Arianna's Magic Boots - Children's Book Review/Giveaway

I recently reviewed a pair of AFO (ankle-foot orthosis)s for baby dolls and expressed how important representation is for children. I'm so pleased to discuss another item that helps my daughter see herself in the things she loves. This time, it's a book!

Both of my children each have bookshelves with hundreds of books between them.

Reading is so special in our house and I'm always looking for new stories to share with them!

Arianna's Magic Boots by Karen A. Gasperini is a heartwarming story about a young girl who uses her imagination, and her AFO's, to go on a wonderful adventure!

The character in the story is based on both the author herself as well as her daughter Arianna, who both have a few disabilities including Clubfoot.

My three year old, Penelope also has clubfeet so I love showing her that she's not alone.

The magical aspect of this book is too sweet.

Arianna starts her day just as any other kid. She has breakfast and gets dressed.

Then she goes off to her Physical Therapy appointment, which is very relatable for many children with disabilities.

While in the doctor's office, she notices a new colorful poster of the jungle. Using her amazing imagination, Arianna stomps her feet three times and says “Away We Go!” which is what initiates her adventures.

We had so much fun reading this and following Arianna and a slew of adorable animals on this journey.

I am a huge fan of toys and books that make Penny feel like her boots or braces are not the enemy! While she no longer wears show inserts, she still related this to her night time brace.

That said, I believe this book is for all children, not just those who have experience with AFOs or other hardware.

While I find it incredibly important that children have books with characters they identify with, I also find it just as important that my children are reading about diversity and learning about the people who are different than them as well.

Arianna's Magic Boots goes a long way toward gently explaining to fully ablebodied children some of the experiences their friends or classmates might be having, and can be a launchpad to a good discussion.

Arianna's Magic Boots is available on Amazon for $10.99 in paperback or for $9.99 on Kindle, and it is available at not cost via  KindleUnlimited!

Keep an eye on their Facebook account for an upcoming interview the authors have with Rhode Island Channel 12 WPRI news.

I'm so excited to know that Arianna has more adventures in store for us! Volume Two, currently in production, will be about underwater exploring!

Coming Soon!

Karen A. Gasperini is giving away one SIGNED print copy of Arianna's Magic Boots to one of our readers worldwide - read on to see how you can enter to win!  I think you'll find this is a good addition to any child's bookshelf.

 https://www.facebook.com/Ariannasmagicboots/

 Availabe on Amazon

One winner will receive a signed paperback copy of Arianna's Magic Boots, by Karen A. Gasperini, valued at $10.99.

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Giveaway Tools Entry Form below. This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning. (If you don't leave a comment, any additional entries will be void.)

This giveaway is open WORLD-WIDE and will end just before midnight ET on 1/27. 

The winner will be notified by email 24 to 48 hours after the end of the giveaway by email. In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

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The Stars My Destination: Blind Date with a Book (GIVEAWAY)

I took a Blind Date with a Book a while back, a book service that is pretty unique in the way they deliver their product. On the front page of their website you'll see books wrapped in brown paper with nothing more than a few words to describe them. You don't know the title or the author. You don't get to peek at the cover art. The only thing you get is a few words. Quite literally this is a blind date with a book.

I love to read but I have a seriously hard time finding books that keep my attention. I find that even if the subject matter is up my alley, I often times have trouble staying interested because of the way the book is written.

It's nothing against any specific authors. I am just very likely to drop the book after a few chapters if I don't like the way its written.

For example, in the famous Lord of the Rings series Tolkien has a tendency to go so in depth with the description of the scene that I find myself falling asleep before the action picks up in the chapter.

That being said I have read the entire series, including The Hobbit.  So I think it's safe to say I prefer books where the action is steady enough to keep me interested.

After being disappointed by so many books that I spent my hard earned money on, I kind of gave up on being a reader.

That was my situation when Blind Date with a Book helped me out. They offer tons of books but you have no idea what they are. You pick them solely on the few words they use to describe them.

I have to admit, I had quite a bit of anxiety picking my book. Luckily their selection isn't too large and they are constantly rotating titles.

The last time RCHReview looked at Blind Date with a Book, we gave the concept and the words describing the book that was chosen, but were careful to not disclose the book.

This time we chose to take an opposite path. Lets take a look at the book I received but we won't spoil which book it was, so that you can explore what they offer without losing the suspense of selecting your own Blind Date with a Book.

After some careful consideration I chose the book I thought sounded best to me based on my interests.

