Teaser Tuesdays: SECRET DAUGHTER by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by
Miz B. of  Should Be Reading.

"This is the quintessential garment for women across India, according to Asha's research, a six-yard rectangle of fabric wrapped and tucked around the body without a single button, hook, or zipper.  It can be draped in a number of ways, depending on the region, and one size is used to fit women tall and short, fat and thin.  It all sounded very democratic . . . "
-- Page 198

THE SECRET DAUGHTER
by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

Pub. Date: April 2011

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Format: Paperback , 368pp

ISBN-13: 9780061928352

ISBN: 0061928356

Edition Description: Reprint

Click here to read an excerpt.

Want to play along?  Here's what to do:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Waiting on Wednesday: THE DRY GRASS OF AUGUST by Anna Jean Mayhew

"WAITING ON WEDNESDAY"

is hosted by Jill from

Breaking the Spine.

Join in and tell us . . .

What are you waiting for?

My pick for this week is . . .

THE DRY GRASS OF AUGUST

by Anna Jean Mayhew

Pub. Date: April 2011

Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation

Format: Paperback , 352pp

ISBN-13: 9780758254092

ISBN: 0758254091

Description (from the publisher):
In this beautifully written debut, Anna Jean Mayhew offers a riveting depiction of Southern life in the throes of segregation, what it will mean for a young girl on her way to adulthood--and for the woman who means the world to her. . .
 
On a scorching day in August 1954, thirteen-year-old Jubie Watts leaves Charlotte, North Carolina, with her family for a Florida vacation. Crammed into the Packard along with Jubie are her three siblings, her mother, and the family's black maid, Mary Luther. For as long as Jubie can remember, Mary has been there--cooking, cleaning, compensating for her father's rages and her mother's benign neglect, and loving Jubie unconditionally.

Bright and curious, Jubie takes note of the anti-integration signs they pass, and of the racial tension that builds as they journey further south. But she could never have predicted the shocking turn their trip will take. Now, in the wake of tragedy, Jubie must confront her parents' failings and limitations, decide where her own convictions lie, and make the tumultuous leap to independence. . .
 
Infused with the intensity of a changing time, here is a story of hope, heartbreak, and the love and courage that can transform us--from child to adult, from wounded to indomitable.

Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to read an author interview.

About the author (from the publisher):
Anna Jean (A.J.) Mayhew, a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, has never lived outside the state, although she often travels to Europe with her Swiss-born husband. Much of A.J.’s work reflects her vivid memories of growing up in the segregated South. A.J. has been a member of the same writing group since 1987, is a writer-in-residence at The Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, and is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the North Carolina Writers' Network. The Dry Grass of August is her first novel.

Teaser Tuesdays: THE SANDALWOOD TREE by Elle Newmark

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by
Miz B. of  Should Be Reading.

"At first, the strange music sounded dissonant & grating, but the girl drew me in with her serious face & hypnotic dance; I became mesmerized by her serpentine movements & the whisper of whirling silk. That night I began to fall in love with India."

-- page 118
(Advanced Reading Copy)

THE SANDALWOOD TREE
by Elle Newmark

Pub. Date: April 2011

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group

Format: Hardcover , 368pp

ISBN-13: 9781416590590

ISBN: 1416590595

Click here to read an excerpt.

Want to play along?  Here's what to do:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Book Review and Giveaway: THE PORTABLE PEDIATRICIAN by William Sears, MD, et al.

CLOSED.

Thanks to the generous folks at
Hachette Book Group,

I have been authorized to
 give away one (1) copy

THE PORTABLE PEDIATRICIAN

by William Sears, MD, et al.

Rules for entering this giveaway

are at the bottom of this post.

