Svetlana's Reads and Views

Name of Book: Free Food For the Millionaires Author: Min Jin Lee ISBN: 978-1-4555-7167-3 Publisher: Grand Central Type of book: Korea-America, rape, negative portrayal of Korean men who like Caucasian women, New York, 1990s, haves and have-nots, pride, kindness, marriage, relationships, family, church, faith, struggling, surviving, class, Asian women/Caucasian men relationships, money, debts, working at a bank Year it was published: 2007 Summary: Casey Han's four years at Princeton gave her many things, "But no job and a number of bad habits." Casey's parents, who live in Queens, are Korean immigrants working in a dry cleaner, desperately trying to hold on to their culture and their identity. Their daughter, on the other hand, has entered into rarified American society via scholarships. But after graduation, Casey sees the reality of having expensive habits without the means to sustain them. As she navigates Manhattan, we see her life and the lives...

General Information: Name of Book: The Vegetarian ISBN: 978-1-101-90611-8 Publisher: Hogarth Books Year it was published: 2016 (Original 2007) Summary: Before the nightmare, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary life. But when splintering, blood-soaked images start haunting her thoughts, Yeong-hye decides to purge her mind and renounce eating meat. In a country where societal mores are strictly obeyed, Yeong-hye's decision to embrace a more “plant-like” existence is a shocking act of subversion. And as her passive rebellion manifests in ever more extreme and frightening forms, scandal, abuse, and estrangement begin to send Yeong-hye spiraling deep into the spaces of her fantasy. In a complete metamorphosis of both mind and body, her now dangerous endeavor will take Yeong-hye—impossibly, ecstatically, tragically—far from her once-known self altogether. A disturbing, yet beautifully composed narrative told in three parts, The Vegetarian is an allegorical no...

Wally Hatford dreams of long lazy days far away from school and Caroline Malloy. But Wally, the best speller among the Hatford brothers, gets roped into helping them with a summer newspaper project that will earn the twins school credit. What does that get Wally? When he hears scratching noises coming from Oldakers’ bookstore cellar, Mr. Oldaker trusts him to keep a secret that could turn into a scoop for their newspaper. Wally worries that the secret may be too scary to keep to himself. What’s worse, the Malloy girls have horned in on the newspaper. If there’s one person Wally won’t spill his secret to, it’s nutty Caroline Malloy. No matter what it is! For my take on this book, please click on the link here: COMING UP 3 out of 5 (0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)

Name of Book: Miriam Author: Maggie Anton ISBN: 9780452288638 Publisher: Plume Part of a Series: Rashi's Daughters Type of book: 1078-1089, France, nobility, Talmud, homosexuality, breaking gender roles, wines, Salomon, marriage, widowed, soul mate, Jewish life, birth control, superstitions Year it was published: 2007 Summary: The engrossing historical series of three sisters living in eleventh-century Troyes, France, continues with the tale of Miriam, the lively and daring middle child of Salomon ben Isaac, the great Talmudic authority. Having no sons, he teaches his daughters the intricacies of Mishnah and Gemara in an era when educating women in Jewish scholarship was unheard of. His middle daughter, Miriam, is determined to bring new life safely into the Troyes Jewish community and becomes a midwife. As devoted as she is to her chosen path, she cannot foresee the ways in which she will be tested and how heavily she will need to rely on her faith. With Rash...

General Information: Name of Book: This Generation: Dispatches from China's most popular Literary Star (and race car driver) ISBN: 978-1-4516-6000-5 Publisher: Simon and Schuster Year it was published: (2006-2012), anthology form, 2012 Summary: For those who follow Chinese affairs, Han Han is as controversial as they come- an irreverent singer, sports celebrity, and satirist whose brilliant blogs and books have made him a huge celebrity with more than half a billion readers. Now, with this collections of his essays, Americans can appreciate the range of this rising literary star and get a fascinating trip through Chinese culture. This Generation gathers his essays and blogs dating from 2006 to the present, telling the story of modern China through Han Han's unique perspective. Writing on topics as diverse as racing, relationships, the Beijing Olympics, and how to be a patriot, he offers a brief, funny, and illuminating trip through a complex nation that most We...

