It’s that time of year again, folks—time for me to get back to the business of my inspirational/devotional posts. Summer Photo Fun is always, well, fun, but now it’s time to focus on the written word again.
Of course, that means it’s also time for my annual Back At It Giveaway! I always like to kick off my back-to-business emphasis with a fun little giveaway. We can’t leave all the fun of the summer spirit behind, can we?
So what’s the prize? One lucky commenter will win a $15 gift card to Barnes and Noble! Who wouldn’t like the chance to buy a new paperback he or she has been dying to get their hands on or pick up a new journal or some other fun item? Maybe even a gift for someone else!
To be included in the giveaway, just leave a comment on this post by 6 p.m. (CDT) Wednesday, August 26. I’ll announce the winner the next day in my Thursday Midweek Morsel post.
Any comment will work, but to make it a little more fun, tell me what book you would recommend to the winner or mention the best book you’ve read recently. Personal recommendation is one of the best ways to find amazing new-to-us books and authors, isn’t it?
The best books I’ve read the past few months have included Jocelyn Green’s Spy of Richmond, Bob Goff’s Love Does, Susan Meissner’s Secrets of a Charmed Life (a general market book), and Carla Stewart’s A Flying Affair.
So winner of the giveaway or not, we’ll all be winners with some great new titles to add to our to-read lists. Happy reading, everyone!
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1
*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, came out earlier this month. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right!
*Flicker photo by nicholasjon, Creative Commons License
Hi Cheryl! Loved your pictures and so glad for your girls’ gift of the birthday trip together! My current book is an amazing story of adoption from China and follows both adoptive and birth families in a fascinating and healing way. “Reclaiming Lily”, by Patty Lacy
Debbie, so glad you enjoyed the pics on Facebook! My girls spoiled me rotten and made it the best birthday I’ve ever had. So grateful we got to spend that time together! The book you’re reading sounds familiar to me. I might have downloaded it on my Kindle at one time during a freebie promotion. Glad to hear you’re enjoying it!
I would recommend the Diana Gabaldon series Outlander! I have read this series several times and just can’t seem to get enough of it! It is a little slow getting started but is an absolutely amazing series!!!
Kira, thanks so much for the suggestion. It sounds familiar, but I’ve never read the series. Will have to remember to check it out!
Welcome back! As far as my recommended book, it’s Gifted Hands, the Ben Carson Story. I read it years ago, when it first came out and then recently watched the film. Amazing story of hard work, poverty, single mom, dedication, sacrificial love, and faith. Powerful message to read and see!
Vonda, I have a copy of Gifted Hands and read it a few years ago. I agree — an amazing story! So inspirational!
I recommend anything written by Brandilyn Collins, for fiction. Personally, I would use the gift card on my wish list of writing books. :-)
Welcome, Donna! I understand the desire for writing books :) Good luck!
I recently read “The Thing About December” by Donal Ryan, an Irish author – full of lyrical writing, but a poignantly sad tale. Thanks for this chance to win a gift card for Barnes & Noble, Cheryl.
Summer vacation must come to an end, and I too plan to get back into the business of writing and blogging, and reading more books, now that the house will be quiet again while my kiddos are at school.
Mairéad, “The Thing About December” sounds interesting — I love lyrical writing. Enjoy your extra time to read, write, and blog as school gets started. Summer goes so fast, doesn’t it?!
Count me in! I’m reading Secrets of a Charmed Life and I’m really enjoying it!
Kristin, so glad you’re enjoying Secrets of a Charmed Life. I did, too! :)
“Redeeming Love” by Francine Rivers. My mom had it in a box of give-aways. I inherited an entire collection of good reads for the foreseeable future. This was a treasure!
Elaine, I agree — Redeeming Love is an excellent recommendation. Have fun reading through your new treasure trove of great books!
Cheryl, I have found several great books through your recommendations and those of your commenters. Thank you for doing this post! I tried to reserve “Secrets of a Charmed Life” through my library’s site but it isn’t working tonight, so I’ll share some I’ve read recently and thoroughly enjoyed:
A Million Miles in A Thousand Years by Donald Miller, Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath (a business type book), The Light Between Oceans (fiction) by M.L. Stedman, The Calorie Myth by Jonathan Bailor (very enlightening after years of trying to eat and exercise well with progressively more discouragement), Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman.
Jana, so glad you’ve found some great reads through some of the recommendations you see here every now and then — and thanks for adding some of your own! I’ve read the Donald Miller one but not the others. Amusing Ourselves to Death sounds interesting :)
If you are looking for light reading, Jana de Leon’s Miss Fortune is good (and funny). I like to read whatever is on the bestseller list, interspersed with cozy mysteries. I have found a lot of good ones from reading reviews on book blogs!
Welcome, Carolsue! Thanks for adding your suggestion to the list. Bestseller lists and book blogs are great places to find titles to add to your to-read lists, aren’t they? Thanks for mentioning them!