Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

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Letting go and moving on: Review of Wishing on Willows by Katie Ganshert

Late last year, I read an interview with debut author Katie Ganshert on a friend’s blog. Her down-to-earth Midwestness caught me and I snagged a copy of her novel Wildflowers from Winter. I. Loved. It.

The follow-up, Wishing on Willows, releases this month, and it’s another not-to-miss story. Before I tell you more about the story, check this out: If you pre-order Wishing on Willows, you’ll get a bonus 7 devotionals written by the author and based on the book. What a neat extra! Click here to sign up for the bonus. willows cover

Now, back to the story.

Robin Price lost her husband, Micah, love of her life, four years ago and found out she was pregnant with the child they’d longed for at the same time. The grief sent her spiraling into a pit, but a dream fulfilled–opening a cafe in their hometown of Peaks, Iowa–pulls her out and becomes her passion. Between the cafe, a grief support group, raising her son and a community ministry, Robin is stretched. Her cafe is barely making a profit, but Robin’s commitment to it, and the dream she and her husband shared, is unwavering.

So, when developer Ian McKay comes to town with plans to help the town build condominiums to attract new residents, plans that include tearing down the buildings including Robin’s cafe, Robin fights with all she has to hang on to the cafe, the community ministry and her memories of Micah. Ian has his own past to battle and is determined to make this deal a success to prove to his father that he’s worthwhile and to forget the personal failings of the past two years.

They can’t both get their way. The question their story seeks to answer is whether they’ll let God have His way, even if His plans differ from theirs.

Want a preview? Read the first chapter here.

I’ve loved this set of books and characters because they remind of my hometown, which is not all that far from the Iowa setting. The small-town people, businesses and get-togethers make me homesick and remind of people I know and circumstances I’ve read about and reported on as a journalist. Robin’s grief is realistic and her struggle to do it all is common to mothers whether single or married.

Ganshert’s word pictures give the story a heartbeat, and I found myself nodding “yes” along with an emotion a character was feeling.

I hope you’ll check out these books. You won’t feel out of the loop if you haven’t read Wildflowers from Winter, so don’t hesitate to read this one.

And just for you, I have TWO, yes TWO, advanced reading copies to give away. Find details about the giveaway at the end of the post.

But first, I’ve got a short interview with the author to share with you.

ganshertHere’s a fast five with Katie Ganshert.

I grew up in the Midwest and after moving to Pennsylvania, I found I missed my homeland (except for the bitter cold!). What do you love about the Midwest? And what could you do without?

I love the Midwest. I love the friendly people. I love the four seasons – even if spring and fall are too short. I love the country roads and the farmland (that is sadly becoming less and less). I could do without winter in April, although that didn’t happen last year.

What authors do you enjoy reading?

So many! One of my favorite new authors, as well as a good friend, is Becky Wade. We’re discovering that readers who read and enjoyed My Stubborn Heart also seem to enjoy my debut novel, Wildflowers from Winter, and vice versa. So if you haven’t checked her out yet, I highly recommend! My Stubborn Heart made me laugh and cry and I seriously could not put it down.

Who would you cast to portray the main characters in your novels?

Oh, what a fun question! I imagine Robin to resemble a slightly younger Jennifer Connelly and Ian is a taller, tanner version of Matt Czuchry, complete with that adorable squinty-eyed smile. In Wildflowers I always imagined Bethany to look like a not-so-stunning version of Kiera Knightley and Evan as a scruffier, hazel-eyed version of Chris Pine.

What story in the Bible inspires you?

Rahab. She is “that girl”. The one who seems hopelessly lost and beyond redemption. She’s a prostitute. Her reputation is scandalous. Women would most likely cross the street to avoid her. Yet God used her in a huge way. He invited her to be a part of His story and she said yes. Through her lineage, came our rescue–Jesus Christ. I can’t get over that story. It just goes to show that God can use anyone, even the most broken among us.

How do you feel when you come to the end of a novel you’ve written?

Giddy and satisfied with a tiny twinge of sadness, because it’s hard to say goodbye, even to fictional characters.

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And now for the giveaway (for US and Canada residents only).

1. Leave a comment here. You can tell me a) an experience you’ve had with grief and how you got through it or b) a dream you have/had that you would fight for no matter the cost. That’s one entry.

2. Like Katie Ganshert’s author page on Facebook, then come back here and leave a comment that you did that. That’s an extra entry.

3. Follow @katieganshert on Twitter, and tell me that you did that. Worth one extra entry.

4. Follow me @lmbartelt on Twitter. Worth another entry.

5. Share about this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter. Help spread the word about this book and author! Worth one total entry.

Five chances to win! I’ll pick TWO winners on Saturday, March 9.

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In exchange for my review, I was given a free ARC of Wishing on Willows from the author and Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Remember who you are: Review of The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson

I recently finished reading Andrew Peterson’s The Wingfeather Saga, books 1-3 (a fourth is on its way). Below are some overall impressions of each of the books. I wouldn’t want to ruin the story for anyone, so I didn’t get too specific about plot. My husband read these first and it was hard for him to not talk about what happens in each of the books until after I’d read them. I’d recommend these books in a nanosecond.

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

I have loved Andrew Peterson’s musical stories for years, and after my husband (who typically does not read books quickly) tore through this series, I was eager to give them a shot. This first book in The Wingfeather Saga starts slow and builds a lot of background for the Igiby family. It’s not that it’s a hard read or a bad story or anything. I love the relationships between the children, their mother and grandfather, and the trouble they find themselves in. Everything I love about Peterson’s music translates to the pages of this story somehow, and I found myself wishing there was a soundtrack for the book. I am wowed by Peterson’s creativity in forming a world with fascinating and frightening creatures with detailed descriptions and amusing names. I’ve said that I’m not a fan of the fantasy genre, but I think I’m being won over of late by works like this. I look forward to sharing these stories with my kids as they get older and letting their imaginations run wild. This book will whet your appetite for more. (And thankfully, there are more!)

North! Or Be Eaten

If the first book started slow, then this book is the opposite. I felt like it started with action and never let up through the whole book. It was intense and thrilling. The middle book(s) of a series sometimes lack a little as they pave the way for the conclusion, but not so this one. It was my favorite of the three (a fourth is to come). The Igiby children learn tough and valuable lessons as they flee for their lives. They struggle to work together and wonder if their mission is worth it. They long for the good-old days, before they knew who they were and the responsibility that carried. Worked throughout the story is the struggle of living enslaved to an evil power (the Fangs) although life was simpler and fleeing and fighting that evil for the promise of something better. As in the first book, the creatures and lands Andrew Peterson created in his mind translate well on the page. Maps and illustrations are a small part of that. He has the ability to take a familiar animal and transform it into something fitting for this mythical world. A page-turner, for sure. My husband warned me not to read them too quickly or I’d find myself at the end wanting more. But the story is so good, I couldn’t put it down.

The Monster in the Hollows

Just when you think you know what’s going to happen and how things are going to end, Andrew Peterson gives you a shocking and surprising twist. And you LOVE him for it. The Igiby family finds themselves in their mother’s homeland but things are far from easy. Peterson weaves deep truths into this story, the most memorable for me is this: Remember who you are. The characters struggle with identity and perception and guilt and shame. Through it all they grow and change and affect the world around them for good. I didn’t want this book to end because book 4, the concluding piece, is still a long way off. But Peterson’s story is so captivating, you can’t take it slow. So my only word of caution is that once you start this series, you’ll finish it quickly and find yourself eager for the conclusion. Book 4 can’t come soon enough!