About the Book

Book: A Season on the Wind

Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher

Genre: Amish Fiction

Release date: October 5, 2021

Ben Zook had only two loves in his life: books and birds. In a stroke of good fortune, he’d stumbled onto a way to cobble together those two loves into a career, writing books about rare birds. He was as free as a bird–until a chase for a rare White-winged Tern takes him to the one place on earth he planned to never return: his Amish home in Stoney Ridge.

Desperate for photographs of the elusive tern, Ben hires a local field guide, Micah Weaver, and boards at Micah’s farm, planning to “bag the bird” and leave Stoney Ridge before anyone recognizes him. But he neglected to plan for Micah’s sister, Penny. One long-ago summer, Penny had introduced Ben to birding, even sharing with him a hidden eagle aerie. That eagle became his spark bird–the one that inspired his lifelong love.

Ben. He was Penny’s spark bird. That was when she knew true love. She’d always hoped Ben would come back to Stoney Ridge. Back to his Amish roots. Back to her. The only problem? Ben has absolutely no memory of Penny.

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My Thoughts:

This is a sweet story that was extremely delightful to read. I have always enjoyed Suzanne Woods Fisher's books. This one was intriguing in many ways but I enjoyed learning about the birds and the information in the Birder’s Glossary at the beginning of the book. Like all her books there is information on the characters in the story.

The characters are wonderful and made you feel like you know them. Ben Zook returns to his hometown of Stoney Ridge in search of the White-winged Tern, so he can finish up his rare bird book. The bird is elusive and Ben finds himself in a bind when he is forced to rest. He wants to stay out of sight so no one recognizes him. Ben ends up staying in the guest house of Penny Weaver.

Penny is delighted to see Ben again but, he doesn’t recognize or remember her much to her dismay. She has thought of Ben for many years and always felt they belong together. Penny and her brother are new to the area. She spent time here as a young girl with her grandmother. Then you have Penny’s brother Micah, who has a speech impediment but knows a great deal about birds. He has his eyes on someone who is the prettiest girl in the community. Looks can be deceiving as he gets the courage to ask her out. I enjoyed the details in his journal. I love getting reacquainted with characters in the community again like Hank and others.

At first Ben wasn’t a character I liked much. He grows on you once you know his story. The author does a wonderful job bringing him full circle as he comes to terms with his past and finally to forgiveness. I found myself loving his character. So many delightful characters that I hope get a book of thier own.

A beautifully written story that I was immersed in. I loved learning about the birds and the way the author weaves in information about the birds.

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through Celebrate Lit Bloggers in exchange for my honest thoughts.

About the Author

With over one million copies sold, Suzanne Woods Fisher is a bestselling, award-winning author of over 30 books, ranging from novels to children’s books to non-fiction. She is a Christy Award finalist, a Carol and Selah award winner, and a two-time finalist for ECPA Book of the Year. She writes stories that take you to places you’ve never visited—one with characters that seem like old friends. But most of all, her books give you something to think about long after you’ve finished reading it. Suzanne lives with her very big family in northern California.

More from Suzanne

Did You Know? 8 Facts about the Christmas Bird Count

1) The year 2021 marks the 122^nd National Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) which, ironically, wasn’t always about counting live birds.

2) In 1900, the first CBC was launched as an alternative to the traditional Christmas “side hunt.” This holiday tradition encouraged people to go out into the woods on Christmas Day, choose “sides” to team up with and then, in the words of Frank Chapman, “kill everything in fur or feathers that crossed their path – if they could.” The winner was the “side” with the largest pile of dead birds. (Ugh!)

3) Frank Chapman was a prominent ornithologist, conservationist, and writer/editor who published Bird Lore magazine. He led the charge to end to this senseless slaughter and invited his readers to begin a new holiday tradition of counting, rather than shooting, birds.

4) Twenty-seven people participated in 25 counts that first year (in 1900). They counted 90 species of birds.

5) The idea caught on. Big time.

6) During December and January of each year, thousands of Christmas Bird Counts take place across the U.S., Canada, Central, and South America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands. The purpose of the CBC is a scientific census—to assess the health of bird populations and help guide conservation action.

7) Each CBC has an established 15-mile diameter circular count area. On a pre-arranged date, registered teams go out (with an assigned volunteer observer) and count the number of birds of each species they can identify within their assigned area. Each count has a volunteer compiler that sums up all of the lists and inputs the total numbers for each species into Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count database.

8) The CBC is the longest-running citizen science project and wildlife survey in the world. In fact, the CBC is considered the gold standard in citizen science.

And you don’t have to be an experienced birdwatcher to participate in the CBC! Bird lovers of all skills are welcomed. Even me! I’m a very enthusiastic amateur.

To learn more about the Christmas Bird Count, or to find a survey near you, go to https://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count

To learn more about Suzanne and the story about the Christmas Bird Count featured in A Season on the Wind, go to www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.

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