Svetlana's Reads and Views

Name of Book: Wild and Wicked Things Author: Francesca May ISBN: 978-0-316-28715-9 Publisher: Redhook Type of book: 1920s, witches, sapphic romance, Crow Island, United Kingdom, mysteries, debts, Great Gatsby retelling, darkness, blood, crows, friendship, relationship, mistakes  Year it was published: 2022 Summary: In the aftermath of World War I, a naive woman is swept into a glittering world filled with dark magic, romance, and murder in this lush and decadent debut. On Crow Island, people whisper, real magic lurks just below the surface.  Neither real magic nor faux magic interests Annie Mason. Not after it stole her future. She’s only on the island to settle her late father’s estate and, hopefully, reconnect with her long-absent best friend, Beatrice, who fled their dreary lives for a more glamorous one.  Yet Crow Island is brimming with temptation, and the biggest one may be her enigmatic new neighbor.  Mysterious and alluring, Emmeline Delacroix is a figure shadowed by rumors of

Title of the book: Vagina Obscura; an anatomical voyage  Author: Rachel E. Gross Publisher: Norton Publishing Date: 2022 ISBN: 9781324006312 Summary: A scientific journey to the center of the new female body. The Latin term for the female genitalia, pudendum, means “parts for which you should be ashamed.” Until 1651, ovaries were called female testicles. The fallopian tubes are named for a man. Named, claimed, and shamed: Welcome to the story of the female body, as penned by men. Today, a new generation of (mostly) women scientists is finally redrawing the map. With modern tools and fresh perspectives, they’re looking at the organs traditionally bound up in reproduction—the uterus, ovaries, vagina—and seeing within them a new biology of change and resilience. Through their eyes, journalist Rachel E. Gross takes readers on an anatomical odyssey to the center of this new world—a world where the uterus regrows itself, ovaries pump out fresh eggs, and the clitoris pulses beneath the surfac

Name of Book: The City of Dusk Author: Tara Sim ISBN: 978-0-316-45889-4 Publisher: Orbit Part of a Series: The Dark Gods Type of book: Fantasy, elements, gods, heirs, powers, anxiety, adult mixed with young or new adult, life, light, shadows, death, sealing the realms, mysteries, secrets  Year it was published: 2022 Summary: Set in a gorgeous world of bone and shadow magic, of vengeful gods and defiant chosen ones, The City of Dusk is the first in a dark epic fantasy trilogy that follows the four heirs of four noble houses—each gifted with a divine power—as they form a tenuous alliance to keep their kingdom from descending into a realm-shattering war. The Four Realms—Life, Death, Light, and Darkness—all converge on the city of dusk. For each realm there is a god, and for each god there is an heir. But the gods have withdrawn their favor from the once vibrant and thriving city. And without it, all the realms are dying. Unwilling to stand by and watch the destruction, the four heirs—Rish

Name of Book: Fencing with the King Author: Diana Abu-Jaber ISBN: 978-0-393-86771-8 Publisher: Norton Type of book: Jordan, royalty, 1995, family, relationships, complications, father/daughter, manipulation, Middle East, celebration, secrets Year it was published: 2022 Summary: A mesmerizing breakthrough novel of family myths and inheritances by the award-winning author of Crescent. Amani is hooked on a mystery—a poem on airmail paper that slips out of one of her father's books. It seems to have been written by her grandmother, a refugee who arrived in Jordan during the First World War. Soon the perfect occasion to investigate arises: her Uncle Hafez, an advisor to the King of Jordan, invites her father to celebrate the king's sixtieth birthday—and to fence with the king, as in their youth. Her father has avoided returning to his homeland for decades, but Amani persuades him to come with her. Uncle Hafez will make their time in Jordan complicated—and dangerous—after Amani disco

Name of Book: Come As You Are  Author: Jennifer Haupt ISBN: 978-1-77168-225-1 Publisher: Central Avenue Type of book: 1987-2002, Seattle Washington, Alburqueque New Mexico, music, friendship, family, relationships, secrets, moving on, humanity, grunge scene, travel, dreams, decisions  Year it was published: 2022 Summary: Set against a backdrop of Seattle in the early '90s, Haupt's second novel is a compelling family drama and love story that explores the question: Can we alter our dreams and stories from the past to create a better future for our children?   Zane and Skye are two misfit teens drawn together by their love of music and their loneliness, both part of Seattle’s grunge scene in the early ‘90s. They dream of moving to L.A. together: Zane’s music career following the trajectory of Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder, and Skye drawing Picasso-esque portraits on the Venice Beach boardwalk. When a tragedy violently catapults them from best friends to lovers, their bond is forev

Name of Book: Fires of Edo Author: Susan Spann ISBN: 978-1-64506-044-4 Publisher: Seventh Street Part of a Series: 8th book in the series ( Claws of the Cat first, followed by  Blade of the samurai; Flask of the Drunken Master; The Ninjas Daughter; Betrayal at Iga; Trial on Mount Koya; and book preceding this one, Ghost of the Bamboo Road)  Type of book: EDO, 1566, travel, mystery, fire, fire brigade, instinct, history, Oda Nobunaga, Portugese priest, protection, shinobi, book binder, book seller, daily life  Year it was published: 2022 Summary: Edo, February 1566: when a samurai’s corpse is discovered in the ruins of a burned-out bookshop, master ninja Hiro Hattori and Jesuit Father Mateo must determine whether the shopkeeper and his young apprentice are innocent victims or assassins in disguise. The investigation quickly reveals dangerous ties to Hiro’s past, which threaten not only Edo’s fledgling booksellers’ guild, but the very survival of Hiro’s ninja clan. With an arsonist on th