That book turned out to be The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester - a futuristic sci-fi novel written in 1956, about an average man who was wronged and left to die and his search for revenge among the stars.

Gully Foyle, uneducated, great at nothing with no real desire to be better than he already is, is a crew member aboard a star ship called The Nomad. The ship is attacked and the entire crew is killed except for Foyle.

He spends months scavenging the wreckage floating in space collecting what leftover food and supplies he can, find until one day another ship happens upon him. Foyle sets off the beacons in an attempt to signal the passing ship and be rescued. The ship examines the wreckage then turns away and leaves.

Foyle notices the name stamped on the side of the ship "Vorga". Knowing that there is no way they didn't see the distress beacon he becomes enraged and filled with the desire for a swift and brutal revenge.

Foyle eventually makes a crash landing on a populated asteroid, after rigging the ships engines to fire for a short period.

When he comes to, he finds that his face has been hideously tattooed, an ancient and primitive way of marking the body.

The men and women of the asteroid colony have indoctrinated him into their society and even assigned him a wife.

But Gully's hatred fueled desire for revenge is too much. He finds his way off the asteroid and embarks on a journey to find the pilot of the Vorga, find out why he was left to die, and make them pay.

Gully learns the art of "jaunting", a means of teleportation that is done using nothing more than the human brain, and continues his hunt, eventually finding himself in prison. The burning desire in his soul for revenge drives him to team up with a woman in the prison and attempt to escape.

Will Gully Foyle escape the prison and find the Vorga? Why did they leave him to die? Will he exact his revenge?

Well, there's only really one way to find out. Read the book!

I have to say that even as nervous as I was regarding choosing a book this way, it worked beautifully for me. This quickly became one of my favorite books and I would certainly recommend it to anyone interested in the Sci-fi genre.

I was so pleased with the way that my choice worked out that I plan to try out other books from Blind Date with a Book in the not-so-distant future.

Have you read The Stars My Destination? Let me know what you thought of the book (without giving too much away, of course).

If you are interested in checking out Blind Date with Book for yourself you can find them at the links below.

And keep reading - we are hosting a second Giveaway! Two of our readers worldwide will win a Blind Date with a Book of their own!

https://blinddatewithabook.com
https://www.facebook.com/blindddatewithabook
https://twitter.com/ablinddatebook
https://www.pinterest.com/blinddatebooks/blind-date-with-a-book/
https://www.instagram.com/ablinddatewithabook

Two winner will each receive a Blind Date book of their choice from among those available online at the end of the giveaway.

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Giveaway Tools Entry Form below. This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning. (If you don't leave a comment, any additional entries will be void.)

This giveaway is open WORLD-WIDE and will end just before midnight ET on 12/28. 

The winner will be notified by email 24 to 48 hours after the end of the giveaway by email. In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Good luck!

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Blind Date with a Book: Review/Giveaway

It has been many decades since I last went on a blind date - remember those?  A friend decides to set you up with someone they know, and sells you on the whole idea by listing a few qualities they hope might appeal to you.

"He's tall." "He is a great conversationalist."  "He comes from a big family and loves to cook!"

Sometimes the description gives you a reasonable idea of how you'll like him - often it leaves out a few key qualities ("He picks his nose and wipes it off on his shirt!"), and of course in the end there is no way to ensure that elusive quality of chemistry between the two of you.

If you didn't pour a whole lot of expectation into the experience, and planned a reasonable escape if need be, it could be fun.  Even if nothing came of it, you likely at least wound up with a good story to tell.

I pretty much only ever came away with good stories with an odd blend of slapstick humor and horror so I was quite happy to leave that whole game behind me - but now I've found a much better way to guarantee a good story through a blind date, and no possibility of having to say an awkward goodbye if things go awry!

Blind Date with a Book is a brilliant idea from Elizabeth's Bookstore in Australia that has spread to Waitrose stores in England, and around the world online via blinddatewithabook.com.

The details are as simple as they are brilliant - playing the part of that old good friend, Blind Date with a Book curates a few titles in various genres, describes them with a few key descriptions and wraps them up neatly in a plain brown wrapper, for the customer to purchase without knowing exactly what the book is.

On the website, there are always at least a dozen or so blind dates to choose from, divided between New & Quite New.  It took a little while for my American brain to sort out  that "Quite New" is older than "New" - sort of like we'd say "Pretty  New".

