Svetlana's Reads and Views

Name of Book: Forgotten Reflections Author: Young-Im Lee ISBN : 978--1-68411-382-8 Publisher: Self published Type of book: Korea, school, present day, 1948--1950, Korean war, society, hierarchy, espionage, saving, dreams, nature, determination, courage, relationships Year it was published: 2017 Summary: In the current international climate where North Korea takes center stage, “Forgotten Reflections” weaves an inspirational tale of family, lost memories, folklore and an unforgotten history, spanning three generations as South Korea rises from the ashes. DARE TO DREAM IN THE MIDST OF WAR. 1945. Rice fields seem endless in a quaint farming village of South Korea, yet Iseul the villagers have been starving for as long as they can remember. Their Japanese colonizers have taken every last grain with them as they are finally forced out of the Peninsula. In the newly independent Korea, Iseul and Jung-Soo dream of what their future might bring. Yet, war is on the horizon...

Name of Book: The unity game Author:  Leonora Meriel ISBN: 978-1-911079-43-9 Publisher: Granite Cloud Type of book: aliens, philosophy, evolution, thought, mathematics, ambition, unity, emotion, humanity, keys, modern times, heaven, afterlife Year it was published: 2017 Summary: WHAT IF THE EARTH YOU KNEW WAS JUST THE BEGINNING? A New York banker is descending into madness. A being from an advanced civilization is racing to stay alive. A dead man must unlock the secrets of an unknown dimension to save his loved ones. From the visions of Socrates in ancient Athens, to the birth of free will aboard a spaceship headed to Earth, The Unity Game tells a story of hope and redemption in a universe more ingenious and surprising than you ever thought possible. Metaphysical thriller and interstellar mystery, this is a 'complex, ambitious and thought-provoking novel' from an exciting and original new voice in fiction. Characters: Main characters include David...

Name of Book: The Southern Side of Paradise Author: Kristy Woodson Harvey ISBN: 978-1-9821-1662-0 Publisher: Gallery Part of a Series: Peachtree Bluffs Trilogy Type of book: Georgia, Peachtree Bluffs, sisterhood, motherhood, secrets, family, friends, unexpected changes, love, dreams vs desire, marriage, happiness Year it was published: 2019 Summary: From internationally bestselling author and “rising star of Southern fiction” (Mary Alice Monroe, New York Times bestselling author) Kristy Woodson Harvey comes the third novel in her Peachtree Bluff series, in which a secret threatens the tight-knit bond between a trio of sisters and their mother. With the man of her dreams back in her life and all three of her daughters happy, Ansley Murphy should be content. But she can’t help but feel like it’s all a little too good to be true. Meanwhile, youngest daughter and actress Emerson, who is recently engaged and has just landed the role of a lifetime, seemingly has the...

Name of Book: Alvar the Kingmaker Author: Annie Whitehead ISBN: 978-1-78610-688-9 Publisher: FeedARead.com Publishing Type of book: 956-983 ME, England, Mercia, Alvar, King Edwy the Fairchild, King Edgar, other kings, church, rivalry, politics, unrequited love, survival, relationships, ruling, life in mid 10th century England/Merica, descendants Year it was published: 2016 Summary: The story, based on true events, begins when the king is caught in bed with his wife and her mother, and ends with the murder of another king, a crime attributed to his stepmother, the queen. Central to the story is Alvar, earl of Mercia. Having helped King Edgar to secure the throne, amid great unrest he must fight to clear the queen’s name, bring the country back from the brink of civil war, and stabilise the monarchy for Edgar’s son, Æthelred the Unready. He does this at great personal cost, and his enemies will stop at little: Abbot Dunstan, banished, recalled, and in no mood to forgiv...

