I started doing some book review blogging a while back to get me to read more.  It’s worked, and over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been slowly working my way though a book that’s not part of any blog tour: Ron Paul’s The Revolution: A Manifesto.

When you mention Ron Paul’s name, you usually get 1 of 3 responses:

• “RON PAUL FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
• “I like what I’ve heard, but I haven’t heard much.”
• “That guy’s certifiable.”

All three of the groups that offer these responses need to read this book.  Here’s Why:

“RON PAUL FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
You’ve read some of his stuff.  You have researched his voting record.  You have complained on 3 or more web sites about how he was forced out of Republican debates.  You helped him set records in raising money for his 2008 Presidential campaign.  This book is basically what he would do if you elected him.  You should probably read it, since, after all, you’re so crazy in love with his ideas.

This seems obvious, but I’ve met too many Ron Paul supporters who have no clue really why he should be President.  (And honestly, they’re giving the rest of us a bad name.)

“I like what I’ve heard, but I haven’t heard much.”
Here’s your chance.  For $12 bucks or so, you can get the 411 straight from the man himself.  You don’t have to read the Campaign for Liberty site, or the always-being-updated RonPaul.com (not an official Ron Paul site, btw), or the many awesome resources in the Ron Paul Library.

You’ll get a very easily read, well explained account of his views on things like the economy, our monetary system, our military’s global presence, and the Constitution.  You like what you’ve heard so far; see how the rest of his views strike you.

“That guy’s certifiable.”
Fair enough.  I’ll admit the guy seems crazy.  Or at least he did before people realized he predicted this latest economic nightmare.  Now he’s all over the news and is being interviewed like he actually knows what he’s talking about.  Where, I ask, was this coverage during the Republican primaries?  Stupid media…

So maybe you really think the rich should pay more taxes than the poor.  Maybe you think we should park our troops in Iraq indefinitely.  Maybe you actually believe that medical treatment is a right offered you because you’re an American citizen.  (Maybe you’re certifiable.)  You owe it to yourself - and arguably to Dr. Paul - to at least know and understand what the man stands for before you actively speak out against his “radical” ideas.

As for me, I started the 2008 political season thinking that Ron Paul was a spoiler to a perfectly good (or at least acceptable to this Republican) Republican nominee.  I slowly moved toward the “I like what I’ve heard” category and am now planted firmly in the “FTW” camp.  (Yes, I realize he’s not actually running in the election.)

Maybe his book and his views won’t change your mind about anything.  Maybe you’ll wake up and find yourself motivated to do something about the mess our nation is in.  Ron Paul has inspired me.  His approach, his crazy ideas, and his hard-to-ignore ability to be right so often have gotten my attention.  Give him a chance.  You might just find yourself in the middle of a revolution.

Ron’s note:  I was invited to review “The Road of Lost Innocence” by Somaly Mam for the blog.  It’s not the typical type of book I would read - it’s not even the typical type of book my wife would read, but I accepted the invite.  The book arrived in the mail, my wife opened it that afternoon and literally couldn’t put it down until she finished.  Here is her review:

Before I review this book I want to make two clarifications.

1. I never read true stories because they never end the way I want them to.  I revel in the happy endings provided by fairy tales.
2. I am a suburban housewife who tends to bury my head in the sand when it comes to current events and global news.  My life is already full of the drama that accompanies a husband, two children and a diabetic cat so I don’t usually go seeking news of the misfortune of others.

The Road of Lost Innocence is a true story told by the author, Somaly Mam.  She was orphaned at a young age, then given to a cruel taskmaster as an indentured servant and finally sold into sexual slavery in Cambodia as a young teenager. When I picked up this book, apprehensively I must admit, I was immediately captivated by her simple storytelling style.  While the housewife in me desperately wanted to go bury my head in the sand again, the avid reader in me was sucked into the story and I could not put the book down.  She used very simple language to lay bare the atrocities of the sex slave industry that is happening all over the world, particularly in Asia, and in the end calls on the reader to be a part of the solution.  Her ability to be forthright about the horrible circumstances surrounding her life amazed me, yet through it all there is a note of hope that there is a solution and she was going to be part of it.

This book is definitely not suitable for young readers, but it is definitely a topic that needs to be made more public.  I am grateful that she has had the courage to come forward with her story and fight so hard for the many girls who are trapped in this industry.  If you are a person without a cause this is a great one to crusade.

And in case you’re wondering, this book does not have a happy ending, but it does have a hopeful ending.

Once again I was asked to review a book.  This time around it was “Saturdays With Stella” by Allison Pittman.  It didn’t look like anything I would ever enjoy, but my wife expressed interest. Here’s her review:

I really enjoyed this book!  It was a quick, delightful read that at the same time was thought provoking and insightful.  I think I will leave this one in my “upstairs library” for a future second read rather than relegating it to the basement to sit a box for a couple of years. As a confirmed cat person, this book almost convinced me that I might like to own a dog one day.

