one dimensional and have very little personality distinguishing them from one another. The story is mostly focused from female perspective and supposedly it takes place from witch hunts in Salem until 1725. The characters were also victims of circumstance and although they attempted to stand up for themselves, (as in the case of Susana who tries to deal with the mob that ...

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Books I'm reading:  The Russian Saga-Kate Furnival 1. The Jewel of St Petersburg 54/250 Earthsong Trilogy-Mary Mackey 2. The Horses at the gate 353/408 The Story of the Stone- Xueqin Cao 1. The Golden days 324/525 D'Artagnan Romances- Alexandre Dumas 4. Louise de la Valliere 292/671 Tigress Sextet-Jade Lee 6. Tempted Tigress 201/346 Star-Danielle Steel 205/474 The Hundred Secret Senses-Amy Tan 138/399 The Moonstone-Wilkie Collins 39/434 The Decameron- Boccaccio 96/833 The North China lover- Marguerite Duras 123/231 Books that are waiting for reviews: Tell me your secrets...-Cara Summers The Mysteries of Udolpho- Ann Radcliffe The Chosen-Chaim Potok The Promise-Chaim Potok 'Till Morning Comes-Han Suyin The Secret Life of the bees-Sue Monk Kidd The Kitchen God's wife-Amy Tan Coyote Dreams-Jessica Davis Stein Gone with the wind-Margaret Mitchell The Earthsong Trilogy-Mary Mackey 1. The Year the horses came The Fear Street Saga-R.L Stine 1. The ...

I have to admit that the book is pretty bad and repetitive. I will do my best to make this a short version without any descriptions of Crystal's beauty or whatnot. What will I do? Try to make chapters and just give main points. (Checks book, notices 44 chapters) wow this will be long... and also, since this is chapter by chapter, I will purposely include spoilers and plot twists so beware as you read it. Chapter 1 Basically this chapter begins with Crystal swimming and singing and how she loves the land. Her older sister Becky is getting married and it deals with preparations for the wedding such as food, the clothes she will be wearing for the wedding, etc. This also gives some background of the family and discusses their distaste towards foreigners, in particular for Boyd and Hiroko Webster. (This possibly takes place in 1946?) Chapter 2 Becky and her husband, Tom Parker marry, but Tom begins to flirt with Boyd's sister Ginny. A commanding officer, Spencer Hill shows up...

Name of Book: The First Wives Club Author Name: Olivia Goldsmith ISBN: 0-671-79705-0 Publisher: Pocket Books Fiction division of Simon and Schuster Inc Type of book: adult, revenge, contemporary Year it was published: 1992 Summary: Elise, Brenda, and Annie were all first wives. A movie star and heiress, Elise had connections that paved the way for her lawyer husband. Brenda’s “family” business lauched her husband’s home entertainment empire. And good girl Annie sustained her spouse on his rise in the advertising world. But when their husbands were at the pinnacle of success, they abandoned their mates for “trophy wives”-younger, blonder, sleeker models. Lunching at Le Cirque, Annie, Brenda and Elise decide that the time for self pity is over. Now it is time to get even. How they conspire to give each man his due-in full view of tout New York society-makes for the smartest, sexiest, most wickedly funny blockbuster in years. Review:  Characters: The char...

Books I'm reading now: The Russian Saga-Kate Furnivall 1. The Jewel of St. Petersburg 16/245 Earthsong Trilogy- Mary Mackey 2. The Horses at the Gate 221/408 The Story of the Stone- Xueqin Cao 1. The Golden Days 229/525 D'Artagnan Romances-Alexandre Dumas 4. Louise de la Valliere 241/671 The Tigress Sextet-Jade Lee  6. Tempted Tigress 21/346  The Hundred Secret Senses-Amy Tan 30/399 The North China Lover-Marguerite Duras 13/231 Tell me you secrets...-Cara Summers 200/245 The First Wives Club-Olivia Goldsmith 426/513 Books that are waiting for reviews: The Mysteries of Udolpho-Ann Radcliffe The Earthsong Trilogy-Mary Mackey 1. The Year the horses came The Fear Street Saga-R.L Stine 1. The Betrayal 2. The Secret 3. The Burning The Chosen-Chaim Potok The Promise-Chaim Potok 'Till Morning Comes-Han Suyin The Secret Life of the Bees-Sue Monk Kidd The Kitchen God's Wife-Amy Tan Coyote Dream-Jessica Davis Stein Gone with the Wind-Margaret Mitchell...

