So Many Precious Books, So Little Time

Thanks to Desert Rose of DeSeRt RoSe BoOkLoGuE

Here's what the award means:

"We give and get awards for having a great blog and being a good friend. What I want to award is those people whose comments have meant THE WORLD to me. It takes time to visit a blog and leave a comment ... I wanted to recognize some special bloggers whose comments have made such an impact on me.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:11 PM 12 comments    

Labels: Awards

Visit Marcia every Monday at The Printed Page to share what arrived in your mailbox each week.



I requested this through Shelf Awareness.


















Thanks to Debbie’s World of Books, I won this book.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 10:48 PM 16 comments    

Labels: Mail Box Mondays

As usual, be sure to check back at this post throught the week for links to more book giveaways!

My Giveaways:

I have 5 copies of Made in the U.S.A. By Billie Letts. Deadline is May 1st. Enter here.

I also have 5 copies of THE GIRL WHO STOPPED SWIMMING by Joshilyn Jackson. Deadline is May 1st. Enter here.

I have 5 copies of Testimony: A Novel By Anita Shreve. Deadline is May 8th. Enter here.

New offerings (if you do enter any of these lovely giveaways, please let them know that Teddy sent you):

Anna of Diary of an Eccentric is giving away The Traitor's Wife by Susan Higginbotham. Deadline is May 1st. Enter here. She is also giving away a prize pack of 5 books by Joanna Scott including her newest, Follow Me. Deadline is May 4th. Enter here.

Nancy of Bookfoolery and Babble is giving away 5 copies of Lucky Child, A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz As a Young Boy by Thomas Buergenthal. Deadline is May 5th. Enter here.

Shelly of Write for a Reader is giving away The Light, The Dark, and Ember Between by J.W. Nicklaus. Deadline is May 2. Enter here.

Unusual Historicals is giving away Virginia's War by Jack Woodville London. Deadline is May 2. Enter here.

Dar of Peeking Between the Pages is giving away Mistress of the Sun by Sandra Gulland. Deadline is May 8th. Enter here.

Historical Fiction is giving away The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. Deadline is May 2nd. Enter here.

Marie of The Burton Review is giving away 3 copies of Follow Me by Joanna Scott. Deadline is May 23rd. Enter here.

Andrea of So Many Books, So Little Time is giving away one copy of Follow Me by Joanna Scott. Deadline is May 4th. Enter here.

Nicola from Back to Books is hosting her very first giveaway. She is giving away Luke on the Loose by Harry Bliss. Deadline is May 8th. Enter here.

Drey of Drey's Library is giving away 3 copies of Follow me by Joanna Scott. Deadline is May 8th. Enter here.

Serena at Savvy Verse & Wit is giving away Follow me by Joanna Scott. Deadline is May 4th. Enter here.

Jenn of Jenn's Bookshelf is giving away Follow Me by Joanna Scott. Deadline is May 7th. Enter here.

Karen of Bookin' with Bingo is giving away 3 copies of Follow me by Joanna Scott. Deadline is May 8th. Enter here.

Wendy of Caribousmom is giving away three different Joanna Scott books which, include Follow Me, Liberation, and Tourmaline. Deadline is May 5th. Enter here.

Amy of My Friend Amy s giving away 3 copies of Follow me by Joanna Scott. Deadline is May

?. Enter here.

Below are giveaways that I announced in previous weeks. There is still time to enter (if you do enter any of these lovely giveaways, please let them know that Teddy sent you):

Tina of Bookshipper is giving away an ARC of IF I STAY by Gayle Forman. Deadline is April 30th. Enter here.

IceDream of Reading in Appalachia is giving away an ARC of The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Deadline is May 1st. Enter here.

Julie of Booking Mama is giving away ADMISSION by Jean Hanff Korelitz. Deadline is April 30th. Enter here.

Valorie of Morbid Romantic is giving away 3 signed copies of Memoirs of a Fortune Teller by Gary Turcotte. Deadline is May 2nd. Enter here.

Teddyree of The Eclectic Reader is giving away The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne. Deadline is April 28th. Enter here.

Jessica of The Bluestocking Society is giving away 2 Toon Books, Luke on the Loose, by Harry Bliss and Benny and Penny in The Big No-No!, by Geoffrey Hayes. Deadline is April 29th. Enter here.

Amy of Passages to the Past is giving away The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner. Deadline is May 5th. Enter here.

Dar of Peeking Between the Pages is giving away 3 copies of The Good Mayor by Andrew Nicoll. Deadline is May 8th. (Sorry, this is in Canada only). Enter here.

Melissa of Shhh I`m Reading is giving away Siam Nights: A Love Story by J.F. Gump. Deadline is April 29th. Enter here.

Visit West of Mars to find out about even more Giveaways!

Posted by Teddy Rose at 3:07 PM 6 comments    

Labels: Giveaways Galore

Posted by Teddy Rose at 1:56 PM 7 comments    

Labels: My 2009 Giveaways

Stirring Portrait of Renascence Italy

Historical records tell us very little about Leonardo Da Vinci's mother, Caterina. All that is really know is that she had Leonardo out of wedlock and that he was taken from her by his father's family and raise by them.

Robin Maxwell tries to fill in the blanks and the remarkable work of historical fiction. Caterenia grew up in a small village with her father, Ernesto, an apothecary. Her mother died when Caterina was very young. Ernesto was a true believer in education and educated Caterina even though it was almost unheard of for a woman to have an education. He also taught her how to be an apothecary.

One day Caterenia was gathering plants for the apothecary when she happened to meet Piero, the son of the richest family in the village. After that they met regularly until he finally propose marriage. With the promise of marriage, they consummated their love for each other.

Piero went home to tell his family about his future wife and he was forbidden to see her again, let alone marry her. A couple months after that, Caterina realized she was pregnant. After she gives birth, is when the story really spices up!

Caterina was an intelligent, kind, caring mother who would do anything for her son, even at great personal risk to herself and her identity.

Robin Maxwell writes a very colourful story of Caterina and her relationship with her son. She captures the essence of the Italian Renascence with vivid prose and includes details of real people such as Leonardo da Vinci and Lorenzo de’Medici.

Maxwell did make one mistake, when Leonardo was almost 16 years old, Caterina was 21. She was 15 when she had him. The math does not add up at all. LOL!

Despite that, Maxwell wrote a stirring portrait of Renascence Italy and Leonardo da Vinci's mother. Highly recommended!

4/5

Stay tuned, in mid-May I will be posting my interview with Robin Maxwell and a giveaway!

Also review at:

Devourer of Books

My Friend Amy

Reading Room

Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:57 PM 10 comments    

Labels: Books Read in 2009, Historical Fiction, Italy, Robin Maxwell