Waiting on Wednesday: Bright's Passage

Title: Bright's Passage

Author: JOSH RITTER!!!!!!

Publisher: The Dial Press

Pages: 208 pages

Release Date: June 28, 2011

Henry Bright is newly returned to West Virginia from the battlefields of the First World War. Grief struck by the death of his young wife, and unsure of how to care for the infant son she left behind, Bright is soon confronted by the destruction of the only home he's ever known. His only hope for safety is the angel that has followed him home from the trenches of France and now promises to protect him and his son.

Together, Bright and his newborn, along with a cantankerous goat and the angel guiding them, make their way through a landscape ravaged by forest fire towards an uncertain salvation, haunted by the abiding nightmare of his experiences in the war, and shadowed by his dead wife's father, The Colonel, and his two brutal sons. -- Goodreads

If I had only read the jacket copy/summary of this, and had no idea who Josh Ritter is, I doubt I'd pick up this novella. Well, that's not necessarily true--anything that has a "cantakerous goat" in the description is something I would pick up on principle. However, it's not just the cantankerous goat that has me itching to get my hands on this sucker. The draw for me, is the author.

For those of you who aren't acquainted with Josh Ritter, let me quickly introduce you--he's my favorite singer/songwriter, other than Bob Dylan. His songbook is full of beautifully-written, emotional, imagery-laden stories bursting with American history, folklore, and, at times, pop culture. But not of the Britney Spears sort. Praise God. 

Based on my knowledge of his songwriting skills, it just makes sense that the man should write a book, and I  am SERIOUSLY excited about reading it. Because I'm obsessed with his music (...and his smile...), I feel that I can say with a good amount of certainty that I will be obsessed with the book as well. And if you're interested in Bright's Passage, and you should be, you can download the first chapter (!!!!!) here.

If for some reason you are a crazy person and you aren't interested in this most-probably-amazing novella, at least check out the videos below. You won't regret it. 

Before you go, let me know what book you're oh-so impatiently waiting on in comments, so that I can add them to my Goodreads shelf. Yay books! 


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly blog event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.