October 15, 2007
5 Minutes for Books - “Amy Grant’s Mosaic”
This is the second of two reviews and giveaways at 5 Minutes for Books. Click here for the first one.
I haven’t had any time to read these last couple of months. But when the offer to review Amy Grant’s first autobiographical book, Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far, popped up in my inbox, I simply couldn’t resist. (And with Jennifer our regular 5 Minutes for Books columnist also reviewing the book on her own site, Snapshot, it gave me the perfect excuse to make some time to read and review this one myself.) So this weekend, as I nursed Olivia, I treated myself to reading Mosaic.
As a Christian teenage girl growing up in the eighties and nineties, Amy Grant was simply a musical staple. I think I have owned all of her albums over the years. (It is amazing to think that so much time has passed – I have been listening to Amy Grant for two and half decades! And every year as I decorate the tree, I still always put on her Christmas albums.)
But it has always been more than her music that has drawn me to her. Although in the early years her life at times appeared perfect, her sincerity and approachability factor carried through song lyrics and interviews and made you feel as if Amy were a “real” person – a woman you would want as a friend and confidante.
Over the years, we have seen that indeed Amy’s life is not charmed. No one’s is. She has struggles and challenges just like we all do. Amy went through a divorce and remarriage, facing criticism and scrutiny by many in the Christian community. Yet she kept her faith and life intact, continuing to inspire others through her music and her work.
Now in her book, Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far, we get an honest, personal look at Amy’s life through her stories, poetry and lyrics. Amy’s thoughtful, caring spirit shines through as she reflects on what God has done in her life and shares her cherished memories with us.
As I read Mosaic, Amy’s lyrics triggered many of my own memories - the familiar melodies playing in my head, taking me back through the years. And as Amy dug into her history, treasuring her memories and life lessons, I too was inspired to appreciate and recall my own life stories. As I held and nursed my newborn daughter Olivia, Amy reminded me to cherish every day God gives me, even the simple or mundane moments that all blend together to create a beautiful mosaic.
This review is part of a “blog tour” for Mosaic. To read more about Amy Grant and get free music download of two of the songs mentioned in Mosaic head on over to her site.
The publishers have given us three copies to giveaway. If you would like to win Mosaic, leave a comment on this post and we will randomly draw three winners on Thursday, October 18th.
Filed under * Feature Columns, 5 Minutes for Books, Books by Janice
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93 Comments on 5 Minutes for Books - “Amy Grant’s Mosaic” »
#1 - Lisa Brendle @ 6:04 am
I love Amy Grants music and would enjoy reading her book.
#2 - michelle b @ 6:07 am
I would love to read this book. I love Amy Grant’s music.
#3 - 5 Minutes for Books — The Choice @ 7:28 am
[...] by Jennifer This is the first of two reviews and giveaways at 5 Minutes for Books. Scroll down or click here for the second [...]
#4 - Wendy @ 7:40 am
I love Amy Grant!! Definetly count me in for this one:)
#5 - Alicia @ 8:21 am
I have to say, I’m impressed that you can read while nursing! I was so clumsy the first couple months and needed both hands to feed my son. So kudos to you!
And I have always loved Amy Grant, she seems so inspirational. I’d love to sng a copy of her book.
#6 - Saph -Walk With Me @ 8:21 am
Would love to win one!!! I loved listening to her back in the 90s- on secular radio stations- I wasn’t a christian yet. =)
#7 - Liz @ 8:35 am
I’ve enjoyed her music but would enjoy getting some insight into why/how her music was created even more.
#8 - Lisa K. @ 8:47 am
I would love to win this, she was definitely a staple during my teen years, and even now, along with David Meece, 2nd Chapter of Acts, Michael W. Smith, Geoff Moore, etc., etc. etc….
#9 - Andrea @ 9:02 am
What a great book this would be to win!
#10 - Stacey @ 9:12 am
I would love to win. I love Amy Grant.
#11 - Mama Zen @ 9:24 am
Sounds interesting!
#12 - Lisa O @ 9:25 am
I would enjoy reading more about her.
#13 - Jean @ 9:43 am
I love Amy Grant and would love to read her book.
#14 - Jennifer @ 10:07 am
What an interesting read, I would like this!
#15 - Amy @ 10:07 am
Count me in!
#16 - Amanda @ 10:33 am
I am very interested in this book, please count me in on the drawing
#17 - jenna @ 11:12 am
How exciting to get an advanced copy of this book! Enter me please!
#18 - Melody @ 11:38 am
I too went through highschool and college with Amy Grant’s music playing in the background. I’d love to read her autobiography.
#19 - Cocoa @ 12:06 pm
Not only do I enjoy Amy Grant, my daughters all love listening to her CD’s as well. We put them on in the car and sing along really loudly!