In this book Allison Pittman wrote about her dog, Stella, and their experiences in their Saturday dog/master training school at the local pet store.  Each week they learned a new command that they had to master:  settle, sit, down, drop it, leave it, take it, let’s go, come, wait, watch me, and stay.  Her stories of the other dogs in the class, as well as her own beloved Stella, were quite comical.

From those lessons each week the author made a comparison to how those same commands coming from our God should command our obedience.  The scriptures she chose to go with each lesson were very well chosen and provided a solid foundation to the application she was making.  As a child of God, I often forget how lavishly my Heavenly Father wishes to treat me and how I often prevent Him from doing so.  Pittman did a wonderful job of reminding me through her scripture choices and her light, whimsical writing style.

(No, we’re not getting a dog.  Ever.  End of discussion.) 

When I was invited to review Mark Batterson’s new book “Wild Goose Chase,” I was pretty excited.  Based on the cover picture, it looked like it would be a story of adventure.  Like maybe a hunter is hunting the big wild goose or something.  It seemed intriguing, and I was pretty excited when it came in the mail.

I guess you really can’t judge a book by its cover (art), because when I looked closer, I saw that it was really about reclaiming the adventure of pursuing God.  Well, that’s not a hunting story, but there’s nothing wrong with reading a book about pursuing God.  So I sat down to read.

As I began reading this book, I was thoroughly confused about how pursuing God had anything to do with chasing wild geese.  Then I saw the introduction, which included this quote:

The Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit that has always intrigued me. They called Him An Geadh-Glas, or “the Wild Goose”. I love the imagery and implications. The name hints at the mysterious nature of the Holy Spirit. Much like a gild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger and an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious at first earshot, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to pursue the Spirit’s leading through life than Wild Goose chase.

Ahhh…I see it now.  Clever title.

I read the first chapter and was really looking forward to reading the rest of the book.  The book only has 7 chapters, and I figured it wouldn’t take me long to finish it.

That first chapter is mostly introduction.  Batterson speaks of reasons Christians don’t “chase the Wild Goose” in their lives (”cages”), and then each of the following six chapters deals with one of those “cages.”  They are:

• The Cage of Responsibility
• The Cage of Routine
• The Cage of Assumptions
• The Cage of Guilt
• The Cage of Failure
• The Cage of Fear

The first few chapters really made me think.  Specifically, when he talked about the cages of responsibility and routine, I was really challenged to stop and think about things.  I won’t dive deep into the personal stuff here, but I really enjoyed those first couple of chapters.

Unfortunately, the rest of the book didn’t impress me much.  Batterson must have used some variation of the phrase “chase the Wild Goose” a hundred times in those seven chapters, and it got to the point where it came across as trite, almost forced.  By the time I was nearing the end of the book, I almost cringed every time he used that phrase.

Though I enjoyed the first few chapters, it did seemed to me that throughout the book Batterson was throwing out some theory and then rummaging through Scripture to find something to back him up.  I expected more meaty content from a book by a pastor.

It’s certainly not the best book you’ll ever read, but if you’ve got the opportunity to check it out, you might find something in one of the chapters that really makes you think about your own life.

One more book review from the boy this week.  This one is “God Gave Us Heaven” by Lisa Bergren.

I’d recommend this one to folks with kids in the 4-5 age range.  It’s an easy way to start up some interesting, important conversation with a kid.  I read it with Brett.  Here’s a portion of our discussion.

Brett Davis: That book’s good.  I like that book.  Isn’t that one a good one?

Ron Davis: Yes, it was.

BD: And I really like it.

RD: What’s it about?

BD: Heaven.

RD: What about heaven?

BD: All about heaven.  I like the pages.  They have polar bears on them.

RD: What did the polar bears learn?

BD: About heaven.  There’ll be lots of stuff there for them to do.

RD: What will they do?

BD: Umm..walk around.  Worship Jesus.  And they’ll play too.

RD: How do they get to heaven?

BD: They go across the bridge.

RD: Who is the bridge?

BD: Jesus is.  See. (points to picture of the bridge)

Here’s my son Brett’s 2nd book review of the week.  This time it’s “When God Created My Toes” by Dandi Daley Mackall.  We read the book and then had the following conversation:

Ron Davis: So what did you think?

Brett Davis: I liked that.  It was a good book.

RD: Yeah?

BD: Yeah because the cat wasn’t happy.  That was the best part.

(There was a picture of a sad cat. I’m not sure why he liked the sad cat.)

RD: What is this book about?

BD: When God created you.

RD: What about when God created you?

BD: He made all of you.

RD: I see.  Did you like the pictures?

BD: I like the picture where the girl does the flip.  Maybe after you take a shower, we can do that.  Not now though.  Now you stink.

(I had just finished mountain biking, and I really did stink.)

RD: Not tonight.  It’s time for you to go to bed.

BD: Ok.  Bring my blanket.  But don’t make it stink.

Tune in tomorrow night for Brett’s final book review of the week.

I am really excited about this.  I got 3 books in the mail that are for kids.  And since my 4 year old son Brett loves a good bedtime story, I decided to let him offer a review for them.

