Hi guys!
Welcome back to another week here at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Today, we're continuing the bookish fun with a Blog Tour stop over via I Am a Reader. It stars an interesting addition to your upcoming holiday reading list that gives new life to a treasure we've come to love. How so? Well, it takes the classic of old and gives it a little twist. The outcome? Oh well you'll have to read on to find out. Ladies and gents, prepare for the Christmas holiday to arrive a bit early as we welcome today's book of choice...
A Rare Nativity
by
Sam Beeson
Ensign Peak Publishing
About the book...
We have all heard the song The Twelve Days of Christmas, and we have all seen the traditional Christmas crèche. Now, author Sam Beeson and photographers Nina and Terral Cochran combine these two classic Christmas icons to create A Rare Nativity.
Upon reading the first lines of the book, it is clear the narrator holds a bitter grudge as he sends his enemy crude and discarded gifts: On the first night of Christmas I gave my enemy a briar from a tanglewood tree. On the second night of Christmas I gave my enemy two rotten eggs.
Night after night the gifts pile up shards of glass, rusty nails, gnarled twigs, and more. What the narrator s enemy decides to do with each of these odious gifts is nothing less than a Christmas miracle. The photographic creation of the rare nativity at the end of the book is both a work of art and a wonder to behold.
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I know, I know.
It seems like an odd choice to review NOW given my proclamation of "give each holiday their space" but trust me, it works because in truth while the title proclaims Christmas, it's really about forgiveness and thanks.
As the synopsis states, it's a twist on The Twelve Days of Christmas, but what a twist indeed! Gone are the images of five golden rings, geese, turtle doves, or pear trees. Here, well I hesitate to call it junk but I mean they are definitely things you'd never consider giving a loved one...good thing since they are going to their enemy. We're talking broken eggs and crooked forks, old potatoes and rusty nails, dead leaves and broken twigs. It's NOT your usual assortment of holiday treasures you'd list in a song of any sort, well...unless it was like a goth version or something (no offense). Anywho, the myriad of unusual gifts given to their enemy pile up until...they are no more. That's not to say they are gone because they were in fact delivered, but they are turned into something greater than what they were and could have ever imagined they could be. The creative imagery employed in the photographs is rather good while the poem keeps us rolling along at a nice pace. You never quite know what to expect next and the final outcome was certainly a surprise to me...but a happy one at that.
Whether you choose to dive in right now, or wait for a bit, it's a story you never saw coming that leaves an impression nonetheless. Between the revenge taken, the forgiveness given, and the sense of awe at what remains, you will be moved more than you ever thought you could be by this unassuming little book and the creative magic within. Recommended for teens through adults, simply so the creative mastery can be enjoyed more.
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About the Author
Sam Beeson gives himself annual writing assignments. In 2005, he wrote a poem a day. In 2007, he wrote about his wife every day. In 2015, each day he wrote a handwritten letter to someone new. Sam teaches high school English and loves reading the journals of his ancestors.
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$25 Blog Tour Giveaway
$25 Amazon eGift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 11/11/15
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com eGift Card or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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Special thanks to Kathy at I Am a Reader, Not a Writer for the copy for review as well as the chance to bring this promotion to you. (THANKS!) For more information on THIS TOUR, this title, the author, or those promotions on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now, so be sure to add it to your upcoming holiday reads!
Until next time...happy reading!
1 comment:
Loving the sound of this. Quite different from the usual festive read, this is a definite contender for this year's Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge.
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