Name of Book: The River Knows Author: Amanda Quick ISBN: 0399154175 Publisher: Putnam Type of book: Victoria Era, 1800s?-1900s?, mystery, murder, suicide, nothing as it seems, romance, adult Year it was published: 2007 Summary: The first kiss occurred in a dimly lit hallway on the upper floor of Elwin Hastings's grand house. Louisa never saw it coming.... Of course, Anthony Stalbridge couldn't possibly have had romantic intentions. The kiss was an act of desperation meant to distract the armed guard from catching the pair in a place they did not belong. After all, Louisa Bryce, in her dull maroon gown and gold-rimmed spectacles, was no man's idea of an alluring female. The only thing the two interlopers have in common is a passionate interest in the private affairs of Mr. Hastings-a prominent member of Society whom they both suspect of hiding terrible secrets. Now, brought together by their ruse, Anthony and Louisa are united in their efforts to find the...

Name of Book: Bird and Fish Author: Adrienne Leslie ISBN: 978-1-4196-9192-8 Publisher: Perhaps an Indie publisher? Booksurge Part of a Series: Bird and Fish duology; sequel Sea and Sky Type of book: interracial relationship, Asian male/white female, Korean, Korean drama, New York, 2006 Year it was published: 2007 Summary: A bird and fish may fall in love but where will they live? Wendy Dale quietly shoulders her exhausting family demands: her daughter's battle with Crohn's disease, her husband's laissez-faire approach to their crumbling marriage and a self-absorbed mother grown more demanding after a series of strokes. By becoming an aging girly-girl, Wendy stifles her authentic self in clearance rack shopping, Martha Stewart housekeeping and smoothing the daily friction between black, white and Asian students who jockey for school control. Taking no joy from teaching or homemaking, the teacher longs simply to write a children's story honoring her...

Name of book: The Russian Concubine Author Name: Kate Furnivall ISBN: 978-0-425-21558-6 Publisher: Berkley Books Part of a Series: Russian Saga; Jewel of St Petersburg before, The Girl from Junchow after Type of book: Adult, China, Russia, Communism, 1917, 1928-1930?, Interracial relationship Asian Male/White Female Year it was published: 2007 Summary: A sweeping epic and stunning debut, this novel brings to life the war-torn CHina of the 1920s. On opposite sides of a political and social divide, an exiled Russian girl and a Chinese Communist boy find love; a mother must face what she would rather forget; and an idealist realizes his greatest enemies might be his own kind... Junchow, China, 1928. Perhaps it's her red hair, or her hard life. Whatever the reason, Lydia Ivanova has a fierce spirit. Nothing can dim it, not even the foul waters of the Peiho River. Into the river's grime bodies are tossed, those of thieves and Communists alike. So every time...

Name of book: Natural Born Charmer Author Name: Susan Elizabeth Phillips ISBN: 978-0-06-073458-9 Publisher: Avon fiction Type of book: Adult, romance, contemporary Year it was published: 2007 Summary:  It wasn't every day a guy saw a headless beaver marching down the side of a raod, not even in Chicago Stars quarterback Dean Robillard's larger-than-life world. He slammed on the brakes of his brand-new Aston Martin Vanquish and pulled over in front of her. THe beaver marched right past, her big, flat tail bouncing in the gravel, and her small sharp nose stuck up in teh air. Way up. The beaver looked highly pissed...She was definitely a girl beaver because her beaver head was missing, revealing sweaty, dark hair pulled into a scraggly ponytail. He'd been praying for a litle distraction from his own depressing company, so he threw open the door and stepped out onto the shoulder of the Colorado road...Funny, sexy, and touching-Natural BOrn CHarmer is the unf...

Name of book: Tempted Tigress Author Name: Jade Lee ISBN:  10-0-8439-5690-9 Publisher:  Leisure Type of book:  Adult, romance, historical, China, interracial relationship white female/asian male Part of Series: Tigress Sextet? #6 Year it was published:  2007 Summary:  Not only did China's Grand Canal transport food, slaves, and deadly opium, today it was a woman's path to freedom. But her flight would end in the arms of the emperor's enforcer, where another journey would begin. Orphaned and stranded, Anna Marie Thompson could trust no one, especially not her dark captor. Not when his eyes held secrets deadlier than her own. His caress was liquid fire, but Anna was an Englishwoman and alone. She could not trust that they could tame the dragon, as he whispered, or that sadness and fear could be cleansed by soft yin rain. Safety and joy were but a breath away. And perhaps love. All was there for the taking, if she would just give in to temptatio...