This, the first of 3 reviews he’ll have for you this week, is a review of “God Loves Me More Than That” by Dandi Daley Mackal, illustrated by David Hohn.

Ron Davis: Did you like this book?

Brett Davis: Yes. I want to read it again tomorrow night.

RD: Did you like the pictures?

BD: Yeah, they were cool.

RD: Which picture did you like the best?

BD: (long pause) I like the one in the space suit and the one of the boy riding on the bee.

RD: (finds picture of the boy on the bumblebee) This one?

BD: Yes. I love that part when the boy rides on the bee.  I like bees, but not when they sting.  Bees are not cool when they sting.

RD: So what is this book about?

BD: God loves us a lot.

RD: How high is God’s love?

BD: Really high.

RD: How deep is God’s love?

BD: Really, really deep.

RD: How heavy is God’s love?

BD: Really, really heavy.

RD: Like how heavy?

BD: Like 100 pounds!

So there you have it, folks.  It’s got a good story, the kid liked it, and the pictures are great.

When I started this blog, the last thing that I thought I’d be posting (except for porn) would be book reviews.  Those of you who know me well are probably more baffled than I am about the appearance of book reviews on moreron.com.  I got invited to be a part of blog tours for some book releases, and I figured I’d go for it.  Either I’d expand my horizons a little and start reading something other than technical documentation, or my wife would get a new free book to read.

So today I’m posting a review of a book called “The Healing Choice” by Brenda Stoeker and Susan Allen.  This is a book that’s written for women, but I read it myself because it has to do with moving meyond betrayal when a husband has a sexual addiction.  Since I spend my days protecting children and families online, the subject matter here got my interest.

The book has two parts (aptly labeled “Part 1″ and “Part 2″).  The first part is about a woman restoring her relationship with God after her mom dies.  The second part is about restoring a relationship with an unfaithful husband.  There are some interesting comparisons drawn between the two stories that I thought were very different turned out to be very similar when viewed from the eyes of the women in the stories.

Overall, I’d say this is a pretty good book.  It’s definitely more for women, so guys probably shouldn’t jump to go read this one.  And, ladies, I’d caution against reading it unless you’re in the midst of a struggle with God or unless you’ve got an unfaithful spouse.  I could see how parts of Part 2 would make some women question every move their husbands make.  That probably wasn’t the intent, but you might want to keep that in the back of your mind when reading this one.  You can pick it up at Amazon.com here.

The publishers sent me 2 extra copies of the book to give away to my blog readers.  If you’d like one, send me an email (ron-at-moreron-dot-com) and I’ll hook you up.

I got another book to review for the blog.  This time it’s Gary Chapman’s new one called “Love As a Way of Life.”

Gary Chapman is the guy who wrote the books on the five love languages.  My wife got all caught up in that for a while.  Honestly, I’m not sold on the love languages, and since this new book sort of builds on the love language books, I’m not so crazy about it.  It might be good for you to read; he’s certainly got some good points, but this just isn’t my thing.

Chapman goes through the seven secrets to love:

• Kindness
• Patience
• Forgiveness
• Courtesy
• Humility
• Generosity
• Honesty

Then he gives some practical application for using those secrets in marriage, parenting, and at work.  He had some good points, and some of it made me stop and think about things.  It’d actually make a pretty decent sermon series.

Overall, I guess it was an ok book.  It wasn’t theologically wrong or anything like that, but it didn’t do a whole lot for me.  I’ll pass it on to my wife and see what she thinks about it.

Once again, I was asked if I wanted to be a part of a book review blog tour. This book that didn’t interest me, but my wife wanted to read it. Here’s her review:

“With Endless Sight” is the third installment in a trilogy called Crossroads of Grace which, rather than being the story of one person or family carried through several books, are based on the common theme of the dangers that fell on single women out in the Wild West. This book in particular dwells on themes of forgiveness and compassion.

Fifteen year old Belinda and her family are leaving their plush business and home in the east and setting off on a journey to Wyoming because their father is secretly trying to save their family from the shame of a ruined reputation due to bankruptcy. The father tries to make the journey as painless as possible by booking them on a stagecoach rather than going in a wagon train. Though the journey starts well many circumstances arise in Belinda’s life that could have left her bitter toward God and all men in general. Her strong faith carries her though some very dark times and she allows God to work through her to bring healing and spiritual life to those around her. There are many who wronged this innocent teenage girl, but she chose to forgive each and every one and leaned on God to carry her through many tragic situations.

When she finally escapes her captors she lands in a brothel where she was protected because of her age and youthful appearance. The three ladies there shower her with affection, but it becomes clear to her that if she stays her beliefs will be compromised to a life of prostitution. Once again she allows God to lead her out of her present circumstances and into much more uncertain ones and once again she is called on to show forgiveness and compassion to those she could have blamed for every unfortunate event she had suffered through.

If you are looking for an answer to why bad things happen to good people, you probably will not find it in this book. However, if you want to know how to respond when bad things happen to good people then this book is a great place to start.

Related Links:
“With Endless Sight” on Amazon.com
Allison Pittman’s web site