#20 - TheAngelForever @ 12:21 pm
lol - a fellow person that reads and nurses. This book also looks great.
#21 - Mindy @ 12:36 pm
Count me in!
#22 - Pattie @ 1:09 pm
I have lost a drawing for this already at Becky’s blog, so I’m trying again here. Thanks!
#23 - Sherrie @ 1:14 pm
Please add me to this drawing.
#24 - Elleoz @ 1:23 pm
I have loved Amy Grant since I was a small girl. She was the first concert I ever went to, and I would love to her her life story.
#25 - Jill H. @ 1:24 pm
I’ve also loved and listened to Amy for over 20 years…I’d love to read her book.
#26 - Annie @ 1:45 pm
Love her Christmas albums, too. Would love to win this.
#27 - Cath @ 2:01 pm
I have listened to her music for a long time and would appreciate reading her story. Please enter me in the drawing.
#28 - Heather @ 2:42 pm
I would love this book!
#29 - Nise' @ 3:04 pm
Count me in.
#30 - Mandy @ 3:33 pm
Please count me in!
#31 - Kim @ 4:07 pm
Enter me please…
#32 - Charlotte @ 4:14 pm
I would love to have the opportunity to read this. Enter me please. I love Amy Grants music!
#33 - Thrifty Karen @ 4:45 pm
I know what you mean. Just hearing her name takes me back in time.
#34 - Mary B. @ 4:46 pm
love love love Amy Grant! Count me in!
#35 - Melody @ 5:06 pm
I grew up listening to Amy Grant and wanting to sing just like her!
I too have thoroughly enjoy her music and have greatly been inspired by it. Please put my name in the drawing!
#36 - Christine @ 6:38 pm
Amy Grant has always been one of my favorites!
#37 - emily @ 8:15 pm
I would love a copy of her book. I, too, always play her Christmas albums to get me in the holiday mood.
#38 - Shelly Keller @ 9:21 pm
I would so love to read this book. I saw her and her husband interviewed over the weekend and it piqued my interest. My children are discovering her classic music, currently our favorite driving music is “Old Man’s Rubble”
#39 - Amy R. @ 9:27 pm
I grew up listening to Amy Grant. I would love to win her book!
#40 - Carolyn @ 10:04 pm
would love to read this
#41 - Jill @ 10:09 pm
I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book
#42 - kate5kiwis @ 11:55 pm
As a Christian teenage girl growing up in the eighties and nineties, Amy Grant was simply a musical staple.
me too, my friends and i went to her concert here in New Zealand when we were seventeen. i couldn’t get over her funky clothes, i guess i thought she’d wear boring christian stuff. hahahahaha.
love that her personality is still so shiny X
#43 - Ruth @ 12:34 am
i was a total 80’s girl. which meant i was a amy grant-a-holic!
#44 - Charles @ 8:02 am
You know, I feel the same way you do - that Amy is a real person, but I did not feel that way until she broadened the range of her music. As I watched the Christian community comdemn her for it, I felt for her, and I realized that her message might actually reach more listeners on mainstream secular radio who also identified with her words and looked for the meaning. This would be a great read, I’d love a copy.
#45 - Jessie @ 8:59 am
I would really like one of these.
#46 - Joyful Days @ 9:15 am
This would be a wonderful book to read. Please count me in!
#47 - Dale Ann Cubbage @ 9:31 am
I’ve always loved Amy Grant growing up as a young christian. I was so happy to find music that I could listen to and enjoy knowing it was way more hip than what my parents listend too.
I was so disappointed when I heard about Amy’s divorce and worse about the remarriage. I am glad that you reminded me through your review that she is just a girl, just like the rest of us. Stuff happens, sometimes bad stuff. I would like a chance to read the book, so I could take a peek into her world through her eyes. I’ve realized this morning that I need to forgive Amy Grant. I was hurt by her, cause I always looked up to her. I’m glad I came here today. Wether I win a book or not, I realize I have forgive her. Thanks for that.
da
#48 - Amy @ 9:59 am
I grew up listening to Amy Grant. She was the woman that I modeled my life after! Her cassette was my first teenage #13 birthday gift along with a “boom box” (Wow! That dates me!). I have always appreciated her. She is a real woman who has gone through many of the same life struggles that each of us face. I am interested to read the book and hear how she faced those times of trials in her life.
#49 - Kathy Conley @ 11:16 am
This might be good…hmmmm
#50 - John Sweeney @ 11:27 am
LOVE AMY!
#51 - Crystal B. @ 11:38 am
Count me in!
#52 - Rebecca @ 12:49 pm
I’ve been an Amy Grant fan since I was young. I would love the chance to read about her life in her own words.
#53 - Linda Pinto @ 12:59 pm
This sounds like a great book to read on a rainy afternoon.
#54 - ELLIE @ 1:07 pm
I absolutely love Amy Grant and have all her albums…I think she is quite an inspirational woman in her own right!!!