Name of Book: The Island of Sea Women Author: Lisa See ISBN: 978-1-5011-5485-0 Publisher: Scribner Type of book: Jeju South Korea, 1938-2008, friendship, sisterhood, women, deep diving, haenyo, Japanese occupation, World War 2, Korean War, surviving, selling, growing up and maturing Year it was published: 2019 Summary: A new novel from Lisa See, the New York Times bestselling author of The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, about female friendship and family secrets on a small Korean island. Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls living on the Korean island of Jeju, are best friends that come from very different backgrounds. When they are old enough, they begin working in the sea with their village’s all-female diving collective, led by Young-sook’s mother. As the girls take up their positions as baby divers, they know they are beginning a life of excitement and responsibility but also danger. Despite their love for each other, Mi-ja and Young-sook’s differences are impossib...

Name of Book: The Last Woman Standing Author: Thelma Adams ISBN: 978-1503935181 Publisher: Lake Union Type of book: 1880-1882, Arizona Tombstone, Josephine Marcus, Wyatt Earp, the lawless West, relationships, family, loyalty, gun fights Year it was published: 2016 Summary: Two decades after the Civil War, Josephine Marcus, the teenage daughter of Jewish immigrants, is lured west with the promise of marriage to Johnny Behan, one of Arizona’s famous lawmen. She leaves her San Francisco home to join Behan in Tombstone, Arizona, a magnet for miners (and outlaws) attracted by the silver boom. Though united by the glint of metal, Tombstone is plagued by divided loyalties: between Confederates and Unionists, Lincoln Republicans and Democrats. But when the silver-tongued Behan proves unreliable, it is legendary frontiersman Wyatt Earp who emerges as Josephine’s match. As the couple’s romance sparks, Behan’s jealousy ignites a rivalry destined for the history books… At o...

Name of Book: The Girls at 17 Swann Street Author: Yara Zgheib ISBN: 978-1250-20244-4 Publisher: St Martin's Press Type of book: Anorexia, USA, France, modern times, bulimia, specialized group home, Missouri, friendship, love, family, Spring/summer of 2016 Year it was published: 2019 Summary: The chocolate went first, then the cheese, the fries, the ice cream. The bread was more difficult, but if she could just lose a little more weight, perhaps she would make the soloists’ list. Perhaps if she were lighter, danced better, tried harder, she would be good enough. Perhaps if she just ran for one more mile, lost just one more pound. Anna Roux was a professional dancer who followed the man of her dreams from Paris to Missouri. There, alone with her biggest fears – imperfection, failure, loneliness – she spirals down anorexia and depression till she weighs a mere eighty-eight pounds. Forced to seek treatment, she is admitted as a patient at 17 Swann Street, a peach ...

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 Secret of Southern Charm Author: Kristy Woodson Harvey ISBN: 978-1-5011-5810-0 Publisher: Gallery Part of a Series: Peach Bluff Series Type of book: Georgia, secrets, marriage, hope, faith, mother/children relationships, friendship, south, summer, being for one another, MIA, tragedy, finding self, talent Year it was published: 2018 Summary: A 2018 Spring Okra Pick One of Southern Living’s Best Spring Break Reads Leaving fans “practically [begging] for a sequel” (Bookpage), critically acclaimed author Kristy Woodson Harvey returns with the second novel in her beloved Peachtree Bluff series, featuring a trio of sisters and their mother who discover a truth that will change not only the way they see themselves, but also how they fit together as a family. After finding out her military husband is missing in action, middle sister Sloane’s world crumbles as her worst nightmare comes true. She can barely climb out of bed, much less summon the stren...

Title of the book: The Sweeper, a Buddhist Tale Author: Rebecca Hazell Publisher: Shambhala Publishing Date: 2017 ISBN: 978-1-61180-438-6 Summary: A beautifully illustrated picture book that tells the classic Buddhist tale of a young servant girl's profound and life-changing encounter with the Buddha--for children ages 5-10. In this retelling of a famous Buddhist story, Padme, a young servant girl, meets the Buddha as she is sweeping her master's house. When she laments that she is so busy that she would never have time to meditate, the Buddha gives her the instruction to -sweep and clean.- This simple mindfulness practice transforms Padme's life, and when she encounters the Buddha many years later, he teaches her how to send compassion out to others. This book is a wonderful way to introduce children to the power of mindfulness meditation practice. Author Info: (From the book) Rebecca Hazell is an award-winning artist, author and educator. She has...

