Recap Book Chat

Glittering Vice # 4 — Avarice What do Ebenezer Scrooge, King Ahab, Lot, and King Midas all have in common? They all give us a clear picture of the vice of avarice. They put themselves first. Did Scrooge even see Tiny Tim? Did Ahab understand why Naboth said ‘no deal’? Why didn’t Lot insist that Abram have first choice on the land? Why didn’t Midas appreciate what he had? What causes this unquencha...

Letters From Rifka by Karen Hesse is told entirely in letter format, so here we go: Dear Reader, The year is 1919 in the month of September when Rifka (age 12) and her family make their escape from Russia. Sadly, the trip to America was eventful. In Poland, Rifka and her family got typhus except for her ornery brother Saul. After the family recovered their journey continued. Rifka befriends a Russ...

Glittering Vice #3 Acedia (uh·see·dee·uh) What is acedia? Maybe we should first say what it is not. Acedia is often called sloth. The problem with this term is it helps to camouflage the real vice. Sloth paints a picture of one who has an aversion to work, like Tom Sawyer taking it easy while his friends whitewash the fence. Actually, the lazy person and the busy person can both suffer from hearts...

Join Titus, Kate, & Sheila as they discuss The Wingfeather Saga, book 1, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. They meet Janner, a 12 year old questioner, Tink, a brave 11 year old with a fear of heights, and Leeli, their younger sister who has a twisted leg and a dog named Nugget. The kids live with their mom, Nia, and their grandfather, Podo, an ex-pirate with a pegleg. The Igiby family l...

Glittering Vice #2 Envy What is envy? Rebecca DeYoung explains this vice so well. “Jealousy is envy’s close cousin. Both are personal and related to love. The jealous “have” something or someone they love but might lose. The envious, by contrast, are the “have-nots”--they do not have the good their rival does, and they do not have self-love either.” Let’s look at two athletes and contrast the diff...

In Saving My Assassin readers meet Virginia Prodan in Communist Romania in 1961. This powerful memoir begins with this quote, “I should be dead. Buried in an unmarked grave in Romania. Obviously, I am not. God had other plans.” Virginia was a real-life Cinderella, she was forced to do all the work while her siblings played. Her mother threatened to put her up for adoption, dyed her red hair black...

Are you looking for a novella to introduce your children to WWII? Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop fits the bill. Twenty French kids are living at a Catholic school during the German occupation of France. They agree to hide 10 Jewish orphans. This book was inspired by a true story. The kids are told by Sister Gabrielle that if they say yes they cannot tell about the Jewish children no matter...

Bonus Book Bite - Greetings! As Kate and I are reading through Rebecca DeYoung’s Glittering Vices, we pondered doing short podcasts on each of the seven deadly sins and their positive counterparts. Please join us as we break this valuable information into bite size pieces. What is a vice? Vices are corruptive and destructive habits while virtues help us to live and act well, to be solutions instea...

Can readers follow families in 1939, 1994, and 2015 as each one seeks to survive unbelievable circumstances in uncertain times? Alan Gratz gives us the chance in Refugee. We meet Josef and his family as they escape their homeland, Germany, and board the MS St. Louis heading for Cuba. Next, Isabel and her family board a small homemade boat built by their neighbors to travel to America. Their passag...

The Tattooist of Auschwitz, the debut novel for the gifted author, Heather Morris, was written while building a three year relationship with Lale Sokolov. Readers are taken back to April of 1942. Lale took his married brother’s place to protect his family. The harrowing journey taken by this kind, caring and compassionate man is one of tragedy, hope, and perseverance. Lale and the others were herd...

Yona’s mentor, Jerusza, left her with many skills to survive and even thrive in the unforgiving forest of eastern Europe, but she also left her with many unanswered questions. Why did she kidnap Yona from her German family? Why did she tell her their names just before she died? Why did she teach Yona how to kill a man? Jerusaza said the universe was about balance, for each method of death, she tau...

Let’s meet Kizzy Ann Stamps and her dog, Shag. Kizzy Ann is called Moon Child by her mama because when she was younger the neighbor boy accidentally let his scythe drop and her face was cut from just under her eye to her mouth in a crescent moon shape. She has never forgiven Frank Charles for her injury. Mrs. Warren, Kizzy’s old teacher, encouraged all her students to write to their new teacher at...

