Hey God? Yes Charles: Conversations On Life, Loss and Love by Rebecca H. Cooper

Book Information

Genre: Christian, memoir, nonfiction

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Turner (November 10, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1630268860
• ISBN-13: 978-1630268862

Synopsis: Sunday, November 11, 2007, Becky Cooper watched her husband drive out of sight, heading from their Nashville condo to his office and apartment in Atlanta. She never saw him conscious again.

Monday, November 12, was his 58th birthday. Since he would be out of town, their granddaughters and Becky had made him a cake and celebrated before he left on that Sunday.

Wednesday, November 14, Charles caught Becky at her desk, calling just to let her know that he’d had some pain radiating down his back. He was sure it was nothing, but the company nurse, who just happened to be in the office that day, heard what happened and insisted on calling 911 as a precaution. They swapped love yous. She didn’t even get out of her chair.

Twelve days later, despite hundreds, maybe thousands, of prayers, Charles died. Emergency open heart surgery was followed by complications, including acute respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, and various lung infections. He and Becky had been married almost 39 years.

In the following year, Becky learned that the connection with someone you love doesn’t cease with death. Charles was always bigger than life, and his presence, his love, his humor, and these conversations were just as real after his death.

For better, for worse, Becky started scribbling down what she was overhearing in heaven.

She was done talking to God. Charles, as it turned out, was not.

Review:  This is one of the few books of this size that I read in one sitting this year. When I got started, I simply could NOT put it down. There were so many emotions in the pages of this book--I laughed and I cried, and laughed until I cried. 

The short, simple conversations between Charles and God are a very different way of exploring the grieving process of a surviving spouse. We get the viewpoint of the deceased spouse as he watches her try to make it through each day, and we get words of wisdom from God.  Be prepared for God's sense of humor in this book--I think that was one of my favorite aspects of it.  We already know He is caring and compassionate toward us, but apparently He loves a good joke as well.   :)

Although I have not experienced the loss of a spouse yet in my life, I have been close to people who have, and I feel this book captures so many of the emotions perfectly. I'm keeping it on my shelf, and I hope to be able to pass it on to friends/relatives who may be hurting, and to use it someday to remind myself that grief is an emotion from which you CAN recover.

HIGHLY recommend this to absolutely everyone!!

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

Rating: Five stars

About the author

Rebecca Cooper is a Belmont University graduate and former teacher, business owner and career professional. Her love of writing dates back to elementary school, and she has produced stories, poetry, and various articles over the years. In her first published work, scribbles on scraps of paper capture conversations she began to overhear after the sudden death of her husband. While prioritizing her grandchildren and a love for travel and books, she divides the rest of her time among church and other family and friends – all of whom took turns carrying her along a journey of love, loss and recovery. Rebecca currently resides in Franklin, Tennessee. Visitwww.HeyGodYesCharles.com for more information. 

Heaven Enough by Ken La Salle

Book Information

• Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: Limitless Publishing, LLC (February 9, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1680580523
• ISBN-13: 978-1680580525

Synopsis:  Heaven Enough 

Is a poem about longing, about wishing for something more. "What would it be like if I had heaven enough?" it reads. 

Matt Murphy reads these words for the first time at his wife's funeral. After a death shrouded with mystery, it is the first time he learns that she wrote poetry. He and Diva were married for nearly twenty years, yet he did not "know" her. A poet and lover of culinary delights, she is struck by a car and killed instantly—randomly—on the wrong side of town. 

When her brother, the "monk," appears for the funeral, Matt is set on an unprecedented course. The two find Diva's computer filled with preparations to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. Over 2600 miles from Mexico to Canada...and she was leaving without her husband. 

Matt takes it upon himself to hike the trail and sprinkle her ashes along the way. What happens in the first two hours is dumbfounding. 

What happens next changes his life forever.

Review: I had never heard of this author or book before I was offered the opportunity to read and review it. The "hook" for me was that the wife was a poet, which I have been since the age of ten. On that connection alone, I chose to give this novel a chance, and I am very glad I did.

This book is powerfully written and is very inspirational. It's a beautiful, clever story. Most of the story takes place on the Pacific Coast Trail, where we begin to see a transformation in Matt. There are surprises for the reader, and for Matt along the way. This is a tale of love, romance, sorrow, grief, regret, humor and more.

The ending was very surprising, but one that made a great deal of sense upon reflection.

Rating:  Four stars

About the author

Novelist and Playwright, Ken La Salle grew up in Santa Ana, California and has remained in the surrounding area his entire life. He was raised with strong, blue-collar roots, which have given him a progressive and environmentalist view. As a result, you'll find many of his stories touching those areas both geographically and philosophically. He's also very funny.

Desired: The Untold Story of Samson and Delilah (Lost Loves Of The Bible #2), Ginger Garrett

Synopsis: Three women loved him. Two betrayed him. One fulfilled his destiny.Desired tells the story of the legendary strongman through the eyes of the three most important women in his life. The fiercely loving Jewish mother who nags him toward greatness … and rebellion. The impoverished Philistine girl, Amara, who becomes Samson’s bride. And the emotionally damaged seductress—the legendary Delilah—who becomes the instrument of his destruction and the key to his tragic triumph. Poetic, meticulously researched, and jaw-droppingly honest, Desired ultimately celebrates the God of Israel’s ability to work mightily despite our human weakness.

Thoughts: One of the best tellings of the story of Samson I have ever read. Rather than telling it from the POV of Samson, this book gives us the story through the eyes of his mother, his wife, and Delilah. I have always felt a great deal of sympathy for his wife (called Amara in this story), and hearing her tell the story of their wedding feast, the riddle,and how her family was impacted in the aftermath was heartbreaking. I've never had a lot of sympathy for his mother or Delilah from reading the Biblical account, but the way they are presented here makes them slightly more likable.

Indiscretion by Charles Dubow

Synopsis: "Every story has a narrator. Someone who writes it down after it's all over. Why am I the narrator of this story? I am because it is the story of my life—and of the people I love most. . . ."

Harry and Madeleine Winslow have been blessed with talent, money, and charm. Harry is a National Book Award–winning author on the cusp of greatness. Madeleine is a woman of sublime beauty and grace whose elemental goodness and serenity belie a privileged upbringing. Bonded by deep devotion, they share a love that is both envied and admired. The Winslows play host to a coterie of close friends and acolytes eager to bask in their golden radiance, whether they are in their bucolic East Hampton cottage, abroad in Rome thanks to Harry's writing grant, or in their comfortable Manhattan brownstone.

One weekend at the start of the summer season, Harry and Maddy, who are in their early forties, meet Claire and cannot help but be enchanted by her winsome youth, quiet intelligence, and disarming naivete. Drawn by the Winslows' inscrutable magnetism, Claire eagerly falls into their welcoming orbit. But over the course of the summer, her reverence transforms into a dangerous desire. By Labor Day, it is no longer enough to remain one of their hangers-on.

A story of love, lust, deception, and betrayal as seen through the omniscient eyes of Maddy's childhood friend Walter, a narrator akin to Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby, Indiscretion is a juicy, richly textured novel filled with fascinating, true-to-life characters—an irresistibly sensual page-turner that explores having it all and the consequences of wanting more.

Indiscretion also marks the debut of a remarkably gifted writer and storyteller whose unique voice bears all the hallmarks of an exciting new literary talent.

Thoughts:  An amazing first novel! There were at least three spots where a plot twist caught me totally off guard. I'm definitely going to be looking for more from this author. All the characters were very well written, and their stories tied together almost seamlessly.