ARE YOU LISTENING? THE 13th GIFT: A REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

WELCOME TO BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S" 
ARE YOU LISTENING? DAY"  
I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE TODAY'S  
AUDIO BOOK CHOICE.....

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GIVEAWAY ENDED
THE 13th GIFT
A TRUE STORY
BY JOANNE HUIST SMITH
  

ABOUT THE AUDIO BOOK:
For readers of Richard Paul Evans and Greg Kincaid comes The 13th Gift, a heartwarming Christmas story about how a random act of kindness transformed one of the bleakest moments in a family's history into a time of strength and love.

After the unexpected death of her husband, Joanne Huist Smith had no idea how she would keep herself together and be strong for her three children--especially with the holiday season approaching. But 12 days before Christmas, presents begin appearing on her doorstep with notes from their "True Friends." As the Smiths came together to solve the mystery of who the gifts were from, they began to thaw out from their grief and come together again as a family. This true story about the power of random acts of kindness will warm the heart, a beautiful reminder of the miracles of Christmas and the gift of family during the holiday season.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Joanne (Jo) Huist Smith was an award-winning journalist for the Dayton Daily News where she chronicled the lives of people and issues shaping her Ohio community. She began writing short stories and journaling at age nine.

Jo was awarded first place from the Ohio Associated Press for Best Community Service for her 2009 package of stories on heroin’s destructive path through rural and suburban neighborhoods. The judges said her series “delivers information straight to the bloodstream.”

Jo’s career has been guided by advice given to her by former Dayton Daily News Managing Editor Steve Sidlo: “Love truth and you’ll be alright.” Those words are echoed in everything she writes, including THE 13TH GIFT.

She is a life-long resident of the Dayton area and a graduate of Wright State University. She has three adult children and two absolutely adorable red-headed grandchildren.

PRAISE FOR THE 13th GIFT:
“THE 13TH GIFT is the kind of Christmas book whose message is much bigger than the holiday. This memoir is written from the heart and for the heart.” --Jason Wright, New York Times bestselling author of Christmas Jars

“I loved The 13th Gift—a truly heartfelt and intelligent book.  Joanne Smith deftly reconciles the difficult terrain that ranges between the Christmas we all want and the tragedies of life that sooner or later beset us all.  Highly recommend it to all, but particularly to those that are dealing with recent losses and don’t’ know how or if they will ever find their way back.” –Greg Kincaid, author of the bestselling Christmas with Tucker and A Christmas Home

"The beautiful story told in The 13th Gift reinforces how the most precious gifts at Christmas are when people give unconditional love and support and it proves how compassion and a kind heart can change lives.  Acts of kindness can create a legacy that lives on from generation to generation." --Laura Schroff, New York Times bestselling author, An Invisible Thread

“If there ever was a roller-coasterish page-turner of a Christmas book, this would be it. As a veteran devourer of Christmas stories short and long, fictional and true, I mistakenly assumed I'd encountered every conceivable plot variant in the genre. Turns out I was dead-wrong. Joanne Hurst Smith's wondrous story hit me from so many directions, playing on the strings of so many emotions, that it left me limp at the end Quite simply, it is a masterpiece.” --Joe L. Wheeler, Ph.D., author of the bestselling Christmas in My Heart® series

"The 13th Gift has a touch of magic in it. It's a lovely story that proves we can recover from any loss, strengthened by the blessings of others. It's a classic for the Christmas season--and all seasons." --Glenn Plaskin, author of Katie Up And Down The Hall: The True Story Of How One Dog Turned Five Neighbors Into A Family

"For readers of Richard Paul Evans and Greg Kincaid comes The 13th Gift, a heartwarming Christmas memoir about how a random act of kindness transformed one of the bleakest moments in a family's history into a time of strength and love." --Book Reporter.com

MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW:
Joanne Huist Smith’s THE THIRTEENTH GIFT is based on the true story of when the author’s husband, Rick, died suddenly, and how their family came to terms with it. Joanne was faced with dealing with her loss at the same time she had to help her children get through it and deal with the upcoming Christmas holiday. Joanne doesn’t want to face it but with Megan, who is 10, Nick who is twelve, and seventeen-year-old Ben, she is forced to do something. Her family is falling apart as she writes about how each of them is handling the loss. It isn’t until the first mystery gift, a poinsettia plant, is left on their porch 12 days before Christmas, that things slowly start to change.

With each day and each new surprise, one by one, the family gets on board with waiting for the surprises and trying to guess who is doing it all. Each gift has a handmade card with it and it evolves into solving the puzzle as a family, even though Joanne fights it with every piece of her heart. As the “true friends” help this family, the Smiths find that they themselves are also taken to helping others. The puzzling gifts truly act as a miracle. They bring each of the grieving family members out of their own horror and into working and living together again. With the help and love of true friends, the Smith family eventually learns to cope.

The 13th Gift is a wonderful Christmas story especially in that it is true. If this doesn’t get you in the holiday spirit, I don’t know what will. It is a fast read (or in my case, listen) and you just might find yourself wanting to do something for others as well. Trust me, the giving spirit of this story can really make a difference in your life as well. 

GIVEAWAY

 THANKS TO RICHARD AND THE FINE FOLKS AT

RANDOM HOUSE AUDIO, I HAVE ONE COPY

OF THIS FASCINATING AUDIO BOOK TO 

GIVE AWAY TO ONE LUCKY WINNER!

  

--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES, PLEASE
--INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS IN COMMENT
--ALL ENTRIES/COMMENTS MUST
BE SEPARATE IN ORDER TO COUNT 
AS MORE THAN ONE ENTRY

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FOUND INTERESTING ABOUT THE 13th GIFT THAT WOULD MAKE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS AUDIO BOOK

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND LEAVE A LINK I CAN FOLLOW IN THE ENTRY

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING ON JOANNE HUIST SMITH'S WEBSITE BY GOING HERE

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE OTHER CURRENT GIVEAWAY YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU CAN COMMENT ON EACH ON SEPARATELY AND GAIN MORE ENTRIES THAT WAY 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT

 6 PM, EST, DECEMBER 31

GOOD LUCK!