THE PORTABLE PEDIATRICIAN

by William Sears, MD; Martha Sears, RN; Robert Sears, MD

James Sears, MD; and Peter Sears, MD

Pub. Date: February 2011

Publisher: Little, Brown & Company

Format: Paperback , 592pp

ISBN-13: 9780316017480

ISBN: 0316017485

Description (from the publisher):

Imagine you are up at three o'clock in the morning with a sick child. Wouldn't it be nice to have expert advice readily at hand to help get you through the night? Encyclopedic in scope, THE PORTABLE PEDIATRICIAN features timely and practical information on every childhood illness and emergency, including when to call the doctor, what reassuring signs can help you know your child is okay, how to treat your child at home, and much more-all in a convenient A-to-Z format. Among the scores of topics covered:
 

teething; sprains and broken bones; nosebleeds; measles; ear infections; choking; rashes; colic; headaches; eating disorders; fever; hip pain; warts; allergies; obesity; seizures; Asperger's Syndrome; bronchitis; masturbation; sunburns; pneumonia; speech delay; lice; vomiting; asthma; heart defects; blisters; sleep problems; and more.

 
The Searses guide parents and caregivers from a child's infancy through the teen years, teaching them what to expect at regular checkups as well as how to boost a child's well-being, devise a family health plan, work effectively with their pediatrician, and more. Distinguished by the Searses' trademark comprehensiveness, reliability, and accessible, comforting one, this book is a must-have for all families who want to keep their children healthy and happy.

About the authors (from the publisher):

William Sears, MD, and Martha Sears, RN, are the pediatric experts on whom American parents increasingly rely for advice and information on all aspects of pregnancy, birth, childcare, and family nutrition. Dr. Sears has practiced pediatrics for more than 40 years, and is an associate clinical professor at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine. Martha Sears is a registered nurse and parenting and health consultant. Robert W. Sears, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician in private practice in southern California.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars - A Great Resource

My Thoughts:
What a terrific book! If you have kids or grandkids running around your house, you should have a copy of THE PORTABLE PEDIATRICIAN handy. Since I live with my young niece and nephew, I was really excited to have the opportunity to review this book, and not only was I not disappointed, I was much more impressed than I expected.

I really like how easy it is to use this volume. Even though the authors cover childhood health issues relevent from infancy through the teenage years, everything is easy to understand. The bulk of the book is a section called "Pediatric Concerns and Illnesses: A to Z." The conditions discussed range from major to minor and cover all sorts of routine concerns. With subheadings such as Symptoms; Causes; Treatment;When to Worry; What to Do and even What Not to Do and How Long Will It Last, it's easy to get useful and clear information. It's great having so much advice at my fingertips, and I've also found it interesting to sit down and just randomly read. 

I also like the sections on getting the most from checkups and office visits. Sometimes its difficult to talk to your child's doctor because your baby is fussy or your doctor seems rushed. I thought the discussion on how to prepare for an office visit and what to expect was really helpful. I especially liked that the section included the teen years and what sorts of questions to ask and discussions to have with your doctor when your child is older.

You might think that with the Internet, a book such THE PORTABLE PEDIATRICIAN would be obsolete these days, but think again. In the time it would take you to power up your computer, Google some symptoms, and wade through the results, you could have already referred to this book and evaluated your child's condition as well as decided whether you need a trip to the doctor, the drugstore, or maybe only the sofa! Not to mention that you could just sit back in a comfy chair and leaf through it and familiarize yourself with illnesses and conditions that may not yet be present but that you're likely to encounter down the line. Wouldn't you prefer to know ahead of time how to treat a black eye, bloody nose, or bee sting?

THE PORTABLE PEDIATRICIAN is a great resource that no family home should be without.

FTC Disclaimer: I recieved a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.  Honest!

RULES FOR ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave an original comment on this post telling me you would like to win. Include an email address with your comment so that I can contact you if you do win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com or geebee.reads [at] gmail [dot] com

• You must leave an email address in order to qualify. If I can't contact you, you can't win!

• You can earn an extra entry by being or becoming a Follower or Subscriber of this blog and telling me about it in a separate comment.

• Blog about this contest and provide me with the link to the post in a separate comment, and I'll give you yet another entry.

• Tweeting about this contest and providing me the link in a separate comment will get you one more entry. I've added a Retweet button at the bottom of every post.

• Stumble this blog, Digg it, or Technorati Fave it, whatever, and leave a separate comment for another entry.

• Winners must provide a U.S. or Canadian street address. Hachette is unable to deliver to P.O. Boxes.

• PLEASE NOTE: One win per household. If you win this title in another contest hosted at another blog, Hachette will only send one copy per household address.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, March 18, 2011.

