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Thursday, December 1, 2011

The Heroine's Bookshelf: Life Lessons from Jane Austen to Laura Ingalls Wilder - Giveaway and Review


In times of struggle, there are as many reasons not to read as there are to breathe. Don't you have better things to do? Reading, let alone rereading, is the terrain of milquetoasts and mopey spinsters. At life's ugliest junctures, the very act of opening a book can smack of cowardly escapism. Who chooses to read when there's work to be done?

Call me a coward if you will, but when the line between duty and sanity blurs, you can usually find me curled up with a battered book, reading as if my mental health depended on it. And it does, for inside the books I love I find food, respite, escape and perspective. I find something else too: heroines and authors, hundreds of them, women whose real and fictitious lives have covered terrain I too must tread. Don't we all need some heroines in our own lives?

In the latest book, The Heroine's Bookshelf by Erin Blakemore, the author takes an interesting journey into what reading our books teaches us about how to deal with life from the characters in our book and at times from the authors life as well. I had never really considered it before until I read this book at my own personal collection of books I have read from childhood til now. The stories that comprised my life and little did I know the lessons I have taken from them.

In the Little House On The Prairie Series for example I learned that the simple life isn't just about doing without. It's about being content with what you have. It's about knowing the relationships are more important than the things we can buy, that those are priceless. We learn about perseverance instead of giving up, we learn that success is achieved after long years at times of hard work. We also learn that new experiences are all part of life's journey and we may not know their purpose until we get through it all.

Erin Blakemore takes the readers into some of our classic characters like Scarlett O'Hara, Jane Austin, Jane Erye, and showcases what types of lessons we may have learned through not only reading them but rereading them. She does some amazing research as well into the lives of the writers who wrote them, what inspired them, what did they achieve out of their book being published and how did society view them. Being a huge literary fan, this book was a home run for me and an eye opening lesson into reading any book today.

I received this book compliments of TLC Book Tours for my honest review and highly recommend it. This is such a treasure that any book fan or lover would adore! For that reason I rate this book a 5 out of 5 literary stars! It will make any book shy person, pick up a book and discover the hidden treasures within its pages.

For more information on this book, the author and where to purchase a copy of this book, please click on the links below:


You can also find out more about what other readers have to say after reading this book on the TLC Book Tour by clicking here.

Thanks to the generosity of TLC Book Tours, they are offering a giveaway copy to ONE lucky reader of my blog. Here's all you need to do to enter:

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart. If you new, let me know how you found me.

2. Be a resident of the US or Canada or have a shipping address for either. No P.O. Boxes please.

3. Leave a comment telling me what your favorite book was or is along with your email address. You can use the words (at) or (dot) instead of the symbols. I will be notifying the winner via email when the giveaway ends.

The giveaway will end on December 10th.

16 comments:

  1. This sounds like a really interesting book! One of my favorite books is The Count of Monte Cristo. I haven't read it in so long! I probably should re-read it and see if it is still a favorite!

    fightclubmolly (at) gmail (dot) com

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  2. My favorite book is Emily of Deep Valley by Maud Hart Lovelace. My email is justaudrey (at) live (dot) com.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'd love to win this book, sounds really interesting! Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorites and probably one of the only books I've re-read! :)

    sunshine6892 at hotmail dot com

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  4. One of my favorite books is "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn."

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    Carrie•journeythroughwords AT yahoo DOT com.

    ReplyDelete
  5. My favorite book is Pride and Prejudice from Jane Austen. I'm a follower.

    Thanks!

    Margaret
    singitm@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I feel wildly in love with Jane Eyre the first time. I'm a follower and live in USA.
    Theresa N
    weceno(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sounds like a interesting book to read. I also am a follower-amhengst & live in USA . My favorite book is A Place To Call Home
    amhengst at verizon dot net

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am a GFC follower

    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  9. She Makes It Look Easy is really good.

    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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  10. Sounds like you got a lot out of the book! Thanks for being on the tour!

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  11. I'm already a follower, and I love your posts! I have loved Jane Eyre for years, because I so respect Jane's resolve to do right and persevere in doing right, even when she wants so badly to do wrong. Such a fine example!
    This book sounds SO interesting...thanks for the giveaway!
    kandrajane@bellsouth.net

    ReplyDelete
  12. Gone With the Wind
    audie(at)wickerness(dot)com

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  13. I follow you! My daughter Rebekah is an ENglish lit major. She would love this book. We are on a very strict budget for CHristmas. This would be a perfect gift for her! Thanks for the chance to win!

    phamilybusiness1 at aim dot com

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  14. I am a huge Laura Ingalls Wilder fan and have learned many things from her.

    My favorite book - do I have to choose one? Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell is one of my all time favorites - I like how Scarlett is a strong woman.

    Thank you for the chance to win.

    griperang at embarqmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'm sorry but I can't pick a favorite book, there are just too many that I could read over and over. I don't think I have a favorite of anything, lol.

    wfnren at aol dot com
    wrensthoughts.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. My favorite book is The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Thanks for hosting this awesome giveaway!

    booksandboston{at}gmail{dot}com

    ReplyDelete

Please share with me your comments. I love to know what touched you about this post or how it has blessed you in any way.