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 taught Yona a way to dispense healing, too.

She taught her many languages and how to read, but Jerusza never appreciated or answered Yona’s questions.

“She drank the books down like cool water and listened with rapt attention whenever Jerusza deigned to impart her secrets.” Maybe we can learn a lesson from Yona. Take people on their own terms, accept them as they are without attempting to change them. The only person any of us can change is the one in the mirror

“Perhaps God gives us the answers before we know what the questions will be.” Yona was a sponge and she soaked up the learning offered to her. Will she ever meet her real family? Jerusza had said, “Lives are circles spinning across the world, and when they’re meant to intersect again they do.”

Yona’s solitary life ends when she discovers a group of Jewish refugees fleeing from the Nazi terror in 1942. Yona’s big heart also accepts a second group of Jews without hesitation, however, the first group she rescued is disgruntled by her willingness to help another group of refugees. Isn’t life puzzling?

Later, a conflict causes Yona to leave the refugees. She doesn’t leave her caring heart behind. She runs across a nun trying to save a little girl after her parents were killed and she jumps in to help.

Maria Andrzeja tells Yona, “Do not be afraid to ask questions. But you must always be sure your heart is open to hear the answers.”

It is hard for Yona to realize how cruel the Nazis are! When the soldiers line up the nuns to kill them Yona is devastated! Maria tells her, “God is your father, and He is always with you.”

She feels broken and helpless. How can she help? She remembers one of the refugees that had lost his family before his eyes once told her, “It’s the cracks in us that make us who we are.”

If you are ready for an adventure that you will not soon forget, join Kate and Sheila as they recap this unforgettable book, The Forest of the Vanishing Stars!

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 the white school. Miss Anderson learns a lot about the life of someone that has the most special dog in the world and a huge scar that people stare at and the many differences between her world and Kizzy Ann’s.

It is 1963 and the schools were integrating but attitudes were far from love thy neighbor.

Kizzy’s brother, James, doesn’t have any teachers like Miss Andersonnin high school. He said his teacher would not put the integrated students on the roll and they wouldn’t even give them books! It was like they were invisible. His JV football team didn’t lose a game but they were never mentioned in the newspaper. Losing a dream is hard. James and his buddies get into mischief. They excite the neighbor’s cows and the cows plow down Frank Charles’ daddy’s shed. Kizzy Ann stared in disbelief when Frank Charles took the blame for what James and his friends had done.

When she asked him why he told her, “It was the right thing to do.”

The author, Jeri Watts, gives readers a look at life during a different era. Step with us into Kizzy Ann’s shoes. Some people do the right thing and others do not!

We meet a cantankerous Scotsman, Mr. McKenna, who trains Shag and Kizzy Ann so they can perform in a dog trial. Will Kizzy Ann and Shag even be allowed to compete?

In the midst of dog training and spelling bees the president is assassinated.

Kizzy Ann expresses her emotions so well. “I cannot believe the upside-downness of the world. I could feel a blanket of sadness covering our school and our state and our nation.”

The kindness of this little book will touch your heart! When Frank Charles’ mama has a seizure and he goes berserk, Kizzy Ann takes charge and calms him down and helps his mama in a gentle way that she’d seen her Sunday School teacher do for a student that had seizures.

It was the right thing to do. Isn’t it funny that we never forget doing the right thing? You won’t regret meeting Kizzy Ann Stamps!

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 worked out the link is below : )

https://youtu.be/v--YcSsL13w?si=SWb-oilsmm1_rRRd

“I have stored up Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Ps. 119:11

Glenna Marshall encourages us to embrace the slowness of learning scripture. “I want a life that is shaped by God’s word.” She also includes tips that have worked for her and her family.

“From Genesis to Revelation, God is always after the hearts of His people. Like other spiritual disciplines, scripture memory is a journey–not a race. It’s not about recitation, it’s about saturation. The point of memorizing scripture is to grow in our love for Christ.”