• Winners will have 48 hours to respond to my email announcing that they have won; if I don't hear from a winner, I will draw another name.

• Winners are determined using the sequence generator at Random.org.

Thank you to Anna
at Hachette Book Group

for making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Waiting on Wednesday: THE DRAGON OF CRIPPLE CREEK by Troy Howell

"WAITING ON WEDNESDAY"

is hosted by Jill from

Breaking the Spine.

Join in and tell us . . .

What are you waiting for?

My pick for this week is . . .

THE DRAGON OF CRIPPLE CREEK

by Troy Howell

Pub. Date: April 2011

Publisher: Amulet Books

Format: Hardcover , 400pp

Age Range: 8 to 12

ISBN-13: 9780810997134

ISBN: 0810997134

Description (from the publisher):

When Kat and her father and brother visit the Mollie Kathleen, an old gold mine now open for tours by the busload, Kat gets lost from the group and falls down a shaft, where she discovers an awe-inspiring world of fantasy come to life. She meets an ancient dragon—the last of his kind—and discovers a secret about the gold that litters the creature's den and why dragons throughout time have hoarded the sparkling treasure. 
 
The dragon helps Kat escape the endless caverns, but not before Kat greedily takes a piece of gold for herself. Feeling guilty, Kat decides to return it, but before she can do this she drops it in front of a group of visitors, and a media frenzy ensues. Soon the mining town is filled with gold seekers. In order to save the dragon and his gold, Kat and her brother must venture back into the mine to warn him. But will they get there in time? 

This fast-paced, beautifully told modern fantasy tale by children's book illustrator Troy Howell will keep readers spellbound.

About the author (from the publisher):
Troy Howell has won an Educational Press Association of America Distinguished Achievement Award and New York and Los Angeles Society of Illustrators merit awards. His work has been named a Redbook Best Children's Book of the Year. This is his first novel. He lives in Falmouth, Virginia.

The Real Reason I Came to the Work Today

This man really delivers!

Here's what he brought me:

500 HANDMADE DOLLS

Pub. Date: November 2007

Publisher: Lark Books NC

Format: Paperback , 396pp

Series: 500 Series

ISBN-13: 9781579908676

ISBN: 1579908675

REDWALL

by Brian Jacques

illustrated by Troy Howell

Pub. Date: September 2000

Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)

Format: Paperback , 352pp

Sales Rank: 429,040

Age Range: 12 and up

Series: Redwall Series , #1

ISBN-13: 9780399236297

ISBN: 0399236295

LOW COUNTRY BLUES

Gregg Allman.

Release Date: 01/18/2011

Label: ROUNDER / UMGD

UPC: 011661221529

Wordless Wednesday

Shen Yun Performing Arts

Teaser Tuesdays: THE RAISING by Laura Kasischke

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by
Miz B. of  Should Be Reading.

THE RAISING

by Laura Kasischke

"There's often an elegant rationality to even the strangest beliefs. But it doesn't make them real. Being based on fear, inspired by hope, they can be dangerous, Perry, and I think we're headed in that direction, and that we need to stop what we're doing now, before it leads to something--"

-- page 207
Pub. Date: March 2011

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Format: Paperback , 496pp

SBN-13: 9780062004789

ISBN: 0062004786

Edition Description: Original

Want to play along?  Here's what to do:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Waiting on Wednesday: BLESS THIS MOUSE by Lois Lowry; illustrated by Eric Rohmann

"WAITING ON WEDNESDAY"

is hosted by Jill from

Breaking the Spine.

Join in and tell us . . .

What are you waiting for?

My pick for this week is . . .

( I do love a good mouse story! )

BLESS THIS MOUSE

by Lois Lowry

illustrated by Eric Rohmann

Pub. Date: March 2011

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Format: Hardcover , 160pp

Age Range: 9 to 12

ISBN-13: 9780547390093

ISBN: 0547390092

Description (from the publisher):

A resilient and quirky colony of church mice fears another Great X more than they fear cats. Under Mouse Mistress Hildegarde’s leadership, they save themselves from one danger after another—sometimes just by the skin of their tails! Can one ultimate act of bravery during the feast day of St. Francis get Father Murphy to bless these mice and keep them safe forever?

