The Guest Book Giveaway with Marybeth Whalen
The winners of the three Seek packages from Donna Jones are: Luz, MO gal and Deborah. My assistant Kim will contact you to get your home address.
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I have a confession to make. I’m not a huge fiction fan.
I have friends who always have a novel tucked in their bag or loaded on their Kindle ready to read when they can find even a tiny pocket of time.
The practical side of me says, “Reading fiction isn’t using my time wisely. I’m not getting anything done nor am I learning anything I can use in real life.” That is the “do-er” in me talking.
However, I have a little problem. I have a few friends who are fiction writers.
Gulp.
Marybeth Whalen is one of those friends. She challenged me a few years to look at fiction with different eyes. Fiction helps to relax us. (I’m a nervous Nille who doesn’t kick back much.) Fiction can inspire us. It can cause us to see the good in humanity or the glory of God. It can teach us important life lessons.
Reading fiction helps the “do-er” in me pause long enough for the “be-er” in me to emerge.
So, I took her up on the challenge and she was right. I read her book The Mailbox and I learned of a God of second chances. I read her book She Makes it Look Easy and I was reminded that comparisons kill contentment. (Which is the entire point of one of my talks!)
Marybeth has just released another novel called The Guest Book. Hear what she has to say about it:
How do you come up with the characters personalities and their names?
What do you hope your readers gain from experiencing this novel?
I hope that they feel hopeful about their own situations. This is a novel about moving forward in life, about getting unstuck and learning to believe again. I love hearing that my characters’ situations have helped readers reflect on their own situations and gain a different perspective.
Oh Karen, we are so alike! I have never been into fiction—-seems like a waste of time to me! In the last decade I bet I’ve only read 5 fiction books. I’m going to ponder this post…makes a bit of sense.
I read a few a week when possible.
The bag is beautiful!
I love to read and have been reading nonfiction almost exclusively for a very long time! After too many biographies and books covering historical events, I think my brain would love a nice book of fiction~perfect for a summertime read! Thanks for the opportunity!
I love novels. I probably read at least 40 books a year. Most of the books I read are fiction.
I. guess I average about 12 a year. I love to read, but don’t always have time. I have Mary Beth’s book “The Mailbox”‘, but haven’t read it yet.
I probably read 20-30 books in a year. Most of them are fiction, but I do get non-fiction in the way of Bible Study and knitting or scrapbooking.
I read at least 15 fiction books a year, and 3 or 4 “teaching” books. I always read Christian fiction, so I am looking forward to Marybeth’s new book.
I probably read about 2-3 books a month. I used to read about 10 in a month, but as a homeschool mom I just don’t have as much time to read these days.
Reading was always important as a child. Especially during the summer months. The old library was always a great source of comfort. Today, I guess I read about 12 books a year. The library is still a great place to be.
I am not a big fiction reader, I read fiction to my daughter, but for me, I read a lot of non fiction. I really like the idea of a vacation for my mind and some of the other benefits! Thanks for the encouraging words!
Karen, now you’ve convinced me to add fiction to the list …. but not until I read one of your books! Loved meeting you at She Speaks. Loved your messages and love your heart for Jesus and His girls! I’ve been following your blog and on twitter for a while, but what book of yours would you recommend for a new fan? And yep, I will be, God willing doing your new one with Melissa in January!!
My goal the last 2 years is to read 8-12 books a year.. I would love to more, but I am a slow reader:):) I’m on novel #8 now.. I’m reading On Folly Beach by Karen White.. Her novels are wonderful!! I read Marybeth’s The Mailbox when it came out and LOVED it!!! I cannot wait for her new one next year!!
Ww ! Look at all the comments already.. is there a wee chance I could win this? I would love to. I’m a very slow reader because I read at bedtime, therefore I probably only read 10-12 a year. But I enjoy every word !
Maybe one a month if I am lucky, staying ho.e with two kids is work.
i love to read
I really wish I made more time for reading. I usually read 2 to 3 books a year. So sad. But I will say last year 2 of the 3 books I read were The Mailbox and She makes it look Easy. Yikes, she makes it look easy was a Great book but a tough subject for sure. I will be reading this new one for sure!!
I read quite a few fiction books a year. I would guess that I read about 30. I have to make myself take breaks or otherwise the laundry and housework would never get done. I am always reading a book and I also read fiction novels to my 2 sons (age 13 & 10) I try and read at least 3 nights a week to them so it does take some time to get through a book. They love it and so do I.
I try to read about 24 fiction books a year. I have alw
ays loved them since being introduced to The Bobbsey Twins so many years ago.
I read at least 12 fiction books each year as part of my bookclub. The books are great for some “me” time while waiting for my kids to finish sports practices. The bookclub is a great excuse for getting out of the house to maintain friendships and sanity.
I’ve been in Karen’s corner – not a huge fiction fan for the past 30 years, primarily because of working full time and liking to be a do-er in my limited spare time as well as blocking out space twice a day to read the Bible. Now, however, I am newly retired. Yea! So one of my goals is to frequently read quality fiction. I have fond memories of days gone by when I read novels like “Little Women,” “Gone With the Wind” (twice), “Jane Eyre” and even the 1,433-page paperback edition of “…And Ladies of the Club.” Now that I’m older and wiser, I would like to concentrate on Christian fiction and relish the extra free time.
I read probably about 20-25 fiction books a year. Used to be more, but then I had
kids.!
I read about 20 adult fiction, but I’m a children’s librarian, so I read alot of children’s fiction books.
I used to read all the time, but then grandkids happened and I don’t seem to read as much anymore probably 5 or less in a year. I do read to my grandkids and buy books for them to encourage them to read. In fact the first thing I bought for each grandchild before they were born was a book.
I read A LOT. I often have 3-5 books I’m reading at a time. Fiction is my preferred genre and I’ve really enjoyed Marybeth’s two books. I read adult fiction, young adult fiction, children’s novels, picture books, self-help parenting, Christian inspirational books, the Bible, biographies, textbooks, research books. . . I am a reading teachers (fits, doesn’t it?). If I had to guess a number of fiction books read last year, it would be more than 100. I double checked this thought with my daughter and she guessed more than 100 too. I’m a reader!
I haven’t had a lot of time to read until last October. My Dad was diagnosed with Invasive Malignant Melanoma and I have been taking him and my Mother back/forth to Houston to MD Anderson Hospital for treatment so I’ve been forced to slow down and have found that reading and crocheting are good past-times for waiting in Doctors Offices and such….so I look forward to having more time to read while doing so! I would LOVE to be a Winner in something such as this! Thanks for the chance! :)