This book has a plethora of scripture suggestions to start you off. Are you ready to renew your mind by dwelling on scripture in such a way the constant bombardment of worldly offerings becomes less appealing?

May 2024 bring you joys galore!

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 Society - Packs a Punch

Most Creative

Best Man & Leading Lady Award

Best Ending

Most Enriching - Changed our lives

Stands the Test of Time

Overall Best Book-too good to miss!

Maybe this list might help you get your book stack ready for 2024,

Each winner is a book that we adore!

We are so thankful for each listener, so dear,

May we wish you and yours a Happy New Year!

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 struggles in the life of the young Jewish girl that was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus. Yes, His virgin birth was predicted, but when it occurred was it recognized or questioned or criticized?

We get to walk with Joseph in his uncertainty of what to do. What a wonderful example of trusting God in all things as Joseph prays, “Oh, God, my God, if this be thy will then so be it. Thy will be done!” This has the same humble tone as Jesus's prayer in the garden the night before He was betrayed.

Mary’s prayer was similar. “Thy will be done,” she whispered one final time, “In this matter of Joseph, let me only obey.”

Mary and Joseph loved each other but pleasing God came before pleasing themselves. What a timely lesson in straightening out our priorities that often get out of alignment!

Joseph was distraught when he was unable to find accommodations, but afterward that thought was pushed aside. “He need berate himself no longer. He had not failed her. Her son had been safely born, and he had helped to bring him forth. So that made him in a new and wondrous sense his son too.”

What a wonderful way to wrap up 2023 and deepen our conviction of always putting God’s will foremost in our lives!

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 the king, the boy, the owl, and the wolf in his trunk. He propped the girl puppet up on a table and wrote and wrote. Finally finished, he put his letter with the puppets in the trunk with the name, Spelhorst, on the outside. That night the man cried and cried and died.

How can such a sad beginning end lead to such an intriguing tale? The giftedness of the author shines through as readers meet the arrogant king, the adventurous boy, the prideful wolf, the wise owl and the grateful girl. As one might guess, different personalities bring challenges to the box of puppets to which the girl responds, “How will it help us to fight with one another?”

The puppets are sold to a rag and bones man who sells them to the uncle as a gift for his two young nieces. Adventures derail the puppet show for a bit, suspense looms as readers wonder what could be the story these five puppets have to tell. The prideful wolf learns a lesson when the youngest niece removes a tooth from the wolf and tosses it outside where it is picked up by a fox. Inside the fox’s den is a lonely place for the wolf who sums up her feelings,

“It is terrible not to be understood.” Relatable comment, indeed!

What a wonderful read-aloud for any family seeking to spark imaginations and conversations! Humility is also an underlying theme, readers will notice the puppets less fixated on themselves are content and tend to live in the present. Community is another theme that will not be missed as dots are connected in this timely tale. We all have a story to tell, but it cannot be told solo. Embrace those in your circle. When we live out our story well we bless those around us. As the girl puppet reminds us all, “We are happy together and that in itself is a great thing.”

As a baby, Oswald T. Campbell was left on the steps of an orphanage with a can of Campbell’s soup in his basket. Readers meet him as he receives disheartening news from his doctor; he won’t live to see another Christmas if he doesn’t move to a better climate than the Windy City. Sadly, Oswald has no one to share his devastating news with… sounds like a bummer of a book, doesn’t it? But, somehow Fannie Flagg weaves a story of hope, evolving from less concern from self and more concern for others and the tale does a 180. We all have wounds, some are visible, like the young girl, Patsy, who has a crippled leg. Others' hurts are hidden, like Roy who suffers from a broken heart and our protagonist, Oswald, who has been haunted by rejection his whole life.

Oswald goes to Alabama and meets Jack, a redbird that eats Crackerjacks, who helps Roy run the General Store, a crippled girl named Patsy, and a host of other colorful characters. The community envelopes Oswald with love and care. He recognizes he has a talent for painting and he is included in all the community’s events. He helps Patsy not feel so bad about not knowing her birthday when he decides to celebrate Patsy’s, Jack’s and his birthdays altogether because all their birthdays are unknown.

