A book that I recently acquired for the purposes of enjoying it on a road trip to Massachusetts.

I picked up an audio copy of this book for my road trip to Massachusetts. There were aspects of the book that I found annoying in an audio format that would like not have bothered me as much in a paper format, mostly because of my own personality and not because of any flaw in the book itself. I was irritated by Luciano's obsession with Francesca and I was also irritated by the suspense factor on the audio. I kept turning it off because the roller coaster was hard for me and I could only take it for a few minutes at a time. At one point I was irritated enough that I considered giving up, but I saw some of my friends had read the book and given it 4 stars on Goodreads, so I figured it was worth going on with. I am glad that I finished it and I feel like I learned a lot about Venice and Venetian politics in the 1400-1500s and about cooking. There was quite a bit of philosophy in the dishes cooked as well. I will say that I would have handled some of the references to sadism/torture better on paper, because they left a more lasting image in my mind from the audio and I would rather not have that. Nonetheless, it was a good read and I was satisfied with it, sitting in the car for the last twenty minutes in the parking lot at home to finish it.

This book is going to meet-up with me today and hopefully going home with someone else.

Any future reader or recipient of this book is encouraged to leave a journal entry here on the BookCrossing site to let prior readers know the fate of the book. You can make an anonymous entry without joining the BookCrossing movement, but if you are interested in joining, it is a free and spam-free community where your contact information is not shared with others. Best of all, members receive private messages via e-mail from books like this one when those books are journaled, allowing for long-term relationships between books and readers.

Picked up at the last BC in DC meetup. Putting it in the rotation for my commutes, right now I'm listening to Ray Bradbury's 451.

Listened to this audiobook on a multi-week trip back and forth to Richmond, VA. Found the first half of the first CD to be disappointing, but decided to stick with it and it got better very quickly. Not that the beginning is bad, but the writing was reminiscent of young adult writing and felt like the reader was getting hit over the head with repetitive concepts rather than relying on the reader to read between the lines. Foreshadowing didn't occur until about CD four. Ending threw me a bit, but worth getting to the end.

That said, really enjoyed the story as a whole. Interesting characters, great 'scenery' in Venice, Italy, and a decent plot. Venice, Florence, Rome, all vicious places to live, and even more cut throat for the poor and homeless. A touch of fantasy adds to this historic fiction told from the perspective of a young apprentice to the Douge's chef. Bene!

Picked this up at a BCinDC meetup. Looking forward to getting to it during my comment when I'm done with book club books!

I read this as part of my "Travel from Home" trip to Italy. It definitely had a YA feel, and was an enjoyable adventure in the Renaissance era. I was rooting for Luciano for most of the book but, honestly, my biggest concern was for the cat's welfare! :-)

Taking to a BCinDC meetup to find a new reader.

Welcome to BookCrossing!

Making a journal entry here lets me know the book has been found and is safe in your hands. The book is yours now! Read it, give it to a friend, pass it on, or keep it forever--it's your choice.

If you pass it on to someone or leave it "in the wild" for someone else to find, please make another journal entry or release notes here to explain that it's travelling to find another home.

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I hope you enjoy the book. Happy reading!

I found this book on the Book Buffet at the home of ResQGeek at today's BookCrossing meetup in Alexandria, Virginia.

Thanks for this book, Six. I intend to give it to a friend who supplies me with tons of Books for Bookcrossing and listens to audiobooks on her trips back and forth to Maryland.

I'm releasing this book to my friend from New Boston, New Hampshire, USA.

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Now that you've "caught" this book, it is yours to do with as you like. Read it, keep it, or give it away. It's your choice!

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Enjoy the book!