Harriet Beamer Takes the Bus! A book review

 

                               Harriet Beamer Takes the Bus
                                           Joyce Magnin
                                      Zondervan Publishing
                                      ISBN: 978-0-310-33355-5
                                      April 2012/320 pages

I was contacted to do a book review and I agreed. Isn’t that the way most reviewers do it? I was not sure if I was going to like the book based on the title and when I received the book I was still a little skeptical. This is certainly a case of “You do not judge a book by its cover”.

 

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Harriet Beamer Takes the Bus is a novel by Joyce Magnin. It is a Christian/Fiction book. Basically, the author takes us on a cross country journey, from Pennsylvania to California, when Harriet Beamer loses a simple bet. Harriet fell off a chair at Christmas and thought she sprained her ankle. Her son and daughter-in-law knew she broke her ankle and that is how the bet came to be. If Harriet broke her ankle, she would have to pack up her life in Pennsylvania and move to California to live with her son and daughter-in-law. I am sure you can guess what happened. Harriet decided to set off to California her own way, however. She decided to send Humphrey, her dog, to California on the plane and she decided to get to California taking local transportation the whole way. She is an avid salt and pepper shaker collector and she wanted to collect those along the way also. Her family, of course, did not agree but Harriet did it anyway. What a journey she had. Meeting a Cherokee Indian, stopping a purse thief, having a newspaper story done on her journey, becoming a YouTube sensation, and getting kidnapped were just parts of her journey. The whole way, God was leading her and pointing her in her adventure.

Harriet and her salt and pepper collection :)

MY REVIEW:

I LOVED IT! Do I need to say more. I felt I was on this journey with Harriet, and felt her joys and her fears. At one point, I asked myself, could I under take an adventure like this? Packing up her whole life and moving to a new part of the country is a huge undertaking. I just chuckled throughout this whole book. I think my favorite part, is how Harriet jumped in a motorcycle sidecar with Snake and his wife, Pearl. Try to picture a 72 year old lady is a small sidecar with her tote bag and rolling suitcase.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Joyce Magnin is the author of five novels, including the popular and quirky Bright’s Pond series and the middle grade novel “Carrying Mason.” She is a writing instructor and frequent conference speaker. Joyce lives in Pennsylvania with her son, Adam, and their crazy cat, Mango, who likes to eat nachos.

 

WHERE CAN YOU FIND THIS BOOK?

This book goes on sale on April 24, 2012. List price is $14.99. Check out Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com or your favorite book retailer.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Zondervan and Shelton Interactive as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

TWO TICKETS TO THE CHRISTMAS BALL: A Review

This book combines a spiritual faith at Christmastime with opposite personalities searching for love when they least expect it. Cora Crowder wanders in to this small bookstore looking for the perfect gift when her life changes. Simon Derrick also wanders in to this same bookstore at the same time and this is the beginning of an odd but magical journey that they will take together. These mysterious tickets to a Christmas ball will bring these two together when you might think it is impossible.

My review:

I absolutely and unequivocally LOVE this book. I have never heard of the author, Donita K. Paul, but I am now a fan. She delicately brings in faith and religion into romance. She writes an intriguing story about running away from your problems and family and how quickly they can sneak up on you. I, myself, have a step brother with a disability and I love how she portrays such a beautiful relationship between siblings when one suffers from a disability. It made me believe that you may seek love from the most unusual of places when you least expect it. It has tons of mystery surrounding a little street. You will love it as much as I do!

About the author:

Donita K. Paul is a retired school teacher turned author. She has penned many novellas, short stories along with 9 novels. She wrote the best selling series, DragonKeeper chronicles. She has won several awards. She lives in Colorado Springs, Co. On her time away from writing, she likes cooking, beading, stamping and knitting. She also enjoys her time with her grandsons.

You can purchase this lovely holiday story from any major book retailer!

I would like to thank Waterbrook Multnomah for providing this book to me in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.

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Who won’t love a whole hotel to themselves and their friends for a whole weekend?? Well that is the Grand Prize for the Hamptons Hotels Chain of Friends Sweepstakes. There are also 100 prizes for a weekend stay for you and 3 of your friends. Man o man my girls and I could really have some fun with that. No boys for 2 days…I call that heaven :)

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**I would like to thank MomSelect for this information and the chance to win a Be My Guest certificate.

What is for Breakfast??

Breakfast. The most important meal of the day. Some mornings are special, especially Saturday and Sundays and on those days I normally make the family pancakes or eggs with all the fixins! On the normal run-of-the-mill day we all feast on our favorite General Mills cereal. Our favorites are Cheerios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. My son and husband love Cheerios with bananas. It is soooo good.

One huge reason that I choose General Mills cereals is their commitment to further reduce sugar in cereals advertised to kids under 12 to single digit grams of sugar per serving. They also will be increasing key nutrients, such as calcium and Vitamin D, and providing some whole grain! Delicious and Healthy...what else can you ask for?!?

Right now if you visit here you will find a $1 off coupon for one of four General Mills cereals.

I would like to thank My Blog Spark and General Mills for giving me this opportunity!