Svetlana's Reads and Views

Name of Book: Stepdog Author: Nicle Galland ISBN: 978-0-06-236947-5 Publisher: William Morrow Type of book: Travel all over America, Green card wedding, American female/Irish male, dog loyalty and devotion, quirky characters, 2000s, Boston, acting, museum, getting used to married life, dog-napping, past, history Year it was published: 2015 Summary: What's the difference between puppy love and dogged devotion? When Sara Renault fired Rory O'Connor from his part-time job at a Boston art museum, and in response, Rory—Irishman, actor, musician, reformed party-boy— impulsively leaned over and kissed her . . . she kissed him back. Now, as Rory's visa runs out on the cusp of his big Hollywood break, Sara insists that he marry her to get a green card. In a matter of weeks they've gone from being friendly work colleagues to a live-in couple, and it's all grand . . . except for Cody, Sara's beloved dog from her troubled previous relationship. Sara...

Honor Among Thieves (Hope & Steel: Book I) by J.M. Aucoin Publication Date: June 30, 2015 Publisher: Sword & Cape eBook & Paperback; Pages: 330 Series: Hope & Steel (Book One) Genre: Historical Adventure/Swashbuckler     France, March 1609. The French Wars of Religion are over, but forces still conspire against the crown… Darion Delerue, former soldier turned highwayman, has only two things of value—the hope in his heart and the steel at his side. After a heist on a royal ambassador goes wrong, Darion is thrown into a political plot to undermine the crown, pitting his old life as an honorable soldier against his new life as a thief and bandit. His actions could send France back into civil war. Honor Among Thieves is a gripping tale of daring sword-play and political intrigue, with superb historical detail of 17th Century France that will have readers wanting to draw their swords and fight for glory! AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE ABOUT THE ...

Name of Book:  Naked: A Novel of Lady Godiva Author: Eliza Redgold ISBN: 978-1-250-06615-2 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Type of book: 1023-1024? marriage, ruling, Engla-lond, Saxons vs Danes, battles, determination, taxes, friendship, loyaly, Beowulf, Peace weaver, Year it was published: 2015 Summary: We know her name. We know of her naked ride. We don't know her true story. We all know the legend of Lady Godiva, who famously rode naked through the streets of Coventry, covered only by her long, flowing hair. So the story goes, she begged her husband Lord Leofric of Mercia to lift a high tax on her people, who would starve if forced to pay. Lord Leofric demanded a forfeit: that Godiva ride naked on horseback through the town. There are various endings to Godiva's ride, that all the people of Coventry closed their doors and refused to look upon their liege lady (except for 'peeping Tom') and that her husband, in remorse, lifted the tax. Naked i...

The Forgotten Flapper: A Novel of Olive Thomas (Forgotten Actress Series, Volume 1) by Laini Giles Publication Date: August 1, 2015 Publisher: Sepia Stories Publishing Formats: eBook & Trade Paperback Pages: 411 Genre: Historical Fiction/Biographical A presence lurks in New York City’s New Amsterdam Theatre when the lights go down and the audience goes home. They say she’s the ghost of Olive Thomas, one of the loveliest girls who ever lit up the Ziegfeld Follies and the silent screen. From her longtime home at the theater, Ollie’s ghost tells her story from her early life in Pittsburgh to her tragic death at twenty-five. After winning a contest for “The Most Beautiful Girl in New York,” shopgirl Ollie modeled for the most famous artists in New York, and then went on to become the toast of Broadway. When Hollywood beckoned, Ollie signed first with Triangle Pictures, and then with Myron Selznick’s new production company, becoming most well known for her work as a “...

The summer is heating up with the re-issue of Candace Robb's Owen Archer historical crime series! Nine of the ten books were just released in eBook format, with all new, beautiful covers, and is now available to download for your eReader! At only $2.99 per eBook, it's a FAB deal on a great series! THE APOTHECARY ROSE (BOOK ONE) "Suspenseful, historically accurate, and blessed with a wonderful cast of characters, THE APOTHECARY ROSE is an absolute delight from start to finish..." — Charles de Lint, author of the Newford Series In the year of our Lord 1363, two suspicious deaths in the infirmary of St. Mary’s Abbey catch the attention of the powerful John Thoresby, Lord Chancellor of England and Archbishop of York. One victim is a pilgrim, while the second is Thoresby’s ne’er-do-well ward, both apparently poisoned by a physic supplied by Master Apothecary Nicholas Wilton. In the wake of these deaths, the archbishop dispatches one-eyed spy Owen Archer to York to find...

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,...

Name of Book:  Heart Dancing a story alchemy adventure Author: Kathryn Eriksen ISBN: 9780990849728 Publisher: Self published Type of book: spiritual, troubles, secrets, divorce, broken family, inner wisdom, dancing, philosophy, concepts Year it was published: 2014 Summary: Brian, his wife Christine and their 14-year-old daughter, Savanna, are a typical American family. Their lives begin to unravel when a dark secret from their past threatens to destroy them. Divorce is imminent unless they discover a miracle. Savanna refuses to stand by and watch her family self-destruct. A mysterious young woman and her dog show Savanna how to look past the physical and see the spiritual side of her situation. A leap of faith and willingness to change her perspective gives Savanna a new view of her life, her values and her purpose. But can the adults give up their stories about the past that are tearing them apart? Brimming with inspiration, transformation and empowering...

Name of Book: When the Moon is Low Author: Nadia Hashimi ISBN: 978-0-06-239919-9 Publisher: William Morrow Type of book: Afghanistan 1960s-2000s, Taliban, take over, underworld, survival, refugee laws for Turkey, Greece and France, migration, escape, hiding, prostitution, coming of age, violence Year it was published: 2015 Summary: Mahmoud's passion for his wife Fereiba, a schoolteacher, is greater than any love she's ever known. But their happy, middle-class world—a life of education, work, and comfort—implodes when their country is engulfed in war, and the Taliban rises to power. Mahmoud, a civil engineer, becomes a target of the new fundamentalist regime and is murdered. Forced to flee Kabul with her three children, Fereiba has one hope to survive: she must find a way to cross Europe and reach her sister's family in England. With forged papers and help from kind strangers they meet along the way, Fereiba make a dangerous crossing into Iran under co...