Svetlana's Reads and Views

Title of the book: The Sweeper, a Buddhist Tale Author: Rebecca Hazell Publisher: Shambhala Publishing Date: 2017 ISBN: 978-1-61180-438-6 Summary: A beautifully illustrated picture book that tells the classic Buddhist tale of a young servant girl's profound and life-changing encounter with the Buddha--for children ages 5-10. In this retelling of a famous Buddhist story, Padme, a young servant girl, meets the Buddha as she is sweeping her master's house. When she laments that she is so busy that she would never have time to meditate, the Buddha gives her the instruction to -sweep and clean.- This simple mindfulness practice transforms Padme's life, and when she encounters the Buddha many years later, he teaches her how to send compassion out to others. This book is a wonderful way to introduce children to the power of mindfulness meditation practice. Author Info: (From the book) Rebecca Hazell is an award-winning artist, author and educator. She has

Title of the book: The Adventures of Popcorn and Jellybean from the imagination of Bob and Colton Gillespie Author: Robert Gillespie Publisher: Page publishing Publishing Date: 2017 ISBN: 978-1-63568-255-7 Summary: Popcorn and Jellybean had never ventured down the path beyond the big tree. But since they never really did anything exciting and even though it made them a little nervous at first, they decided it would be a fun adventure for a couple of days since. What could possibly go wrong? Plenty, as it turned out, if the explorers were not prepared! Join them as they took on new challenges each day, learn how to survive by following the behaviors of the animals they encountered, and go where Mother Nature led them. And who knows, maybe we would learn as well! Author Info: (from iRead Book Tours) Buy the Book: Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble  ~  iTunes  ~  Google Play Add to Goodreads Meet the Author: ​Bob has spent more than 13 years as a wildlife conservation

Name of Book: Degrees of Love Author: Lisa Slabach ISBN: 978-1-54390-721-6 Publisher: Bookbaby Type of book: affairs, adultery, workplace, soul-mates, mismatched partners, working away, boredom, mundane, real life, modern times, New York, California, crossing boundaries, love, marriage vows, family Year it was published: 2017 Summary: In this powerful debut, a successful businesswoman embarks on a journey of self-discovery that will shake her to the core. Like the shiny new BMW parked in the driveway of the Silicon Valley home she shares with her husband, Matt, and their two boys, Susan Sinclair exudes confidence and style. Newly promoted to a prestigious Senior Vice President position at her firm, Susan is the picture of personal and professional success. Yet appearances are deceiving. With each advance in Susan’s career, Matt has grown more distant. But he refuses to admit there is a problem, and Susan, determined to give her boys the close-knit family life sh

Diverse Reads on my Blog #13 It's really sad when people put their selfish ambitions and desires ahead of those who they are supposed to serve. It has been a one long and painful in so many ways. The situation definitely seems to be more of "us vs. them" where both sides are painted as either anarchists with blowtorches or kings of old who desire to subject everyone to their whims. Unfortunately I hadn't really accomplished my diversity goals in reading, but its okay, its a brand new year. With diversity, I will also include Jewish authors as well as Jewish themed books. What I also will do is something controversial and it has something to do with bible. (More details to follow) without further ado, please enjoy this month's Diverse Reads. Blast from the Past So Totally Emily Ebers by Lisa Yee In a series of letters to her absent father, twelve-year-old Emily Ebers deals with moving cross-country, her parents' divorce, a new friendship, and her

Name of Book: Kiss Carlo Author: Adriana Trigiani ISBN: 978-0-06-231923-4 Publisher: Harper Collins Type of book: 1949-1954, comedy, theater, acting, being true to self, Italian-Americans, Rosetto, New Jersey, secrets, long engagement, images, feud, driving cab, lying, pretending, friendship Year it was published: 2017 Summary: From Adriana Trigiani, the beloved New York Times-bestselling author of The Shoemaker’s Wife, comes an exhilarating epic novel of love, loyalty, and creativity—the story of an Italian-American family on the cusp of change. It’s 1949 and South Philadelphia bursts with opportunity during the post-war boom. The Palazzini Cab Company & Western Union Telegraph Office, owned and operated by Dominic Palazzini and his three sons, is flourishing: business is good, they’re surrounded by sympathetic wives and daughters-in-law, with grandchildren on the way. But a decades-long feud that split Dominic and his brother Mike and their once-close familie

