Monday, December 13, 2010

Favorite Non-fiction of the Year! (And you can get it for free, baby)


I can't wait to tell you about this one.

This is the kind of book you simply fall into and don't want to find your way out.  Shauna Niequist writes about life and faith and what it means to embrace the bittersweet moments. 

"When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate.  And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow."

Niequist writes like a great chef.  Every word choice feels like the perfect ingredient, savory or sweet.  She draws you in, making you feel so comfortable inside her little world as she explores what it means to accept the painful circumstances that God allows in our lives.  She shares openly about a particular year where she got pregnant, lost a job she dearly loved, had a baby, and wrote a book.  This same year, her husband lost his job in a painful way, and that led to a move and all the upheaval that creates.

"Change is not a function of life's cruelty but instead a function of God's graciousness."

" When your life is easy, a lot of the really crucial parts of the Christian doctrine and life are nice theories, but you don't really need them.  When, however, death of any kind is staring you in the face, all of a sudden rebirth and new life are very, very important to you."

I also love her sense of humor.  I mean, this is a girl I can relate to:

"I'm pretty certain that I could out-eat most women my size, should the opportunity ever present itself.  Sometimes I see tiny women on TV eating like 58 hot dogs, and I think to myself, Please, I could eat a hundred of those.  I did hold the record for most ice cream sandwiches at my summer camp:  eleven and a half."

You can visit Miss Shauna here and read about another great book she wrote called Cold Tangerines.

If you'd like a FREE copy of this book, leave a comment on this post with your email address and....the title of a favorite book of yours.....then I'll put the names in a bag, choose one randomly, and have it sent right to you.  Now, that's a great early Christmas, don't you think?  I think this is my first give-away!  Pretty exciting, I must say.

Deadline for posting a comment is noon on Friday, December 17th! 

14 comments:

Jason Grate- Ordinary Extraordinary- Simple Stories of Lessons learned said...

Well...as I already own this lovely book and it's a favorite of mine I won't ask you to put my name in the pot. Just wanted to second all that was said in your post. This book will be reread many times at my house...it's a treasure!

Anonymous said...

My favorite book that I read this year was, The Shack by William P Young. Thanks for the chance to win! My e-mail is jtdtt@netzero.com

Erin said...

I'll TOTALLY comment!! :)

But then i have to narrow my favorite book pick down? Not an easy task....

So I'll just say that a recent book that I really loved was Joy In The Morning by Betty Smith.

Brian and Kelly Jo Kallevig said...

one of my favorites this year was "The Prisoner in the Third Cell" By Gene Edwards, "A Tale of three Kings" by Gene Edwards, and "What to do on the Worst Day of your Life" by Brian Zahnd. Guess that's three :-)

Anonymous said...

My favorite book of the year was The Help by Kathryn Stockett. My email is nancy210@hotmail.com

Ashley M said...

I love giveaways! I have Cold Tangerines, have you read it? I did not read a single book this year - unless you count Brown Bear and endless books about dinosaurs. I did read every issue of Real Simple and Cooking Light, though. That's got to count for something. I will say, however, that I can read and re-read and read just one more time Redeeming Love. I mean, seriously. SO good. I started reading The Secret Life of Bees...that's going kind of slowly. I've already cried and I'm just on the 5th page. Lame. I miss you.

Anonymous said...

Okay well I have to admit I don't read as many book as you do. But I have found a love for the mothering books. I'll have to say my favorite is "She's Gonna Blow!" by Julie Ann Barnhill.
P.S. I Miss you at MOPS!!
nirohl@tdds.net
Nita

Rachel said...

Holy comments, Batman!!

Hope you're enjoying CO!!

I'd have to say my favorite book right now is "Choosing to SEE", by Mary Beth Chapman. (Thanks for the suggestion, you were SOOO right. It's great :D)

relmhorst11@yahoo.com

Love ya!!

christina said...

I love your book recommandations Jeannie. They make me want to grab coffee, a warm blanket, and the book and just sit and read all day. I must admitt I haven't got a lot of reading in this year I did read Ree Drummonds cookbook "The Pioneer Woman cooks" (recommanded by YOU) and I loved it the stories, the recipes so entertaining. I'd have to say my favorite book right now is "An Angel's Story"Max Lucado. Perfect table top book to just pick up and and read a short story. my email is nate-chris@juno.com

Nikole said...

Ok, sounds like this is one I'm going to have to read whether I win a copy or I have to buy a copy. My favorite read this year was The Shack by William Young.
My email is nikole72@embarqmail.com.

Debbie said...

Our book club at Church read "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" by Joanna Weaver. Everyone loved it! Also read (actually listened to) The Help by Kathryn Stockett. It was great, and I loved listening to the voices/accents of the different characters. This is one of those books that may be even better on audiobook!

tracybradford said...

Redeeming Love.
tbradford@firstag.org

Debbie said...

Hi there! My favorite this year is, One Small Barking Dog: Living A Life That Is Hard To Ignore, By Ed Gungor.
Thank you for giving me this chance.It is kind of fun! :)
As I read through your profile and what you put on FB, I find you interesting, and would love to get to know you. Maybe someday our paths will cross again.

Debbie Russell, msrdnr@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

I love your book recommendations Jeannie! One of my all-time favorite books is "Tales of the Kingdom" by David and Karen Mainz. It's actually a Children's series (Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration), but they all have great spiritual nuggets of truth in them. Another favorite is "The Brothers Lionheart" by Astrid Lindgren--also a kids book, but great as well! My e-mail is starrfamily@charter.net. :o)