Svetlana's Reads and Views

Name of Book: Josh+Hazel's Guide to Not Dating Author: Christina Lauren ISBN:  9781501165856 Publisher: Gallery Year it was published: 2018 Summary: Most men can't handle Hazel. With the energy of a toddler and the mouth of a sailor, they're often too timid to recognize her heart of gold. New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren (Roomies, Beautiful Bastard) tells the story of two people who are definitely not dating, no matter how often they end up in bed together. Hazel Camille Bradford knows she's a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren't up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don't send them running, her lack of filter means she'll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She's a good soul in search of honest fun. Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first ...

Name of Book: The Kiss Quotient Author: Helen Hoang ISBN: 978-0-451-49080-3 Publisher: Berkley Type of book: Asperger's, role reversal, California, wealth, escorting, family, coming-of-age, self-acceptance, romance, love, half-Vietnamese half Swedish/white female Year it was published: 2018 Summary: A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there's not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick. Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases — a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old. It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice — with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan...

Name of Book: The War Between us Author: Sara Creviston lee ISBN:  B01AJFYMQS Publisher: Createspace Type of book: inspirational, AMWF, Korean-American, loyalties, war, prejudices, WW2, small town, Indiana, religious, christianity, Pearl Harbor, living, choices Year it was published: 2015 Summary: Alex Moon is not the enemy. Six months after Pearl Harbor's tragedy, Korean American Alex Moon is sent away from his home in California for refusing his father's request to join the fight against the Japanese. On his journey, Alex is attacked and stranded in the small town of River Bluff, Indiana. To everyone else, he looks like the enemy. Unexpectedly, Alex is befriended by a local girl, Lonnie Hamilton, who comes to his defense, saving him from doubt and despair while placing herself in the cross hairs of prejudice. Alex falls in love with his ally---a love that is clearly forbidden. Torn between his dual identities, Korean and American, and grappling with ho...

Name of Book: Eagle and Crane Author: Suzanne Rindell ISBN: 978-0-399-18429-1 Publisher: G.P Putnam's Sons Type of book: Internment camps, Japanese male/American female, 1860s?- 1940s, history, feud, love triangle, California, aviation, barnstorming act, friendship, epic, family, loyalty Year it was published: 2018 Summary: Two young daredevil flyers confront ugly truths and family secrets during the U.S. internment of Japanese citizens during World War II, from the author of The Other Typist and Three-Martini Lunch. Louis Thorn and Haruto "Harry" Yamada -- Eagle and Crane -- are the star attractions of Earl Shaw's Flying Circus, a daredevil (and not exactly legal) flying act that traverses Depression-era California. The young men have a complicated relationship, thanks to the Thorn family's belief that the Yamadas -- Japanese immigrants -- stole land that should have stayed in the Thorn family. When Louis and Harry become aerial stuntmen...

Name of Book:  The samurai of Seville Author:  John J Healey ISBN:   9781628727845 Publisher:  Arcade Year it was published: 2017 Summary: A sumptuous novel inspired by one of history’s most intriguing forgotten chapters—the arrival of Japanese Samurai on the shores of Europe. In 1614, twenty-two Samurai warriors and a group of tradesmen from Japan sailed to Spain, where they initiated one of the most intriguing cultural exchanges in history. They were received with pomp and circumstance, first by King Philip III and later by Pope Paul V. They were the first Japanese to visit Europe and they caused a sensation. They remained for two years and then most of the party returned to Japan; however, six of the Samurai stayed behind, settling in a small fishing village close to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, where their descendants live to this day. Healey imbues this tale of the meeting of East and West with uncommon emotional and intellectual intensity and ...

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...

Name of Book: The Most Dangerous Thing Author: Leanne Lieberman ISBN: 9781459811843 Publisher: Orca Book Publishing Type of book: Asian male/white female relationship, interracial, Canada, anxiety, depression, Vagina Monologues, YA, High school, modern times, Judaism, Passover, family, friends, sex, desires, feminism, demonizing desire Year it was published: 2017 Summary: Sixteen-year-old Sydney hates to talk (or even think) about sex. She's also fighting a secret battle against depression, and she's sure she'll never have a boyfriend. When her classmate Paul starts texting and sending her nature photos, she is caught off guard by his interest. Always uncomfortable with any talk about sex, Sydney is shocked when her extroverted sister, Abby, announces that she is going to put on The Vagina Monologues at school. Despite her discomfort, Sydney starts to reexamine her relationship with her body, and with Paul. But her depression worsens, and with the help o...

