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Best Summer Book - Sunstruck by Mayra Calvani

A fun, quirky, beach summer read ~ Twilight Times Books

Just in time for your summer reading, Sunstruck hits the beaches. And, I have the pleasure of featuring it! 

Let's look at the Synopsis…

Daniella is an architecture student living with her narcissistic artist boyfriend in San Juan. Abandoned by her father at an early age, Daniella always falls for the ‘wrong’ type of man. Her most enduring male relationship so far has been with her cat.
   
Several strange mysteries are threaded through Daniella’s everyday life: her ex-husband, Ismael, has just opened an outlandish hotel for animal lovers that has her distraught; Ismael’s wife, a rich woman Daniella fondly refers to as ‘Lady Dracula’, has some gruesome ways to keep her skin looking young; Daniella’s mother is founding a revolutionary, feminist society called The Praying Mantises; the island’s national forest is being depleted of hallucinogenic mushrooms; meanwhile, young girls are disappearing and there’s a nut loose dressed as Zorro slashing the rear ends of women who wear miniskirts.  

Oppressed by all these eccentric characters, Daniella feels herself falling into an abyss. Then something terrible happens, making Daniella wake from her stupor and take charge of her life.

Gift with purchase offer…

Purchase Sunstruck http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008LYYOWM and receive FREE download e-Book of Dark Lullaby. Email her publicist, Donna McDine [email protected] with your receipt of Sunstruck purchase and receive link to FREE Dark Lullaby e-Book through July 22, 2012. Of course, if you purchase Sunstruck elsewhere please email receipt to Ms. McDine.

What reviewers are saying…

“Dark and quirky humor coupled with quixotic characters adds to the surprising mix found in Sunstruck… I've never read a book remotely like it. Everything from the humorously weird to the acutely macabre can be found between these covers, and then some.” –Laurel Johnson, Midwest Book Review

"Sunstruck is like a nutty Whodunit with a little twist. Who really is in the Zorro costume? With all the crazy characters I caught myself pointing fingers again and again. A great read that will make you forget where you are, while you giggle yourself to complete oblivion from all the silliness." –Autumn Blues Reviews

About the author…

Award-winning author Mayra Calvani has penned over ten books for children and adults in genres ranging from picture books to satire to paranormal fantasy novels. She’s had over 300 articles, short stories, interviews and reviews published in magazines such as The Writer, Writer’s Journal and Bloomsbury Review, among others. She has lived in America, Asia, the Middle East, and now lives in Brussels, Belgium.

Purchase info…

Title: Sunstruck
Author: Mayra Calvani
Author web site: http://www.mayracalvani.com/
Publisher: Twilight Times Books
url: http://twilighttimesbooks.com/
ISBN: 978-1-60619-024-2
Genre: Par

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Every little girl plays dress up in her mother's clothes and imagines that she would be as beautiful as her mother if she were tall enough or old enough. Of particular interest in Mom's closet, of course, are the party clothes and accessories - hats, jewelry, scarves, belts and shows. Mama's Saris, written by Pooja Makhijani and illustrated by Elena Gomez, warmly tells this rite-of-passage story from a young Indian girl's perspective.

Instead of in the closet, the Mama of this story keeps her treasured special clothing in a suitcase under the bed, carefully and lovingly folded. It is the little girl's 7th birthday and Mama is preparing to dress for the party. As the little girl helps her Mama choose the sari for today's special event, she begs and pleads to wear a sari herself. The vibrant jewel tones of the saris themselves are set against other dense patterns in the backgrounds of the bedroom wall, a photo frame and bedspread. The wonderful array of patterns emphasize the importance and beauty of special occasions when you change from your ordinary self (in this case a blue shirt and jumper) to your beautiful, festive self. For many children, this book will be their first introduction to clothing and family tradition from another culture than their own.

At heart, it is a retelling of a story that children will find familiar - most having experienced some variation of it in their own homes. Taking a familiar story to a broader canvas is one of the great joys that a picture book can provide. Mama's Saris is terrific reminder to all of us of the universality of our life experiences no matter where we live.

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