Holding On Loosely by Dana Knox Wright is one of those books that can hit you just right when you are ready for it. It was a lovely read that took me through a roller coaster of emotions along with the author. There were definitely parts that made me chuckle and others that made me tear up. I was able to truly appreciate what it means to let go of something as I read this book. 

Perhaps this book hit differently because I lost my sister earlier this year. Ever since it happened, I notice that I see things very differently. I found that this book was able to match me in the emotion department. Although I am not a big reader of anything referencing God, I was able to appreciate the reader's point of view. 

It's hard for me to say what I would have gotten from this book if I was not in the place in my life that I am in now. I believe anyone can gather something from learning to let go. We all have things and people we need to (or should) let go of. I believe that this author is able to express that to her reader in the best way possible - by her expressive and captivating writing. 
​

CLICK TO VISIT THE LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE
FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH POST ON THIS TOUR, UPDATED DAILY, 
or visit the blogs directly:
 
10/12/21
Excerpt
Chapter Break Book Blog

10/12/21
BONUS Promo
LSBBT Blog

10/13/21
Review
Book Fidelity

10/13/21
Scrapbook Page
Hall Ways Blog

10/14/21
Review
It's Not All Gravy

10/15/21
Guest Post
StoreyBook Reviews

10/15/21
Review
Jennie Reads

10/16/21
Author Interview
All the Ups and Downs

10/17/21
Excerpt
Reading by Moonlight

10/18/21
Review
The Clueless Gent

10/18/21
Top 8 Quotes
Julia Picks 1

10/19/21
Author Interview
The Adventures of a Travelers Wife

10/20/21
Audio Review?
Forgotten Winds

10/20/21
Guest Post
Sybrina's Book Blog

10/21/21
Review
Book Bustle

10/21/21
Review
Missus Gonzo
​

​Finding Feral
A Spacious Reclaiming of Life
By Andrea Pardue
Genre: Memoir
 
Finding Feral will be released on August 20, 2021!
 
Book Description
 
After the death of my mother, I started to take stock of my life.  I was in midlife and it had been a hard, traumatic road.  This is my story of finding hope and myself in the tiny green of a sprout, the soaring austere of an eagle, color dripping from a paintbrush, and the possibility of a loving Creator.  This is a journey into my willfulness to embrace life at its essence and feel very much on purpose in this world.
 
"I love the emotion you have when you speak.  You have such a melodious way of communicating.  It is flowing, calming, and infused with warmth." - Amber Murphy
 
"I love feeling the desire you have to live in immense ways.  You inspire me." - Julianna Ehlert

Some books find you when you need them - even when you made the choice to pick it up. That's how I felt when reading Finding Feral by Andrea Pardue. 

I had lost my sister, and this book hit a very deep spot in my heart when I read about Pardue's experience in losing her mother. We had two very different experiences, but the pain and the loss - well, some things can be universal at their core. 

Pardue's writing was easy to absorb while also being emotive and heart-wrenching. Finding Feral was effortless in pulling me in and kept the pages turning until the last one. Pardue explains her life circumstances while also giving us a look into her feelings surrounding losing her mom and then the state of her life after. If there is one thing I learned about losing someone is that you can distinctly feel and separate the experiences - there is the before the loss and after the loss. Pardue's writing made me feel less alone because her writing was able express some of what I was feeling. And how very loss one can feel when in grief. 

Regardless whether or not someone is going through grief, Pardue's story is set to let the reader in on her life experiences while maintaining the reader's attention through her intricate and emotional writing. 

About the Author
 
Andrea Pardue is a simple soul who has meekly braved each step of her life’s joys and hardships. She discovered the expressive arts as therapy in her darkest moment, studied her guts and soul out to find her way to a liberating, feral freedom to participate in life again. This is her first book.  She lives with her husband and three boys in Texas. A piece of her heart remains on Whidbey Island.  She leads small groups in expressive arts and loves to hear the soul stories of others. You can contact her at andreapardue44@gmail.com.
 
