BBAW Giveaway: Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran

With BBAW coming to a close today, I thought it would be nice to include this giveaway in the fun! I didn't get to spend half as much time checking out new blogs as I would have liked this week, but I think I will spend some time doing that this weekend. It's been crazy busy for me! Don't forget to also check out the BBAW giveaway page to see some more amazing contests!

I am so excited to be able to offer another International giveaway here at Jo-Jo Loves to read, thanks to Michelle Moran.

Since I haven't had a chance to read this book yet, here is a summary from her website:

The marriage of Marc Antony and Cleopatra is one of the greatest love stories of all time, a tale of unbridled passion with earth-shaking political consequences. Feared and hunted by the powers in Rome, the lovers choose to die by their own hands as the triumphant armies of Antony’s vengeful rival, Octavian, sweep into Egypt. Their three orphaned children are taken in chains to Rome, but only two—the ten-year-old twins Selene and Alexander—survive the journey. Delivered to the household of Octavian’s sister, the siblings cling to each other and to the hope that they will return one day to their rightful place on the throne of Egypt. As they come of age, they are buffeted by the personal ambitions of Octavian’s family and court, by the ever-present threat of slave rebellion, and by the longings and desires deep within their own hearts.

Selene’s narrative is animated by the concerns of a young girl in any time and place —the possibility of finding love, the pull of friendship and family, and the pursuit of her unique interests and talents. While coping with the loss of both her family and her ancestral kingdom, Selene must find a path around the dangers of a foreign land. Her accounts of life in Rome are filled with historical details that vividly capture both the glories and horrors of the time. She dines with the empire’s most illustrious poets and politicians, witnesses the creation of the Pantheon, and navigates the colorful, crowded marketplaces of the city where Roman-style justice is meted out with merciless authority.

Based on meticulous research, Cleopatra’s Daughter is a fascinating portrait of Imperial Rome and of the people and events of this glorious and tumultuous period in human history. Emerging from the shadows of history, Selene, a young woman of irresistible charm and preternatural intelligence, will capture your heart.

How to enter:

This is an international contest, so as long as you have reliable mail service, feel free to enter.

For one entry leave me a comment including your email address below.

For two additional entries, blog about this contest or add the link to your sidebar.

Please include your email so I will have a way to contact you if you win.

The winner will also receive this gorgeous pair of earrings from Michelle Moran!

You will have until September 30th to enter and I will draw for a winner on October 1st.

Good luck everyone!

BBAW Because of a Blog

Today for BBAW we are asked to share a book that we read because of a blog, and maybe share a little bit about that book. The book that comes to mind for me is The Kingmaking by Helen Hollick. I just finished this book and I loved it! I will be posting my review in a couple of weeks but I will share with you that when I realized that this book was about King Arthur, I was a bit turned off by it.

But I took the time to read the review that was provided by Dar from Peeking Between the Pages and decided that I had to read this book. About a month after reading Dar's review, I won my own copy from So Many Precious Books, So Little Time, so Thank You ladies! I am so thankful for the reviews that I read that help me open my mind to read a book that I may not have considered otherwise.

BBAW Reading Meme

So for this BBAW Reading Meme I decided to answer the following questions.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in book horrify you?

It's not because the thought horrifies me to write in a book, but I have found if I want to take notes that post its work much better for me. I have especially found for my book club reads that it helps me find specific items I may be looking for much more quickly. If you see one of my books with post-its hanging out from almost every page, you know that I've been enjoying it.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?

Although I am reading a couple of series right now I think that I actually prefer stand alone books. I've just started listening to the Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum series on audio and that is very enjoyable. I've also been reading The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith with my book club. We have been reading one book from this series every year and we've found that although we have a couple of favorites within the series, that not all of them are going to be great. I guess I just don't want to find myself getting bogged down reading series when there are so many other wonderful books out there waiting to be read.

A Special Thank You to Some Special Book Bloggers!

Today for the BBAW we are asked to give a special thank you to some of our favorite blogs didn't make the short lists for nominations. I do have a few that I want to share with you.

Peeking Between the Pages always has well written reviews and fabulous giveaways! She was also one of the first bloggers to make me feel welcome in this community so Thank You!

At Home With Books has such a wide assortment of reviews that you really don't quite know what to expect. But once you get there it's fabulous!

Passages to the Past has an amazing Historical Fiction blog. If you have a question about something historical or want to find the latest historical fiction books you can probably find it there.

L. Diane Wolfe is an author and motivational speaker. I've just recently had the chance to get to know Diane over the last couple of months as I participated in her blog tour for The Circle of Friends Book III: James. I love her blog because it is so much more than advertising her book series as she also shares things that will help us be the best possible people that we can.

Although all of the book blogs that I encounter on a daily basis are very special to me, these are the ones that I wanted to give a special Thank You to. Go check them out if you are not familiar with them.

My BBAW Giveaway

For the BBAW this week I have decided that I am going to have a contest that will allow one winner to choose between This One is Mine by Maria Semple or Names My Sisters Call Me by Megan Crane.















This is an international contest, so as long as you have regular mail service, feel free to enter.

Here is how to sign up:

For one entry leave me a comment including your email address below.

For two additional entries, blog about this contest or add the link to your sidebar.

Please include your email so I will have a way to contact you if you win.

The contest will run until September 18th, and I will draw for a winner on September 19th.

Good luck everyone and don't forget to check the giveaway page at the BBAW website for more great contests!

2009 BBAW Festivities Sept. 14-18

I missed the BBAW last year, but I am very excited to be able to participate this year. I am looking forward to being able to take some time to go and discover some new blogs out there. Every day next week there are going to be separate topics for you to post about. If you want to start working on your posts you can go here to find out what those topics are.

There is also a giveaway page so it makes it super easy to go and find some contests to enter. I'm going to offer a giveaway for this occasion, but I am kind of stuck on deciding upon which book to giveaway. So I will give you a choice between two books, but you will have to come back next week to see which books you could win.