Recap Book Chat

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...

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill is a remarkable story of an amazing family’s dedication to serving God wholeheartedly. Join Kate and I as we discuss the impactfulness of Casper ten Boom and his family while they operate their watch shop in Holland. The family is always on the alert for ways to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Aristotle said, “We are what we repe...

Travel the last half of Route 66 with Charles James, the famous Chicago pitchman that everyone believes was killed in a plane crash. Dying, for Charles, was an eye-opener. He decides to walk from Chicago, IL to Santa Monica, CA, In The Road Home by Richard Paul Evans, readers join Charles about two hours from Amarillo, TX. Each chapter begins with a quote from the protagonist. The quotes are like...

The same author that gave us Ebenezer Scrooge and Oliver Twist also gifted readers with a kind, loyal, misfortunate, and somewhat naïve, David Copperfield . After reading this novel from the genre, bildungsroman (dealing with the protagonist maturing) we agree with the famous praise of Thackery, ‘Bravo Dickens’. Let’s share a few quotes from these classic characters: “My meaning simply is, that wh...

Have you ever noticed how some folks seem to get a lot done with little effort while other folks g barely get the bare essentials done? One camp seems to swim effortlessly while the camp I’m in  dog paddles with our heads barely above water. Why is this? We all are blessed with 168 hours in a week but that is where the similarity between these two camps ends, my friend.  Tim Challies helps those o...

Is your life so busy you barely take time to breathe let alone pray without ceasing? We think this nugget of truths can help us to focus on God no matter what we’re doing.  Brother Lawrence was not a monk. He was a  wounded soldier, failed footman, and finally a cook and dishwasher and cobbler who lived centuries ago. How can he help us today? Brother Lawrence was known to be ‘sensible of his faul...

It’s time to head back to school and find a learning routine groove. What books have caused you to change your life? Join us as we discuss books that schooled us and caused a significant shift in our lives.  “It strengthens thy heart to do a hard thing” is a powerful quote from A Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli. A cripple boy learns how to survive despite his hardships in this unique nove...

My Brain’s Not Broken (Strategies for Navigating Your Emotions and Life with ADHD) By: Tamara Rosier, PhD “Where’s my phone?” “ What did I do with my keys?” “Was that due today?” “ Wow! That took a lot longer than I thought it would!” “Where did the time go?” “I am sooooooo tired.” This author has ADHD along with 3 of her 4 kids and her husband, so the girl knows well the crazy unpredictable journ...

Let’s meet Henry (14), Jessie(12), Violet(10), and Benny(6) Alden, a.k.a. The Boxcar Children! Henry is hard-working, responsible, and protective. Jessie is brave, a talented cook and  a great problem solver. Violet is the  quiet and shy Alden. She has sewing skills beyond her years. Benny has the  ability to boldly say what is on his mind, often in a funny way. He loves a cracked pink cup he foun...

It’s me again, Hank, the Cowdog…is the opening line in every Hank book by John R. Erickson. This entertaining series about a comical canine who boastfully touts himself to be the Head of Ranch Security has become a favorite for all ages. Readers join Hank and his sidekick, Dover, while they relentlessly tease Bruno, the boxer, on their uninvited trip into town. When Bruno calls Hank a 2 bit cowdog...

“That’s one more thing I detest about war. It’s not over when it ends.” Lady Rowan Join Maisie Dobbs as she takes on a challenging case when she is hired by Mr. Waite, an august person who strives to control everything and everyone in his circle. He has met his match with Maisie who works in her own time and in her own way. She knows the value of letting fact, thoughts, observations, and feelings...