Follow the author for updates on her upcoming release:
 
Website: https://www.strongwhisperer.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finding_feral
​

​Finding Feral
A Spacious Reclaiming of Life
By Andrea Pardue
Genre: Memoir
 
Finding Feral will be released on August 20, 2021!
 
Book Description
 
After the death of my mother, I started to take stock of my life.  I was in midlife and it had been a hard, traumatic road.  This is my story of finding hope and myself in the tiny green of a sprout, the soaring austere of an eagle, color dripping from a paintbrush, and the possibility of a loving Creator.  This is a journey into my willfulness to embrace life at its essence and feel very much on purpose in this world.
 
"I love the emotion you have when you speak.  You have such a melodious way of communicating.  It is flowing, calming, and infused with warmth." - Amber Murphy
 
"I love feeling the desire you have to live in immense ways.  You inspire me." - Julianna Ehlert
 
 

About the Author
 
Andrea Pardue is a simple soul who has meekly braved each step of her life’s joys and hardships. She discovered the expressive arts as therapy in her darkest moment, studied her guts and soul out to find her way to a liberating, feral freedom to participate in life again. This is her first book.  She lives with her husband and three boys in Texas. A piece of her heart remains on Whidbey Island.  She leads small groups in expressive arts and loves to hear the soul stories of others. You can contact her at andreapardue44@gmail.com.
 
Follow the author for updates on her upcoming release:
 
Website: https://www.strongwhisperer.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finding_feral
​

​Far From Perfect
By Kristina Horton
Genre: Memoir, Self-help, Anxieties & Phobias
 
In 2010, at the age of 40, Kristina experienced a complete mental, physical, and emotional breakdown. Far From Perfect details the aftermath of the breakdown and her painful climb out of the pit of anxiety and despair. Her story is riddled with normalcy, tragedy, and humor. 
Over the past decade, Kristina has been on an expedition of discovery and healing by seeking answers to the questions “Why am I like this?”, “What can I do differently?”, and “Will I ever be rid of this horrible disorder?”. Along the way, she realized that she is not “broken” and she doesn’t need to be “fixed”. She also determined that hiding her “dirty little secret” of dealing with anxiety and panic attacks only made them worse. 
As much as she was anxious about sharing her story, Kristina knew that if it helped just one person know that they aren’t alone, and that someone else does understand what they’re going through, then she had to write this book. Included is a compilation of various methods and products Kristina has tried, as tools, to help manage, and alleviate, symptoms of the anxiety and panic disorders.
 

There are books that are so personal and that delve so deep into something intimate, such as grief, that get me to think how to proceed with reviewing it. It's taking a public peek into someone's diary...someone's personal life. Likewise, these books were written for a reason. Books like At Close Range by Leesa Ross purposely gives us a look into her grief.

I was easily lost in Ross telling the story of her son, Jon, dying from a freak accident with a gun. Reading her experience, how it affected her marriage and herself as a mother, was hard to read, but so important to do so. Her writing flowed for me, which made it a bit easier to keep going with it. I've always been a bit sensitive to the "gun topic" (I don't like them), and it has only grown since the El Paso Walmart shooting in 2019 (I live in El Paso). This is, by no means, a comparison to someone who has lost a loved one, but thoughts of that day linger in the back of my mind consistently. 

What I ended up liking and appreciating from At Close Range was Ross' ability to make the case for SAFETY. It isn't about limiting people but about teaching them how they can have what they want or need while also being safe. Or even better...being able to be in the presence of a gun, and how to safely be around it. Ultimately that's what I got from this book, and as someone who is, honestly, very scared of people owning guns, it gives me some solace to know that there are people out there who are willing to emphasize how important safety is. I especially thought how wonderful it was that gun safety was being thought of with older age groups and not just the younger set. My take away from this book is that, like most things in life, our lessons do not stop at childhood. We continue to grow and therefore, we continue to experience. Because of this - we need to continue to learn. Ross gives us this perspective from her very painful experience. 

Ultimately, however you feel about guns and gun safety, this is definitely a book to pick up. If you're a parent, or someone who has younger ones in their life, read this book and discuss it with your kids and teens. This book opens up that opportunity, and we should definitely take advantage.  
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