Indie Author Giveaway Hop - International

Today's blog hop giveaway is featuring self-published books and at the end of this post, we'll be giving away an e-copy of Abimbola Dare's The Small Print. I read parts of the book on the author's blog and was excited when she decided to self publish. Because I had done it myself, we had several long chats and I was amazed at Bimby's can-do spirit. When the book was released and I read it, I was further blown away.

About the book - My review

The Small Print is an amazingly fast read, with loads of suspense that kept me guessing till the end. Even though this is a Christian inspirational novel, there is no loud preaching voice shoving memory verses down the reader's throat. The author uses her characters as marvellous works in progress to illustrate the message of the book, which is that the word of God stands the test of time and will deliver those who believe in it during times of trouble.

The main characters in the book (they're the ones on the cover) are so true to life that it is easy to get totally engaged in their miseries as well as their triumphs. Wale is a Nigerian immigrant into the UK and is ready and willing to do anything to remain in the country rather than return to his ailing mother and sister in the slums of Lagos. Sade is a beautiful young Nigerian woman hemmed in by her older husband's insecurity and her own childlessness. Jennifer is a British woman whose first mistake is falling in love with Wale when all he wanted was a marriage of convenience.

Teamwork in Relationships - Lessons from The Amazing Race TV Show

One of the unscripted TV shows that I really enjoy with Myne is the Amazing Race. For those who many not know about the series, it involves couples – who may be siblings, spouses, friends or workmates – taking part in a competition where they perform various tasks in various cities around the world.

Amani and Marcus Pollard (2011)

Why do I like The Amazing Race so much? Well, I like the competition angle, wondering who will finish their stage of the race first. I also find it amusing to see how the couples perform some of the wackier tasks. And then, I like seeing the relationship dynamic between each of the couples, and how they work together to accomplish the tasks that they are given.

This will be the third season we've seen. As we watched this past one, I started to realize that watching it was like a couples’ therapy session for us. The different characters on the Amazing Race TV show – as individuals, as a couple, and partners in a team – provide good material for Myne and I to discuss about attitudes to life, love, and working together.

Seeing the couples certainly showed me that no relationship is the same, or perfect. They all have unique and flawed relationships especially when they're very different in temperament. You have one person being very laid back, and treating the whole affair like a pleasure jaunt, while  the other is highly competitive and engages in lots of strategic planning. When two people like this are on the show, expect to see some fireworks as they drive each other up the wall. There are some couples that act so antagonistically towards each other that you’re left wondering if they're really couples and how on earth they agreed to go on the programme in the first place.