The Art of Losing Yourself by Katie Ganshert

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Art of Losing Yourself WaterBrook Press (April 21, 2015) by Katie Ganshert

MY THOUGHTS:
I have loved every one of Katie's books and so even though this one didn't sound like a book I'd normally enjoy I knew that I had to give it a shot. And I am glad I did!
The author dealt with a lot of tough issues in this book, miscarriages, alcoholism, dementia, and others, and she handled them all beautifully. Watching Carmen struggle through her many miscarriages was the hardest part for me since I personally know women who have miscarried and reading Carmen's pain just made my heart ache for them all over again. I was glad that Katie brought attention to this though since it can sometimes be easy for us to forget about these precious little ones and I know that for their parents that pain is there every day and we need to remember them.
I liked how we got both Carmen and Gracie's points of view and I was impressed by how seamlessly the author switched between them without ever confusing me. Both of the stories were amazingly written though I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy Gracie's a little more. She was so closed off to any form of affection and I loved how Elias ignored those barriers and kept being a friend to her even when Gracie claimed she didn't want anything to do with him. Carmen and Ben's story, while a little harder to read it was still sweet watching them overcome the problems in their relationship and I loved the flashbacks to when they first met and fell in love!
Overall this was a heartrendingly beautiful story that I absolutely recommend!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Award-winning author, Katie Ganshert, graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison with a degree in education, and worked as a fifth grade teacher for several years before staying home to write full-time. She was born and raised in the Midwest, where she lives with her family. When she’s not busy penning novels or spending time with her people, she enjoys drinking coffee with friends, reading great literature, and eating copious amounts of dark chocolate.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Just like in my dream, I was drowning and nobody even noticed.

Every morning, Carmen Hart pastes on her made-for-TV smile and broadcasts the weather. She’s the Florida panhandle’s favorite meteorologist, married to everyone’s favorite high school football coach. They’re the perfect-looking couple, live in a nice house, and attend church on Sundays. From the outside, she’s a woman who has it all together.  But on the inside, Carmen Hart struggles with doubt. She wonders if she made a mistake when she married her husband. She wonders if God is as powerful as she once believed. Sometimes she wonders if He exists at all. After years of secret losses and empty arms, she’s not so sure anymore.

Until Carmen’s sister—seventeen year old runaway, Gracie Fisher—steps in and changes everything. Gracie is caught squatting at a boarded-up motel that belongs to Carmen’s aunt, and their mother is off on another one of her benders, which means Carmen has no other option but to take Gracie in. Is it possible for God to use a broken teenager and an abandoned motel to bring a woman’s faith and marriage back to life? Can two half-sisters make each other whole?

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Art of Losing Yourself, go HERE.