THE GREAT CHRISTMAS BOWL
BY SUSAN MAY WARREN
Marianne Wallace is focused on two things this holiday season: planning the greatest family Christmas ever and cheering on her youngest son’s team in their bid for the state championship. Disaster strikes when the team loses their mascot --- the Trout. Is it going too far to ask her to don the costume? So what if her husband has also volunteered her to organize the church Christmas tea. When football playoffs start ramping up, the Christmas tea starts falling apart. Then, one by one her children tell her they can’t come home for Christmas. As life starts to unravel, will Marianne remember the true meaning of the holidays?
THE GREAT CHRISTMAS BOWL © Copyright 2009 by Susan May Warren. Reprinted with permission by Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Susan May Warren served with her husband and four children as a missionary in Russia for eight years before she and her family returned home to the States. She now writes full-time as her husband runs a lodge on Lake Superior in northern Minnesota. Susan and her family enjoy hiking, canoeing and being involved in their local church. Susan holds a BA in mass communications from the University of Minnesota and is a the author of several novellas and many novels with Tyndale House Publishers, including HAPPILY EVER AFTER, the American Christian Fiction Romance Writers' 2004 Book of the Year and a 2003 Christy Award finalist. Other books in that series include TYING THE KNOT and THE PERFECT MATCH. Following that, Susan wrote Team Hope, a three-book romantic-adventure series about a team of search-and-rescue workers. RECLAIMING NICK, TAMING RAFE and FINDING STEFANIE comprise Susan's romantic Noble Legacy series set in Montana. Visit Susan's Web site at www.susanmaywarren.com.
NOTICE FROM SUSAN MAY WARREN:
Join me for a little pre-Christmas festivities on Facebook! In the tradition of The Great Christmas Bowl I’m hosting an Outreach Christmas Tea on Facebook December 5th! I’ll be sharing some of my favorite holiday recipes, Christmas tunes, and chatting with you about your plans for Christmas.
As always, there will be prizes and a sneak peak at my two new books Sons of Thunder and the latest PJ Sugar novel, Double Trouble. And of course outreach! If you’ve been following along at The Great Christmas Bowl website – you know about the contest we’ve been running for the last few months. People have been sharing their favorite recipes and memories and we’ll be turning that into a downloadable cookbook that will be available to purchase during the party for $5! 100% of the money raised will be going to the Cook County (my community) Food Shelf, and The Grand Marais Salvation Army Service Unit’s “Merry Christmas for all” Outreach Program. It’s a local program for our community of 1300 that helped 55 families last year “multiply the joy of Christmas” by providing food and gifts to the financially challenged.
The book will be available all month long – so tell your friends to swing by and purchase a copy and help spread the joy of the season! Hope to see you at the party! Oh, and help us spread the word by inserting this button on your blog or website! (just copy the code here & insert into your website/blog sidebar)
EXCERPT:
THE GREAT CHRISTMAS BOWL
Susan May Warren
Tyndale House Publishers
Fiction
ISBN: 9781414326788
There are some Christmases that slink by, their significance lost amid the flurry of parties, holiday card mailings, and the endless lists of stocking stuffers. They end well, perhaps, with a sigh of relief and a warm curl of happiness that signifies, once again, a successful season had by all. There are other years, however, that stand out in stark relief. Moments when the trudge of time, however briefly, hiccups. Years when we remember exactly why we gather with family to celebrate a day of peace, of grace. For me, such a stumble in time came in my forty eighth year. The year I turned into a fish. TO FINISH READING THIS EXCERPT, CLICK HERE!
REVIEW/REACTION:
This is an easy and light holiday book that has a very good message in it, at least it did for me. I enjoyed it for a few reasons and one was that it was a quick read and kept my interest...a nice book to wind down with during all these busy holiday days. I also liked it because it is about a mother in a small town who has to learn to let go when the nest begins to empty out. And, to top it off, it is great for those, like me, who adore football!
When Marianne decides to have the very best Christmas ever for her family (don't we all want that at first?), she has no idea that she will also be running around with her youngest child when his football team has a chance at the state championship. It isn't that she isn't wild about football, because she is but it does take up so much of her time suddenly. She also doesn't know at the same time that she will be in charge of the Women's Christmas Tea at her church (as none of us can say NO). But this Christmas is so important to her as she just is not ready for her youngest to finish high school that year and go off to college and so wants everything perfect.
