Posts on December 2015
from Lost in the Stacks

Signora da Vinci by Robin Maxwell

Cover of Signora da Vinci by Robin Maxwell

Signora da Vinci is an imaginative retelling, more fantasy than historical fiction, of the life of Leonardo da Vinci's mother, Caterina. In Robin Maxwell's novel, Caterina is the daughter of an alchemist/apothecary in a small town near Florence. After a brief romance with Piero da Vinci, a young man from a much wealthier family, she gives birth to Leonardo, who is taken away by his father's family the day after his birth. In order to be near her son, Caterina disguises herself...

Roman Blood by Steven Saylor

Cover of Roman Blood by Steven Saylor

In Roman Blood, the first of a mystery series by Steven Saylor, Gordianus the Finder, an ancient Roman detective, helps Cicero defend a man accused of killing his father. But he finds evidence that might lead to trouble with a cruel dictator. The series is rich with details of the daily life, the political intrigues, and the legal system of Rome.