a good read: bloom by kelle hampton.

In my effort to keep up with one of my New Year's resolutions and because I simply love to read, I thought I'd start a new series here at Mama Marchand's Nest called A Good Read. I'll be posting a review about a book that I've read that I think you'll enjoy! I've been reading like a mad woman lately. My goal is to read fifty-two new-to-me books this year!

Today, I want to tell you about one of my favorites so far. It's Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected by Kelle Hampton.

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If you sponsor other blogs and fill out sponsor forms, you've most likely had to answer the question "what's your favorite blog to read?" I ALWAYS answer with Kelle Hampton. Her blog is the one I save for when N is napping, when I can settle into my couch with a mug of chai and soak in every single word she writes.

So, I was OVER THE MOON when she announced a few months ago that she'd be writing a memoir. From the moment I started her book, filled with beautiful photos of her family and friends, I was filled with emotion. I would cry one minute and then burst out with laughter the next. I'm fairly certain that the people at my local Starbucks think I'm a little nuts. *wink*

She talks, poignantly, about her experience as a pastor's kid, her parents' divorce, her journey into adulthood, and how she met her husband. Though I've been a blog reader for two years now, I knew none of that! It was heart wrenching but, at the same time, refreshing to hear about the curve balls that life has thrown her way to form her into the beautiful person she is today.

Kelle shares Nella's birth story and you can almost audibly hear her heart breaking as she discovers that Nella has Down syndrome. She takes you on a journey through those first few days in the hospital and then at home, as she learns how to be a mama to a little one with special needs. She lovingly discusses how her older daughter, Lainey, accepted Nella as the sister she had loved since they found out Kelle was having a girl. You can tell that Kelle's journey isn't over when the book ends - it's just beginning and it carries on through her blog.

Kelle's passion for being a mama is evident and I fell more in love with her, her photography, and her writing after reading Bloom. Please go buy it in some form - in hardbackor Kindle- and make sure you buy a box of kleenex to go with it.

I promise that you will enjoy it as much as I did!

P.S. In the interest of full disclosure, I was not compensated in any way to write this review. I simply LOVED this book but I will earn a small referral fee if you purchase the book through the Amazon links I provided above. *smile*