Svetlana's Reads and Views

  Title of the book: Jewish Noir II; Tales of Crime and other dark deeds Author: Various  Publisher: PM Press  Publishing Date: 2022 ISBN: 9781629638225 Summary: Jewish Noir 2 is unique collection of twenty-three all-new stories (and one reprint) by Jewish and non-Jewish literary and genre writers, including numerous award-winning authors such as Gabriela Alemán, Doug Allyn, Rita Lakin, Rabbi Ilene Schneider, E.J. Wagner, and Kenneth Wishnia, with a foreword by MWA Grand Master Lawrence Block. The stories explore such issues as the perpetual challenge of confronting resurgent anti-Semitism in the US, the enduring legacy of regional warfare in the land of Israel since biblical times, how the “entitled” behavior of certain ultra-Orthodox communities can fuel anti-Semitic attitudes, Jewish support of the civil rights movement, greedy Jewish businessmen who reinforce negative ethnic stereotypes, the excesses of “golden ghetto” American Jews, the appeal of “tough” Is...

  Title of the book: If there are any heavens; a memoir  Author: Nicholas Montemarano Publisher: Persea  Publishing Date: 2022 ISBN: 9780892555574 Summary: On January 6, 2021, at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in America, while the U.S. Capitol is under attack, Nicholas Montemarano drives six hundred miles to see his mother, who is hospitalized with COVID pneumonia and in a critical state. For ten days he lives in a hotel minutes from the hospital, alternating between hope and helplessness. This is the story of those ten days. It is the story of the pandemic told through the intimate prism of one family’s loss.   Written with visceral urgency in the earliest days of grief, If There Are Any Heavens resists categorization: it is a memoir, a poem, a mournful but loving song. Its form asks readers to slow down and breathe between each broken line. At other moments, a chorus of voices—anti-maskers, COVID-deniers, and doctors—causes the reader to bec...

Name of Book: The book of Gothel Author: Mary McMyne  ISBN: 9780316393119 Publisher: Redhook Type of book: 1140s, medieval Germany, fairytales, marriage, wedding, love, reproductive care for women, herbs, childbirth, choices, pregnancy, secrets, werewolves, politics, paganism, magic, birds  Year it was published: 2022 Summary: "Smart, swift, sure-footed and fleet-winged, The Book of Gothel launches its magic from a most reliable source: the troubled heart. Mary McMyne is a magician."—Gregory Maguire, NYT bestselling author of Wicked Everyone knows the tale of Rapunzel in her tower, but do you know the story of the witch who put her there? Haelewise has always lived under the shadow of her mother, Hedda—a woman who will do anything to keep her daughter protected. For with her strange black eyes and even stranger fainting spells, Haelewise is shunned by her medieval village, and her only solace lies in the stories her mother tells of child-stealing witches, of pri...

Name of Book: The martyr Author: Anthony Ryan  ISBN: 9780356514598 Publisher: Orbit  Part of a Series: The Covenant of Steel ( THE PARIAH first book, THE TRAITOR ( possible title) upcoming last book)  Type of book: Fantasy, medieval England? Religious figures, behind the scenes, war, manipulations, siege, planning, cleverness, writing, history, past, present, future, little to no magic, secrets  Year it was published: 2022 Summary: Deadly feuds and ancient secrets spell war in the second novel of The Covenant of Steel, a new epic series of action, intrigue, and magic from a master storyteller who has taken the fantasy world by storm. Times have changed for Alwyn Scribe. Once an outlaw, he’s now a spymaster and sworn protector of Lady Evadine Courlain, whose visions of a demonic apocalypse have earned her the fanatical devotion of the faithful. Yet Evadine’s growing fame has put her at odds with both Crown and Covenant. As trouble brews in the kingdom, both ...

Name of Book: Fish swimming in dappled sunlight Author: Riku Onda  ISBN: 9781913394592 Publisher: Bitter Lemon Press Type of book: Japan, siblings, accident or murder, secrets, apartment, intelligence, desire, nature, contemporary times  Year it was published: 2022 Summary: Set in Tokyo over the course of one night, Aki and Hiro have decided to be together one last time in their shared flat before parting. Their relationship has broken down after a mountain trek during which their guide died inexplicably. Now each believes the other to be a murderer and is determined to extract a confession before the night is over. Who is the murderer and what really happened on the mountain? In the battle of wills between them, the chain of events leading up to this night is gradually revealed in a gripping psychological thriller that keeps the reader in suspense to the very end. Characters: Main characters are Aki and Hiro, brother and sister who have recently reunited and ar...

