Svetlana's Reads and Views

Name of Book: Fire and Sword Author: Louise Turner ISBN:  9780989263139 Publisher: Hadley Rille Books Type of book: Scotland, politics, John Sempill, marriage, 1488-1489, war, siege, career, growing up, history Year it was published: 2013 Summary: On the 11th of June in 1488, two armies meet in battle at Sauchieburn, near Stirling. One fights for King James the Third of Scotland, the other is loyal to his eldest son, Prince James, Duke of Rothesay. Soon, James the Third is dead, murdered as he flees the field. His army is routed. Among the dead is Sir Thomas Sempill of Ellestoun, Sheriff of Renfrew, whose son and heir, John, escapes with his life. Once John's career as knight and courtier seemed assured. But with the death of his king, his situation is fragile. He's the only surviving son of the Sempill line and he's unmarried. If he hopes to survive, John must try and win favour with the new king. And deal with the ruthless and powerful Lord Montgomerie...

Name of Book: Queen of Bedlam Author: Laura Purcell ISBN:   9781910183014 Publisher: Myrmidon Books Type of book: England, George III, royal family, strong female protagonists, madness, 1788-1818, choices, family vs freedom, routine vs chaos, wars Year it was published: 2014 Summary: London 1788. The calm order of Queen Charlotte’s court is shattered by screams. The King of England is going mad. Left alone with thirteen children and with the country at war, Charlotte has to fight to hold her husband’s throne. It is a time of unrest and revolutions but most of all Charlotte fears the King himself, someone she can no longer love or trust. She has lost her marriage to madness and there is nothing she can do except continue to do her royal duty. Her six daughters are desperate to escape their palace asylum. Their only chance lies in a good marriage, but no prince wants the daughter of a madman. They are forced to take love wherever they can find it, with deva...

General Information: Name of Book: The Living Memories Project: Legacies that Last ISBN: 978-0-988255-37-1 Publisher: Little Miami Publishing Year it was published: 2014 For More Information Visit  The Living Memories Website . Connect with The Living Memories Project on  Facebook  and  Twitter . The Living Memories Project  is available on Amazon. Order the book from  Little Miami Publishing . Overall theme: "Just as we hoped to honor our mother's essential goodness, cheerfulness, and optimism by writing this book, we hope that every reader can find comfort and meaning through honoring the memory and values, and the positive, never-ending influence, of one no longer there." (6) Author Information: Meryl Ain holds a BA from Queens College , a MA from Columbia University Teachers College , and an Ed.D. from Hofstra University . She began her career in education as a social studies teacher before she became an administ...

Name of Book: The Cook's Temptation Author: Joyce Wayne ISBN: 978-1-77161-045-2 Publisher: Mosaic Press Type of book: Judaism, cooking, typhoid, a swan among sparrows, marriage, ambition, intelligence, 1881-1900s, England, moving among circles, anti-Judaism in Victoria era, blackmail, mistress of the manor Year it was published: 2013 Summary: Joyce Wayne brings to life the complexities of Victorian life, first in County Devon, and then in London’s East End. The big picture is about one woman’s life, class conflict, religious intolerance, suspicion, and betrayal. The central figure is Cordelia, a strong-minded Jewish woman who is caught between her desire to be true to herself and her need to be accepted by English society. The Cook’s Temptation is about a woman who is unpredictable, both strong- and weak-willed, both kind and heinous, victim and criminal. It is a genuine Victorian saga, full of detail, twists and turns, memorable scenes, and full of drama and pa...

Name of Book: Moving Day Author: Jonathan Stone ISBN: 9781477818244 Publisher: Thomas and Mercer Type of book: Psychology, repetitious, Holocaust, fighting, full circle, thievery, 2000s, tracking down, living in past and present Year it was published: 2014 Summary: Forty years’ accumulation of art, antiques, and family photographs are more than just objects for Stanley Peke—they are proof of a life fully lived. A life he could have easily lost long ago. When a con man steals his houseful of possessions in a sophisticated moving-day scam, Peke wanders helplessly through his empty New England home, inevitably reminded of another helpless time: decades in Peke’s past, a cold and threadbare Stanislaw Shmuel Pecoskowitz eked out a desperate existence in the war-torn Polish countryside, subsisting on scraps and dodging Nazi soldiers. Now, the seventy-two-year-old Peke—who survived, came to America, and succeeded—must summon his original grit and determination to track d...