Name of Book: Slightly South of Simple Author: Kristy Woodson Harvey ISBN: 978-1-5011-5805-6 Publisher: Gallery Books Part of a Series: Peachtree Bluff Type of book: Sisters, mothers, first love, secrets, debts, 9/11, widowhood, single parenting, pregnancy, relationships, bonds, Georgia, South, New York, summer/spring, season Year it was published: 2017 Summary: From the next “major voice in Southern fiction” (New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand) comes the first in an all-new series chronicling the journeys of three sisters and their mother—and a secret from their past that has the potential to tear them apart and reshape their very definition of what it means to be a family. Caroline Murphy swore she’d never set foot back in the small Southern town of Peachtree Bluff; she was a New York girl born and bred and the worst day of her life was when, in the wake of her father’s death, her mother selfishly forced her to move—during her senior year of hi...

Name of Book: To be a Queen Author: Annie Whitehead ISBN: 978-1-78407-165-3 Publisher: FeedARead.com Type of book: 874-918, Mercia, Wessex, King and Queen, battles, vikings, daily life, royalty, ruling, gardening, bee-keeping, marriage, partnership, peacekeeper, family Year it was published: 2015 Summary: This is the true story of Aethelflaed, the 'Lady of the Mercians', daughter of Alfred the Great. She was the only female leader of an Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is the tale of one family, two kingdoms and a common enemy. Born into the royal house of Wessex at the height of the Viking wars, she is sent to her aunt in Mercia as a foster-child, only to return home when the Vikings overrun Mercia. In Wessex, she witnesses another Viking attack and this compounds her fear of the enemy. She falls in love with a Mercian lord but is heartbroken to be given as bride to the ruler of Mercia to seal the alliance between the two Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. She must learn to sub...

Name of Book: The Laws of Gravity Author: Liz Rosenberg ISBN: 9781611099546 Publisher: Amazon publishing Year it was published: 2013 Summary: An exquisite tour de force, The Laws of Gravity is a testament to what it means to be a family, what it takes to save a life, and the lengths we will go to to protect the ones we love. Two families, bound by blood, hear terrible news. One decision holds the key to survival--but at a devastating cost. Nicole, auburn-haired, airy, and beautiful, discovers her body is betraying her. She turns to cousin and childhood best friend Ari for the cord blood he's been banking for his own children. Ari stands firm, bringing them before the scales of justice. Solomon Richter, a state Supreme Court judge on the brink of retirement, is touched by this legal battle like no other. His blood case, he calls it. A case that calls into question the very things we live for: the enduring bonds of family, and the love that lasts a lifetime. It...

Name of Book: Teller of Tales Author: Ray Dacolias ISBN: 978098881772 Publisher: Self published Year it was published:  2012 Summary: “Janitor” is a story about a man whose skin pigments happen to be predominantly black, who exists in Southern society before the advent of a kinder and gentler America. Although he is not treated with respect at his custodial job or in town, he is the embodiment of affability and graciousness. One day, something dramatic happens to alter the shameful attitude of his fellow citizens toward him. “Love” is about the inviolate affection between a father and his daughter. As she lies dying on a hospital bed, he faithfully attends to her every need; it is here that we see their special bond, and the deep sorrow that compels him to desperate measures. “The Whispering Bells” is a tale about tiny creatures that seek adventure and excitement as they soar throughout the galaxies. Sometimes, they form long lines and watch young Bells catch ...

Name of Book: The Woman Behind the Waterfall Author : Leonora Meriel ISBN: 978-1-911079-34-7 Publisher: Granite Cloud Type of book: Ukraine, motherhood, mother/daughter relationship, depression, alcoholism, refusing help, friendship, death, alternative choices, love, shapeshifter, fantasy, magical realism, protection, struggles Year it was published: 2011, 2016 Summary: Heartbreak and transformation in the beauty of a Ukrainian village For seven-year old Angela, happiness is exploring the lush countryside around her home in western Ukraine. Her wild imagination takes her into birds and flowers, and into the waters of the river. All that changes when, one morning, she sees her mother crying. As she tries to find out why, she is drawn on an extraordinary journey into the secrets of her family, and her mother's fateful choices. Can Angela lead her mother back to happiness before her innocence is destroyed by the shadows of a dark past? Beautiful, poetic and ...

