
The Gift of an Ordinary Day is an intimate memoir of a family in transition--boys becoming teenagers, careers ending and new ones opening up, an attempt to find a deeper sense of place, and a slower pace, in a small New England town. It is a story of midlife longings and discoveries, of lessons learned in the search for home and a new sense of purpose, and the bittersweet intensity of life with teenagers--holding on, letting go.This book strongly resonated with me. As the mom of an only child who's almost 12, I'm not quite at the point where this book begins. But that point is close enough that I found myself reacting emotionally to some of the bittersweet moments that author Katrina Kenison describes. As she takes her son to his first day of high school, she recalls taking him to his first day of nursery school. The imagery of "how [she] slipped his small hand from [hers] at the nursery school door and tiptoed down the hallway, leaving him behind" is so vivid that I wanted to weep with her.
As much as this is a book about transitions, it's also about contentment. When we think of our lives in terms of milestones--only looking at the birthdays, graduations, new jobs--we miss out on the rich beauty of every day between those milestones. What I took from this book (other than a few tips for handling the teen years) is a reminder to treasure those ordinary moments. Since I read this, I've been paying extra attention to the details of everyday life. I give my son an extra hug before bedtime, I notice the crispness of fresh sheets, and I take a moment to appreciate the gorgeous rust-colored chrysanthemums in bloom. This reminder is, in itself, a gift.
Learn more about The Gift of an Ordinary Day and read an excerpt at Hachette Book Group, or purchase it from Amazon or another retailer.
Win it: Thanks to Hachette Book Group, five readers will each win a copy of The Gift of an Ordinary Day!
This giveaway is closed. Congratulations to all of the winners: Thena, Debbie, Laura, Joe & Bridge, and Nancy!
Here's how to enter: Just leave a comment to let me know that you'd like to win. Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you. Limit 1 entry by this method. This must be done in order to qualify for extra entries.
Here's how you can earn additional entries (please leave one comment per entry):
- Subscribe to at least one e-newsletter from Hachette Book Group. (1 entry)
- Subscribe to my feed in a feed reader or by email. If you already subscribe, leave a comment to let me know. (2 entries)
- Follow me on Twitter. Tweet about this giveaway (include FC_Melissa). (1 entry per day)
- Blog about this giveaway with a link back to this post. Leave a comment with a link to your blog post. (2 entries)
Good luck, and thanks for reading!
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book, at no cost to me, for review purposes.

It sounds like a very interesting book. Would love to win it.
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Sounds like a good book. I would like to enter.
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I'd like to win. Thanks for the giveaway!
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I follow on Twitter and tweeted:
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There are 2 specific topics covered in this book that I would love to gain some insight into. I know it certainly would not hurt.
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I am an email subscriber.
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I love to read!! Please accept my entry.
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I subscribed to many e-newsletters from Hachette Book Group. Thanks!
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I really want this book and I subscribe to you on google reader
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Sounds like a great book, always looking to add to my library.
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Would love to win this book - sounds like it might make me cry though!
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Thanks for the giveaway.
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I subscribe #1.
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I subscribe #2.
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Thanks for the giveaway, my mom would love it!
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Please count me in. Thanks for the chance.
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I'd love to win this book; sounds inspiring. Please accept this as my entry. Thank you!
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Thank you. I already subscribe to Hatchette's enewsletters :-)
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Sounds like a really cool book
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This sounds like a thoughtful and inspiring book. I'd love to read it.
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I signed up for the Hatchett Book Groups Contest and Mystery newsletters.
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