Mr. Wallace thinks his dear wife Marianne should get involved in different things to occupy her time now that their last child will soon be moving on and so before she knows it, she winds up with responsibilities she really didn't want to take on. She wants her holiday perfect but all the other things are cutting into that time and yet she can't let anyone down, especially herself and her friends and her family. Why this time in their life will never be the same again once her son leaves to start his own life!
As Marianne juggles all the activities and responsibilities, she comes to realize some very important things. She learns that there is a whole lot more to Marianne than she knew about herself before. She also learns that her family and community are together a big part of her life. Most importantly, all these things are part of her celebrating what Christmas is really all about. If you want an inspirational, yet practical story to brighten your life and maybe even help you to see some relevance in all of the craziness of this hectic time of the year AND still have a good time while you do it, than this is a book you will really want to read!
THANKS TO AMY FOR
SUSAN MAY WARREN,
I HAVE ONE COPY OF THIS
HOLIDAY BOOK TO GIVE AWAY.
RULES
--U.S. Residents Only
--No P.O. Boxes, Please
--Email address must be in your comment
--ALL comments must be separate to count
or they will all count as just one
HOW TO ENTER:
6 PM, EST, DECEMBER 8
35 comments:
Enter me please! I would also love to read her book "Nothing But Trouble". It's description sounds almost like a Stephanie PLum read and I LOVE those!
girlfrienddesignz(at)gmail(dot)com
Please count me in. I would like to read Wiser than Serpants.
lizzi0915 at aol dot com
+1 I follow on Google friend connect.
lizzi0915 at aol dot com
I'd like to read Sands of Time
msboatgal at aol.com
In Sheep's Clothing sounds good.
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
GFC follower
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
I'd like to read "Everything's Coming Up Josey." It looks like a fun series! Thanks for entering me!
donnyandshelly at yahoo dot com
I follow your blog on Google Friend Connect.
donnyandshelly at yahoo dot com
I follow you on twitter & tweeted this giveaway:
http://twitter.com/atticgirl76/status/6172245253
I'd love to win this one. I think Chill Out, Josey! looks cute too!
bookingmama(at)gmail(dot)com
I also follow you via google reader.
bookingmama(at)gmail(dot)com
Please count me in! I recently discovered this MN author when I read Nothing But Trouble! PJ's next adventure comes out early next year and is called Double Trouble! Thanks.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com
I'm a loyal google friend connect follower.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com
I'd like to read Reclaiming Nick
anjamie4 AT gmail dot com
I follow on GCF
anjamie4 AT gmail dot com
I've actually got Nothing But Trouble on my TBR list. :-)
zedster.tbb(at)gmail(DOT)com
It's in my sidebar under the Contest list
http://brizmusblogsbooks.blogspot.com
I follow via google friend connect
zedster.tbb(at)gmail(DOT)com
I would like to read some of her historical fiction like Ekaterina or Nadia.
miller4plusmore(at)bellsouth(dot)net
tweeted: http://twitter.com/truebookaddict/status/6240811153
miller4plusmore(at)bellsouth(dot)net
posted on my right sidebar (giveaway section): http://thetruebookaddict.blogspot.com/
miller4plusmore(at)bellsouth(dot)net
I am a loyal followr via Google Friend Connect.
miller4plusmore(at)bellsouth(dot)net
Thanks for sharing the review of Christmas bowl. It looks awesome. Wish if you have opened the Give away for UK residents too. I must have participated in it.
I think the Josey books look really good! ("Get Cozy, Josey", "Chill Out Josey" and "Everything's Coming Up Josey") I'd like to read all three books!
nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net
Tweet! Tweet!
http://twitter.com/NancyeDavis/status/6384063824
nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net
Loyal Follower on Google Friend Connect
nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net
I haven't read any of her books. I think I would enjoy Happily Ever AFter because of its locale...on the shores of Lake Superior.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com
I am an email follower.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com
I follow via email. This sounds like a great Christmas read.
nannette_conway(at)yahoo(dot)com
I would like to read "A Perfect Match".
nannette_conway(at)yahoo(dot)com
I'd like to read "In Sheep’s Clothing".
Thanks ~ megalon22 at yahoo dot com
I follow on Google Friend Connect
megalon22 at yahoo dot com
I would also love to read Get Cozy, Josey! sounds like a great book :-)
deb55106(at)gmail(dot)com
I am a Google friend connect follower too!
Deb K
deb55106(at)gmail(dot)com
Tweet!
http://twitter.com/Deb55106/status/6475846642
deb55106(at)gmail(dot)com
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