Recap Book Chat

Listen to a recap of this fantastic novel and soon to be movie. Don’t worry, we were careful not to include any spoilers. Journey with us as we discuss this intriguing story of a young abandon girl who grows up in the marsh land of North Carolina.

Special episode of reminiscing with my younger brother Cam over our top childhood read aloud picks. Come along on our journey down memory lane and pick up a few new titles along the way.

Today we finish up this epic classic that frankly does not get the praise it deserves. East of Eden is a novel that leaves you ready to face life wether things look rosy or not. We deep dive into many characters and themes and include a couple of spoilers. If you haven’t read this book and are looking for more of an overview I suggest checking out the previous podcast where we cover parts one and...

The 1952 classic by the infamous John Steinbeck has been keeping us on our toes and coming back for more. This biblical allegory of the Cain and Abel story is full of all the difficult human emotions and relationships and beautiful insight. We are halfway through the book and couldn’t wait to share what we have learned so far!

A Mount Everest of classics yet most humbly written. Tolstoy said that the best Russian literature does not conform to standards, and War and Peace is definitely in a class of its own. It was first published serially, then published fully in 1869. Our favorite Russian writer, Leo Tolstoy explores complex ideas and brings new light to old ideas. War and Peace has long been hailed a literary masterp...

“Enthusiasm is common. Endurance is rare.” Angela Duckworth’s book Grit is full of golden nuggets of wisdom! Today we dig out some of our favorite gems and make some practical connections. We have enjoyed this book so much and the how it has shaped our mindsets around parenting and teaching. https://angeladuckworth.com/grit-book/ Check out this link if you want to see how gritty you are using Ange...

Today we take a look in our Kid Lit Locker with some special kid guest who help us recap the second book in the Whole Nother Story series. We didn't realize it at the time when we were recording, but there is a third and last book of the series called No Other Story. This was an enjoyable, quirky, and entertaining read but again leaves you hanging at the end.  Gerry Swallow, a stand up comic and s...

Today we recap a must read, The Last Green Valley. Mark Sullivan hits a home run again in this compelling story of grit and faith and hope in the mist of overwhelming obstacles. This book follows the real life story of the Martel family in the middle of WWII caught between two dictators on there incredibly journey in search for freedom. We are so grateful to Mark Sullivan for capturing and recordi...

Today we wrap up our recap of Dr. Leaf’s book Think, Learn, Succeed. We review her mindsets and also discuss neurographic art and its benefits. https://neurographic.art/ We also touch on Dr. Amen’s book and ANTs (Automatic, Negative, Thoughts) and a great technique to escape the hold of negatives thoughts. https://brainmd.com/captain-snout-and-the-super-power-questions https://drleaf.com/products/...

“Recognize and Resist the Three Enemies That Sabotage Your Peace” and this book certainly does deliverer on its subtitle. Today we jump into part one of Live No Lies and find out what one of those peace sabotaging enemies is. John Mark Comer did an excellent job of researching and tying together the ancient and modern. John Mark is an excellent communicator and is able to unpack some difficult sub...

The Shepherd of the Hills was written in 1907 by author Harold Bell Wright. It is a semi-fictional story of a man's journey through mountain folklore and forgiveness and the people he impacts along the way. The book became extremely popular at the time and was turned into a play on the actual location of the book's setting and brought in a lot of tourism. This is the book that created the town of...

A fantastic historical fiction novel that follows the life of a blue skinned woman in Kentucky during the 1930’s. This book brings to light many unheard-of historical facts, deep seeded racism, extreme poverty and overcoming insurmountable obstacles. We are joined today by Lisa Lock, a wonderful watercolorist and avid reader to recap this eye-opening read. We love her designs for bookmarks and not...

Unbelievable true story of war hero Pomo Lella. Mark Sullivan describes his efforts on the Underground Railroad helping Jews escape during World War II and his spy activities while driving one of Germany’s top ranking Nazi officers. We are joined today by Ashlea Skipper, director of PCA and avid reader, who shares her insights on this fabulous read. If you are wanting a coffee to go with your book...

Today we recap the second half of the controversial classic Doctor Zhivago. This 1957 Russian novel was a dense, impactful, eye opening and difficult read. We deep dive into some of the symbolism around Christianity and the Russian political climate at the time.  

Drop those highlighters! Dr. Leaf enlightens us on better ways to retain information. We begin this episode with a look at our feedback stack! We are so grateful for everyone who has sent in feedback and will once a month share something we have received. We would love to hear from you too so be sure to follow us on Facebook and leave a comment there or leave a voice message by clicking the link a...

Doctor Zhivago is a classic Russian novel first published in 1957 in Italy. The novel was banned in Russia and was not allowed to be published until three decades later due to his "dangerous" content and anti-communist feel. Boris Pasternak won the Nobel Prize in literature because of the book but was not allowed to accept the award. The novel follows the life of a doctor and poet, Yuri Zhivago as...

A Whole Nother Story is a fun, witty, children's book of spy fiction with plenty of great lessons and slapstick comedy to keep young readers engaged. I read this to my 7 and 6 year old boys who loved it and joined us on the podcast to share their two cents. This is the first book in the series so expect to be left hanging, but not to worry, the second installment is already available. Happy readin...

A must read for everyone! Add this one to add your book stack. Joyous Leadership is an authentic, memorable, life changing read. It is chalked full of nuggets, insight and wisdom that will help you live your best life. This is our first episode where we have been able to interview an author. John Mark Watson was as delightful and engaging to talk to as his book was to read.  Check out the links be...

If you have ever wondered what a totalitarian government would feel like, take a look at the book Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This is a quick read and a great recommendation for reluctant readers or anyone looking for a series to read.

Russian literature at its finest, hold onto something as we deep dive into the 1878 novel Anna Karenina. Listed in the top 10 greatest books of all time this was our first taste of Tolstoy and he hooked us on the first line. Thanks Mike for inspiring us to read it with your awesome storyteller skills. Here is the episode where we first heard of Anna Karenina https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Today we dove into a children’s classic from 1937, The Hobbit. J.R.R. Tolkien created the perfect adventure story full of scary, witty, beautiful and profound lessons. We were captured by Tolkien’s ability to make fantasy feel like reality.

All the Light We Cannot See is two stories in one, this marvel sharpens our senses one by one. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2015 this World War II historical fiction read shows two different perspectives from the same tumultuous time. *Here is the link to the Bible study we are doing this year https://www.thebiblerecap.com/

Last Episode of Season 1 where we share our favorite and least favorite reads of the year and recap our book stack.

Our book stack took us on a journey West with The Call of the Canyon. A lesser known novel from the famous Zane Grey was a quick, descriptive and eye opening read from the post World War One era. Will the city girl socialite Carley be able to handle the wildness of Arizona to be with Glen her fiancé. A solider trying to rebuild his life after the war. A look into the healing and sacrifice of a sol...

This book is set during the Dust Bowl/Great Depressions also called the "dirty thirty's". Sandra Dallas, fueled by her parents stories of growing up during this time has created a gritty, uplifting, poignant and fun read the celebrates the meaning of home and teaches us about a forgotten era. Sheila and I make connections, pull out facts and reflect on gems Dallas leaves for us to find. Please lea...