Rusty Whitener

Okay, so let me just say this. I am NOT a big baseball fan. But, that being said, I just HAD to give this book a try? Why? Because Rusty Whitener is a debut author and I LOVE reading debut novels just to see what they are like and,if they are good enough, sing their praises and recommend the books to everyone. So, what did I think of A Season of Miracles? Just one word. INCREDIBLE. Yep, that's right. INCREDIBLE. I overlooked the fact that I don't like baseball, opened up this novel, and read show more it one night. I was THAT hooked on this absolutely amazing novel.

Rusty Whitener tells the story of a Little League baseball play who thinks the world revolves around baseball and nothing else. Until he meets one incredible kid who helps him realize that there is more to this world and life than hitting and throwing a little white ball around. Through Zack and Rafer comes the story of an amazing bond of friendship and a love from God like no other love around. WOW!

This book is so worthy of more than 5 stars. I'm going to sing it's praises for a long time to come and recommend this book to all my friends and family. I fell in love with this story instantly and can't get over the feeling I have now. It really makes me realize that God's love, family and friendship are the most important things in life....not some material thing or some athletic ability. It's all about His Will. Thank you, Rusty Whitener for an INCREDIBLE story! show less

Middle aged Zack Ross looks back on his time as a 12 year old little leaguer, and the pivotal year that changed his life. Warming up in an ancient baseball field with a few of his friends, Zack notices an awkward kid quietly watching them from the edge of the woods. The boy, they learn, is Rafer Forrester: a child with some problems and a love of baseball. Rafer, maybe slow in some areas of his life, but not when it comes to hitting the ball, in that arena he’s a natural. When Zack invites show more him to try out for his team it brings about changes that no one would see coming.

Rusty Whitener’s sweet story about baseball, compassion, and lessons in faith, is full of memorable characters. It is a sometimes funny, a sometimes poignant journey through an earlier time in small town Alabama. I recommend this for all your little league coaches, umpires and baseball lovers in general. show less

Because I'm not a big baseball fan I wasn't sure I'd like this book, but I loved it! This book is alltogether a real gem. It will have you laughing and crying and relating to the characters. It is a story of friendship and grace, forgiveness and second chances. YOU will want to read this a second time I think just because you really don't want the story to end.... very good debut novel.

Imagine what it would be like to have the gift of recall… to be able to remember conversations verbatim… to have a memory that recalls conversations for days after they happen. Would you consider this ability a gift – or a curse?

Dr. Richard Powell – a 52-year old literature professor – possesses this unique ability, and he doesn’t consider it a gift at all. He feels he is “haunted by words”. In particular, he says he is haunted by dialogues that date back to 1976 – the show more summer he was 15.

Worried that he might be going insane, he shares his story about his unusual talent with two colleagues – Dr. David Woodruff and Dr. Jake Throneberry, a professor of clinical psychology.

If I could only undiscover the scary things that I saw and learned then. If I could undiscover the words that uncovered an evil…reality. Otherwise I feel as if I’m in … a kind of permanent haunting.

His colleagues are skeptical about his claims, but their skepticism quickly turns to fascination as Richard recounts their dialogue from the moment of their arrival, word from word. They assure him he is sane and encourage him to write everything down.

Think of it as a literary catharsis…

Listen to yourself remember. Few people do that, Richard. And memories surprise us so much, our first instinct is often to dismiss them.

Richard follows his colleagues’ advice, and his written memories lead us into the heart of A Season Of Mysteries – A Novel by Rusty Whitener.

A Season Of Mysteries is the engaging, coming-of-age story of a group of boys who first bonded five years earlier during Little League. These friends now attend church and Boy Scouts together. In this story, their faith is challenged as they encounter things outside their understanding, and find themselves drawn into an epic battle between good and evil.

Rusty has written an intelligent novel full of quotable passages and memorable conversations. A Season Of Mysteries is an enjoyable story – and a worthy follow-up to his first novel, A Season of Miracles.

This review was originally published at Create With Joy.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes. I was not compensated or required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. show less