Recap Book Chat

When gentle Hero meets the shy Claudio in this comedy by William Shakespeare, there is alas quite a bit of spice in the gumbo with Beatrice, aka Lady Tongue, and the blunt Benedick as they banter to beat the bands. Don Pedro and company arrive at Messina and go to the home of the governor, Hero’s father and Beatrice’s uncle, Leonata. The unsavory half-brother of Don Pedro, Don John, is, as Kate sa...

 Maisie Dobbs accepts a case from an old friend concerning his potential land purchase. She goes to a small rural community to investigate mysterious fires that erupt regularly, in addition to a series of petty crimes. Her assistant, Billy, and his family are there to pick hops. (Every August or September, thousands of Londoners left the crowded city to live in huts for weeks to pick hops. Not lon...

 A young brave truth-teller’s earthly life ended this past week, however his light has not dimmed. Let us remember Charlie Kirk as a life long learner and advocate for truth and living life God’s way. Read a challenging book he recommended like Mere Christianity,1984, A Brave New World… Even with his busy schedule he read 100 books a year! Reading does something nothing else can do, it stretches a...

It’s 1963, four housewives living in the same suburb start a book club. Margaret dreams of becoming a writer, Charlotte an artist, Bitsy a vet, and Viv would like to return to nursing. They all have kids except the youngest member, Betsy, who desperately wants to be a mother.  Charlotte says she will join the book club only if they read The Feminine Mystique . This sent up a red flag for me becaus...

Where the Lost Wander is a gem of a book by Amy Harmon! Join the Mays and John Lowry as they forge westward on the Overland Trail in 1853! Sparks fly when mule man John Lowry meets the young widow, Naomi May. Romance shows us the trail is not the only thing that is bumpy. Grittiness and resilience abound! Memorable Quotes are aplenty in this timely treasure: “The hardest thing about life is knowin...

Greetings Readers! Kate and Sheila recap the impactful middle grade novel, Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech.. We meet 13 year old Sal who is traveling with her grandparents to Idaho to see her mother who left the family months ago. During the trip, Sal tells them the story of her friend Phoebe Winterbottom who thinks her mom was kidnapped. The Winterbottom family has been receiving inspirational qu...

It’s Back to School time…Here’s 10 Reading Excuses that Don’t Fly or Read On Sistah : ) Saying you don’t have time - Empty distractions time will rob ( set a goal to read a little every day. Even if it is just a few sentences) It doesn’t matter what I read - Set the bar high - be a reading snob ( we become what we consume. So many great options. Follow book review youtubers you trust or The Recap...

Greetings! Today, Kate and Sheila dive in recapping the book of Joshua!  This scripture is just as powerful today as it was in Joshua’s, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord you God is with you wherever you go.” 1:9. Followed by …”choose this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Spoke...

This novel is set in an interesting way, devoting chapters to Penelope and individual members of her family, but also to more secondary characters such as Antonia and Dannus (the bright spots). Each snapshot gives characters their own unique voice. The Shell Seekers by Rosamonde Pilcher has a dual timeline, WWII and present day which was 1987. Penelope's three children were a bit hard to take. Oli...

Welcome friends! Today Kate, Sheila, and the boys dive into a classic from 1943,   The Little Prince by   Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. As a child the narrator drew two pictures that received heavy criticism from adults. So he became a pilot instead of an artist.  When his plane crashed as he was flying over the Sierra Desert the pilot meets the little prince. As Titus pointed out, the telling of this...

Today we dive into episode 193, Five on the Side, where Kate and Sheila discuss impactful books they’ve read on their own. The list was varied and insightful: S=’The Scarlet Thread” by Francine Rivers-           K= “God’s Chosen Fast” by Arthur Wallace S=”The Gift of Fear” by Gavin De Becker-”T K=”Clear Your Clutter with feng shui”  by Karen Kingston      S=”A Spring of Daisies” by Cindy Escobar ...

“Are you brave enough to wade into the great river of life?” Join us as we dive into a book about family, friends, and love served with a hearty dose of laughter on the side. Kate DiCamillo outdid herself with her 2024 book, Ferris!   It has something for everyone from an outlaw sister to a gifted pianist to Ferris’ plan to reunite her separated aunt and uncle. Emma Phineas Wilkey was born under t...

Greetings dear listeners! Today Kate and Sheila recap the fifth book of the Bible, Deuteronomy.  “…for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.”(7:21) God called Moses from a burning bush and Moses obeyed and led God’s people. They are often referred to as ‘stiff-necked’ people which means Moses’ job was far from easy. Moses’ main goal was to get God’s people to love Him with a...