Books I'm reading now: Tell me your secrets...-Cara Summers 90/245 2. The Horses at the gate-Mary Mackey 116/408 1. The Golden Days- Xueqin Cao167/525 The First Wives' Club-Olivia Goldsmith 359/513 4.Louise de la Valliere-Alexandre Dumas 202/671 Books that are waiting for reviews: The Mysteries of Udolpho-Ann Radcliffe The Earthsong Trilogy-Mary Mackey 1. The Year the horses came The Fear Street Saga-R.L Stine 1. The Betrayal 2. The Secret 3. The Burning The Chosen-Chaim Potok The Promise-Chaim Potok 'Till Morning Comes-Han Suyin The Secret Life of the Bees-Sue Monk Kidd The Kitchen God's Wife-Amy Tan Coyote Dream-Jessica Davis Stein Gone with the Wind-Margaret Mitchell Future Books: The Russian Saga-Kate Furnivall 1. The Jewel of St. Petersburg 2. The Russian Concubine 3. The Girl from Junchow Earthsong Trilogy-Mary Mackey 3. The Fires of Spring The Story of the Stone-Xueqin Cao 2. The Crab Flower Club 3. The Warning Voice 4. The Debt of...

Not that anyone cares or reads, but due to school taking up my time, I am unable to write or post reviews at this time. Books I'm reading now: The First Wives' Club-Olivia Goldsmith 338/513 Louise de la Valliere- Alexandre Dumas 189/671 The Mysteries of Udolpho- Ann Radcliffe 591/620 The Golden Days- Xueqin Cao149/525 Books that are waiting reviews: The Kitchen God's Wife-Amy Tan The Chosen- Chaim Potok The Promise-Chaim Potok The Fear Street Saga-R.L Stine 1. The Betrayal 2. The Secret 3. The Burning 'Till Morning Comes-Han Suyin The Secret Life of the Bees-Sue Monk Kidd Coyote Dream-Jessica Davis Stein Gone With the Wind-Margaret Mitchell Future Books: Earthsong Trilogy-Mary Mackey 1. The year the horses came 2. The Horses at the gate 3. The Fires of Spring Story of the Stone-Xueqin Cao 2. The Crab Flower Club 3. The Warning Voice 4. The Debt of Tears 5. The Dreamer wakes The man in the iron mask-Alexandre Dumas The Hundred Secret Senses...

Books I'm reading:  The Kitchen God's Wife-Amy Tan 399/532 The Mysteries of Udolpho- Anne Radcliffe 528/620 Louise de laValliere- Alexandre Dumas 140/671 The Chosen- Chaim Potok 255/291 The First Wives' Club- Olivia Goldsmith 273/513 Story of the Stone Vol 1. The Happy Golden Days-Xueqin Cao 66/525 Books/Sagas I decided to drop Fear Street Saga Books 1-16 by R.L Stine 1. A New Fear 2. House of Whispers 3. Forbidden Secrets 4. The Sign of Fear 5. The Hidden Evil 6. Daughters of Silence 7. Children of Fear 8. Dance of Death 9. Heart of the hunter 10. The Awakening Evil 11. Circle of Fire 12. Chamber of Fear 13. Faces of Terror 14. One Last Kiss 15. Door of Death 16. The Hand of Power Books that are waiting for reviews The Fear Street Saga 1. The Betrayal 2. The Secret 3. The Burning The Promise-Chaim Potok 'Till Morning Comes-Han Suyin The Secret Life of the bees-Sue Monk Kidd Coyote Dream-Jessica Davis Stein Gone with the wind-Margaret M...

