Svetlana's Reads and Views

Name of Book: Bianca's Vineyard Author: Teresa Neumann ISBN: 978-0-9831210-0-8 Publisher: All's Well House Type of book: Italy, America, mental illness, 1913, 1923-1930, 1931-1941, 1943-1946, 2001, travel, immigrants, family, culture, sacrifices, talents, WWII, occupation, laws, generations, vineyard, wines, survival Year it was published: 2011 Summary: Bianca Corrotti's vineyard is more than a piece of mouth-watering real estate in Tuscany. It's an inheritance; a storehouse harboring the secrets of her Uncle Egisto, a world-class sculptor, and his troubled wife -- a woman whose destiny converges with Mussolini's when WWII overtakes them all. Based on a true story, Bianca's Vineyard follows a devoted family of strong-willed men and lion-hearted women waging an epic battle against a gathering storm intent on destroying their lives. Characters: The main characters include Armida, Egisto's wife who becomes upset and jealous of another wo...

Name of Book: Love and Miss Communication Author: Elyssa Friedland ISBN: 978-0-06-237984-9 Publisher: William Morrow Type of book:  New York, technology, off the grid, romance, relationship, family, modern Judaism, dating, motherhood, finding self, thirties, goals, breast cancer, decorating, romance comedy Year it was published: 2015 Summary: This unforgettable debut novel asks us to look up from our screens and out at the world...and to imagine what life would be like with no searches, no status updates, no texts, no Tweets, no pins, and no posts Evie Rosen has had enough. She's tired of the partners at her law firm e-mailing her at all hours of the night. The thought of another online date makes her break out in a cold sweat. She's over the clever hashtags and the endless selfies. So when her career hits a surprising roadblock and her heart is crushed by Facebook, Evie decides it's time to put down her smartphone for good. (Beats stowing it in her und...

Name of Book : Aoleon the Martian Girl Part V The Great Pyramid of Cydonia Author: Brent LeVasseur ISBN:  B00T3P5B3Y Publisher: self published Part of a Series: Aoleon the Martian Girl Type of book: Aliens, desert, conquer, hidden history, changes, destiny, friendship, teamwork, Earth, enemies, middle grade, science fiction, cows, defeat, battles, actions, pictures Year it was published: 2015 Summary: Aoléon, Gilbert, Bizwat, Helios, and Zoot make it to their final destination - Cydonia where Aoléon’s parents are being held captive. They infiltrate a secret underground base and are confronted by a small army of sentrybots. Bizwat lends Aoléon and Gilbert some of his advanced combat skills via a psionic brain dump. However, this may not be enough to save them from overwhelming hostile forces that will do anything to stop them. They finally meet Pax - the Martian who originally set them out on the mission to discover the truth about the Luminon and his pl...

Name of Book: The Artisan's Star Author: Gabriella Contestabile ISBN: 978-0-9960585-0-6 Publisher: Stelle Publications Type of book: Past, perfume, scents, visions, smells, food, perfection, artisan's star, Greece, Italy, Florence, Paris, travel, relationships, family Year it was published: 2014 Summary: Elio Barati’s perfumery shop in Florence marks its entrance with a mosaic star. This shop immerses Elio in the artisanal world he loves, but he harbors a regret. As a young man he created a full-fledged perfume of jasmine, iris, and cypress at the renowned Ecole des Parfumeurs in Grasse—a fragrance his idealism and stubbornness boxed away before ever bringing it to light. A second star now brightens Elio’s life, his daughter Romina, an artist. She has her father’s unrealized talent, a precise and intuitive sense of smell. She’s also inherited more challenging traits of Elio’s: unbridled ambition and an insatiable wonder for the world. But changes ripple th...

Title of the book : Bridges of Paris Author: Michael Saint James Publisher: Citron Bay Press Publishing Date: 2015 ISBN:  1928595502 Summary: Bridges of Paris is a large-format photography book with over 350 original color images which casts new illumination on the City of Light. The 37 bridges over the Seine River emerge as beautiful, historic destinations rather than unnoticed thoroughfares. The book features stunning portraits of each bridge as well as intimate riverside moments. Once you've experienced this river tour, you will never see Paris the same way again. Living as a Parisian for a year, author Michael Saint James left his American lifestyle and spent his days and nights capturing images from over, on, beside and under the bridges of Paris. With over 30 years experience as a photographer, educator and world traveler, Michael immersed himself in French culture to search out his authentic artist self. The result is a visual treasure to share with everyon...

Name of Book: Read Bottom Up Author: Neel Shah and Skye Chatham ISBN: 978-0-06-226213-4 Publisher: Dey St Type of book: texts, emails, social media, boy meets girl, best friends, romance, dates through social media, fast and fun read, New York, modern times Year it was published: 2015 Summary: A charming novel about falling in love, or like, in the digital age, told in an inventive, creative style. Madeline and Elliot meet at a New York City food event. Flirtation, online, ensues. A romance, potentially eternal, possibly doomed, begins. And, like most things in life today, their early exchanges are very public, available to be scrutinized and interpreted by well-intentioned friends (aka amateur love doctors) who are a mere click away. Of course like all good email trails, this one reads from the bottom up. Madeline and Elliot's relationship unfolds through a series of thrilling, confounding, and funny exchanges with each other and with their best friends. T...