Bookshelf Friday - A Broken Kind of Beautiful by Katie Ganshert

So I'm going to be completely transparent here. I had another book scheduled to review today, but after reading it did not feel comfortable posting the review. This left today wide open with not much time to recoup as, well, my life is a tad crazy right now.

However...I know of an amazing author whose book came out this week. Which means I'm going to try something different with this week's bookshelf: you get to see what tops my To Be Read (TBR) pile. Here goes!

Fashion is a fickle industry, a frightening fact for twenty-four year old model Ivy Clark. Ten years in and she’s learned a sacred truth—appearance is everything. Nobody cares about her broken past as long as she looks beautiful for the camera. This is the only life Ivy knows—so when it starts to unravel, she’ll do anything to hold on. Even if that means moving to the quaint island town of Greenbrier, South Carolina, to be the new face of her stepmother’s bridal wear line—an irony too rich for words, since Ivy is far from the pure bride in white.

If only her tenuous future didn’t rest in the hands of Davis Knight, her mysterious new photographer. Not only did he walk away from the kind of success Ivy longs for to work maintenance at a local church, he treats her differently than any man ever has. Somehow, Davis sees through the façade she works so hard to maintain. He, along with a cast of other characters, challenges everything Ivy has come to believe about beauty and worth. Is it possible that God sees her—a woman stained and broken by the world—yet wants her still?


All right, here's the part where we normally chat about the book I'm reviewing, but since I haven't read this one yet, I can't do that. What I can do is tell you what an amazing author Katie is. She knows how to weave such depth into her stories with characters that literally leap of the page. I read her debut Wildflowers From Winter and immediately made room on my shelf for her. Her books are the ones that you'll stay up way-too-late to read and be happy you did. They are steeped in emotion, full of heart-fluttering moments, take you to tears and laughs...and always point toward God. Which is why I know I can put this book on my Bookshelf Friday without having read it, because Katie has gained my trust as a reader. I cannot wait to be able to pull it off my shelf and read it. Trust me, it'll be happening soon!

Oh, and just for fun, this week I'm starting a Would You Rather with the authors I have on my bookshelf--totally random and completely all in fun. I'd toyed with coming up with interview questions for people, but this game asks much more earth-shattering questions that I ever could. So here's Katie's question:

Would you rather be able to remember all your dreams forever OR be able to watch your dream on TV the next day?

I was worried I'd pull a question about eating worms or something, but I actually really liked that one:) So what did Katie say?

"As a girl who thinks dreams are fascinating, it is so hard to choose! I think I would have to go with the second option - being able to watch my dreams on TV the next day. Some of my dreams are so bizarre, it would be super entertaining to see them come to life on a screen."

I had to agree with her, as long as I could pick who was going to view my dream, too! What about you? What would you choose? And for anyone looking to pick up Katie's newest book, A Broken Kind of Beautiful can be purchased here.

Christy Award finalist and Carol Award winner, 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 husband, their young son, and their goofy black lab, Bubba. When she’s not busy writing or playing or reading or snuggling, she is obsessing over the paperwork and the waiting that comes with adoption. You can learn more about Katie and her books by visiting her website or author Facebook page.