 

Rife with humor and personality, this young middle-grade novel has an old-fashioned feel with the makings of a modern classic.

Teaser Tuesdays: THE GIRL WHO WOULD SPEAK FOR THE DEAD by Paul Elwork

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by
Miz B. of  Should Be Reading.

THE GIRL WHO WOULD SPEAK FOR THE DEAD
by Paul Elwork

"Emily had named the game after the first successful test with Albert.  The idea of spirits knocking from another world gave her a genuine chill and a grin."

-- page 64 (from the uncorrected proof copy)
Pub. Date: March 2011

Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)

Format: Hardcover , 320pp

ISBN-13: 9780399157172

ISBN: 0399157174

Want to play along?  Here's what to do:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Mailbox Monday: February 21, 2011

Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia at The Printed Page, is being hosted this month by Laura at the Library of Clean Reads. If you'd like to join in, stop by Julie's and leave a link - or just browse through the comments to see what new books have been showing up.

What's in your mailbox?

NOTE:  This is more than a week's worth -- I've fallen behind in posting, so these are some highlights from recent weeks.

THE RAVEN QUEEN
by  Jules Watson

for a Blog Tour
-- my day is March 3rd

THE SANDLEWOOD TREE
by Elle Newmark

an ARC for review





THE GIRL WHO WOULD SPEAK FOR THE DEAD
by Paul Elwork

one of my current reads - very good!

THE PORTABLE PEDIATRICIAN

by William Sears, MD, et al.

for review and giveaway
from Hachette Book Group

Be on the lookout!

PRAYERS AND LIES
by Sherri Wood Emmons

A purchase from Barnes & Noble

IRON QUEEN
by Julie Kagawa

for review from Harlequin
I'm reading the IRON KING and IRON DAUGHTER first

RADIO SHANGRI-LA
by Lisa Napoli

an ARC for review

MINDING BEN
by Victoria Brown

an ARC for review

WEST OF HERE
by Jonathan Evison

finished copy for review

THE FANTASTIC SECRET OF OWEN JESTER
by Barbara O'Connor

a recent purchase from Barnes & Noble
review coming this weekend!

THESE THINGS HIDDEN
by Heather Gudenkauf

A win from Book Trib

Waiting on Wednesday: DREAMS OF JOY by Lisa See

"WAITING ON WEDNESDAY"

is hosted by Jill from

Breaking the Spine.

Join in and tell us . . .

What are you waiting for?

My pick for this week is . . .

DREAMS OF JOY

by Lisa See

Pub. Date: May 2011

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group

Format: Hardcover , 416pp

ISBN-13: 9781400067121

ISBN: 140006712X

Description (from the publisher):

More than a sequel--literally a continuation--Dreams of Joy fulfills the spellbinding story begun in Shanghai Girls, launching its engrossing narrative from the last cliffhanging scene in that book.

Devastated after discovering the shocking truth about her mother and father, Joy flees to China to find a new life (and her real father)--and Pearl, realizing what has happened, sets out for Mao's China, resolved to find her daughter.

Both women face almost insurmountable struggles as they combat their guilt-ridden past and a Communist China intolerant of their free spirits, and the tension in their stories is heightened by Pearl's selfless determination to rescue Joy and bring her home.

Click here to visit the author's website.

About the author (from the publisher):

LISA SEE is the author of six previous novels, including the critically acclaimed New York Times bestsellers Shanghai Girls, Peony in Love, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Flower Net (which was nominated for an Edgar Award), The Interior, and Dragon Bones. She is also the author of the widely acclaimed memoir On Gold Mountain.

Teaser Tuesdays: TO DEFY A KING by Elizabeth Chadwick

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish memehosted by Miz B. of Should Be Reading.

Want to play along? Here's what to do:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser:

"While her endangered husband strove to hold all together at court, she had to maintain their estates, deal with her vassals, run a household and cope with pregnancy.  He could  not imagine his own gentle mother managing such a feat, although he suspected Mahelt had it within her."