Name of Book: Fatal Rivalry Author: Mercedes Rochelle ISBN: 978-0-9973182-3-4 Publisher:   Sergeant Press Part of a Series: The Last Great Saxon Earls Type of book: 1064-1080s, William the Duke of Normandy, the Battle of Stamford Bridge, brotherhood, loyalty, kingdoms, Battle of Hastings, deaths, friendship, family, England, France, fealty, siblings Year it was published: 2017 Summary: In 1066, the rivalry between two brothers brought England to its knees. When Duke William of Normandy landed at Pevensey on September 28, 1066, no one was there to resist him. King Harold Godwineson was in the north, fighting his brother Tostig and a fierce Viking invasion. How could this have happened? Why would Tostig turn traitor to wreak revenge on his brother? The Sons of Godwine were not always enemies. It took a massive Northumbrian uprising to tear them apart, making Tostig an exile and Harold his sworn enemy. And when 1066 came to an end, all the Godwinesons wer...

Name of Book: Waiting for Aegina Author: Effie Kammenou ISBN: 9780692825938 Publisher: Self Published Part of a Series: The Gift Saga Type of book: Greece, 1999-2005, friendship, loyalty, marriage, married life, family, Greece, choices, 9/11, devotion, loyalty Year it was published: 2016 Summary: Book Two in The Gift Saga: The continuation of Evanthia’s Gift … In 1961, five little girls moved into a suburban neighborhood and became inseparable, lifelong friends. They called themselves the ‘Honey Hill Girls,’ named after the street on which they lived. As teenagers they shared one another’s ambitions and dreams, secrets and heartaches. Now, more than thirty years later, they remain devoted and loyal, supporting each other through triumphs and sorrows. Evanthia's Gift follows the life of Sophia Giannakos. In Waiting for Aegina the saga continues from the perspectives of Sophia and her friends as the story drifts back and forth in time, filling in the gaps ...

Name of Book: Jorie and the Magic Stones Author: A.H Richardson ISBN: 978-0-692-35892-4 Publisher: self-published Type of book: Fantasy, different worlds, dragons, prophecy, children to teens, friendship, orphans, loyalty Year it was published: 2015 Summary: When Marjorie went to live with her frosty maiden aunt, she couldn't imagine the adventures she would have with dragons - good and bad - and all the strange creatures that live in a mysterious land beneath the Tarn. The spunky 9-year-old redhead forges an unlikely friendship with an insecure young boy named Rufus who lives with his crusty grandfather next door. When Jorie - for that is what she prefers to be called - finds a dusty ancient book about dragons, she learns four strange words that will send the two of them into a mysterious land beneath the Tarn, riddled with enchantment and danger. Hungry for adventure, the children take the plunge, quite literally, and find themselves in the magic land of Cabry...

Title of the book: A Dark journey into the Light Author: Josef Publisher: I ndie Publishing Date: 2016 ISBN : 9780646963822 Summary: Josef is lost in a secret world of sexual gratification, a true-life Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, unable to halt the “roller coaster of conflicting emotional extremes that never stopped long enough for me to get off.” He traces the beginnings of his obsession to his childhood, where his natural innocent curiosity and need for exploration were at odds with his Catholic upbringing and the view of his extremely repressed mother, both of whom regarded the human body as ‘dirty’ and ‘shameful’. For sixty years, Josef lived a secret double life. The only people who knew about this other life were the mistresses, transgender women, and sex workers with whom he indulged every conceivable fantasy. No one in his ‘other’ life had any idea of who he really was or the things he did. Yet his secret life claimed a terrible toll. The failure of his first...