Archive for October, 2007

Mosaic, by Amy Grant

I was given the opportunity by the really nice people at WaterBrook Press to read, share and review Amy Grant’s new book, Mosaic. When I got the email, I wasn’t quite sure what I should do. You see, Amy Grant was my idol when I was in grade school. I had 3 of her albums on tape that I memorized. Every single nuance. I knew she had gotten her start when she was young, and that she started with singing in church, so I thought maybe someday I could grow up and do the same.

Of course, then life happened. Her music changed – and I changed right along with it. The fun pop-rock style in the 80s. It was awesome. But then I graduated from High School. Early college life really sucked. My music tastes flowed along with my school friends. Then, when I did consider catching up with Amy’s music, I heard she divorced her husband and was involved with Vince.

I am ashamed to say that I judged her pretty hard. Her divorce came around the time that I had a wedding planned and ended up calling it off due to the infidelity of my fiance. So, that was when my idol-worship days of her were cut harshly short.

Her music still had it’s place. Her two Christmas albums are so ingrained in my family’s celebrations, that she still was part of my life. But I stopped caring about her personal life. She’d married Vince Gill and to me it felt like she crossed over into “Hollywood” and stopped being real.

So, when Kelly at WaterBrook sent me an email offering me this opportunity to read Mosaic (for free!) I figured it would be nice to see what Amy had to say. I had no idea what to expect.

I have not yet finished the book. The timeframe given to read and review the book was painfully short for those of us who are WAHMs with toddlers. Time to sit and read is scarce. And as a mom, when I actually DO have time to sit quietly (naps and after bedtime) I work, so I hate to say it, this book has been relegated to the only other semi-alone time I have. It has become a bathroom book!

The wonderful thing? It’s PERFECT for that. The structure of the book is set up so that Amy tells a story about a significant memory, and then you read the lyrics of the song that came of that memory. It’s written so that you can read these little snapshots of her memories without too much time commitment. (One of the things I dislike about reading in my new WAHM role is getting interrupted – as one does with a toddler – in the middle of a particularly long and engrossing chapter)

So, here’s my review:

Content: 9
Writing Style: 9
Re-readability: 5
Busy Mommy Scale: 10

Content – Like I said, I haven’t finished the book yet, but so far, I am really enjoying what I have read. It feels like I am getting to know her – much in the same way you get to know someone from reading their blog. And I especially like the ties to the song lyrics. I know a lot of her songs by heart and to read them in context with her life is giving me an even greater appreciation of them.

Writing style – Solid. Conversational. Easy to read. Reflective story telling.

Re-readability – It takes quite a bit for me to decide that a book is something I will re-read. It requires me to have been entranced, enthralled, excited, and it MUST have a happy ending. Non-Fiction is rarely on this list, unless it’s a Bible study or similar self-help book. I know that I will enjoy reading this book, but it’s almost definitely one to pass on to others to read.

Busy Mommy Scale – This is a brand new category triggered by this book. It gets a full 10. If you think you’d like to read this book, but aren’t sure you have time, I’m tellin’ ya, you can read it in short bursts and not lose the full effect of her writing!

To listen to music from Mosaic, visit Amy’s site.

To purchase a copy of Mosaic, visit Amazon.com