The Secret Book of Grazia dei Rossi

The written word is calling. Last night I purchased a novel to read at Barnes & Noble and found myself, while grazing through the stacks, that I was being extremely careful about my selection. True, we have very little money to spare at the moment, but books should never be skimped, especially if they are under $10. Still, I was careful about what I chose to read. It was important to me what went into my brain and it felt wonderful to take an interest in the books out there.

At one point I had about four books in my possession. I read and re-read the backs and the prologues (if they had them) and the first few pages if there was no prologue. Finally I decided on The Secret Book of Grazia dei Rossi by Jacqueline Park. It is about this woman's life in the Renaissance. Yes, it is fiction. Since the last book I read was a biography, it seemed like a nice change to actually select a novel, a piece of fiction to let my brain wander and imagine, other than in my own worlds, of course.

I think the next novel I read will either be campy or science fiction or fantasy oriented. Life needs some SF and F in order to make it through it. This is my belief at the moment.

When it is finished I will share with you the book.

Here is the blurb from the back

The Secret Book of Grazia dei Rossi is a sweeping tale of intrigue and romance set in a time rife with court politics, papal chicanery, religious intolerance, and inviolable social rules. Grazia, private secretary to the world-renowned Isabell d'Este, is the daughter of an eminent Jewish banker, the wife of the pope's Jewish physician, and the lover of a Christian prince. In a "secret book," written as a legacy for her son, she records her struggles to choose between the seductions of the Christian world and a return to the family, traditions, and duties of her Jewish roots. As she re-creates renaissance Italy in captivating detail, Jacqueline Park gives us a timeless portrait of a brave and brilliant woman trapped in an unforgiving, inflexible society.

See any reason why I would have chosen this particular novel to read, say, over the science fiction novel and thrillers I had in my lap at the time?