Svetlana's Reads and Views

Book to be reviewed: N/A What I'm Reading right now: A Bigger World The Life and Times of Wm. Edwy Ryerson by Thomas A Ryerson (e-book) Surviving the Titanic, the Boer War, turn of the century India, World War One (The Great War), homesteading in Northern Ontario; my great grandfather, William Edwy ‘Ed’ Ryerson led quite an exciting life, as told in this book, ‘A Bigger World.’ This semi-fictional novel is based on facts with the author’s interpretations. Ed’s story is one of survival and determination to make a difference, and be different at the same time. The story is told through the eyes of his son, Tom, during the depression era of the 1930's while living in Hamilton, Canada. William Edwy Ryerson, a life and an adventure worth remembering.  Chapters: 3 out of 11 plus postscript and introduction  Pages: 40 out of 178 Bridge of Scarlet Leaves by Kristina McMorris (For smartbitchestrashybooks site) Los Angeles, 1941. Violinist Maddie Kern's life seemed de...

Title of the book: 50 Things to Know Before Having a Baby Author: Lisa Marie Rusczyk Publisher: N/A Publishing Date: 2012 ISBN: 9781470186 Summary: Ask Yourself the Question... How Much Do You Know About Having a Baby? Do you know what cervix checks are? Did you know you can bleed for a couple weeks after giving birth? Do you know how to stay organized, even with a child? This is a collection of 50 tips that any pregnant woman would like to know before having a baby. The book offers organization tips, advice for visiting the Doctor’s office, and things a pregnant woman should learn or complete before the new bundle of joy arrives. A great quick read for a soon to be new Mom or someone who is helping a soon to be Mom! The book includes tools including Website Resources, Baby Feeding/Diaper Schedule, Mom Medicine Schedule, Baby Clothes Size Chart, Baby Sitter Sheet, Short Hospital Bag Checklist, Recovery Kit Items, Baby Medicine Basket Items, and 10 Things to Know...

Name of Book: Pirates of the Danube: The Erotic Adventures of Pepper MacOralby Author: David J Schmidt ISBN: 9781479163601 Publisher: CreateSpace Type of book: Absurdity, time hodge-podge, parody of fifty shades, adult, sexual, Vienna, Year it was published: 2012 Summary: “Pirates of the Danube” comes riding into town on the sticky, dubiously-stained coattails of the “Fifty Shades of Grey” series, offering a prophetic, satirical look at how low our standards have sunk. This work of comic farce presents a satire of the entire romance – erotica genre, taking shots at supermarket dime novels, Fabio-emblazoned book covers, and “S & M for housewives” alike. Readers of “Pirates of the Danube” are swept along from one historical anachronism to the next (Beowulf, Lazarus and Jane Austen’s “Mister Darcy” are contemporaries in this world; the young medical student Sigmund Freud makes a cameo appearance). The sexual adventures of our heroes—Pepper MacOralby and Baron ...

Name of Book: The King's Ransom Author: Cheryl Carpinello ISBN: 9781482527094 Publisher: Createspace Part of a Series: Young Knights of the Round Table Type of book: King Arthur, secrets, mystery, plot, young adult, myths, quest, Medieval Ages Year it was published: 2012 Summary: In medieval Wales, eleven-year-old Prince Gavin, thirteen-year-old orphan Philip, and fifteen-year-old blacksmith's apprentice Bryan are brought together in friendship by one they call the Wild Man. When an advisor to the king is killed and a jewelled medallion is stolen from the king's treasury, the Wild Man is accused of the theft and murder. Filled with disbelief at the arrest of the Wild Man, the three friends embark upon a knight's quest to save their friend's life. To succeed, the three must confront their fears and insecurities, and one of them will have to disclose the biggest secret of all. Join Gavin, Philip, and Bryan on their quest and share the adventu...