I'm glad the selection wasn't much larger because I had a very hard time choosing between things that sounded a little familiar and comfortable and things totally outside my normal wheelhouse, because why not live a little?!

Ultimately I chose one in a genre I enjoy that I could think of a few titles it might be.  I figured, if it's one I've read, I'd be happy to read any of these again - and if it was a new one in my old favorite genre, then jackpot!

The checkout process was simple - you just select the book or books you'd like, along with your payment method (Paypal is one option). Each book is listed at £7.99 but they are available for purchase worldwide. Then select your shipping method, and check out.  To where I live in the DC region, the estimated shipping time was 8 days, and that was accurate to what happened.

As soon as you've checked out, you'll get an email confirmation number and I found the staff to be very responsive as needed.

With just a bit over a week to anticipate I was very excited the day my package arrived!

I loved the packaging - and that tag makes for a great bookmark, too!  I slowly started to open it and just before I got it opened my husband triumphantly declared,

"I think I know what it is!!"  And then he guessed RIGHT!

Yes, I've read it - except not, because this was a newer edition than the one I've read and includes a rather extensive additional forward.

Mystery Date!

No, I don't own it.

Yes, I'm thrilled to read it again - and it was pretty coincidental because I just recently rewatched the movie based on it.

Yes - happy blind date!  And yes, I will be happy to send for another at some point, because the entire process was great fun.

So.... do you know what it is?  Because I'm not going to tell you, at least not today!  This selection is still available on Blind Date with a Book, and I don't want to spoil anyone's surprise.

Instead - how about a Giveaway??  Blind Date with a Book will send a Blind Date selection of the winners' choice to TWO of our readers worldwide!

Let me know in comments what book you think this is - and check out their website and tell us which book you'd be willing to give a spin?  Alternatively - how would you describe your favorite book if you were trying to set up your best friend with it?

Read on for further details on how to enter - and I'll post a review (and reveal!) of my Blind Date when the Giveaway is over.

https://blinddatewithabook.com
https://www.facebook.com/blindddatewithabook
https://twitter.com/ablinddatebook
https://www.pinterest.com/blinddatebooks/blind-date-with-a-book/
https://www.instagram.com/ablinddatewithabook

Two winner will each receive a Blind Date book of their choice from among those available online at the end of the giveaway.

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Giveaway Tools Entry Form below. This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning. (If you don't leave a comment, any additional entries will be void.)

This giveaway is open WORLD-WIDE and will end just before midnight ET on 8/2. 

The winner will be notified by email 24 to 48 hours after the end of the giveaway by email. In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Good luck!

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Mom's Almond Puff Danish #CooktheBooksClub

I am participating in the Cook the Books Club, where bloggers collectively read a book that is food based in some manner, and then prepare a dish inspired by the book.

The April/May book selection was Life From Scratch: A Memoir of Food, Family and Forgiveness, by Sasha Martin.  The invitation for this round's challenge,hosted by Eliot's Eats is here.

Sasha Martin is also the blogger behind the extensive blog Global Table Adventure, a truly fascinating collection of essays and recipes from around the world.  Sasha, her husband and her young daughter took on a project to eat a meal from every country, and learning not only about food and other places (and in the case of her husband, working to overcome a lot of food pickiness), but about themselves as well.

The result was Life from Scratch - initially intended to tell the story of the project, it instead lead Sasha to turn toward her own childhood and past, as she realized that for her, cooking had always been a connection to otherwise very difficult relationships, as well as a solace through periods of life that were painful and often harsh.

Through it all is her uneasy connection with her mother, who seems to be a free spirited artistic woman who, due to both circumstance and temperament, was not well suited to be a mother.

At times, this memoir was very painful to read, but I appreciated  the ambivalence that didn't attempt to make her mother's choices sound better than they were, or to write her off as merely the villain of the story. Others in her life are also depicted fairly - the pain they caused is described, but through her words, those that might be offered compassion are granted it.

Primarily, it is a story set in the real world of very flawed human beings often making very poor and selfish choices - and this makes it both an uncomfortable read as well as a compelling one.

Through it all are a few recipes, but I'd recommend visiting the website if your main interest is food (and do visit - it is sure to cost a few hours of riveting browsing) and read the book if you like memoir.

One of the more evocative passages had to do with her mother's specialty dessert, German Tree Cake (Baumtorten).  This led me to think about my own mother's culinary signature recipes for my own inspiration.

