Svetlana's Reads and Views

General Information: Name of Book: The Greek Myths Vol I ISBN: 0-14-020508-X Publisher: Pelican book Year it was published: 1955 Overall theme: "My method has been to assemble in harmonious narrative all the scattered elements of each myth, supported by little-known variants which may help to determine the meaning, and to answer all questions that arise, as best I can, in anthropological or historical terms. " (22) 97. Theseus and Medea Issue: Theseus arrives in Attica and is purified by sons of Phytalus. Aegeus married Medea and got a son named Medus. Medea recognized Theseus. Theseus gets invited to temple and is served poisonous food. Father recognizes son and both rejoice. War comes from Pallas and his fifty sons and brief history of the name Leos. 98. Theseus in Crete Issue: Theseus kills the white bull. Brief history of Hecalene. Theseus volunteers himself for the annual tribute to Crete and to kill the bull. If successful, Theseus will hoist wh

Title of the book: Cheaper, Better, Faster; Over 2,000 Tips and Tricks to Save You Time and Money Every day Author: Mary Hunt Publisher: Revell Publishing Date: 2013 ISBN: 978-0-8007-2144-2 Summary:  What if there were one book that could help you do nearly everything in life cheaper, better, and faster? Show you how to remove hairspray baked onto a curling iron. How to make white shoes look like new. How to make gourmet coffee without the gourmet price. How to keep your cat out of your houseplants. And hundreds of other things. "Cheaper, Better, Faster "is all the best advice you've ever heard, collected into one handy volume. Every tip is short, to the point, and helps you make the most of your money and your time, making everyday life less hectic and more enjoyable. Other Works: Mary Hunt is a a founder of Debt-Proof Living which happens to be a website, and she also wrote 7 Money Rules for Life and writes a daily syndicated newspaper column titled

Name of Book: Miriam Author: Maggie Anton ISBN: 9780452288638 Publisher: Plume Part of a Series: Rashi's Daughters Type of book: 1078-1089, France, nobility, Talmud, homosexuality, breaking gender roles, wines, Salomon, marriage, widowed, soul mate, Jewish life, birth control, superstitions Year it was published: 2007 Summary: The engrossing historical series of three sisters living in eleventh-century Troyes, France, continues with the tale of Miriam, the lively and daring middle child of Salomon ben Isaac, the great Talmudic authority. Having no sons, he teaches his daughters the intricacies of Mishnah and Gemara in an era when educating women in Jewish scholarship was unheard of. His middle daughter, Miriam, is determined to bring new life safely into the Troyes Jewish community and becomes a midwife. As devoted as she is to her chosen path, she cannot foresee the ways in which she will be tested and how heavily she will need to rely on her faith. With Rash

Name of Book: The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club Author: Duncan Whitehead ISBN: 978-1-4575-1450-0 Publisher: dog ear publishing Type of book: Murder, relation to Hitler, lies, deceit, betrayal, hit man, dog-walking, widows, Savannah Georgia, secrets, mysteries, 2000s, dogs Year it was published: 2012 Summary: Something is not quite right in the leafy Savannah neighborhood of Gordonston. As the friends and fellow members of her afternoon cocktail club gather to mourn the death and lament the life of their neighbor, Thelma Miller, not all is what it seems. When old friends vie for the attention of widower, Alderman and mayoral candidate Elliott, jealousies surface and friendships are strained. An old woman with a dark secret and an infamous uncle plots her revenge for a perceived wrong done over thirty years before, a once successful children’s writer with his own secret is haunted by memories of the past and aspiring model Kelly Hudd has just won the trip of a

Name of Book: The Court of the Lion Author: Eleanor Cooney, Daniel Altieri ISBN: 0-380-70985-6 Publisher: Avon Books Type of book: China, 700s, barbarian, Tang Dynasty, love, politics, relationships, bonds, eunuchs, emotions, mathematics, supernatural, logic, filial piety Year it was published: 1989 Summary: In a magnificent age of exotic splendor and blackest treachery, the sun set on the mighty T'ang dynasty In the 8th century, the great Emperor Hsuan-tsung arose from the flames of chaos and terror to rule the majesty that was China- a vast and mysterious domain of witches, artists, concubines, poets, and assassins. But by the year 738 AD, tragedy upon tragedy had unhinged the beloved Son of Heaven, setting loose the jackals in the Court of the Lion: Li Lin-fu, the evil Chief Minister, discretely gaining power through intrigue and murder...An Lu-shan, the sadistic barbarian general, who played the royal bufon while plotting his master's downfall...Yang Kue