Name of Book: The Boy Who Wanted Wings Author: James Conroyd Martin ISBN: 9780997894509 Publisher: Hussar Quill Press Type of book: Poland, 1683, Asian male/white female relationship, Battle of Vienna, war, archers, marriage, choices, decisions, secrets, family, brotherhood, prejudices, friendship, determination, trickery Year it was published: 2016 Summary: "A poor archer in medieval Poland takes aim at the love of his life in this epic novel from Martin. The anxious Aleksy Gazdecki, a young farmhand, embodies the ethnic and political tensions of Europe during the reign of the Ottoman Empire. The believability of this novel, which is sprinkled with period-specific details, is never in question. Martin sets the stage so tidily that the plight of Aleksy and Krystyna, who desire to move beyond the social classes that keep them apart, transcends the historical moment. Sprawling but never slow, the plot moves naturally from battle to intimacy and back again. ...

General Information: Name of Book: My Chinese-America ISBN: 9781939650221 Publisher: SfWP Year it was published: 2015 Summary: Eloquently written essays about aspects of Asian American life comprise this collection that looks at how Asian-Americans view themselves in light of America’s insensitivities, stereotypes, and expectations. My Chinese-America speaks on masculinity, identity, and topics ranging from Jeremy Lin and immigration to profiling and Asian silences. This essays have an intimacy that transcends cultural boundaries, and casts light on a vital part of American culture that surrounds and influences all of us. Author:  Allen Gee About the Author: (From the inside of the book) Allen Gee is a graduate of The University of New Hampshire, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and The University of Houston. He is currently an associate professor of English at Georgia College, where he teaches in the M.F.A. program 1. Profile One Sentence Summary: The aut...

Name of Book: The Queen of Sparta Author: T.S. Chaudhry ISBN: 978-1-78279-750-0 Publisher: Top Hat Books Type of book: Sparta, Greece, Persia, viking, 480 PME-477 PME, wars, Rome, Valkyrie, Saka, Indus River, kings, the 300, Sparta vs Athens, Argos, battles between city states, alliances, politics, Oracle of Apollo, 327 PME Year it was published: 2014 Summary: Xerxes, the Great King of Persia invades Greece in 480 B.C. at the head of over a million barbarians. 300 Spartan’s led by King Leonidas die heroically blocking the Persian advance at the pass of Thermopylae. The Persians are poised to conquer all of Greece. The only one standing in their way is a woman – Gorgo, Queen of Sparta. Though history has relegated her role to an interested bystander, what if she played a central part at the heart of the Greek resistance to the Persian invasion. What if she kept her true role a secret in order to play it more effectively? What if she was hiding other secrets too –...

General Information: Name of Book: How does one dress to buy Dragonfruit? True Stories of Expat Women in Asia ISBN: 978-988-12195-6-5 Publisher: Signal 8 Press Year it was published: 2014 Overall theme: "As you read these stories, put yourself in their shoes, their dresses, their motorcycle boots. These women are making choices every day. They must ask: Who am I in this culture, this place? Follow along as they explore the balance they've found in themselves and in their homes abroad." (From foreword.) Summary: In this collection, twenty-six women reveal the truth about expatriate life in modern East Asia through original works of memoir and creative non-fiction. Their experiences are varied and unique, demonstrating that expat women's lives go far beyond the stereotypical. The writers hail from a dozen different countries and walks of life. Some are well-known; others are fresh voices adding nuance to the expat conversation. Through deeply persona...

Title: Good Chinese Wife; A Love Affair with China Gone Wrong Author: Susan Blumberg-Kason First copyright date: 2014 Type of book: China, 1990s, interracial relationship Asian male/white female, cultural differences, Hong Kong, making a life, career, university, keeping peace at all costs, China Wuhan (Hidden River), San Francisco, travel General subject matter: A young woman from USA falls for Cai Jun, a Chinese national and ends up marrying him, doing her best to be a "traditional" Chinese wife at the cost of her sanity. Special features: N/A Price: $ 14.99 ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-4022-9334-4 Summary: A stunning memoir of an intercultural marriage gone wrong When Susan, a shy Midwesterner in love with Chinese culture, started graduate school in Hong Kong, she quickly fell for Cai, the Chinese man of her dreams. As they exchanged vows, Susan thought she'd stumbled into an exotic fairy tale, until she realized Cai--and his culture--where not what sh...