Friday, October 29, 2021

A Season on the Wind

About the Book

Book: A Season on the Wind

Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher

Genre: Amish Fiction

Release date: October 5, 2021

Fisher_SeasonOnWind_3D 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.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

suzanne 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 Lore magazine. 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 tohttps://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 www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.

MY REVIEW

This story is much more than just an Amish story filled with family, relationships and faith. I was pleasantly surprised to read that this beautiful story highlights birds. There is nothing more serene that watching a bird soar in the air, or perch on a branch in all their regal glory. God’s creation is seen in the different brilliance of colors and types of birds. I appreciate the very in-depth information about different birds. There were quite a few that I have not heard of but now I want to buy a book about birds and do sone bird watching myself.

One of the things I liked about the book was how the author gives us a realistic look at the Amish. They are Plain people who definitely don’t like to draw attention to theirselves. I didn’t realize that drawing or painting was considered prideful. One character in the book begins to like the simple lifestyle the Amish have and says that “they seem to have such a gentle faith.” If only we all had that gentle spirit within us, we would be happy and content.

Penny was this sweet woman who had the biggest heart for others. She was excited to see an old friend again but something was off with Ben. Why is he acting like he doesn’t know her? That was going to be intriguing to find out and I knew this book must be read in one sitting. Nothing was going to get in my way of joining Penny, Micah, Ben and his cousin Natalie on their adventure. Ben may be there to see this mysterious elusive bird he has heard about, but I know there was something he was holding back. I wonder if he knows that Penny is caring for his father by bringing him meals and cleaning for him?

It was a treat to read the notes between chapters about the different birds that had been spotted. It was very detailed and I enjoyed getting more familiar with each species. Micah is very thorough with his entries in the journal and I loved how smart he was about birds so much that people sought him out to give then guided tours to find specific birds. He seems to come out of his shell when talking about birds and gives him confidence in himself.

When the story comes to the part about Ben’s past, I began to cry. Such a tragedy that Ben witnessed during a time when he and his brother were so close. I will warn readers that there is mention of suicide and depression in this section of the story that may trigger some. It is not very detailed but has a powerful lesson about forgiveness. Now I understand the distance between Ben and his father. Will Ben be able to talk to his father before it is to late? Penny gives Ben sound advice when she tells him, “Forgiving your father will set you free as well.”

At the end of the book the author has a section where there are questions that can be used in a book club or for personal use. She points out about the different themes in the book. I now understand the significance of what the birds in the story represent and . The author allows us to see one character choose to forgive while another recognized the choices they have made in their life kept being repeated. Through it all I walked away with learning to find happiness, forgive and reconcile with those you have turned your back on. This book is going on my list of all time favorites for 2021.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.