Svetlana's Reads and Views

Name of Book: Race to Tibet Author: Sophie Schiller ISBN: 9780692254097 Publisher: Tradewinds Publishing Type of book: Tibet, travel, France, 1889-1890, romance, a bit of interracial relationship WMAF, deprivations, survival, force, contest, adventure, mysteries Year it was published: 2015 Summary: "Fans of Jules Verne’s travel adventures will find Schiller has done a solid job of transforming an obscure real-life Victorian expedition into a thrilling yarn." Publishers Weekly. At a time when no Westerner has seen the holy city of Lhasa or met the Dalai Lama, French explorer Gabriel Bonvalot vows to do the impossible: he launches his own expedition to the Roof of the World with funding from the Duke of Chartres. The only caveat is that Bonvalot must bring along the Duke's wayward son, Prince Henri d'Orléans, a drinker, gambler, and womanizer whose reckless behavior threatens to derail the entire expedition. During the journey, the explorers encou...

Name of Book: Spy Island Author: Sophie Schiller ISBN: 9781481181716 Publisher: Createspace Type of book: WWI, espionage, folktales, genteel poverty, orphan, spying, secrets, Germans, West Indies, 1916-1918? Transfer, hurricane, nature, friendship, U-Boat, submarine, faith, Queen Coziah Year it was published: 2014 Summary: A forbidden friendship that blossoms into love between an island girl and a German U-boat deserter is at the heart of this colorful historical novel. In 1916, Abigail Maduro arrives in the Danish West Indies to live with her Aunt Esther, a bad tempered spinster, and her houseful of eccentric servants. Despite the island's veneer of tranquility, St. Thomas is a hotbed of German spies who use their Hamburg-America steamers to aid the Kaiser's war effort. When a mysterious stranger suddenly appears in town, Abigail is drawn into the conflict. In the scholarly Erich Seibold, she finds the friendship and love she has been craving, even afte...