"Will's Red Coat--The Story of One Old Dog Who Chose to Live Again" by Tom Ryan (UPDATED)

Will's Red Coat by Tom Ryan is a true story about Tom who lives a simple life in the mountains of New Hampshire with his two Schnauzers, Atticus and Will.  It is the story of how his dogs helped him become a better person and how he helped his dogs, especially Will who was an older rescue dog in bad shape with biting and incontinence issues that no one else wanted.  

This book has a wonderful theme:  old age is not a disease and it's never too late to love or receive love.  I enjoyed the parts about his dogs and the wildlife, especially the bear who became their friend.  I really liked the nature parts of this book where he included the reader on his hikes through the forests and mountains.  Sometimes though, he went off on tangents about his beliefs and philosophy which I found boring and thought distracted from the story.  Of course, I cried when one of his dogs had to be put down.  It just brought back the feelings I felt when I had to put down several cats.  That is why I gave this book only 3 stars.
(Karen's review)

Gerard's review 11/13/17, 5 stars:

Will's Red Coat by Tom Ryan is a true story which makes it that much better!  Will is an old dog.  Most people think it does not have much time left, but Tom decides to take him in.  His friends did not think this was a wise choice.

This book is a story of love!  If you are a dog lover, this book is one you will love reading.  I give credit to Tom for writing this book about his dog!

Teaser from page 17:  "No.  I meant what would you have me do if you were the one who was old, in pain, alone, and had no place to call home?"

This is the second book I read by this author.  The first one was Following Atticus, which I also loved.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Lead For God'Sake! by Todd G. Congwer--Must Read!

Great Gift for Any Coach--Good addition to any library!

Lead...for God'Sake! by Todd G. Congwer is a quick inspirational read about a coach struggling with his basketball team who gets advice from Joe, the school janitor.  Joe had a personal ministry of counseling and I liked how the author used his conversations to get his point across to the reader.  This book is philosophical about finding true purpose in life and influencing others based on scripture.  It's about being selfless rather than self-centered.  It's a wonderful example of what a true Christian looks like who is a genuine follower of Christ. 

I enjoyed reading it and agreed with the Christian view about living one's life.  I took a lot of notes from this one and would be a great one to add to my library.  It reminded me a little bit of The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and Leading With The Heart by Mike Kryzewski, which I loved!  I highly recommend it!  I think anyone would benefit from reading this book, parent, employer, employee, teacher, coach etc.
(Karen's review, rating:  5 stars)

Gerard's review, rating 5++ stars:

Lead For God's Sake by Todd G. Congwer is a must read!  Wow, oh Wow!  What an outstanding book!  I got the idea to order this book from reading an article about Urban Meyer, the new Ohio State football coach.  He mentioned that he loved this book and so did I!  It tells the story of a frustrated high school basketball coach having trouble both with his team and his home life.  He gets help from the most unlikely person you would imagine. 

The ending was great, but I hated to see it end.  This is a must read for all coaches and people in leadership roles.  I feel real good knowing Urban Meyer is the OSU football coach now--go bucks!


Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Twisted By The Wind" by Tom Hays

Twisted By The Wind by Tom Hays is an unusual book, at least different from any I’ve read before.  Through a variety of short humorous fiction stories about Ben Braddock, the author conveys the main theme of the book that the journey of life is the destination and that “destiny is what becomes of a person in the end in spite of all efforts to change or prevent it.”  I enjoyed the bits of wisdom from the author before each story such as:

 It’s not really work if you like doing it.

If at first you don’t succeed, that’s pretty much how it works for most people.

Every day, life gives you a second chance.  Take it.

Jumping to conclusions is not considered good exercise.

He also included some poems throughout that book that I enjoyed as well.  Although I’m not in total agreement with the general philosophy of this book, parts were humorous.  This is a short quick read that was amusing, entertaining and thought-provoking.  You can visit Tom Hay’s website at http://PearlOfTheDay.com for inspirational and motivational quotes.  You can visit his blog at http://tomhaystoday.blogspot.com/

Thank you, Tom, for the free copy of your book in exchange for this review! 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

Life of Pi by Yann Martel is a strange but entertaining book.

I liked the story once I got passed the first 100 pages which went into great detail about different religions and animals. The boy's father was a zookeeper in India. When the family decided to move to Canada, their boat sank and the boy, Pi, was the lone survivor in a lifeboat with several of the animals (zebra, hyena, orangutan and a tiger) that were being taking to different zoos. Of the animals, only the tiger had a name, Richard Parker. Sometimes the writing was hard to follow.

This book is baffling, at least it was to me. As I was reading, I was pretty bored with the first 100 pages where Pi tells about the zoo animals and his search for God through different religions but once Pi got shipwrecked and found himself on a lifeboat with a tiger and some other wild animals, my interest picked up. It's quite an adventure story and I enjoyed Pi's fight for survival, even though parts were very gross and at some points it didn't make sense (I wasn't sure if he was hallucinating or if it was just turning into a fantasy book).

Then, as I finished the book, I realized it is a metaphor and there was so much to look back at and try to figure out what the author's message really is. It's quite a book, a challenging read. I recommend it to anyone who likes a thought-provoking book and strange endings. It has suspense, adventure, humor and philosophy all mixed into it.
(Karen's review 4/08)

I finally got around to watching the movie on DVD and loved it!  See my review of it here.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"The Language God Talks" by Herman Wouk

I won The Language God Talks--On Science and Religion by Herman Wouk in a giveaway over at Metro Reader.  

Publisher's Summary. More years ago than I care to reckon up, I met Richard Feynman." So begins THE LANGUAGE GOD TALKS, Herman Wouk's gem on navigating the divide between science and religion. In one rich, compact volume, Wouk draws on stories from his life as well as on key events from the 20th century to address the eternal questions of why we are here, what purpose faith serves, and how scientific fact fits into the picture. He relates wonderful conversations he's had with scientists such as Feynman, Murray Gell-Mann, Freeman Dyson, and Steven Weinberg, and brings to life such pivotal moments as the 1969 moon landing and the Challenger disaster.

This book was disappointing. I thought it would be more about science and the Bible but it actually was more intellectual and philosophical. The first half was primarily a history of science and theories and the authors conversations with scientists. The second half was more about Judaism and the author's life experiences.  Basically, I did not care for this. 

I am passing it on to Sarah over at Books Like Water since I saw she commented that she would have liked to enter the giveaway but was too late. Even after I told her what I thought of it she still wanted it so good--I hope she likes it better than I did.

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?