Join us as we recap this heart-warming festive read. The beginning may be dark but trust us the conclusion is the bee’s knees!!! Looking for a delightful holiday read that is about being present rather than getting presents? Try A Redbird Christmas.

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 self be true”

Shakespheare shows his wonderful wordsmithery as he weaves this timeless tale of brotherly love that took a wrong turn reminiscent of Cain and Abel. Hamlet’s father was poisoned by his power hungry brother and a month later this unsavory fellow becomes Hamlet’s stepfather when he marries Hamlet’s mom, prompting the classic line, “Frailty, thy name is woman.”

The reader is bombarded with an abundance of themes:

Truth vs Deception

Thought vs Action

Madness vs Revenge

Mortality-we are all shuffling off this mortal coil…

For those that aren’t squeamish about the main character talking to a skull, fighting in a freshly dug grave, and dueling with poisoned weapons this is the play to be read, just remember it lives up to the name tragedy. Instead of “Get thee to a nunnery” one might get thee to a library or a bookstore to meet Hamlet and “friends”.

One funny quote was when Hamlet was asked what he was reading he replied, “Words, words, words.” Please join Kate and I as we recap Shakespeare’s tragedy in which Hamlet tells the lovely Ophelia, “I must be cruel, only to be kind.” What is going on in this guy’s head?

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 Inglethorp is murdered with poison!

Hastings seeks the help of Poirot, his acquaintance who is blessed with gifted insight which is greatly needed in this case where suspects abound.

“You gave too much rein to your imagination. Imagination is a good servant, and a bad master” was the advice Poirot gave Hastings, who considers himself to be somewhat of a junior detective. Hastings would prefer that Poirot just tell him what he notices and concludes instead of making him figure things out on his own. Although this format is frustrating to Hastings it is intriguing for readers because we get to be sleuths too!

“If the fact will not fit the theory–let the theory go.” Clues abound in this who-done-it, the trouble is some are important and some are red herrings. See if you can solve the case before Poirot!

Don’t worry there are no spoilers in this episode, just a quick gist of the story. Put on your trench coat and get a magnifying glass and get ready to give your brain a workout!

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 abound! Here are just a few:

“The heart always follows the habit.”

“Nothing important is easy.”

“The struggle against boredom is really just the struggle against a fallen imagination.”

“Send kids to bed with a settled soul.”

“The human heart is never not being shaped by something, it is not a car, there is no neutral.”

“The final role of a parent is to keep looking to Jesus.”

The Pyramid of Discipline is a blessing to both kids and parents!

It starts with loving authority for the foundation.

There are 5 parts to the second level:

1. Pause

2. Prayer

3. Body Language

4. Understanding

5. Consequences

Level 3 Confession

Level 4 Reconciliation (he has his boys hug until they smile) : )

He discusses how limits are positive (not a surprise to those who’ve read the Boundaries book)

and connects it to Jesus taking on the limits of being a man, disciplining Himself into a life of sacrifice. Why? So we could be free from the ultimate limitation of sin and death.

We loved the sending prayer for families as they are leaving the house:

Father, thank You for this day.

Bless us as we work, study, and play.

Be present with us in all we do.

May we bring glory and honor to You.

In Jesus name

Justin suggests lighting a candle before mealtime and having the children say, “Jesus is the light” Then he shares a game he came up with out of necessity (the mother of invention) called The Pepper Game. Whoever is holding the pepper shaker asks a question then he/she passes the shaker. The holder of the shaker answers the question and passes the shaker to the next person. We tried this out with young and old and it was a hit! Everyone learns to listen!

Trust us, this book is TOO good to miss! It will bless you in a plethora of ways!

Adding value to daily routines that will impact your kids for the rest of their days!