Joint Musings: The Lions of Al-Rassan

The Lions of Al-Rassan, by Guy Gavriel Kay, is one of my favorite books of all time.  I read it several years ago, I think in high school.  And then Heather over at Raging Bibliomania said she wanted to read it, and I jumped at the chance to read the book again.  It did not disappoint, and I'm excited for the opportunity to share the book with you all!

The Lions of Al-Rassan takes place in an alternate (BARELY alternate, I might add) version of Spain in the Middle Ages, when the country was ruled by the Moors.  Kay gives us three main characters, all from different religions.  There is Jehane, the Kindath physician (who also already holds a place on my Women Who Don't Annoy Me list), Ammar the Asharite warrior-poet, based loosely on the historical figure El Cid, and Rodrigo, the Jaddite counselor whose king dismisses him.  All three of these characters meet at King Badir's court as political intrigue, racial tension and military maneuvering begin to overwhelm the region.  Life will never be the same for anyone, but for Jehane, Ammar and Rodrigo, their time at Badir's court will mark them forever.

What follows is a Q&A Heather and I had about the book.  Tomorrow, Heather will post a more a casual conversation we had about more general themes.  Check it out!

GIVEAWAY: Cafe Press Banned Books T-Shirt

**This giveaway has ended.  The winner is commenter #11, Sudhana.  Thank you all for entering and for all the HILARIOUS puns!  I loved reading them.**

Hello again, all!  I have just come up for air after my first quarter of business school and I must say... grad school is busy.  I laugh now at my naivete in thinking I could maybe read a book a week in school.  I have not cracked open a book since mid-August, sadly, and I don't think I'll be finishing one up until probably Winter Break rolls around.  But there will be a review of a fabulous book coming up soon and today I have a giveaway!

Some time ago, I was approached by CafePress to do a giveaway here on BookLust.  I agreed immediately because I adore CafePress.  Seriously.  I am a big fan of witty, punny t-shirts, and no website does those with the panache that CafePress does.  Really, any time I recognize someone wearing a t-shirt from their site, I generally assume that I would get along quite well with that person.

So clearly, I was all about this giveaway.  I scoured the website for longer than I'd like to admit, looking for the perfect shirt to purchase and offer up to one of you.  And then I found it:

This shirt has it all!  It hits on the core of what BookLust is all about (yup, books).  It relays a positive message (banned books are good!), and it exemplifies the CafePress quirkiness that I love so much (hello, puns!).  CafePress isn't only about witty shirts, though.  It also offers millions of Christmas t-shirts, personalized ornaments and new years gifts for any brand, topic or interest!

The shirt is available in four different colors (black, blue, red and purple) and is made for men and women, so all of you can feel free to enter this giveaway!  I'll keep it open through Halloween, October 31st.  To enter, just tell me your favorite pun!