My mother was a woman I admire greatly as a person, but our relationship as mother and daughter was complex and difficult, and ultimately unresolved as she passed away last year after a long decline due to Alzheimers.  For this reason one of the things that spoke to me about Life From Scratch is the relationship that developed between mother and daughter later in the mother's life.

By the standards of her era (and I sometimes think we children soaked up our ideas of 'right' parenting mainly from idealized fiction), she was not very domestic at all all, and that was regarded as a failing regardless of whatever else she did.

My mother's way of navigating expectations was to perfect a few signature recipes for necessary occasions - a couple terrific entrees for dinner guests, as well as a side or two for holiday feasts we shared with other families.  She even learned to make bread and butter pickles and happily passed out jars to others as needed.

But her main signature recipe was this Almond Puff Danish - this went to potlucks, office gatherings, tea parties and bake sales.  If she'd even wanted to try something new (and she rarely did), people asked for this - it was her recipe, her thing.

I suspect it was also half the country's thing, because the recipe itself came from a set of Better Homes & Gardens subscription cards.  Anyone remember those? Each month, you'd get a packet of about 24 cards on a given theme, to be collected in a special, deep recipe box big enough for the whole set.  I think mom only ever used 3-4 of those recipes, but this one she made her own.

Mom's Almond Puff Danish

makes approx 16 slices
Preheat oven to 350F.

Bottom Layer:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup flour
2 Tblsp. water

Top Layer:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1 cup flour
1 tsp. almond extract
3 eggs

Glaze:
1 cup powered sugar
2 Tblsp. butter, softened
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 Tblsp. milk
sliced almonds

Prepare bottom layer:
Combine flour and butter in a large bowl, and cut together with a pair of table knives or a pastry cutter, until it is grainy and well combined.

Sprinkle with water, and work with hands to form a dough (don't overwork).

Divide dough in half and shape into to rectangles on an ungreased cookie sheet. Pat down so that each rectangle is about 1/5" thick.  These needn't be shaped perfectly, but should be about the same thickness for even baking.   Set pan aside.

Prepare Top Layer:
In a medium saucepan, combine water and butter and bring to a boil, stirring to melt the butter.  Remove from heat, add extract, and then add flour all at once.  Stir vigorously until dough leaves the pot's sides, forming a ball (should take about a minute).  Add eggs all at once, and continue beating until eggs are incorporated and dough is smooth.

Pile topping on each triangle, spreading to cover.  It will be thick and high, and if you leave soft peaks in, the texture will be more interesting once baked.

Bake for one hour at 350F.  Cool completely on a wire rack on pan.

Glaze:
Cream softened butter, powdered sugar and almond extract thoroughly. Add water a bit at a time until desired thinness is achieved.  I prefer mine on the thinner side, but this can be made thicker if you like.

Remove pastries from pan and set directly on wire rack (they should be firm enough to move as long as you're careful).

Place rack on top of the pan.

Spoon glaze over the top - excess will drizzle through the rack to the pan.

Sprinkle with almonds, and pat down lightly.  Let sit about a half hour, until all glaze is set.

Slice into long bars and enjoy!

Head over to Eliot's Eats to see the entire round up and see how other bloggers were inspired by Life from Scratch here!

The American Diner Cookbook: Pork Tenderloin #foodiesread

About a month ago, I'd stopped into our local library to pick up a few books - for as long as I can remember (well back into childhood), I always grazed the craft section and the cooking section no matter what else I was currently in the mood for.

This time, I picked up a book called The American Diner Cookbook, by Elizabeth McKeon and Linda Everett. As I was leafing through it that afternoon, I realized I'd checked it out previously, and likely more than once.  Clearly - in spite of an ongoing promise to myself to not add to my bookshelves until I'd culled it some more - this book wanted a place in my personal library.  An earlier edition of the same book was called Blue Plate Special, which may have had something to do with my not recognizing it at first.

Now, diners are definitely making a comeback - both renovated older diners, and new local (and chain) restaurants with an updated, often more sophisticated diner vibe to them, and there are several cookbooks out there that reflect a 21st century take on these early and mid 20th century icons.

The American Diner Cookbook isn't attempting to update the classic recipes of that mostly bygone era.  Instead, it is sharing recipes that many of us remember from road-trips with our parents, as well as the downhome food our mothers, grandparents and neighbors made week after week.

Interspersed with the 450 recipes for classic diner foods, from all-day breakfast favorites and grill counter sandwiches and sides, to Blue Plate Special meals and desserts, along with several fountain drink specialties (remember the Purple Cow?) are a couple dozen short nostalgic essays on several diners (mostly limited to those on the East Coast, sadly) .