Join us with our special guests as we discuss the delightful classic by Roald Dahl, The BFG. “Meanings is not important,” said the BFG. “I cannot be right all the time. Quite often I is left instead of right.” Sophie is the youngest but she is also the linchpin in solving the giant problem. Sometimes kids think bravely when adults don’t try to see a possible solution. This is the growth mindset vs...

Join Kate and company as the boys discuss "Way of the Warrior Kid" by Jocko Willink, a decorated retired Navy SEAL, whose motto is, "You can do anything if you do the work.” Readers meet Marc, a 5th grader who can’t swim, can’t do pull-ups, and doesn’t even know his multiplication facts. He has a false identity of being a wimp along with thinking he is dumb. His fixed mindset is holding Marc back...

‘The Brick’ is finally finished! Kate and Sheila discuss Les Miserables in its entirety… (spoiler alerts galore-avoid if  surprises you adore) …it has taken us a bit, but so totally worth it! Victor Hugo shows readers that, “Heroes come in all shapes” from the unbelievable bravery of young Gavroche to the mysterious motives of the misunderstood Jean Valjean.  Hugo can bloviate like no other author...

In this conversation, we delve into Brant Hansen's book 'Unoffendable', exploring themes of anger, forgiveness, humility, and the importance of love in personal growth and relationships. Mom and I share personal reflections and key takeaways from the book, emphasizing the need to practice an unoffendable mindset in everyday life. The discussion also touches on cultural Christianity and the call to...

Andy Crouch gives readers a plethora of ways to put technology in its proper place in his book, The Tech-Wise Family. "To be a child, teenager, or young adult these days is to navigate a minefield of potentially life-altering choices." His daughter wrote in the forward explaining "...the best part of tech-wise parenting is focusing on something older and better than the newest thing. The key word...

Greetings dear reader! Please join us as we recap Leviticus and Numbers a.k.a. In the Wilderness (in Hebrew). The focus is God’s holiness and His desire for His people to be holy. It’s a bumpy road but we see the steadfast love of God through it all. Leviticus is mostly God talking to Moses. Lev. 11:44 -  “Be holy, for I am holy.” Sin is costly. We have many lessons and blessings in these books. A...

Join Kate and Sheila as they dive into the book of Exodus! God rescues His people from Egyptian bondage through 10 plagues defacing things the people of Egypt worshipped. Things get worse before they get better, as Pharaoh keeps saying no to letting God's people go.  In this riveting book we meet Moses and follow him from the palace for 40 years, to desert for 40 years, where he encounters God who...

What an amazing journey from dysfunction to dynamic! Join Kate and Sheila as the recap  Here Be Dragons (Treading the Deep Waters of Motherhood, Mean Girls, and Generational Trauma) by Melanie Shankle! There are SO many quotes! Here’s a sampling: “Sometimes the best teacher is the consequence of bad decisions.” “You can’t lead someone to a place that’s beyond where you’ve been able to go yourself....

Greetings Readers! Join Kate and Sheila as they share time-tested, foolproof reading practices! Marcel Proust penned, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Lets endeavor to have “new eyes” as we discover how we can up our reading game. True reading is active, we are conversing with the author, asking questions, and making meaning. This acros...

Today, April 15, takes us back to 1912, when the ‘unsinkable’ Titanic met its match and sank with only 705 souls surviving. Join Kate and Sheila as they recap Jennifer A. Nielsen’s gripping tale, Iceberg, told from the viewpoint of 12 year old Hazel who is forced to become a stowaway because she doesn’t have enough money to buy a ticket. One word describing Hazel would be curious. A wise passenger...

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” This verse is not only on a  necklace but its meaning is woven throughout Charles Martin’s heartwarming novel, When Crickets Cry . God crosses two paths, Reese, the former heart surgeon, who is hiding from his painful past and seven year old Annie who is selling lemonade and giving away sunshine and smiles. She has a failing hea...

Please join Kate and Sheila as they discuss parts 2 & 3 of Victor Hugo’s unforgettable tale of woe, Les Misérables. Today we meet the young girl, Cosette, who was left with the cruel innkeepers. The Thenardiers have taken money from Cosette’s young mother under false pretenses. They make Cosette work tirelessly, and use money sent from her mother for themselves.  Jean Valjean is at last free t...