Sarah Butland's Blog, page 29

The Prayer by Stephan J Myers

Christmas classics are filled with light, magic and hope and this book should be among the greats. Though short, this beautiful poem complete with pictures, immediately had me reflecting on past Christmas’ and the less fortunate I knew.

A simple yet effective poem which brings the reader back to the magic of their present filled Christmas, even if they just received some extra time with friends, this story is profound. It’s message of receiving books and feeling love and appreciating the fortunate circumstances life brought us.

While in our own communities, kids struggle to find hope and small fortunes like a tiny bit of oil, other children demand the most expensive toy available and receive it.

Filled with symbolism and hope, peace, and warmth both adults and children can relate to. An updated version of The 12 Days of Christmas, this story should be told by the fire on Christmas Eve.

With whimsical rhymes and seemingly carefully perfected words, Myers leaves his readers a memory of both sadness and hope.

A reminder to see what’s out your window when you look and not to take so much for granted.

A highly recommended read.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

author of Sending You Sammy, Brain Tales – Volume One and Arm Farm

What’s Your Experience?

Everyone has lived a different life and, as obvious as that seems, some tend not to attempt to relate with the history or the experiences an acquaintance has been through.

My past has taught me to keep an open but guarded mind, to embrace and celebrate every opportunity there is to be educated and to share. Social media has since made it super easy to share and connect with people and with each connection I learn.

An opinion is meant to develop, not necessarily harm.

I’ve been sharing my thoughts lately and have been scorned and rejected as a result. I’ve since learned this is happening with everyone who are open and honest and most help me grow.

There are many opinions I tend to disagree with and share my thoughts not to see if I can change them but to understand where they are coming from and see if mine will adapt accordingly.

Not everything will change.

Sharing these opinions change lots of things, including me but also the people surrounding me. Maybe I come off as harsh or stubborn and I apologize for that but my one opinion I share is not all that I am and it is subject to change.

Share your opinion and your reason for it and maybe I’ll change to be more like you. Diversity is important, not just when it comes to the big issues, but even small ones too and I look forward to getting to know the stories of as many people as I can handle.

Thanks for reading and understanding,

Sarah Butland

author of Sending You Sammy, Brain Tales – Volume One and Arm Farm

Blog Hopping

I was recently invited by Nova Scotian author, Jennifer Hatt, to participate in a blog hop. I normally don’t participate but this one seemed a great one to start with.

Jennifer Hatt is a Nova Scotia writer and publisher and creator of the Finding Maria series, a Nova Scotia love story based on true events. You can read more about Jennifer and her work at www.FindingMaria.com

On April 14th I will answer her questions here, on my blog, and introduce you to two fabulous authors so you can discover many more great books for you or to gift.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

author of Sending You Sammy, Brain Tales – Volume One and Arm Farm

How to Write a Book Review by Rebecca Graf

This book was gifted to me with no expectation of a positive review but will definitely be getting one.

For anyone who has ever wanted to write a book review outside of school, How to Write a Book Review is what I’d recommend to follow as a guideline.

This book covers everything any one who writes a book review after high school needs. With a suggestion to take notes as you read, Graf provides a thorough to-do list of what you do while reading the book right up to writing the review and where to post it.

If you’ve visited my site at all, you know I write a lot of reviews which have been pretty basic as I’ve struggled with finding some guidelines and instructions to make them any more. Now, after reading and enjoying, How to Write a Book Review they promise to be more informative and elaborate, including my opinion and helpful details to encourage you to buy the book or stay away from it.

This one I highly encourage as, described in previous posts and guest posts, having a reader review a book (for free) is to an author what a 15% gratuity tip is to a waiter.

Thanks for reading and writing a review,

Sarah Butland

author of Sending You Sammy, Brain Tales – Volume One and Arm Farm

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

A friend told me she was reading this novel and suggested I read it. My interest immediately peeked and I was excited to get it for Christmas.

Not knowing what to expect, I hesitated but once I started I couldn’t stop. The adventure of young Jack, remembering his childhood in such a strange manner, had me remembering what I think of was mine in the same way.

The twists and turns and magical of the perspective of a child astounded me as I created my own parallel story as I read. Jacks neighbour’s, the Hawthorne family representing the woman of generations, had me reminisce of the woman figures in my childhood and the ocean was the pond seeming much bigger in my smaller days.

The way wove this tale through symbolism and the eyes of a child in a grown man will definitely have me reading his novels in the future.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

author of Sending You Sammy, Brain Tales – Volume One and Arm Farm

How to Be Disciplined by Stephen Ecker

We all struggle with will power and self discipline but Stephen writes in a concise an effective manner to help even the most frazzled person.

A quick and easy read, this contains gems that immediately had me self reflecting and realizing how even little takes can make huge improvements in a life. With so many motivating reads available, this one stands out for me as it’s only 18* pages but life changing. This makes it easy to read through and put into effect.

Big dreams do get accomplished with little tasks, although many little tasks, they are each achievable and this book helped me realize success is within us all.

I love, too, that Stephen Ecker is a Canadian author!

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

author of Sending You Sammy, Brain Tales – Volume One and Arm Farm