-- page 215

TO DEFY A KING

by Elizabeth Chadwick

Pub. Date: March 2011

Publisher: Sourcebooks, Incorporated

Format: Paperback , 544pp

ISBN-13: 9781402250897

ISBN: 1402250894

Ditto Doubles: The Best I've Seen So Far

This is probably the most beautiful "copycat" book cover I've ever seen.  If you're going to reuse an image, this is the way to really make it special.

What do you think?

A NORTHERN LIGHT

by Jennifer Donnelly

DESIREE

by Annemarie Selinko

When your mailbox is at home and you are not . . .

Wooo hooo! Delivery from the Man in Brown!

 Nothing perks up my day at the office like a delivery of books. Most of my books go to my home, but when I "order in" I like to have them come to the office.

Here's a peek at what was on the packing list:

First, I've been neglecting my dollmaking for awhile and it's time to get back to stitching. This one will provide some inspiration and education from a few of my favorite dollmakers.

CLOTH DOLL WORKSHOP:

From the Beginning and Beyond

 with Doll Masters Elinor Peace Bailey, Patti Medaris Culea, and Barbara Willis

Description (from the publisher):
Patti Culea, elinor peace bailey, and Barbara Willis are three of the leading doll artists and teachers in the country. They are also friends. Each of these artists has her own distinct approach to the design and development of a cloth figure. In this book, each artist's process will come alive through their choice of fabrics, sketches, simple patterns, and skill-building variations. The book is oriented toward beginning doll makers, but offers unique variations and embellishments to please even more experienced doll designers. Two introductory chapters cover basic materials and techniques. Each artist's chapter includes step by step illustrations, instructions, and patterns to make a complete doll, plus variations that create completely new figures. Readers are treated to full color photography and a look inside of each artist's workspace. A gallery of additional creations by each artist, along with commentary on each work completes the collection. This is a must-have book for any aspiring or experienced doll making.

And secondly:  A little "lite" math! (Ha!) Actually, math is a lot more fun when you don't have to take any tests.  I've been working my way through the grade levels so that I can help my niece and nephew with their homework. These workbooks have really helped me to understand the modern approach of New Math. I enjoy it, but it might help to explain why my dollmaking isn't get as much attention as it should!

FIFTH GRADE BASIC MATH SUCCESS

by Sylvan Learning

Description (from the publisher):

Success in math requires children to make connections between the real world and math concepts in order to solve problems. Successful problem solvers will be ready for the challenges of mathematics as they advance to more complex topics. The activities in this workbook are designed to help your children catch up, keep up, and get ahead. Best of all, they’ll have lots of fun doing it! Some of the great features you’ll find inside are:

Tic-Tac-Toe
A twist on this classic game helps students develop a solid understanding of factors, prime numbers, and composite numbers.

Dueling Denominators
Students gain practice determining the lowest common denominator between fractions and then adding them.

Simply Simplify
Multiplying fractions can be easier if you simplify the fractions first, and students reinforce these skills by identifying numbers with common factors.

Fitting In
Measuring the length of a book, CD case, and DVD case to determine how many will fit on a shelf gives students confidence in measuring objects in centimeters and finding an answer measured to hundredths.

Fine Lines
Students practice recognizing points, lines, and rays by looking for pairs of lines in a picture and determining which are parallel, perpendicular, or intersecting.

And now, lunch break is over. Sigh . . .

Waiting on Wednesday: INSTRUMENTS OF DARKNESS by Imogen Robertson

"WAITING ON WEDNESDAY"

is hosted by Jill from

Breaking the Spine.

Join in and tell us . . .

What are you waiting for?

My pick for this week is . . .

INSTRUMENTS OF DARKNESS

by Imogen Robertson

Pub. Date: February 17, 2011

Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)

Format: Hardcover , 384pp

Sales Rank: 297,751

ISBN-13: 9780670022427

ISBN: 067002242X

Description (from the publisher):
An intricate historical page-turner about a forbidding country estate and the unlikely forensic duo who set out to uncover its deadly secrets.
 
In the year 1780, Harriet Westerman, the willful mistress of a country manor in Sussex, finds a dead man on her grounds with a ring bearing the crest of Thornleigh Hall in his pocket. Not one to be bound by convention or to shy away from adventure, she recruits a reclusive local anatomist named Gabriel Crowther to help her find the murderer, and historical suspense's newest investigative duo is born.
 