Name of Book: Palladium Eastern Empires Author: Marc Lane ISBN: 9781481278898 Publisher: Createspace Part of a Series: Palladium Type of book: Crusades, Byzantium, Holy Land, Judaism, slavery, conversion, 1106-1108, decisions, Palladium, Israel, battles Year it was published: 2012 Summary: This is the story before the fall of the Roman Empire, the last gasp of the vanished culture of Byzantium, the Middle Ages and the crusades. A story of pride, servitude, adventure and misfortune. Moreover, this is the story of a statue long forgotten, yet whose name lingers on, at the edge of awareness. Of how she came to be removed from her sacred seat, and where she was taken. Characters: The characters are many and multiple, yet strangely enough there's little explanation for their motives, at least for Jacob (Clement) in particular. Some things that do happen to Jacob seem very last minute for me and didn't really ring true. Jacob seemed to grow on me, despite hi...

Name of Book: Zinsky the Obscure Author: Ilan Mochari ISBN: 978-1-937677-11-4 Publisher: Fomite Type of book: Growing up, New York, Peter Pan adult, relationships, family, abuse, trauma, football, literature, F Scott Fitzgerald, West Egg, life Year it was published: 2012 Summary: Thirty-year-old Manhattan bachelor Ariel Zinsky is still recovering from his abusive childhood when he realizes no one -- including his few living relatives -- is truly interested in his narrative. While they numb themselves with the latest celebrity rehab story or the third-world atrocities replayed without ceasing on cable news, he sets out to write his autobiography as an exercise in his own self-medication, recasting himself as the hero in a coming-of-age story. Fans of A Confederacy of Dunces and The Perks of Being a Wallflower will relate to this tale of overcoming your childhood's traumas, and the world's indifference to them. Characters: Zinsky deprecates himself too much,...

Summary: "From the first page the reader is back in the moody, brooding atmosphere of Rebecca." The New York Times "From the bestselling author of Rebecca, another classic set in beautiful and mysterious Cornwall." Philip Ashley's older cousin Ambrose, who raised the orphaned Philip as his own son, has died in Rome. Philip, the heir to Ambrose's beautiful English estate, is crushed that the man he loved died far from home. He is also suspicious. While in Italy, Ambrose fell in love with Rachel, a beautiful English and Italian woman. But the final, brief letters Ambrose wrote hint that his love had turned to paranoia and fear. Now Rachel has arrived at Philip's newly inherited estate. Could this exquisite woman, who seems to genuinely share Philip's grief at Ambrose's death, really be as cruel as Philip imagined? Or is she the kind, passionate woman with whom Ambrose fell in love? Philip struggles to answer this question, knowing Ambros...

Title of the book: Book Power A platform for writing, branding, positioning and publishing Author: Kytka Hilmar-Jezek Publisher: Be More Network Publishing Date: 2013 ISBN: 978-0615771779 Summary: Learn how to build a powerful platform from writing your book, brand and position yourself as an author for greater reach, impact, profits and success. Kytka Hilmar-Jezek reveals the perfect road map to not only get you started to write, but to help you complete the process in an easy and gamified way. She outlines how you can create a best seller by using positioning and branding and why you need a powerful expert author platform. She teaches you how to develop a winning book strategy AND a full product line around your knowledge! This book is invaluable for any author that is ready to succeed is today's marketplace. This book shows the power of having a published book and completely demystifies what writing a book entails. You will be inspired to get your own expertise o...

Book to be reviewed: N/A What I'm Reading right now: Young Knights of the Round Table: The King's Ransom by Cheryl Carpinello (e-book) In medieval Wales, eleven-year-old Prince Gavin, thirteen-year-old orphan Philip, and fifteen-year-old blacksmith's apprentice Bryan are brought together in friendship by one they call the Wild Man. When an advisor to the king is killed and a jewelled medallion is stolen from the king's treasury, the Wild Man is accused of the theft and murder. Filled with disbelief at the arrest of the Wild Man, the three friends embark upon a knight's quest to save their friend's life. To succeed, the three must confront their fears and insecurities, and one of them will have to disclose the biggest secret of all. Join Gavin, Philip, and Bryan on their quest and share the adventures that await them in the land of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.  Chapters: 3 out of 18  Pages: 16 out of 82 A Weak American in Russi...