JZivoin's Titles

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys (Historical Fiction, Westerns, History) This was an advance galley copy. Josie is an intelligent hard working girl in 1950's New Orleans who dreams of going to college and escaping the life that was handed to her. Her mother is a prostitute and a thief, and Josie works at cleaning the brothel house each morning and running errands for its streetwise, powerful madame Willie, who can hustle, drink and shoot better than any man, and who has the respect and fear of the Quarter. By day, Josie helps runs a book shop where she lives, trying to earn enough money to go to college. However, Josie's life changes when a man who visted the book shop winds up dead 24 hours later. Soon, Josie is caught up in a web of lies, coverups, and must hold her own against powerful businessmen, dangerous crooks and mobsters in order to make it out of the Big Easy alive. -- Added by JZivoin on 02/05/2013 Add Comment

Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst (Science Fiction, Fantasy, Science, Health) Liyana's desert tribe is depending on her to save them. She was chosen to become a vessel of their goddess. Once every 100 years, a ritual is performed to enable the dieties to walk among humanit. Liyana's spirit will leave her body into death, and the goddess will inhabit her body, and use her magic to end the drought that is killing the desert tribes. However, after the ritual, the goddess does not come, and being though unworthy, Liyana is abandoned in the desert by her people. However, Korbyn, a god who is in his human vessel, finds her. He tells her that the dieties have been imprisoned, and that he must gather all of the vessels from the various desert clans, and with their help, free his god and goddess companions. However, as Liyana grows closer to Korbyn and to the Emperor of an invading army, she begins to feel the trill of life and the joy of falling in love - a possiblity that she never hoped for, knowing that as a vessel, she was a girl without a future. Now, she wants to cling to her human life, but as war, starvation and chaos threaten the tribes and the empire, Liyana is torn, knowing that dying could allow her goddess and her people can live. -- Added by JZivoin on 01/30/2013 Add Comment

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers (Historical Fiction, Westerns, History) This was an ARC from NetGalley. This sequel to "Grave Mercy" begins with the betrayal of the Duchess and the capture of Beast, her most loyal and formidable knight. Sybella is installed as spy and assassin in her own father's, 'dAlbret's, household. 'dAlbret is ruthless and evil, determined to break everyone, from the peasants, to the dutches to his own family, to his will. Sybella's every move is watched, both by 'dAlbret's spies and her own brother, who she both loves and reviles for the incestuous attention he pays her. The only thing sustaining her is the promise that she will get to kill 'dAlbret with her own hands, and revenger herself and countless innocents for his terrible cruelty. However, instead of assassin, she is forced to play the role of savior, and rescue the Beast from her father's dungeon before 'dAlbret can kill him cruelly and rob the dutchess of her most powerful knight. -- Added by JZivoin on 01/24/2013 Add Comment

Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor (Science Fiction, Fantasy, Science, Health) In this sequel to "Daughter of Smoke and Bone", Kaoru and Akiva are on separate sides of the battlelines, each trying to atone for their separate sins. Kaoru has returned to Eretz and found the Chimera cities destroyed an dher people anhialated. In order to defend and protect the last of the Chimera people, non soldiers living peaceful village lives, from the Seraphim - who will not rest until all of the "beasts" are dead - she joins forces with the White Wolf and takes up Brimstone's mantle to become the new resurectionist. Meanwhile, Akiva the "Beast Bane" is trying to secretly protect and warn the innocent Chimera, all the while seraching for news about Kaoru. Koaru and Akiva have few allies, numerous enemies and a shared flickering hope for peace. However, in order to unite their warring peoples, they will first have to turn their hands to treachery and lies. -- Added by JZivoin on 01/21/2013 Add Comment Did you read Days of Blood and Starlight? Or just the first in the trilogy so far? Your review was for book 2, but you posted book 1. -- trublu on 01/22/2013   Yes, this was for "Days of Blood and Starlight", but for some reason, the cover for "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" is showing up instead. -- JZivoin on 01/23/2013

Bento box in the heartland by Linda Furiya (Classics, Literary Fiction, Biography) The subtitle to this autobiography is "My Japanese Girlhood in Whitebread America - A Food Memoir". Told in first person by the author, Linda describes her experiences as a first generation Japanese American growing up in small town Indiana in the 60s and 70s. Being from the only Asian family in town, Linda struggled to be accepted by her American schoolmates. She talks about how everything that she valued, everything that gave her comfort - particularly food - set her apart as "different." She writes lovingly about how Japanese food, the ingredients for which were not readily available in central Indiana, provided and still provide the strongest ties to her family, her culture and her sense place in the world. As she describes her family, she seemlessly delves into her parents' backgrounds and the lifelong struggles they faced both as children, teens and immigrant adults during the time spanning pre-WW2, through the bombing of Japan, the rebuilding, and the predjudices of Americans against Japanese people in America. Linda is a very relatable narrator, and anyone who has grown up with a cultural background, deep ties to family and/or a love of food will find that this book resonates with them. Most of all, everyone will relate with Linda's struggle to fit in, to stand up to bullying and peers, and to gain a sure sense of herself. Each chapter is separated by a recipe for the Japanese food mentioned in each chapter. -- Added by JZivoin on 01/14/2013 Add Comment