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Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

giveaways

Who wants a free book?

January 14, 2015

It is two weeks into January and I am cold. Yep, I’m a complaining about winter and I grew up in the Midwest.

My favorite way to forget about winter is to curl up with a good book and a blanket and a hot cup of coffee or tea. Two active kiddos and being our family’s taxi driver don’t give me as many days like that as I’d like, but I’m never at a loss for books to read when the mood and opportunity align.

In case you are one of those people who can’t find a good book to read, you’re in luck! I’m giving one away today.

It’s called The Day Angels Fell. It’s by Shawn Smucker who is one of my favorite bloggers. He has written numerous nonfiction books with fun titles like How to Use a Runaway Truck Ramp, but this is his first fiction release. angels

And you don’t want to miss it.

Here’s my review:

The Day the Angels Fell is a captivating debut novel from a talented author and blogger who takes time to see the world in a way few others do.

Part bedtime story, part fictional memoir, part adventure story, I loved this tale of Sam and Abra and what happened after Sam’s mother died. I kept turning the pages because I had no idea what was going to happen next or how things were going to work out. As with Lord of the Rings, I couldn’t be sure Sam would make the right decisions (or the ones I thought he should make) until the very end. And I liked how we got two perspectives on Sam’s life–what happened when he was a boy, and him as an old man about to attend a funeral.

The best part, though? There’s a follow-up story in the works!

The Day the Angels Fell stars two children as its main characters but the themes are deep enough for adults and reading it reminded me of everything I loved about adventures and mysteries as a kid.

—

Sound like something you’d like to read? Or do you have a young reader in your house who plows through books faster than you can get to the library? Shawn wrote the book for his 10- and 11-year-old kids, so that’s one target age range, but don’t write this off as only a children’s book. Perfect for adults, too.

I have an extra copy and I want you to have it! Which “you”? Well, that remains to be seen!

Leave a comment here on the blog telling me a story that you read as a child that stuck with you. (For me, it was Nancy Drew mysteries. I couldn’t get enough!) I’ll pick a random winner on Monday, January 19. If you don’t already follow Shawn’s blog, why not? Click here. You can find him on Facebook and Twitter, also. No extra entries for connecting with him, just the benefit of reading his writing!

Don’t forget to share your childhood favorites, then check back here on Monday to see if you won! (U.S. entries only.)

Filed Under: books, Fiction, giveaways, The Weekly Read Tagged With: children's fiction, debut novels, indie publishing, shawn smucker, the day the angels fell

A call to courage: Review of Let's All Be Brave by Annie F. Downs {plus a giveaway!}

September 17, 2014

Annie Downs doesn’t consider herself brave, but she’s done the next right thing in her life, even if it’s scary. Her latest book, Let’s All Be Brave, is a call to all of us to be courageous in whatever our lives require. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for my review.)

braveDowns doesn’t demand that everyone pack up and move across the world. Bravery doesn’t require everyone to do the same thing, and what looks brave in one person’s life will look different in someone else’s. That’s one of the highlights of this book for me: that the brave thing is individual. Downs doesn’t offer specifics for being brave but principles and stories of what bravery has looked like in her life.

She tells great stories about the leaps she’s made in her life and encourages readers to take those kinds of leaps in their own lives. Her brave moments have included a move to Nashville when she knew no one, a move to Edinburgh, Scotland after she’d found community in Nashville, accepting her singleness in this stage of life. I was challenged by the idea that bravery isn’t always saying “yes” to something but sometimes it’s saying “no.” I hadn’t considered that before.

I appreciate the overall message of this book, but on complaint I have is that the chapters felt disconnected from each other. I didn’t get a sense of one flowing into the next. It was easy to read a chapter and walk away for a while, which meant it took me longer than I expected to read this book.

That said, if you’re feeling stuck or like you don’t know what’s next (or you do but you’re too afraid to say it or do something about it), then this book might be the nudge you need to go for it.

HOW TO WIN YOUR OWN COPY

And in case you need another nudge, I have a copy to give away! Leave a comment here on the blog about why you want to read this book, what bravery means to you or anything else you’d like to say, and I’ll enter you in a drawing. I’ll pick a winner on Monday, Sept. 22, so you have through the weekend to enter.

Want to know more about the author? Check out her website and blog:  http://www.anniefdowns.com/

And you can preview two chapters here.

 

Filed Under: books, giveaways, Non-fiction, The Weekly Read Tagged With: annie downs, bravery, courage, fear, let's all be brave

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Hi. I’m Lisa, and I’m glad you’re here. If we were meeting in real life, I’d offer you something to eat or drink while we sat on the porch letting the conversation wander as it does. That’s a little bit what this space is like. We talk about books and family and travel and food and running, whatever I might encounter in world. I’m looking for the beauty in the midst of it all, even the tough stuff. (You’ll find a lot of that here, too.) Thanks for stopping by. Stay as long as you like.

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Lisa Bartelt is a participant in the Bluehost Affiliate Program.

Occasionally, I review books in exchange for a free copy. Opinions are my own and are not guaranteed positive simply due to the receipt of a free copy.

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