Name of Book: Dominic Author: Mark Pryor ISBN: 978-1-63388-365-9 Publisher: Seventh Street Books Part of a Series: Hollow Man sequel Type of book: prosecutor, Austin, Texas, sociopath/psychopath, modern times, musician, hiding crimes, murder, role model, lying, omission of truth, Year it was published: 2017 Summary: Only two other people know that Dominic, a charming Englishman, prosecutor, and musician in Austin, Texas, is also a psychopath. They also know that a year ago he got away with murder. One of those people is his "special lady," and the other is her brother, a teenager and fellow psychopath called Bobby. When a wily homicide detective starts digging up that past murder, little Bobby offers to take care of the problem--permanently. Dominic tries to dissuade him, but as he himself knows, psychopaths aren't good with following instructions. Or impulse control. As Detective Megan Ledsome circles closer, Dominic knows his life depends on kee

Name of Book: Hollow Man Author: Mark Pryor ISBN: 978-1-63388-086-3 Publisher: Seventh Street Books Part of a Series: Hollow Man Type of book: Sociopath/Psychopath, legal, prosecutor, Austin, Texas, anti-hero, murder, mystery, covering up tracks, twists, relationship Year it was published: 2015 Summary: Dominic is a prosecutor, a musician, and an Englishman living in Texas. He's also a psychopath. His main goal is to hide his condition and lead a seemingly normal life in hopes to pay off his debts and become a full-time musician in Austin's  club scene. But on one lousy day his carefully-controlled world starts to shatter: he's demoted at work and accused of stealing a fellow musician's song. He also meets a beautiful woman in a lime green dress--perhaps the biggest threat to his safety of all. At her urging, Dominic hatches a plan to steal a van he knows will be filled with cash. He picks two friends as accomplices, insisting on no guns and no vio

Name of Book: The Antelope Play Author: Boyd Taylor ISBN: 978-0-9894707-0-4 Publisher: Katherine Brown Press Part of a Series: Donnie Ray Cuinn Type of book: Velda Texas, water rights, healing, grief, legal, "terrorists", small town, people, friends, work, politics, suspense, drug cartel, death Year it was published: 2013 Summary: When Austin native Donnie Cuinn accepts a job as an associate in a Texas Panhandle law firm, his boredom and disdain for Velda, a sleepy Texas town, is forgotten when he gets caught up in a struggle over water rights, possible radioactive contamination of the nation's largest underground fresh water supply, and the violence of an invading Mexican drug cartel. Along the way, Donnie learns to respect the local rancher, whose brother is at the center of the troubles, and to come to terms with the violent death of his young Mexican wife. Characters: In this book the characters are certainly more memorable than in previous on

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, i

Name of Book: Twofer Murder Author: Lauren Carr ISBN: 9781975776305 Publisher: Acorn Services Part of a Series: Mac Faraday Mysteries; Lovers in Crime Mysteries; Thorny Rose Mysteries) Type of book: Boys weekend, girls weekend, West Virginia, psychology, analysis, delusions, psychopath, lying, past, sins, mysteries, murders, bonding Year it was published: 2017 Summary: Twofer murder? What’s a twofer murder? Twofer Murder is a treat for fans of best-selling author Lauren Carr’s fast-paced mysteries! Lauren’s latest novel contains the main characters from her three successful series: Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose mysteries. The guys go away for a fishing weekend only to get caught up in the murder of a journalist investigating fraud at a timber company. Meanwhile, the ladies are spending the weekend in the presidential suite at a posh resort where Jessica Faraday is to accept a lifetime achievement award for her late grandmother at a murder myster