May Book Give Away
May 4, 2008 at 1:53 pm | Posted in Books, Free | Leave a commentTags: Artist's Proof, Bel Canto, Cider House Rules, contest, free books, Gardens of Water, Jonathan's Story, May book give away, spring cleaning, The Forgery of Venus, The House at Riverton, The Lady and the Unicorn, The Venetian Mask
It’s May and spring is finally here. I’m in the mood to do some spring cleaning and I thought I might provide my readers with the gift of a new book.
This year I’ve received several Advance Reader’s Copies of books and I’ve reviewed them here at Literate Housewife. Five of them are part of this book give away:
I’m also giving away my two used trade paperback copies I own…:
And two hardcover copies…:
What do you need to do to get one of the free books? If you live in the US or Canada, simply leave a comment to my review of the book(s) you are interested in and let me know why you would like to read it. For each book, I’ll draw a winner at random from all of the comments posted on Tuesday, May 20th. I’ll let the winner know by email. If I get the addresses, I’ll have all of the books in the mail that Thursday or Friday.
This is a win/win situation. My bookshelves will be just that much tidier and you might find yourself with a free book.
Good luck!!!
#67 ~ The Venetian Mask
April 28, 2008 at 10:12 pm | Posted in Books | 4 CommentsTags: Jennifer Donnelly, masks, Rosalind Laker, The Tea Rose, The Venetian Mask, Venice
The Venetian Mask: A Novel
Although I purchased The Golden Tulip last year, this is the first novel I’ve read by Rosalind Laker. It tells the story of Marietta, a girl who lost her parents at an early age. Her mother loved her so much that she ensured that her daughter was given a home at the Pieta, a Roman Catholic home for orphaned girls. This was the place for Marietta because it gave her the opportunity to make the most of her beautiful singing voice. There, she becomes best friends with Elena. The two grow up together like sisters, only to marry into two Venetian families embroiled in a generation’s old vendetta.
While thinking about this novel over the weekend, I kept making comparisons to The Tea Rose. This was because both heroines are similarly strong women, but even more so because everything they touched in business turned to gold. They certainly worked hard for their success, but there is this little part of me that feels that it came too readily. It’s not that I wanted Marietta or Fiona to have an exhaustingly difficult experience building their businesses. I think it would be more realistic to have a tiny idea or two that didn’t pan out.
My feelings for the novels as a whole are similar as well. They both had portions that kept me reading as well as portions that felt too long. Still, I really enjoyed my trip through beauty, lust, and intrigue of Venice. I loved the descriptions of the masks and the parties. I am also interested in learning more about the city’s history. Much like Devourer of Books, I found Venice to be equally compelling and perhaps more fleshed than Marietta or Elena. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t recommend this book. Laker has good writing skills and creates an interesting world. Given its pacing, it would make a good choice if you want to work on a book when you can’t devote all of your time to it. It’s a pleasant diversion that can easily be picked back up after a while without losing its charm.
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To buy this novel, click here
Spectacular Sunday
April 20, 2008 at 3:42 pm | Posted in Books, Family, LIfe, My Life with Books, Reading, What's Up | 4 CommentsTags: birthday, flamingos, Gilding Lily, interview, interviewing authors, Lander Marks, learning from experience, Michigan, podcast, Robin Gerber, Rosalind Laker, Southwest Virginia, spring, storms, Tatiana Boncompagni, The Venetian Mask, turning 60, YouTube
Spring is finally here to stay in Southwest Virginia – and you can tell by the storms! All the better for me to have had an interview scheduled with my second author – Lander Marks. Ms. Marks is the author of Artist’s Proof, which is due to be published the first part of May. It was a wonderful interview experience and made me appreciate the time I spent talking with Robin Gerber even more. Although these authors have written about two completely different things, but they are both interesting women. I feel fortunate for having the opportunity to talk with them.
I was much more relaxed the second time around and I concentrated on letting the author speak. I hope to find less of my voice this time around when I listen through the interview and transcribe it. Ms. Marks seconded a great suggestion my dear, beloved husband made earlier this morning. I’m going to work on taking portions of interview and turning it into a podcast. Watch out, YouTube! Literate Housewife is heading your way!
I am hoping to have my review and interview posted by mid to late next week. In the meantime, I’ll also be working on my review of Gilding Lily by Tatiana Boncompagni. At some point soon I hope to finish The Venetian Mask by Rosalind Laker. It’s going slowly. It’s not a boring or hard novel to read, but it’s not terribly compelling either.
Last but not least, my father, who will always be a handsome young man in his mid-30s to me, turns 60-years-old today. Happy Birthday!!!!! I wish I could be in Michigan celebrating with you and the flamingos!!!! I love you, Daddy!!!!!!!
I hope that you’re all having a wonderful weekend!
On the Horizon
April 2, 2008 at 9:30 pm | Posted in Books, entertainment, Family, Historical Fiction, LibraryThing, LIfe, Reading | 2 CommentsTags: Anya Seton, Artist's Proof, Devil Water, Gilding Lily, graphic artist, HarperCollins, Lander Marks, Las Vegas, LibraryThing, Rosalind Laker, Tatiana Boncampagni, The Venetian, The Venetian Mask, visit with parents, web design
I have some fun things to look forward to in Literate Housewife-Land:
- I received an Advanced Readers Copy of Artist’s Proof by Lander Marks in the mail on Monday. After I finish reading it, I will be interviewing the author. I’m really excited to get to do that again.
- I am on the look out for two other ARCs: The Venetian Mask by Rosalind Laker (snagged through LibraryThing) and Gilding Lily by Tatiana Boncampagni (through HarperCollins). Since I snagged The Venetian Mask last month and it has yet to arrive, I’m starting to have my doubts about receiving it. That’s a little disappointing, but I’ll survive. Besides, it will be nice change to read two novels that are not historical fiction. I love historical fiction as you know, but a girl needs a little variety every now and then. 🙂
- My parents and my Uncle Ryan are coming down for a visit this weekend. I love to watch my kids interact with my parents. It should be a nice, relaxing weekend.
- I have registered http://www.literatehousewife.com! I am busy dreaming about how I want the site to look and work. As I’m no artist, I am looking for someone to help me with the colors, graphics, and logo I’ll need to complete the website and I’ve finally found a good lead. I’m hoping to have the site up and running this summer. I’m going to incorporate my blog and my Tudor Fan Site, which I’ll be building on that as well as well as adding a forum. When all that happens, be on the lookout for changes here, too.
- I am going to Vegas in June!!!!! As part of my new position at work, I’ve been invited to attend a conference being held at The Venetian. Sometimes I really feel like my life is swimming in connections. Artist’s Proof takes place in Las Vegas and, assuming that my LibraryThing snag will arrive in time, I might be reading The Venetian Mask by the pool at the Venetian!
Before all of that, I’ll be quickly finishing up Devil Water by Anya Seton and posting my review. It’s been a much more interesting read than the last book.
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