Name of Book: Vladimir  Author: Julia May Jonas ISBN: 978-1-9821-8763-7 Publisher: Avid Reader Press Type of book: New England, open marriage, aging, vanity, appearances, seasons, professors, relationships, desires, gender roles, inappropriate relationships, literature, dreams, writing,  Year it was published: 2022 Summary: A provocative, razor-sharp, and timely debut novel about a beloved English professor facing a slew of accusations against her professor husband by former students—a situation that becomes more complicated when she herself develops an obsession of her own... “When I was a child, I loved old men, and I could tell that they also loved me.” And so we are introduced to our deliciously incisive narrator: a popular English professor whose charismatic husband at the same small liberal arts college is under investigation for his inappropriate relationships with his former students. The couple have long had a mutual understanding when it comes to their extra-marital pursuits,

  Title of the book: The Human Past Author: Christopher Scarre editor Publisher: Thames and Hudson Publishing Date: 2009 ISBN: 978-0-500-28781-1 Summary: Professor Chris Scarre has seamlessly integrated the work of an international team of archaeologists from North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. The result is a unique textbook that engagingly and comprehensively embraces the entire expanse of human prehistory while also offering the most up-to-date accounts of separate regions and periods by the leading specialists in these areas. There are hundreds of maps, diagrams, and photographs, many in full color, as well as timelines and boxes on key sites, methods, discoveries, and controversies For the second edition, the text has been thoroughly updated to include recent discoveries and new interpretations from around the world. The coverage of archaeology in the Middle East is expanded to include the Jiroft excavations in Iran and the Late Bronze Age in Qatna, Syria. The Ameri

Title of the book: A History of the Roman People Author: Allen M Ward, Fritz M Heichelheim, Cedirc A. Yeo Publisher: Prentice Hall Publishing Date: 2010 ISBN: 9780205695263 Summary: The Fifth Edition of "A History of the Roman People "continues to provide a comprehensive analytical survey of Roman history from its prehistoric roots in Italy and the wider Mediterranean world to the dissolution of the Roman Empire in Late Antiquity in A.D. 600. Clearly organized and highly readable, the text's narrative of major political and military events provides a chronological and conceptual framework for the social, economic, and cultural developments of the periods covered. Major topics are treated separately so that students can easily grasp key concepts and ideas. Author Info: N/A Personal Opinion: Honestly, this textbook,  at least according to my standards, deserves 3.5 stars. Its readable, shock-full of information and seems to be highly pertinent whether studying Roman history

Title of the book: A History of Russia  Author: George Vernadsky  Publisher: Yale University Press  Publishing Date: 1966 ISBN: 9780300002478 Summary: Generally recognized as the standard one-volume history of Russia, this monumental work describes Russia's growth from the times of the nomadic tribes to the Cold War & examines the social, religious & cultural as well as the political & economic aspects of Russian civilization. Author Info: N/A Personal Opinion: How does one rate a textbook? Personality I would rate it on diversity, inclusivity and information. Thus, I am sorry that this one will be three stars. First of all its an excellent book to understand Russia past and present (up to 1960s) , and its written in an engaging style. But- yes, there are a lot of buts- it didn't include information on women's lives, and minorities such as Jews or Muslims or even Asians are skipped over, in particular Koreans who have had a rich history when it comes to USSR (Fu

 On February 24th, 2022, ww3 has begun with Russia as an aggressor. I had planned on doing more reviews, especially for new Susan Spann novel and Vladimir, but news was pretty upsetting. Shortly before ww3, I even started to read Bryn Turnbulls new book about Olga Romanoff. While the book is very well written, due to what is going on, I can't read it quickly and am torn on whether to read something else or continue to power through. Bookwise I hope things are going well  and I am hoping to one day get Chanel Cleetons new book, OUR LAST DAYS IN BARCELONA. Somehow I don't think I will get that lucky, although I might get lucky. Without further adieu, here are my reads.  Planned reads:  It's my trail too by Ronald R. Cooper Friendswood by Rene Steinke  Here there elsewhere by William Least Heat Moon The Soviet experiment by Ronald Suny  Vanda by Marion Brunet  The city of dusk by Tara SIM  The bloody throne by S.C. Emmett Wild and wicked things by Francesca May  Killing time b

 Fencing with the king- Diana Abu-Jabar SR: February 28th, 2022 FR:   March 12th, 2022 Vanda- Marion Brunet  SR: March 12th 2022 FR: March 29th, 2022 THE bladed faith- David Dalgish SR: March 29th, 2022 FR:  THE throne of the five winds- S.C. Emmett SR: March 12th 2022 FR:  Peach blossom spring- Melissa Fu SR: March 29th, 2022  FR:  THE readers room- Antoin Laurain SR: March 29th, 2022 FR:  March 31st, 2022 Wild and wicked things- Francesca May SR: March 12th 2022 FR: March 29th, 2022 The jack of ruin- Stephen Merlino SR: February 28th, 2022 FR: NA THE city of dusk- Tara SIM SR: March 12th 2022 FR: March 29th, 2022 Paradise close- Lisa Russ Spaar SR: March 31st, 2022 FR:   The last grand duchess- Bryn Turnbull SR: February 19th 2022 FR: NA Nonfiction: A history of Russia- George Vernadsky  SR: February 28th, 2022 FR:  March 12th, 2022