Svetlana's Reads and Views

General Information: Name of Book: The Frangipani Hotel ISBN: 978-0-8129-9331-8 Publisher: Spiegel & Grau Year it was published: 2014 Author: Violet Kupersmith About the Author:  (From TLC) About Violet Kupersmith Violet Kupersmith was born in rural Pennsylvania in 1989 and grew up outside of Philadelphia. Her father is American and her mother is a former boat refugee from Vietnam. After graduating from Mount Holyoke College she received a yearlong Fulbright Fellowship to teach and research in the Mekong Delta. She is currently at work on her first novel. Overall theme:  " Con , if you were listening you would have learned almost everything you need to know about your history. The first rule of the country we come from is that it always gives you what you ask for, but never exactly what you want." (page 10) 1. Boat Story Short Summary: A granddaughter looking for an exciting story that should guarantee her an A in history, asks

Name of Book: Wilde Riders Author: Savannah Young ISBN/ASIN: B00IDWDWJ8 Publisher: Short on time books Part of a Series: Old Town Country Romance Type of book: Country, wealth, dating, romance, adult, short time to fall in love, brotherhood, relationships Year it was published: 2014 Summary: FOUR WILDE BROTHERS…ONE WILDE COUNTRY BAND WILDE RIDERS is the first novel in a spicy new contemporary romance series about four sexy brothers, their small-town bar and their local country band. WILDE RIDERS can be read as a STAND ALONE NOVEL or as part of the SERIES. Cooper Wilde spent his entire adolescence counting the days until he could escape rural northwest New Jersey. Now at 26, he can’t believe he’s coming back. But his late father’s bar, Haymakers, is in financial trouble and his older brother, Jake, has asked for Cooper’s help. Riley Smith, 25, is fresh out of her Ivy League MBA program and wants to make an impression on her employer, H & C Bank. Her first

Name of Book: Tea and Primroses Author: Tess Thompson ISBN/ASIN:  B00HV2OCM2 Publisher:   Booktrope Type of book: Dreams, love, full circle, death, life, moving, becoming a family, relationships, romance, secrets, passions Year it was published: 2014 Summary: Nothing is as it seemed in calm, quaint Legley Bay. Famous novelist Constance Mansfield lived a seemingly straightforward – if private – and somewhat predictable life. Friends, beloved daughter Sutton, a beautiful home, and all the success an author could wish for. A perfect life….but was it? When a hit and run accident suddenly takes her mother’s life, Sutton finds hidden secrets with her heartbreak. Emotional walls she assumed Constance had built to protect her privacy may have been to protect something – or someone – else entirely. Family and friends return home for support, including her own lost-love, Declan. He’s the first thing she craves to help her cope with her loss and the questions she’s left wit

Name of Book: Across Great Divides Author: Monique Roy ISBN: 9780615846682 Publisher: Monique Roy Type of book: 1930s-1940s? Germany, WWII, Young Adult, Africa, apartheid, escape, help, jewelry, diamonds Year it was published: 2013 Summary: Across Great Divides is a timeless story of the upheavals of war, the power of family, and the resiliency of human spirit. When Hitler came to power in 1933, one Jewish family refused to be destroyed and defied the Nazis only to come up against another struggle—apartheid in South Africa . Sixteen-year-old twins, Eva and Inge, witness their lives in Berlin change before their eyes. Their best friend, Trudy, betrays them when she becomes a member of the Hitler Youth. A valuable family heirloom, a beautiful emerald and diamond necklace, is confiscated by the Nazis as they harass Jewish families and businesses.  Their younger brother, Max, a member of the underground resistance, sees great danger ahead. Their father, Oskar,

Title of the book: My Boyfriend Barfed in my handbag...and other things you can't ask Martha Author: Jolie Kerr Publisher: Plume Publishing Date: 2014 ISBN: 978-0-14-219693-9 Summary: The author of the hit column "Ask a Clean Person” offers a hilarious and practical guide to cleaning up life’s little emergencies Life is filled with spills, odors, and those oh-so embarrassing stains you just can’t tell your parents about. And let’s be honest: no one is going to ask Martha Stewart what to do when your boyfriend barfs in your handbag. Thankfully, Jolie Kerr has both staggering cleaning knowledge and a sense of humor. With signature sass and straight talk, Jolie takes on questions ranging from the basic—how do I use a mop? —to the esoteric—what should I do when bottles of homebrewed ginger beer explode in my kitchen? My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag proves that even the most nightmarish cleaning conundrums can be solved with a smile, the right supplies, and

Name of Book: Then Like the Blind Man Orbie's Story Author: Freddie Owens ISBN:  9781475084498 Publisher: Createspace Type of book: Southern Gothic novel, thunderstom, tornadoes, Pentecostal religion vs Baptists and Atheism, North and South, racism, 1955-1959, mystery, friendship, protection, Kentucky Year it was published: 2012 Summary: A storm is brewing in the all-but-forgotten backcountry of Kentucky. And, for Orbie Ray, the swirling heavens may just have the power to tear open his family’s darkest secrets. Then Like The Blind Man: Orbie’s Story is the enthralling debut novel by Freddie Owens, which tells the story of a feisty wunderkind in the segregated South of the 1950s, and the forces he must overcome to restore order in his world. Evocative of a time and place long past, this absorbing work of magical realism offered with a Southern twist will engage readers who relish the Southern literary canon, or any tale well told. Nine-year-old Orbie has his

Title : Then Like the Blind Man: Orbie’s Story Author : Freddie Owens Publisher : Blind Sight Publications Pages : 332 Language : English Genre: Historical Fiction/Coming of Age Format : Paperback & eBook Purchase at AMAZON A storm is brewing in the all-but-forgotten backcountry of Kentucky . And, for young Orbie Ray, the swirling heavens may just have the power to tear open his family’s darkest secrets. Then Like The Blind Man: Orbie’s Story is the enthralling debut novel by Freddie Owens, which tells the story of a spirited wunderkind in the segregated South of the 1950s and the forces he must overcome to restore order in his world. Rich in authentic vernacular and evocative of a time and place long past, this absorbing work of magical realism offered up with a Southern twist will engage readers who relish the Southern literary canon, or any tale well told. Nine-year-old Orbie already has his cross to bear. After the sudden death of his father, his mother Ruby has