Month: April 2014

Quilts can move us especially as they are passed down from generation to generation. They carry memories, family bonds and love. A Promise in Pieces is a story about those memories.

After the end of World War II, Clara Kirkpatrick returns from the Women’s Army Corp to deliver a dying soldier’s last wish – to convey his love to his young widow, Mattie, with apologies for the missed life they had planned to share.

As Clara struggles with her own post war trauma, she thinks that she is not prepared to handle the grief of this broken family. Yet when she meets Mattie and receives a baby quilt that will never cuddle the children they had planned to vow, Clara vows to honour the sacrifices that family made.

Clara becomes a labour and delivery nurse in her rural hometown. With each baby she delivers, she wraps the new babe in the quilt and stitches the child’s name into the cloth. As each new child is welcomed by the quilt, Clara begins to wonder what happened to Mattie and if she would ever experience the love of a newborn.

A Promise in Pieces is a fantastic read taking place in both the past and present. It tells the story of a strong woman, Clara, who has given so much of her life in service to others and to her faith. She has seen so much awful things take place in her life but she still gives. The quilt itself is an inspiring story one that brought me to tears many times throughout the novel. With every name stitched into the blanket to honour those children born and those lost my heart went out to those who struggled in real life with the loss of a child. A Promise in Pieces is heartwarming and the perfect read to remember that our goal in life should be help others. I loved it and can not wait to read more of her work!

To find more reviews of A Promise in Pieces check out the Litfuse Blog Tour here.

Rating: 5/5

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I think it is fair to say we all want to be happy or at least find something that helps bring happiness into our day to day lives. Sometimes it is just hard to find that happiness – we are all busy and constantly on the move between work, home and family life. It is sometimes hard to just breathe! 10% Happier by Dan Harris examines his own life and brings forward a new idea – meditation to help bring that little bit of stress free happiness into our lives.

After having a nationally televised panic attack on Good Morning America (can you imagine this?!), Dan Harris knew he had to make life changes. A lifelong nonbeliever, Dan found himself on an adventure that involved a pastor, self help guru and a gaggle of brain scientists. Dan realized that the source of his problems was the very thing that he felt was his greatest asset: the insatiable voice in his head. This voice is what had both propelled him through the ranks of the hyper-competitive business he was in and also led him to his on air freak out.

We are all familiar with that little voice in our head. It is the voice that has us checking our emails compulsively, social media accounts, eating when we are not hungry and fixating on the past and the future at the expense of the present. We just assume that we are stuck with this voice but Dan found a way to rein that voice in – meditation. Dan learned that meditation can do everything from lower your blood pressure to essentially rewire your brain. Dan dived into the world of CEOs, scientists and even marines who are now using it for increasing calmness, focus and happiness.

10% Happier is a very interesting perspective on life that caught my attention right from the first page. Dan Harris has an open and candid way of writing that makes you feel like you are talking to a best friend not someone who is preaching at you how to live your life. He shares his worst moments, something I can imagine must be so difficult and how he worked to change his life. He is completely relatable as a person and you find yourself examining your own life through out the book. I loved that he wasn’t afraid to share his worst and best moments with us. 10% Happier won me over with its honesty, truthfulness and humour. A great read to help you examine your life and encourage self meditation.

You can find more reviews on the Litfuse Blog Tour here. You can also purchase a copy of the book here.

Rating: 4.5/5

Disclosure: I received a digital copy in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.