Captain Kidd was commissioned to capture pirates and, as Britain was perpetually at war with France, he was also authorized to capture French ships. This type of venture could be extremely profitable for everyone involved in the voyage, from the financial backers to individual sailors, as each of them would receive some percentage of the take. But somehow, Kidd was able to sail for months in pirate-infested waters and never encounter a pirate. This meant the crew was away from home working for nothing. 

There seems always to be a risk of mutiny when sailors get too discontent. What’s a captain to do when his crew rebels in the middle of the ocean thousands of miles from home? And whose testimony will be believed if the matter comes to trial. Typically, the captain’s. But what if the crew has burned his meticulously kept ship’s log? And what if crew members have been bribed with their lives to lie?

https://plumfieldmoms.com/plumfield-moms-book-reviews/the-mysterious-voyage-of-captain-kidd

"My meditation on Acts 22:26 is something like, My flesh shall pitch a tent in confident expectation. This is not a confident expectation that God will arrange things in my life for my comfort and convenience. This is an expectation that God, who cannot lie, will do what he has promised."

Find us at The Card Catalog website: https://thecardcataloglibrarians.com/

Connie Willis is a master storyteller who loves old movies (and new movies) almost as much as she loves great literature. Consequently, her storytelling is richly visual, and when reading, it often feels like I am watching a movie in my mind. In 1992, she crafted a novel that was set in 2054 as well as during the Medieval Bubonic Plague. I read the Doomsday Book in February and March of 2020. Actually, I finished reading it a mere four to six hours before my husband called to tell me that the schools were shutting down for two weeks because of growing concerns over the devastating illness in New York. Willis’s incredible and vivid descriptions haunted me throughout our COVID quarantine! 

"When God was leading his people through the wilderness and laying down his laws, he gave instructions for things that were to be set up for worshiping him and remembering his deeds. He gave detailed directions for setting up the tabernacle. Often, he commanded an altar or monument to be set up as a sign or memorial. God knows we need tangible reminders, but he was always specific that these be set up at his direction.

Serious problems arose when God’s people started setting things up on their own. In the time of the Judges, when everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes, one tribe set up their own idols and appointed their own priests. King Saul went terribly wrong when he set up a monument for himself. Many of the kings of Israel and Judah set up their own pillars and monuments. At times, the people even set up their own king."

"In this story, there is an accident while Michael is sailing, but he is with his parents at the time. They are a small, happy family on a trip around the world in their yacht. It’s not an every-day situation, to be sure, but I found it refreshing that the parents aren’t the bad guys.

It isn’t long before Michael discovers that he is not the only human on the island. But the other person isn’t at all happy to see Michael. Why the man is there and why he doesn’t appreciate company is a mystery that unfolds over time. He may be a recluse, but he isn’t going to watch Michael starve or get hurt without trying to help him. 

The story is as much about the relationship between Michael and Kensuke as it is about deserted island survival. Kensuke has been on the island for a very long time, and considers it his kingdom. He considers the animals to be under his care, and he does his best to guard them from hunters."

In this lively interview with S. D. Smith, we chat about his new book: The Found Boys. We also talk a little bit about his most recent release, the sequel to Jack Zulu, Jack Zulu And The Girl With The Golden Wings. As things so often do when we chat with Sam, we dug into some of the big cultural questions that we are all facing today. 

The Found Boys by S. D. Smith is an exciting and interesting story about ordinary boys growing up in two churches on either side of the river in 1980s West Virginia. Scott and Tommy are white boys from Valley Baptist Church who like to jump off of swings, shoot hoops, run along the shoreline, and chase after adventure. Dooley is a black kid from Mt. Zion Baptist church who likes to do pretty much the same things. When the boys agree not to fight over their differences but instead join together on a mission to steal something from the junkyard, they get a lot more than they bargained for.   

"Despite some over-the-top incidents, such as Jane being instrumental in capturing an escaped circus lion, she is a loveable character. Montgomery gives her some unbelievable wisdom and talents for a girl her age, which isn’t unusual for Montgomery’s heroines. Bringing Jane’s parents together because of a life-threatening illness is an awfully tired device, one that has been used by some of the best authors. In the end, the good people are happy and the not-so-good people get their come-uppance, which is a neat ending for a children’s story. 

The way the ending landed for me reminds me of how I felt about Pat of Silverbush. Montgomery didn’t seem to know how to manage a well-adjusted family. Not only is neither of Jane’s parents well-suited to keeping house as well as their twelve-year-old daughter can, but she is also going to have to keep an eye on their marriage? Throughout the story, the responsibility Jane felt for taking care of the adults in her life was slightly off kilter, but I hoped that when her parents got together again, they would lift that responsibility from her young shoulders. For me, the story ended completely out of balance."

https://plumfieldmoms.com/plumfield-moms-book-reviews/jane-of-lantern-hill

John’s gospel says that Jesus asked Philip where they were going to get enough food for all the people and that, “He said this to test him for he himself knew what he would do” (John 6:6). In any case, the disciples went to find out exactly how much food was available - five loaves of bread and two fish. What in the world could anyone do with that?   

Jesus said, “You give them something to eat.”