Sunday, January 13, 2019

Heart of the Oak ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Promo, Bonus Review, & Giveaway!


HEART OF THE OAK
by
J.L. NOVINSKY
Genre: Children's / Nature / Life Cycle
Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing
Publication Date: November 15, 2017
Number of Pages: 36 pages

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE GIVEAWAY! 


Heart of the Oak is a sweet story of the life of an old oak tree.  

He’s old and weathered; his skin is rough and knotty.  But he has memories of joy, of love, and of tragedy.  He has endured many years and felt the sorrow of so much loss.  But his greatest joy is just ahead!  

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“He spent his days leaning into the warm breezes,
loving the music of the wind.”

HALL WAYS REVIEW: Siiiiiiigh. I love this book so much -- but talk about tugging on the heartstrings. Heart of the Oak by J.L. Novinsky is a beautiful story that touches and teaches about many subjects: the cycle of life, nature and nurturing, and actions and their consequences. It has much to offer to readers of all ages.

I first saw this book at the Fort Worth Book Festival in the fall of 2018, and I remember how the illustrations pulled me into the book. But my being at a book festival was much like a kid being in a candy store, and I didn’t take the time to really read and relish the book. In hindsight, it’s probably good that I didn’t because I would have been a blubbery mess. When I finally did read it, tears welled-up several times as I turned the pages and my heart broke for the poor old oak. By the book’s resolution, the tears spilled over -- this time from the happy, uplifting ending.

When I saw that the publisher was Christian Faith Publishing, I assumed that the book was going to have a religious aspect to it. I was wrong. The book isn’t religious or preachy in any way, though I do see how someone could take his/her own faith and beliefs and transfer them to the story. It is amazing that such a short story can say so many things and mean so many different things to each reader.

“Happiness is fleeting. It can be crushed under
the pitiless boot of tragedy in an instant.”

Author Novinsky successfully incorporates a number of literary devices in her writing and the effect is powerful. For young readers, it could be too intense and emotional, so I’d suggest the book as a read-along for the little ones. With its elevated vocabulary and imagery, the book would be a great resource for educators to use for teaching literary devices and figurative language to older readers. For all readers, Heart of the Oak is a wonderful reading experience that I highly recommend – and I recommend it in print over eBook format because it wasn’t satisfying to hug my iPad.  (The Grammar Policewoman would have issued a minor warning for a few issues, but I told her to buzz-off this time. Nothing was raining on this reading parade.)

Though I bought the eBook myself, thank you to the author for providing me a print copy that I read with absolutely no strings attached. My review is my honest opinion – the only kind I give.



Praise for HEART OF THE OAK from Amazon reviewers!
"Such a great book with a heartfelt story!"

"My children and I LOVE this book. We had a wonderful and insightful conversation after we read it."



J.L. (Joan) Novinsky was born just outside of Chicago, but she got to Texas as fast as she could! Joan started college at age 55, and while taking a Creative Writing class, she wrote her first story, Heart of the Oak. Joan has now written a second children’s book, Horace and Giselle, available for on-line purchase January 2019. She was married to Bob in 1992, had a son, Stephen, in 1998, then in 2001, she and her husband took on the challenge and excitement of adopting a boy from St. Petersburg, Russia. Andrei joined the family in 2002, and the family resides just north of Dallas with their various and numerous pets.


║ Website ║ Facebook ║ Goodreads 





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GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!
First Prize: Signed Copy + Bookmark + $25 Amazon GC; Second Prize: Signed Copy + Bookmark + $10 Starbucks GC; Third Prize: Signed Copy + Bookmark
JANUARY 3-13, 2019
(USA only)

VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
1/3/19
Book Trailer
1/4/19
Review
1/5/19
Review
1/6/19
Guest Post
1/7/19
Review
1/8/19
Sneak Peek
1/9/19
Character Interview
1/10/19
Review
1/11/19
Notable Quotable
1/12/19
Review
1/13/19
BONUS Review



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1 comment:

  1. Oh my goodness, Kristine, you made me cry! Thank you so much for your beautiful thoughts and words for my story! So glad you love it!

    ReplyDelete