About The Book
Book: A Season on the Wind
Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher
Genre: Amish Fiction
Release date: October 5, 2021
Ben Zook had only two loves in his life: books and birds. In a stroke of good fortune, he’d stumbled onto a way to cobble together those two loves into a career, writing books about rare birds. He was as free as a bird–until a chase for a rare White-winged Tern takes him to the one place on earth he planned to never return: his Amish home in Stoney Ridge.
Desperate for photographs of the elusive tern, Ben hires a local field guide, Micah Weaver, and boards at Micah’s farm, planning to “bag the bird” and leave Stoney Ridge before anyone recognizes him. But he neglected to plan for Micah’s sister, Penny. One long-ago summer, Penny had introduced Ben to birding, even sharing with him a hidden eagle aerie. That eagle became his spark bird–the one that inspired his lifelong love.
Ben. He was Penny’s spark bird. That was when she knew true love. She’d always hoped Ben would come back to Stoney Ridge. Back to his Amish roots. Back to her. The only problem? Ben has absolutely no memory of Penny.
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My Impressions:
Suzanne Woods Fisher has long been a must-read author. I love her Amish fiction, especially, as it captures a community of deep faith. The stories always strike me as real, with characters, situations, and issues that are common to all. Her newest book, A Season on The Wind returns the reader and one of the characters to Stoney Ridge. A few favorite characters make their appearance, but the story is centered on newcomers Penny, Micah, Natalie, and one who finds his way home, Ben. The story begins with Ben, a renowned author and birder who is searching for a vagrant bird — a bird who definitely does not belong in Pennsylvania, having been blown off-course in its migration. I think that is one of the themes of this book. More than a few characters are looking for a place to really belong, having wandered far from family and faith. As always Fisher writes with a grace-filled hand. The message is woven gently and deliberately, but never preachy. A bit of humor and a bit of poignancy also fills the pages, making this book, at least for this reader, a joyful reading experience. And I learned a lot about birds too!
A visit to the Amish community of Stoney Ridge is always a welcome departure from the hustle and bustle of real life. I thoroughly enjoyed the excursion!
Recommended.
Audience: adults.
(Thanks to Revell and Celebrate Lit for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
About The Author
With over one million copies sold, Suzanne Woods Fisher is a bestselling, award winning author of over 30 books, ranging from novels to children’s books to non-fiction. She is a Christy Award finalist, a Carol and Selah award winner, and a two-time finalist for ECPA Book of the Year. She writes stories that take you to places you’ve never visited—one with characters that seem like old friends. But most of all, her books give you something to think about long after you’ve finished reading it. Suzanne lives with her very big family in northern California.
More from Suzanne
Did You Know? 8 Facts about the Christmas Bird Count
1) The year 2021 marks the 122nd National Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) which, ironically, wasn’t always about counting live birds.
2) In 1900, the first CBC was launched as an alternative to the traditional Christmas “side hunt.” This holiday tradition encouraged people to go out into the woods on Christmas Day, choose “sides” to team up with and then, in the words of Frank Chapman, “kill everything in fur or feathers that crossed their path – if they could.” The winner was the “side” with the largest pile of dead birds. (Ugh!)
3) Frank Chapman was a prominent ornithologist, conservationist, and writer/editor who published Bird Loremagazine. He led the charge to end to this senseless slaughter and invited his readers to begin a new holiday tradition of counting, rather than shooting, birds.
4) Twenty-seven people participated in 25 counts that first year (in 1900). They counted 90 species of birds.
5) The idea caught on. Big time.
6) During December and January of each year, thousands of Christmas Bird Counts take place across the U.S., Canada, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands. The purpose of the CBC is a scientific census—to assess the health of bird populations and help guide conservation action.
7) Each CBC has an established 15-mile diameter circular count area. On a pre-arranged date, registered teams go out (with an assigned volunteer observer) and count the number of birds of each species they can identify within their assigned area. Each count has a volunteer compiler who sums up all of the lists and inputs the total numbers for each species into Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count database.
8) The CBC is the longest-running citizen science project and wildlife survey in the world. In fact, the CBC is considered the gold standard in citizen science.
And you don’t have to be an experienced birdwatcher to participate in the CBC! Bird lovers of all skills are welcomed. Even me! I’m a very enthusiastic amateur.
To learn more about the Christmas Bird Count, or to find a survey near you, go to https://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count
To learn more about Suzanne and the story about the Christmas Bird Count featured in A Season on the Wind, go to http://www.suzannewoodsfisher.com
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Suzanne is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/126b3/a-season-on-the-wind-celebration-tour-giveaway
Blog Stops
The Avid Reader, October 23
Lighthouse-Academy, October 23
She Lives To Read, October 24
lakesidelivingsite, October 24
Southern Gal Loves to Read, October 24
Artistic Nobody, October 25 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)
For Him and My Family, October 25
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 26
CarpeDiem, October 26
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, October 26
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, October 27
Inklings and notions, October 27
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, October 28
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, October 28
Blogging With Carol, October 28
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, October 29
Texas Book-aholic, October 29
deb’s Book Review, October 30
Simple Harvest Reads, October 30 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)
Jeanette’s Thoughts, October 30
Locks, Hooks and Books, October 31
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, November 1
SusanLovesBooks, November 1
Mary Hake, November 1
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, November 2
Blossoms and Blessings, November 2
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, November 3
Splashes of Joy, November 3
Pause for Tales, November 3
By The Book, November 4
The Meanderings of a Bookworm, November 4
Little Homeschool on the Prairie, November 5
Spoken from the Heart, November 5
Vicky Sluiter, November 5
I’ve enjoyed reading many a book by Suzanne Woods Fisher! I’m eager to read this one too.
This will be my first book by you!!
I am hoping to finish this one today!
I like the sounds of this one and enjoyed the information about the Christmas Day Bird Count.
This sounds like a wonderful book.