Memorizing Scripture (The Basics, Blessings, and Benefits of Meditating on God’s Word) by Glenna Marshall enriched both Kate and Sheila views on the memorization of God’s word. Please join our recap on this inspiring book about, “...letting the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Col. 3:16 Sheila discovered this book from Kirk Cameron’s interview with the author on his podcast/youtube. If all wor...

Greetings Recap Bookchatters! It’s that time of the year when we reflect on the books we’ve read for the year and compare notes : ) Please join Kate and Sheila for this year’s Book Awards (drum roll please) Are you curious to see if we agree? Have a listen to discover which book gets: Most Whimsical Grittiest Most Unique Format Best Opening Line Most Unpredictable Most Intense Most Impactful in So...

Two From Galilee was our last book of 2023, which is ironic because it is a book of beginnings. Please join Kate and Sheila as they discuss the beauty of this behind the scene love story of Joseph and Mary. Marjorie Holmes slows the well-known epic event down so readers can get a glimpse of their customs that are so vastly different from those of today. Readers get to experience the emotions and s...

The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate Dicamlo was an amazing read-aloud! Please join Kate, Sheila and their special guest, Titus, as they discuss this unusual story. An old seaman noticed a girl puppet in a toy store window. He tried to buy her, but the seller said the five puppets must be sold as a group because they have a story to tell. Reluctantly, the seaman bought all the puppets, but he shoved t...

Do you know Shakespeare’s longest play? Here’s a clue, “To be or not to be, that is the question.” Hamlet is the answer. This play has been translated into 75 languages, even Klingon! We discovered a plethora of quotes: “Brevity is the soul of wit.” “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” “The lady protests too much, methinks.” “…dog will have his day” “…sweets to the sweet” “…to thine own...

Please join Kate and Sheila as they meet a classic character, Hercule Poirot, in his first appearance as the Belgian detective in Agatha Christie’s, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. The story is told from the viewpoint of Hastings, a soldier wounded in WW I who comes to his wealthy friend John Cavendish’s estate in need of a place to convalesce. During his visit, John’s stepmother, Emily Inglethor...

Join Kate and Sheila as they recap one of the most impactful books they’ve read this year. Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley starts with a powerful rephrased Frederick Douglass quote, “It is easier to raise strong children than to repair broken men and women” and then he goes on from there to supply readers with the nuts and bolts (ideas) on how to raise strong kids. Favorite quotes...

“I’m not afraid of doing hard things. I’m afraid of a life where I do nothing.” Kara What do you know about WW I? We knew very little, but thanks to Jennifer Nielsen’s Lines of Courage we learned a lot in an unusual way. From the viewpoints of Kara (British), Felix (Austro-Hungarian), Elsa (German), Juliette (French) and Dimitri (Russian) Nielsen weaves a story that will enlighten and enrich any h...

Who among us does not want to parent well? However, we must ask the question, “Am I equipping my kids to be ready for the challenges that life will throw at them?” Every chapter starts with a quote, here are two of our favorites: “Life is not a spectacle or a feast; it is a predicament.” George Santayana “I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life; I have denied a great many...

“If only patience were contagious like mumps!” Join Kate and Sheila as they meet an impatient 17 year old, Kit Tyler, who was transplanted from her native land of Barbados to a strict Puritan community in Connecticut. She landed unexpectedly on her aunt and uncle’s doorstep with 7 trunks! After the death of her grandfather Kit had nowhere else to go but she’d neglected to give her relatives a head...

“Grown-up people find it very difficult to believe really wonderful things, unless they have what they call proof.”  We join Cyril, Anthea, Jane, Robert (aka Bob), and the baby (aka the Lamb) as they explore and discover a wish granting Psammed (aka ancient sand fairy). However, every wish backfires on the fivesome in many humorous and unusual ways. The kids work together to solve the problems cre...

“No young man can live in such an atmosphere of unpunished dishonesty and lawlessness without wrecking his character.” This quote connects hauntingly well with our society today just as it did back in 1897. What guides your decision making? Where is your focus? Join Kate and Sheila as they discuss an 1890s instant classic, In His Steps . Charles Sheldon’s best seller tells the story of Henry Maxwe...

Things We Didn’t Say by Amy Lynn Green was a book out of the ordinary. She weaves a tale using only letters, telegraphs, and notes. This piece of history was unknown to us, German POWs were brought to America to work with farmers. We were taken back in time to January 1944 to Ironside Lake, Minnesota. We met Johanna Berglund, a determined linguistic student that was coerced into returning to her h...