To Be Perfectly Honest

"My friend Regi called today and wants to have lunch early next week.  You don't suppose he would ask about the ----.  Naw"  Or so Phil Callaway hoped.  Why?  Because if Regi asked, Phil would have had to tell the truth as part of a promise to not lie for one whole year.  As he waded through a year of family gatherings, financial investments, and travelling for work, he had to be honest with others about everything!  He kept notes as the year passed and wrote them up for To Be Perfectly Honest.  It's hilarious at times because there were people who were determined to not let him off the hook....on anything.  Sometimes, telling the truth wasn't easy and keeping quiet wasn't an option. 



This book is definitely amusing.  Most people do not realize how many "small lies" they tell through the course of a day.  Phil didn't either.  His revelations challenge you to look at your life and see how truthful you are with others and yourself.  The accusatory finger is not stern, but questions you with humor.  There are discussion questions in the back of the book to challenge yourself or use with a book group.  The Ruminating Reader awards 4 out of 5 pieces of bacon.


Phil Callaway is the writer of over 20 books that have been translated into numerous languages.  He is known for his humorous view of life.  In addition to writing, he travels as a speaker to encourage and inspire people as well as make them laugh.  He married his high school sweet heart and they have three children.

To Be Perfectly Honest by Phil Callaway.  Published by Multnomah Books

River's Song

   
Very often things happen in life over which we have no control.  We do the best we can with the circumstances.  Sometimes we are fortunate enough to have the chance to make a change.  This is what is before Anna Larson when River's Song begins.  When she was young, she fell in love.  Leaving her family on the river behind, she went to be with her husband.  When war changes everything, Anna stays with her husband's family, acting as more of a servant than daughter in law.  Her mother's death adds to her unhappiness, but it offers her the chance to go back home to take care of her parent's things.  When Anna gets there, she finds few reasons to return to the life she's been living.  A whole new world opens up to her on the river.  She finds there is healing there, for her and others.

This is a very smooth read.  There are no shocking twists and turns, no jarring tragedies.  I found that to be refreshing.  This story of a woman's life coming full circle will draw many readers in.  The journey Anna takes to healing is compelling.  River's Song is a good choice for this time of year when many people feel like starting over.  A good book to curl up with as the weather changes and we seek comfort in blankets and hot tea.  The Ruminating Reader awards River's Song 4 out of 5 pieces of bacon.

Melody Carlson has written more than 200 books.  She has been nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement award.  Her book Homeward won a Rita Award.  She and her husband live in Oregon near their two grown sons and their families.

River's Song written by Melody Carlson.  Published by Abingdon Press

A Short Life Well Lived

Brian O'Connor might be blind, but he is very successful in the district attorney's office.  He has a loving wife and two beautiful children.  He has overcome odds and pushed forth to something close to the American Dream.  It all becomes meaningless when his son's broken arm reveals a malignant tumor.  With his son's uncertain future, O'Connor must ask himself where his faith has been rooted and learns that it is in himself.  As his son questions his own mortality, O'Connor is challenged.  Will his son over come cancer?  Will O'Connor find a faith deeper than himself?

The first thing you need to know about this book is that it is a novel.  It is fiction.  It is not real.  Write that on a bookmark to read to yourself as you go through this book because you will need the reminder.  If someone accidentally shelved this with biographies, a reader might not know the difference.  That said, this is a very powerful work.  Tom Sullivan has written a story that will pull at the heartstrings of every parent and grandparent.  For those whose lives have been touched by cancer, get a box of tissues, you will need them.  At the end, before your tears are dry, you will have hope though, for the book does not end in grief, but in hope.  The book does have some theological weaknesses, but I do not believe that every fiction book needs to completely present the Gospel.  Readers seeking a full Christ centered message should know that this book does not provide that.  The book does strongly proclaim that God loves us and we are not alone in running this race called life.  The Ruminating Reader gives this 5 out of 5 pieces of bacon. 

Tom Sullivan was born prematurely which caused his blindness.  Despite his disability, he enjoys a variety of sports.  He is an actor, singer, author, speaker, director, and producer.

A Short Life Well Lived 

Written by Tom Sullivan.  Published by Howard Books a division of Simon & Schuster Inc.

An Unlikely Suitor

"Evicted?  We're evicted?"  Lucy's family earns just enough money to pay the rent and put some meager food on the table.  Now, with only a week's notice, they must pack up and go elsewhere.  Fatherless, with the family looking to her to guidance, she sets out to find them a new home.  She finds a place beyond her expectations.  With a new home, a new job, and even some new friends, might she hope for more in her life?  This story takes her out of her native New York to Rhode Island, beyond her circle of comfort into high society.  Her sister Sofia travels there as well and both women meet unlikely suitors.  Are they wise matches or dangerous?  Another woman, Rowena struggles to over come her handicap and exert her independence.  The lives of these three women are strongly tied together.  Will any of them find happiness?


I was interested in the books because it was set in 1895, in both high society and poor tenements.  There are many great stories set in this time period.  This book is one of them.  I stayed up way too late several nights to read because I didn't have enough time during the day.  When it ended, I was satisfied with the ending, but sad that it had come to the end.  I don't think the book has any trite or contrived scenes.  There's plenty of suspense to keep the story from being predictable.  If you're looking for an exciting beach read or storing up something to savor over apple cider this fall, add this to your list.  The Ruminating Reader awards An Unlikely Suitor 4 out of 5 pieces of bacon.



Nancy Moser is the author of over twenty novels.  She is a finalist for the Christy Award.  She has a degree in architecture as well as experience in music. 

An Unlikely Suitor written by Nancy Moser Published by Bethany House.

The Constantine Codex

Jonathan Weber and his wife Shannon enjoy traveling and exploring dusty old libraries.  On their most recent trip, they come across some manuscripts that appear to be very old.  Some quick mental work leads them to wonder if they have discovered one of fifty copies commissioned by Constantine; manuscripts that have written about, but themselves missing for hundreds of years.  As they try to validate their discovery, they are caught up into the international tension between Muslims and Christians and their lives are hanging on the line.  Have they found an excellent forgery or history changing documents?  How will the world, Christian and secular, respond to their finding?


If you like archaeology, history, mystery and/or suspense, this book does well in combining them.  If you have strong feelings about maintaining the purity of the Bible or Islam, you might want to move on to another book.  I guess that's a "walking the fine line" part of my review.  Maier writes an intriguing story that keeps the reader on edge.  I admit, I stayed up late a few nights to keep reading.  He opens a wonderful can of "what if?"  It won't just entertain you, but will challenge you to wonder how you'd handle such findings and information.  The Ruminating Reader awards 3 out of 5 pieces of bacon.  I'll read it again, but there were a few things I disagreed with (again, a personal matter).  If I take myself out, I'd award 4 out of 5. 


Paul L. Maier is The Russell H. Seibert Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University. He has written several nonfiction books and hundreds of articles.  Among his fiction collection are two book that precede The Constantine Codex.  He has traveled giving lectures and speaking on radio programs.

The Constantine Codex by Paul L. Maier Published by Tyndale House Publishing