The recipes are simple, familiar, and not at all fussy, but most of them do use real-food methods rather than processed convenience foods.

Many of them also reflect a much simpler relationship with spices than we tend to enjoy today, and for that reason I find myself regarding the recipes mainly as reminders of foods I used to enjoy regularly and inspirations for making my own, rather than instructions to follow meticulously.

I have been doing a lot of 'retro cooking' over the last couple of weeks, all inspired by The American Diner Cookbook, and none of it anything new for me, even if I have forgotten to keep them in our meal rotation.  None of them followed the recipes exactly - but when I am ready  to make some homemade jelly donuts or anything else I've never tried at home, this will be my starting point.

Shortly after I purchased the book, I was having a day where I had a pork tenderloin that needed to be cooked and no particular plans for it, so I decided to 'test run' the book by following their recipe (almost!).

The only change I made to the printed recipe was switching the called-for brown sugar for maple syrup to avoid having to run to the store.

The result is pork that is on the sweet side that takes very little work  - toss it into the oven and forget about it while you go do other things.

I did like the flavor of the maple syrup, but it did make for a more liquid glaze for the pork, which settled in the bottom of the pan - to keep it as a paste that will stay on the pork, I'd use brown sugar or a combination of the  two, next time.

American Diner Pork Tenderloin
(adapted from The American Diner Cookbook)
serves 4-6

2 lb pork tenderloin
Whole cloves
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (or 1/3 cup maple syrup - NOT pancake syrup)
2 Tblsp. brown mustard
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a skillet, place pork tenderloins and add enough water to mostly cover. With a knife, cut slits at regular intervals on the top of the tenderloin, about an inch apart. Insert whole cloves into the slits.

Cover and simmer on med-low heat for 45 minutes.

Transfer tenderloins into a shallow baking dish - because this will be sugary, I suggest using aluminum foil to prevent carbonized stuck on bits at the end.

In a dish, combine brown sugar (or maple syrup) and mustard. Ideally, this should be the consistancy of a paste so that it will cling to the pork while baking.  Season the pork, and spread the mustard mixture over the top of the tenderloin.

Pour a half cup of water into the pan and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

I served ours with a mixed rice blend, sauteed cinnamon apples, and roasted asparagus, and we had enough leftover pork, rice and asparagus to mixed together into a one-pan leftover 'hash' the next day.

The American Dinner Cookbook

by Elizabeth McKeon and Linda Everett

co. 1993, 2003, Cumberland House Publishing, Inc.

Shared with April 2017 Foodies Read and many other fine blog link up parties.

Unboxing: Anime Bento Box

When I went to my mailbox on the March 1st, I was pleased to find the February Anime Bento Box. If you've not read my previous reviews of them, Anime Bento Box is a monthly subscription of anime/manga goodies and Japanese treats, and every box includes a tee shirt!

It seems that I end up getting the box either at the end of the month, or in the beginning of the next (like this month when I received the February box on March 1st), which doesn't particularly bother me, but could be frustrating especially around holidays.

This month's Anime Bento included a Free! keychain, an Anime Bento sticker, a box of chocolates, a white tee with an anime sunset print, and the first book in a series called The Ancient Magus' Bride.

While I'm not familiar with the anime Free!, I did look it up upon receiving the keychain (which now lives on my keyring). It seems to be about a group of boys who start a swim club in their high school.  Though I might not be watching it any time soon (I prefer more of a high fantasy and sci fi anime), I do enjoy the keychain, and the kids appreciate having a new thing to fiddle with in the store.

The sticker is just what you would think, a sticker. It's a large sticker with the Anime Bento name and the three maids that grace their website. Again, being a grown woman, I have no real use for stickers, but I know that if I were still in high school, I would have instantly slapped it on a binder or folder, or even my bedroom door.

Each month also includes a tasty Japanese treat to nibble on, and this month's was a box of Meltyblend Premium Cocoa Chocolate. Each meltaway dark chocolate cube was individually wrapped in the box, which kept me from eating them all at once! I love dark chocolate, and these cocoa dusted niblets made for a wonderful treat at the end of the day.

The white tee shirt is, as usual, a unisex size large, and features a silhouetted couple during a sunset. As almost anybody with two young children can tell you, wearing white around them is just inviting unforgiving stains, so I haven't had the opportunity to wear it. But because it is such a pretty print, I am going to do something with it, possibly transform it into a throw pillow for my own bed!