Name of Book: Calypso, corpses and cooking Author: Raquel V. Reyes  ISBN: 9781639101061 Publisher: Crooked Lane  Part of a Series: The Caribbean Kitchen Mysteries Type of book: Florida, mid October to early November, cozy mystery, Spanglish, English, Spanish, cooking, poisonings, friendship, relationships, secrets  Year it was published: 2022 Summary: It’s time for a savory soirée—but something sinister is stewing—in Raquel V. Reyes’s second delightful Caribbean Kitchen mystery, perfectly delicious for fans of Mia P. Manansala. Fall festivities are underway in Coral Shores, Miami. Cuban-American cooking show star Miriam Quiñones-Smith wakes up to find a corpse in her front yard. The body by the fake tombstone is the woman that was kicked out of the school’s Fall Festival the day before. Miriam’s luck does not improve. Her passive-aggressive mother-in-law puts her in charge of the Women’s Club annual gala. But this year, it’s not canapes and waltzes. Miriam ...

Name of Book: The Bloody Throne Author: S.C. Emmett ISBN: 978031645343 Publisher: Orbit  Part of a Series: last book of hostage of Empire ( the throne of the five winds and POISON PRINCE prequels)  Type of book: Fantasy East Asia style, secrets, poisonings, trust, role of emperor, murder, war, conquer, politics, details, shock, tangled webs, siblings Year it was published: 2022 Summary: "Intricate, elegant and sharp as a blade―sweeping political fantasy at its finest." ―Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne A richly detailed epic of ambition, honor, and sacrifice, The Bloody Throne is the masterful conclusion to Hostage of Empire, a medieval East Asia-inspired fantasy trilogy.  The great Zhaon empire is in turmoil. The emperor is dead and the crown prince has fallen to hidden schemes, leaving the most dangerous prince to assume the throne. The imperial court is seething, and whispers of war grow to shouts. The once vanquished kingdom of Khir marches again to regain the...

  Name of Book: A killing in costumes Author: Zac Bissonnette ISBN: 9781639100866 Publisher: Crooked Lane Books  Part of a Series: Hollywood Mysteries Type of book: cozy mystery, romance, LGBT+ main characters, Florida, poisonings, Hollywood, family, relationships, pets, contemporary times  Year it was published: 2022 Summary: Stardom fades fast when you’re on the line for murder, in this debut cozy mystery perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Jenn McKinlay. Jay Allan and Cindy Cooper were soap opera stars in the late ’90s, a wholesome young husband-and-wife duo who combined musical talent with humor and charisma. When the truth about their sexual orientations came to light, their marriage and TV careers ended, but decades later they have remained friends. Together, they open Palm Springs’ chicest movie memorabilia store, Hooray for Hollywood--but no customers and dwindling finances spell trouble. A Hail Mary arrives in the form of Yana Tosh, a ninety-year...

 So much to mine relief, I am not kicked out. Few weeks back my son's father visited us and we went to some awesome places and ate awesome food as well. He has recently gone back to Guam. July was definitely a topsy turvy month of me trying to figure out what books to read and not to read, which explains why i haven't really read any. This month I will be trying to read two books at once instead of mine usual four and will see if I can read more or not. Without further ado, here are my plans. Room on Rue Amelie by Kristin Harmel  Titans by Leila Meacham  Rough passage to London by Robin Lloyd  Ten thousand stitches by Olivia Atwater  Long shadow by Olivia Atwater  The bone flower by Charles Lambert  There are no happy loves by Sergio Olguin  The Martyr by Anthony Ryan  Bronze drum by Phong Nguyen  The Jasmine throne by Tasha Suri  The ranger of Marzanna by Jon Skovron  Dead water by C.A Fletcher  A map for the missing by B...

Ten  thousand stitches- Olivia Atwater  SR: August 16th, 2022 FR: August 27th, 2022 Long shadow- Olivia Atwater  SR: August 27th, 2022 FR: August 27th, 2022 The undertaking of hart and mercy- Megan Bannen  SR: August 1st, 2022  FR: August 8th, 2022  A KILLING IN COSTUMES- Zac Bissonnette  SR: August 1st, 2022 FR: August 8th, 2022  The bloody throne- S. C. Emmett  SR: July 1st FR: August 1st, 2022 A dowry of blood- S.T. Gibson SR: August 16th, 2022 FR: August 27th, 2022 The book of gothel- Mary McMyne SR: July 1st, 2022 FR: August 1st, 2022  Bronze drum- Phong Nguyen  SR: August 27th, 2022 FR:  CALYPSO, CORPSES and COOKING- Raquel V. Reyes  SR: August 8th, 2022 FR: August 16th, 2022 The Martyr- Anthony Ryan SR: August 16th, 2022 FR: August 16th, 2022 The ranger of Marzanna- Jon Skovron  SR: August 27th, 2022 FR:   Jewish Noir 2- various SR: August 1st, 2022 FR: August 16th, 2022 Nonfiction