For years, Mrs. Westerman has sensed the menace of neighboring Thornleigh Hall, seat of the Earl of Sussex. It is the home of a once- great family that has been reduced to an ailing invalid, his whorish wife, and his alcoholic second son, a man haunted by his years spent as a redcoat in the Revolutionary War. The same day, Alexander Adams is slain by an unknown killer in his London music shop, leaving his children orphaned. His death will lead back to Sussex, and to an explosive secret that has already destroyed one family and threatens many others.
 
Instruments of Darkness combines the brooding atmosphere of Anne Perry with the complex, compelling detail of Tess Gerritsen, moving from drawing room to dissecting room, from coffee house to country inn. Mrs. Westerman and Mr. Crowther are both razor-sharp minds and their personalities breathe spirit into this gripping historical mystery.

Click here to access the Readers Guide which includes a Q&A with the author.

Click here to visit the author's website.

About the author (from the publisher):
Imogen Robertson studied Russian and German at Cambridge University and has worked as a TV, film, and radio director. In 2007, she won The Telegraph's First Thousand Words of a Novel competition with what would become Instruments of Darkness. She currently lives in London and has finished a second novel about Harriet Westerman and Gabriel Crowther entitled Anatomy of Murder.

Galley Giveaway: SINS OF THE HOUSE OF BORGIA by Sarah Bower

CLOSED.

Sourcebooks is offering a galley copy of SINS OF THE HOUSE OF BORGIA by Sarah Bower to one of my readers. This novel is due to be released on March 8, 2011. Here's your chance to get your hands on an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) before it hits the stores!

This is a short contest with a special entry requirement,

so act fast but read carefully!

Rules for entering this giveaway

 are at the bottom of this post.

SINS OF THE HOUSE OF BORGIA

by Sarah Bower

Pub. Date: March 2011

Publisher: Sourcebooks, Incorporated

Format: Paperback , 544pp

Sales Rank: 225,632

ISBN-13: 9781402259630

ISBN: 1402259638

Description (from the publisher):

Violante isn’t supposed to be here, in one of the grandest courts of Renaissance Italy. She isn’t supposed to be a lady-in-waiting to the beautiful Lucrezia Borgia. But the same secretive politics that pushed Lucrezia’s father to the Vatican have landed Violante deep in a lavish landscape of passion and ambition.

Violante discovers a Lucrezia unknown to those who see only a scheming harlot, and all the whispers about her brother, Cesare Borgia, never revealed the soul of the man who dances close with Violante.

But those who enter the House of Borgia are never quite the same when they leave—if they leave at all. Violante’s place in history will test her heart and leave her the guardian of dangerous secrets she must carry to the grave.

About the author (from Amazon.com):
Sarah Bower teaches creative writing and was UK editor of the Historical Novels Review for two years until the beginning of 2006 when she stepped down to make more time for her own writing. Sarah lives in rural north Suffolk with her husband, two grown up sons, and two golden retrievers.

RULES FOR ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave an original comment on this post telling me in what historical period and country you would like to have lived and why. You must answer this question in order to qualify! Include an email address with your comment so that I can contact you if you do win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com or geebee.reads [at] gmail [dot] com

• You must leave an email address in order to qualify. If I can't contact you, you can't win!

• You can earn an extra entry by being or becoming a Follower or Subscriber of this blog and telling me about it in a separate comment.

• Blog about this contest and provide me with the link to the post in a separate comment, and I'll give you yet another entry.

• Tweeting about this contest and providing me the link in a separate comment will get you one more entry. I've added a Retweet button at the bottom of every post.

• Stumble this blog, Digg it, or Technorati Fave it, whatever, and leave a separate comment for another entry.

• Open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only (Sorry!) Winner must provide a U.S. or Canadian street address. The publisher is unable to deliver to P.O. Boxes.

• PLEASE NOTE: One win per household. If you win this title in another contest hosted at another blog, the publisher will only send one copy per household address.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, February 9, 2011.

• Winner will have 24 hours to respond to my email announcing that they have won; if I don't hear from a winner, I will draw another name.

• Winners are determined using the sequence generator at Random.org.

Thank you to Beth
at Sourcebooks

for making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.