Being a devourer of books, I was really pleasantly surprised to find a book in this month's box. The Ancient Magus' Bride vol 1 is not, as I first guessed, a manga (so I felt a little dumb for trying to read it from the opposite end like one at first), but an actual novel. It was a quick read for me, but I enjoyed reading the beginning of the tale of Chise, a fifteen year old orphan who can see otherworldly beings, and Elias, a sorcerer with the face of a dog's skull.

Once again, Anime Bento has delivered a bounty that has led me to new stories that I now enjoy. If you, too, want to experience the Anime Bento Box every month, and be exposed to new and interesting stories and treats, you can sign up on the AnimeBento website starting at $35.00/month.

http://www.animebento.com/
https://www.facebook.com/animebentous

Review/Givaway: A Seed For The Harvest, by Greg M. Dodd

A Seed For The Harvest is a Christian-based fictional novel written by Greg M. Dodd.

The book is about Jon Smoak, an abiding Christian man who has recently come to realize that his relationship with God has been a series of organized steps, and he has just been 'going through the motions'.

Relevant scripture passages introduce the chapters.

In an attempt to really understand his faith and develop a deeper relationship with God, Jon sets out on a journey and crosses paths with many people who wind up changing his life.

I found the book to be well written, easy to follow, and humorous at times. With twists and turns along the way and an excellent ending, this book is definitely worth the read for anyone who enjoys contemporary Christian fiction.

As any Christian knows, there are times when your faith is tested. I feel like "A Seed For The Harvest" lets you know that it is okay to question yourself or seek more wisdom during these times.

The story highlights the extent to which your Christianity can truly change your life.

I really enjoyed how well the main character was developed; Jon Smoak is completely relatable to the average reader's everyday life. I found the book to be inspirational and made me want to deepen my own faith and strengthen my relationship with the Lord.

As someone who has recently been through some very trying situations, "A Seed for the Harvest" came along at a very appropriate time.

I would recommend this novel to anyone who is in need of some inspiration, whether you are a life-long religious follower, or a new-found Christian. It may even be an interesting read for some non-believers.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but I did want to share my favorite part of the book, especially now, at the holiday season.

It is a chapter where Jon, his daughter Holly, his mother, and his friend Brant and the friend's young son Jacob are all gathering at Jon's house for Christmas. Being a family-oriented person, I love big family gatherings, especially around the holidays.  The main character discusses how he decorated at the last minute the day before the dinner.

Possibly this stood out the most to me, because I currently live in Germany away from all family and only get to visit for a short time out of the year when prices are most convenient. This year I got lucky and got to be home for the holidays - but this is not always the case.

 The main character's relationship with his mother throughout the book is also very special and interesting to me, so chapters in which she was relevant were especially heartwarming.

Additionally, the scripture opening this chapter was about encouraging each other and building one another up out of the book of Thessalonians.  It is listed in the book as I Thessalonians 5:1, but it is actually 5:11:

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."

Author Greg M. Dodd

There is a part within the chapter where Jon takes time to build up his friend. I find it extremely important to build up others or give compliments and be encouraging; you never know what someone may be going through.

Lastly, Jon's dog plays a good part within the chapter (appropriately titled, "The Dog That Saved Christmas" and really, who doesn't love a good dog story? 😄

If you'd like to curl up with a good book this winter and join Jon in his pilgrimage toward a closer relationship with his Christian faith, I recommend A Seed For the Harvest.

The author, Greg M. Dodd, is offering a paperback copy of his novel (currently for sale on Amazon for $15.73) as a giveaway to one of our US readers (including those of us with an overseas APO address).  Read on to see how you can enter to win!

http://www.aseedfortheharvest.com
http://www.facebook.com/ASeedfortheHarvest/
https://twitter.com/Seed4theHarvest
https://www.goodreads.com/GregMDodd

One winner will receive a paperback edition of "A Seed for the Harvest". This Giveaway is open to readers in the US, including APO addresses.

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Giveaway Tools Entry Form below. This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning. (If you don't leave a comment, any additional entries will be void.)

This giveaway is open to US RESIDENTS (including APO) and will end just before midnight ET on 1/2. 

The winners will be notified by email within 24 hours after the end of the giveaway. In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Once the winners have responded and confirmed, their first names will be posted on our Giveaways  page.

Good luck!

Entry-Form