Count me in!!!
#55 - Christine @ 2:14 pm
Enter me please!
#56 - Amy D @ 2:15 pm
i have listened to amy grant for a long time!!!
#57 - Tanya Moyer @ 3:38 pm
I have listened to Amy for years and would enjoy reading her story in her own words! Count me in!
#58 - Patricia Coleman @ 3:52 pm
Love Amy Grant, count me in.
#59 - Carol @ 4:17 pm
I have always loved Amy Grant, and I love biographies..count me in!
#60 - Michele @ 5:23 pm
I saw her interview on The View this morning…I would love the chance to read this book! Please sign me up!
#61 - rebecca @ 7:38 pm
I am so inspired by Amy Grant. I would love to have a copy of her book. Sign me up! Thanks!
#62 - Christy @ 8:52 pm
I too listen to Amy every year as I decorate the tree. Count me in.
#63 - Tammy @ 9:07 pm
I have been a follower of Amy Grant since her early days. Please count me in!
#64 - Jim @ 9:42 pm
My wife and I met Amy and Vince a couple weeks ago in Chicago after a private show. She is a genuine good person. She actually was interested in what a couple of strangers (fans) had to say. They are a wonderful, inspirational couple. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to leave my remarks.
#65 - Penny G @ 9:57 pm
I also grew up listening to Amy Grant & love her Christmas cd. Would really enjoy reading her book. Thanks!
#66 - Sara @ 10:08 pm
I have always loved Amy Grant and would love to have a copy! She’s an inspiration!
#67 - phyllis @ 10:15 pm
ooh ooh pick me! please.
#68 - Julie Sivley @ 10:33 pm
You guys always have the best giveaways! Thanks for sharing!!!
#69 - Josiane M @ 10:55 pm
Allright! Another super book by Amy Grant.
#70 - Anikka W @ 12:17 am
i have been listening to Amy since I was a kid. The first concert I went to was on her tour for the Album that had “Baby Baby” On it!
#71 - Angie Wycherly @ 12:26 am
Sounds great.
#72 - melody is slurping life @ 2:13 am
I adore Amy Grant’s music and am sure I’d love her book. Please enter me. Thanks.
#73 - Jill Rivera @ 8:45 am
She is one of my favorite artist.
#74 - Jerri Lynn @ 12:26 pm
love Amy Grant - please add me to the drawing. Thanks!
#75 - Barbara @ 3:00 pm
Please add me to the list!
#76 - Laurie @ 3:28 pm
I love Amy Grant’s voice. It is smooth and lyrical. Her face is that of an angel. Thanks for the review of Mosaic.
Please add me to the drawing for the book.
#77 - Tina @ 10:47 pm
I would love to read this book.
#78 - Popsiclesontheporch @ 11:03 pm
I would love a copy of her book! Please include in the drawing…thanks!
#79 - Karen (Mommy of Three) @ 11:22 pm
I’m not entering because I am also hosting a giveaway of THREE copies, but I wanted to say that this is an amazing book!
#80 - Hannah @ 11:34 am
I would love to win it!
#81 - Heather L @ 1:34 pm
I like biographies, and I remember singing along to Amy Grant’s music at age 5!
#82 - Gloria Dornin @ 1:50 pm
I like Amy and would love this
#83 - Jaine Gilbert @ 3:57 pm
I saw CBN’s interview with Amy this morning, and am anxious to read her new book–even better yet, to possibly win it! She is a great example of what a what a Christian should look like in this day and complicated age we live in. The special love she and Vince Gill share is inspirationally deep–God bless them.
#84 - Carol Rene' Brown @ 10:46 pm
I have loved Amy Grant over the years. Growing up with her music.
Please add me to the drawing for what sounds like a GREAT read!
#85 - ter @ 11:00 pm
I never heard of this book. I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for letting us know about it.
I probably missed the deadline for the contest though! oh well.
#86 - Fruitbearer @ 5:32 pm
I guess I’m too late but just in case you extend the deadline :). I just found out about this giveaway. Please count me in if you can. Thanks a bunch!
#87 - philip halter @ 6:50 pm
great site
#88 - Pamela White @ 10:43 pm
Amy Grant is complex I would love to read about her.
#89 - gary free @ 7:32 am
amy grant is a diciple for God; she shows his love by her actions; great musician also
#90 - kathy pease @ 2:44 pm
good luck 2 ALL
#91 - Heather C @ 8:56 pm
I will always remember her Age to Age album, most especially Sing Your Praise to the Lord, since that song had the highest note I’d ever heard anyone sing. I tried to hit it for several years. Yikes.
#92 - Charlene Kuser @ 12:38 am
I Love Amy Grant’s music and would love to win this
#93 - milly @ 4:15 pm
i wish i read it