How far I am along: Books I'm reading: The Mysteries of Udolpho-Ann Radcliffe 473/620 The secret life of bees-Sue Monk Kidd 189/302 The chosen-Chaim Potok 149/291 The kitchen god's wife-Amy Tan 237/532 Louise de la Valliere- Alexandre Dumas 85/671 The First wives club-Olivia Goldsmith 196/513

Books that are awaiting reviews: 'Till Morning Comes-Han Suyin Gone with the wind-Margaret Mitchell Coyote Dreams-Jessica Davis Stein The Promise-Chaim Potok Books that I'm reading: The First Wives Club-Olivia Goldsmith Louise de la Valliere-Alexandre Dumas THe Kitchen God's wife-Amy Tan THe Mysteries of Udolpho-Ann Radcliffe The Chosen-Chaim Potok THe Secret life of bees-Sue Monk Kidd Books I'm planning to read: The eternal enemy-Christopher Pike The hundred secret senses-Amy Tan D'Artagnan Romances- Alexandre Dumas 5. The Man in the iron mask The north china lover-Marguerite Duras The story of the stone-Xueqin Cao 1. The golden days 2. The crab-flower club 3. The warning voice 4. The debt of tears 5. The dreamer wakes R.L Stine: Cheerleaders Trilogy 1. The First evil 2. The second evil 3. The third evil Silent Night Trilogy 1. Silent Night 1 2. Silent Night 2 3. Silent Night 3 99 Fear Street: The house of evil 1. The First horror ...

Name of book: Whisper of Death Author Name:  Christopher Pike ISBN:  0-671-69058-2 Publisher:  Archway Paperback, Simon and Schuster Type of book:  Young adult, horror, contemporary, science fiction Year it was published:  December 1991 Summary:  Roxanne and Pepper are a teenager couple with problems. They leave their small town for a weekend to try and solver them. They don’t really succeed, and when they return home they find their town empty. They call other towns. They find the whole world empty. But eventually they discover three other kids their age who are still alive in the town. They cannot imagine why the five of them seem to be the only ones left of the entire human race. They have only one thing in common. They were each directly or indirectly involved in the death of Betty Sue-the plain, shy girl who committed suicide only a short time ago. Betty Sue-the quiet, brilliant girl who wrote short stories about ...

Books that are awaiting Reviews: Gone with the Wind-Margaret Mitchell 'Till Morning Comes-Han Suyin The Promise-Chaim Potok Coyote Dream-Jessica Davis Stein Books that I decided to drop: Red and Black-Stendhal Books that I'm reading: The Secret life of the bees-Sue Monk Kidd First Wives Club-Olivia Goldsmith Louise de la Valliere- Alexandre Dumas Mysteries of Udolpho- Anne Radcliffe The Kitchen God's wife- Amy Tan The Chosen- Chaim Potok Books that I'm planning on reading: D'Artagnan Romaces- Alexandre Dumas 5. The man in the iron mask Dream of the Red Chamber-Xueqin Cao 1. The Golden Days 2. The Crab-flower club 3. The warning voice 4. The debt of tears 5. The dreamer wakes The chosen-Chaim Potok R.L. Stine Fear Street Saga and The Fear Street Saga The Hundred Secret Senses- Amy Tan

A Diamond in the Rough Name of Book:  The Foreign Student Author Name:  Susan Choi ISBN:  0-06-092927-8 Type of Book:  Adult, historical, 1940s?-1956, South, South Korea, Korean War, interracial relationship white female/asian male Year it was published in:  1999 Summary: Highly acclaimed by critics, The Foreign Student is the story of a young Korean man, scarred by war, and the deeply troubled daughter of a wealthy Southern American family. In 1955, a new student arrives at a small college in the Tennessee mountains. Chuck is shy, speaks English haltingly, and on the subject of his earlier life in Korea he will not speak at all. Then he meets Katherine, a beautiful and solitary young woman who, like Chuck, is haunted by some dark episode in her past. Without quite knowing why, these two outsiders are drawn together, each sensing in the other the possibility of salvation. Moving between the American South and South Korea, between...