Books to be reviewed: The Court of the Lion by Eleanor Cooney and Daniel Altieri In a magnificent age of exotic splendor and blackest treachery, the sun set on the mighty T'ang dynasty In the 8th century, the great Emperor Hsuan-tsung arose from the flames of chaos and terror to rule the majesty that was China- a vast and mysterious domain of witches, artists, concubines, poets, and assassins. But by the year 738 AD, tragedy upon tragedy had unhinged the beloved Son of Heaven, setting loose the jackals in the Court of the Lion: Li Lin-fu, the evil Chief Minister, discretely gaining power through intrigue and murder...An Lu-shan, the sadistic barbarian general, who played the royal bufon while plotting his master's downfall...Yang Kuei-fei, the beautiful Precious Consort, whose hunger for decadent erotic pleasures could destroy a dynasty. And the fate of the T'ang throne rested in the hands of one trusted advisor: the eunuch Kao Li-shih- he who had sacrificed his manh

Name of Book: The Witch of Little Italy Author: Suzanne Palmieri ISBN: 978-1-250-01551-8 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Type of book: Witchcraft, future, strength, amnesia, first love, secrets, loyalty, siblings, relationships, motherhood, incompatibility (hint of African American male/white female relationship) Year it was published: 2013 Summary: Bewitching and beautiful, The Witch of Little Italy is an enchanting and charming debut that will cast a spell over readers everywhere. When an unexpected pregnancy has Eleanor Amore reluctantly returning to New York to live with her estranged family, she swiftly finds herself in the arms of an old flame. Together they work to unlock her inner powers to solve a decades-old mystery, the key to the Amore women's magical secrets. This sparkling debut will warm your heart through the power of love, family and magic. Characters: The characters strikes me as three dimensional, that is you see them change one way

General Information: Name of Book: Tree of Souls ISBN: 9780195086799 Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA Year it was published: 2004 Overall theme: "With only one God, heaven would be a barren place, at least in mythic terms. Yet the actual Jewish view of heaven is quite different. There are seven heavens, filled with angels and other divine beings, such as the Messiah [Not jesus!], who is said to have a palace of his own in the highest heaven. The clestial Temple can be found there- the mirror image of the Temple in the earthly Jerusalem- as well as an abundance of heavenly palaces, one for each of the patriarchs and matriarchs and sages, where he or she teaches Torah to the attentive souls of the righteous and the angels..." (xliii) "Drawing on the full range of Jewish sources, sacred and nonsacred, ten major categories of Jewish mythology can be identified: Myths of God, Myths of Creation...Each of these categories explores a mythic realm, and,

General Information: Name of Book: The Greek Myths Vol I ISBN: 0-14-020508-X Publisher: Pelican book Year it was published: 1955 Overall theme: "My method has been to assemble in harmonious narrative all the scattered elements of each myth, supported by little-known variants which may help to determine the meaning, and to answer all questions that arise, as best I can, in anthropological or historical terms. " (22) 85. Narcissus Issue: Son of Nymph Leiriope and Cephisus. He grew up to be a captivating youth and broke everyone's heart. Echo falls in love with him but cannot use her voice. She tried to love him, but he never loved her back. Ameinius also loved Narcissus but after the sword, killed himself and asked gods to avenge his death. Artemis caused him to fall in love with himself. Narcissus killed himself, and Echo witnessed it. 86. Phyllis and Carya Issue: Phyllis was a Thracian princess who loved Acamas who is the son of Theseus. She died

Books to be reviewed: The Court of the Lion by Eleanor Cooney and Daniel Altieri In a magnificent age of exotic splendor and blackest treachery, the sun set on the mighty T'ang dynasty In the 8th century, the great Emperor Hsuan-tsung arose from the flames of chaos and terror to rule the majesty that was China- a vast and mysterious domain of witches, artists, concubines, poets, and assassins. But by the year 738 AD, tragedy upon tragedy had unhinged the beloved Son of Heaven, setting loose the jackals in the Court of the Lion: Li Lin-fu, the evil Chief Minister, discretely gaining power through intrigue and murder...An Lu-shan, the sadistic barbarian general, who played the royal bufon while plotting his master's downfall...Yang Kuei-fei, the beautiful Precious Consort, whose hunger for decadent erotic pleasures could destroy a dynasty. And the fate of the T'ang throne rested in the hands of one trusted advisor: the eunuch Kao Li-shih- he who had sacrificed his ma

Title: Elihu Washburne; The Diary and Letters of America's Minister to France During the Siege and Commune of Paris Author: Elihu Washburne was writer, while Michael Hill and and David McCullough were possibly editors? First Copyright Date: Letters and diary entries were from 1870-1871, while the story was put together and published in 2012 Type of Book: France, War, history, Commune, Diplomacy, Franco-Prussian relations, Paris, Siege, 1870-1871 General Subject Matter: France, Paris 1870-1871 Special Features: There is a map of Paris in front as well as a foreword and prologue talking about Elihu Washburne's life before he went to Paris and got stranded there. There's also an index at the back as well. Price: US: 26 dollars, Canada, 29 dollars ISBN: 978-1-4516-6528-4 Possibility on why this subject:  "Elihu Washburne and allt hose caught up in what happened are long gone now, of course. How many today have any idea even of when the Franco-Prussia