Svetlana's Reads and Views

  Name of Book: One Dark Window Author: Rachel Gillig  ISBN: 9780316312486 Publisher: Orbit  Part of a Series: The Shepherd King  Type of book: Fantasy, gothic, darkness, mist, mysterious illness, death, kingdom of blunder, mysteries, monsters, cards, magic, breaking laws, secrets  Year it was published: 2022 Summary: Elspeth needs a monster. The monster might be her. Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets. But nothing comes for free, especially magic. When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. And the highwayman? He just so happens to be the King’s nephew, Captain of the most dangerous men in Blunder...

  Name of Book: The Oleander Sword  Author: Tasha Suri ISBN: 9780316538565 Publisher: Orbit  Part of a Series: The Burning Kingdoms Trilogy (The Jasmine Throne is prequel) Type of book: Fantasy, colony, plant disease, burning women, yaksa, politics, negotiation, status, sapphic/lesbian romance,  based on South Asia (India)  Year it was published: 2022 Summary: The prophecy of the nameless god—the words that declared Malini the rightful empress of Parijatdvipa—has proven a blessing and curse. She is determined to claim the throne that fate offered her. But even with the strength of the rage in her heart and the army of loyal men by her side, deposing her brother is going to be a brutal and bloody fight. The power of the deathless waters flows through Priya’s blood. Thrice born priestess, Elder of Ahiranya, Priya’s dream is to see her country rid of the rot that plagues it: both Parijatdvipa's poisonous rule, and the blooming sickness that is slowly spreading thro...

  Name of Book: Bronze Drum Author: Phong Nguyen  ISBN: 978-1-5387-5370-5 Publisher: Grand Central  Type of book: 36-51 ME, Vietnam, sisters, ancient story, retelling, Han China, colonization, women of army, bronze drum, history  Year it was published: 2022 Summary: A stunning novel of ancient Vietnam based on the true story of two warrior sisters who raised an army of women to overthrow the Han Chinese and rule as kings over a united people, for readers of Circe and The Night Tiger. Gather around, children of Chu Diên, and be brave. For even to listen to the story of the Trưng Sisters is, in these troubled times, a dangerous act. In 40 CE, in the Lạc Việt region of ancient Vietnam, two daughters of a Vietnamese Lord fill their days training, studying, and trying to stay true to Vietnamese traditions. While Trưng Trắc is disciplined and wise, always excelling in her duty, Trưng Nhi is fierce and free spirited, more concerned with spending time in the gardens and with...

  Name of Book: The autodidacts  Author: Thomas Kendall  ISBN: 978-1-952600-18-0 Publisher: Whiskey Tit  Type of book: complex, 1980s, 1990s, symmetry, love triangle, mental, life, England, teenagers, drugs, underachievers, holding back  Year it was published: 2022 Summary: A man mysteriously disappears in a lighthouse, as if dissolved by light, leaving behind a notebook filled with bizarre claims of a curse and a series of drawings entitled 'The Death of the Jubilant Child.' The investigation into the disappearance unearths hidden connections between the disappeared man, Helene and the strange figure of the Man With The Forks In His Fingers. Fifteen years later, the discovery of the detective's copy of the notebook by Helene's daughter seems to set in motion a repetition of the events of the past. Circuitously structured and intensely lyrical, The Autodidacts explores the mythos of friendship, the necessity of failure, the duty of imagination, and the dreams of...

  The Sunday Post The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up. See rules here:  Sunday Post Meme #13 A Solution for Gifts Last few years, I honest to gods miss getting presents on New years, especially opening them and wondering what books I'll find inside. Thus this week I decided to do something interesting. Normally I get sent books that aren't out yet, sometimes therefore instead of opening up the envelope, I open them up as gifts instead? Its certainly made it a bit more exciting. My son is enjoying the Eight Night festivities, like saying prayers and listening to music as well as lighting up candles. Also, much to mine surprise, someone who vanished back in June reappeared.  Last Week On The Blog: N/A Th...

  The Sunday Post The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up. See rules here:  Sunday Post Meme #12. Just Because You Know One Person With Autism... I promised myself not to write or post sad posts because honestly, people have limited tolerance for sad posts, yet here I am writing and posting it. When I was in college, it was thought that I had Asperger's disorder (Long story short, I don't feel Asperger's is the right diagnosis for me, but I think it was very undiagnosed ADHD.) and quite often I ended up hearing this mantra: Just because you know one person with autism, it means you only know one person with autism. I feel that for holiday season and beyond, this is a perfect remembrance that we are all human...