 Chinese Fairytale Gone wrong Name of book:  The Joy Luck Club Author Name:  Amy Tan ISBN:  0-8041-0630-4 Publisher: Ballantine Books New York Type of book:  Originally an adult novel, now young adult-adult, fantasy china, historical, contemporary Year it was published:  October 1989 Summary:  Four mothers, four daughters, four families whose histories shift with the four winds depending on who's "saying" the stories. In 1949 four Chinese women, recent immigrants to San Francisco, begin meeting to eat dim sum, play mahjong, and talk. United in shared unspeakable loss and hope, they call themselves the Joy Luck Club. Rather than sink into tragedy, they choose to gather to raise their spirits and money. "To despair was to wish back for something already lost. Or to prolong what was already unbearable." Forty years later the stories and history continue. With wit and sensitivity, Amy Tan examines the sometimes painful,...

Books that are awaiting reviews: The Joy luck club-Amy Tan Whisper of Death-Christopher Pike Gone with the wind-Margaret Mitchell Foreign Student-Susan Choi 'Till Morning Comes-Han Suyin Coyote Dreams-Jessica Davis Stein The Promise-Chaim Potok Books I decided to drop Savage Conquest-Janelle Taylor Books I'm reading now: Mysteries of Udolpho-Ann Radcliffe Red and Black-Stendhal The First Wives' Club-Olivia Goldsmith Books I will be reading eventually: The Dream of the Red Chamber-Xueqin Cao 1. The Golden Dreams 2. The Crab Flower Club 3. The Warning Voice 4. The Debt of Tears 5. The Dreamer Wakes D'Artagnan Saga-Alexandre Dumas 4. Louise De la Valliere 5. The Man in the iron mask The Kitchen God's wife-Amy Tan The Hundred Secret Senses-Amy Tan The Chosen-Chaim Potok

Books that are awaiting reviews: Gone with the wind-Margaret Mitchell The Foreign Student-Susan Choi Whisper of Death-Christopher Pike 'Till Morning Comes-Han Suyin Coyote Dreams-Jessica Davis Stein The Joy luck club-Amy Tan Books I'm reading now: Red and Black-Stendhal Savage conquest-Janelle Taylor The First Wives club-Olivia Goldsmith The Mysteries of Udolpho-Ann Radcliffe Books I will be reading: (Not all at once) Dream of the red chamber Quintet-Xueqin Cao Louise de la valliere- Alexandre Dumas The man in the iron mask- Alexandre Dumas Kitchen God's wife- Amy Tan Hundred secret senses- Amy Tan

Books that need to be reviewed: Whisper of Death-Christopher Pike 'Till Morning Comes-Han Suyin The Joy luck club-Amy Tam The Promise-Chaim Potok Coyote Dream-Jessica Davis Stein The Foreign Student-Susan Choi Books that I'm reading: Savage Conquest-Janelle Taylor Gone with the wind-Margaret Mitchell Mysteries of Udolpho-Ann Radcliffe  First Wives Club-Olivia Goldsmith

Books that need to be reviewed: The Promise-Chaim Potok Coyote Dreams-Jessica Davis Stein The Foreign Student-Susan Choi 'Till Morning Comes-Han Suyin Books I will read or am reading: The Joy Luck Club-Amy Tan The Fellowship of the ring-J.R.R Tolkien Gone with the wind-Margaret Mitchell The First wives club-Olivia Goldsmith The Mysteries of Udolpho-Ann Radcliffe Savage Conquest-Janelle Taylor Whisper of Death-Christopher Pike

Characters Warning: Spoilers alert.  Daughters: Jing-mei "June" Woo: daughter of Suyuan Woo The Twenty Six Malignant Gates 8. Two Kinds June begins to describe how America presented unlimited opportunities for her mother. Her mother desired for her to become a prodigy and both attempted through various methods to choose one for her. At first June was eager for the idea, but then she hated it and attempted to resist it. Finally the mother forced her to learn piano. June does everything she can to ruin it by not practicing properly. At the talent show she cared more for her appearance than skill and embarrassed herself and the mother by playing badly. Years passed and the mother gave the piano as a present for June and June briefly mentions how in other ways she has disappointed her mother. June decides to retune the piano and finds a song that she played at the recital, 'pleading child' and then discovers another one called 'perfectly contented' and she called ...