April Book Reads

At Kindred Spirits Book Club, we have certainly been busy! The month started of with a review of All that Life Can Afford, by Emily Everett https://a.co/d/1FMLH06, Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride https://a.co/d/dKYaHT6, 52 Secrets For Goal-Setting and Goal-Getting by Debra Eckerling https://a.co/d/icLKncg, Great Big Beautiful Life, by Emily Henry https://a.co/d/4ECaFEt and most currently, The Next Day, by Melinda Gates French https://a.co/d/azXsP4J. A constant page turner for most of us is Sara Forte from Sprouted Kitchen's cookbook, Around Our Table, Wholesome Recipes to Feed Your Family and Friends https://a.co/d/0zBCpYF . We meal prep and share so many of Sara Forte's recipes, especially the Cherry Almond Bundt on page 257, it is a Hall Of Fame repeated snack that is taken home in doggie bags by all the group's foodies.

All That Life Can Afford ,by Emily Everett was well received by the team. We all loved the "visit to London, England" and we all thoroughly enjoyed revisiting Jane Austen and her portrayals of characters, the exploration of women's lives, and her unrelenting wit. Anna Byrns Anna first fell in love with London at her hometown library, Anna, raised in a pay-check-to-pay-check family and her life of food stamps and hand-me-downs. But when she arrives in London her home is a moldy flat, she relizes the fairy-tale life is still out of reach. Then, Anna meets the Wilders, who fly her to Saint-Tropez to tutor their teenage daughter. Anna soon finds herself plunged into a heady whirlpool of parties and excess, a place where confidence is a birthright. There she meets two handsome young men, one who wants to whisk her into his world in a chauffeured car, the other who sees through Anna’s struggle to outrun her past. We all loved Emily Everett's fashion labels and the influencial brand mentioning, especially @StellaMcCartney 's Tennis Shoes (so FUN) https://www.stellamccartney.com/us/en/women/elyse/limited-edition-elyse-monochrome-platforms-810479AP0AT09002.html. Other highlighted brands at the parties and the dog walks in the parks of London stood out as familiar and in keeping with our group's fashion influence, we all on-line shopped @TheRealReal after gathering strength to restyle our Spring's wardrobe. Thank you, Emily Everett for reminding us of the importance of finding ourselves and then stay true ourselves. (but Anna, take the win on the helicopter drop with the roses! LOL! Happy Birthday, BTW) ) We really loved this read!

Heaven and Earth Grocery Store ,by James McBride was an unconventional read for most of us. This story took us on an excursion of Jazz Musician Playbooks and of course James McBride's music in particular. We loved his story telling, it reminded us of listenning to Jazz Music. Then, we spoke of the inspiration that came to Jame's McBride from his summer job at a camp in Philadelphia. It was there he'd worked during college in the '70's and, at the time, The Variety Club Camp for Handicapped Children served as the inspiration for the novel. We loved the message of having to really push to see the good in people while helping them through their boundaries. Chona, one of our favorite characters served to explain the ethos of community, love and the power of human connection. Worthy of mentioning, A24 and Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment are teaming to develop an adaptation of James McBride's acclaimed novel. Insiders say it is still in early development and that Spielberg would only be producing, but not directing. We are very excited to watch the screen adaptation of this uniquely special story.

52 Secrets For Goal-Getting and Goal Setting, by Debra Eckerling, made most of us revisit our New Year's Resolutions and reflect on how to realign with them. Most of us, having read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People many years ago read, 52 Secrets for Goal-Setting and Goal-Getting. Debra offers us the tools to create our own path to success by learning from the experiences of others. 52 secrets vitally teaches us what others have learn to use for goal-setting and goal-getting. Also, since 2020, Debra has hosted the weekly GoalChatLive show on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. These platforms are where she brings experts who dive into professional and personal topics.to tune-up goal setting and goal getting. She is also the founder of The GoalChat podcast on the Marketing Podcast Network. 52 secrets gave us a way to relate to goal setting and as our top priority for goal getting. Here we focused three valuable take aways. 1) ACTION, "Embrace who you are, proceed with integrity, and Go With Your Gut" said, Liz Lachman, Emmy & GoldenReel Award Winning Writer, Director, and Musician. Liz claims, "The gut is your boss and the brain is your secretary". 2) "It Always Pays To Reach", explains Arthur Smith, author of "REACH: Hard Lessons and Learned Truths, a Lifetime in Television," who further says, "I am always out there looking for it, reaching for it, doing everything I can to make it part of my reality". Lastly, voted,"Our biggest take away" is: 3) "Be Prepared To Be Kind," by Jamie Pachino. Debra Eckerling has written poignantly of other's internal compass', their useful and intrapersonal dialogue and the success they each have achieved by focusing on those ethos.

Great Big Beautiful Life, by Emily Henry If you haven't read EmHen's work before, this is a great place to start! First of all, we all ate this book up in a day or two. The romance and the high profile family connection was something we all craved. There were a few comments on who the historic/non-historic family was inspired by and the similarities related to others we have known of, but we all found the fictionalized story to be fascinating. Uncovering the character Margaret Ive's past and her "disappearance" held us all captive while the story unfolded on the fictitious Little Crescent Island, a small coastal town in Georgia, inspired by an island Emily Henry had visited. She romantically sets an alluring, sexy, back drop that features oak trees, Spanish moss, and a salty, humid, sea breeze. The central theme of Alice Scott and Hayden Anderson (Pulitzer Prize winning biography novelist) focus on mystery, tragedy and romance and love which are central to the happy and comforting ending. Thank you, EmHen, we always love to check in with your gripping love stories!

The Next Day, By Melinda French Gates ,Tells the story of Melinda's life and the events which have shaped her life. Honest, heartwarming and heart-wrenching tales of a woman's extraordinary life and the balance she has worked so hard to achieve. This is a deeply personal incite into her family, her goals and her resiliency as she structures her life as an executive at Microsoft, a high profile wife, philanthropist, mother, and eventually a single woman transitioning toward balance and grace. The stories she tells illuminate universal lessons about loosening the bonds of perfectionism, helping friends navigate times of crisis, embracing uncertainty, and more. This book caught most of us off guard and we couldn't put it down. So much of our own lives and our histories have been touched by the Gates' brand, Microsoft. This is a story of wisdom gainned with bravery and courage and "The Nest Day" shines a path through the open space stretching out before us all. A few of us were able to pre-purchase, "The Next Day", giving us access to a Zoom Meeting where Melinda and Poppy Harlow spoke of the book's premise before it was released. We all thought so highly of the gentle grace and vulnerability both women spoke to while the interview pressed through hard times and dark waters. Thank you, Melinda. We all greatly appreciate your incredible perspective on your very extraordinary life and the pressure of becoming a legend.

Around Our Table, by Sara Forte is a cookbook most of group refers to often for inspiration to become a modern chef and to execute specialty ingredient shopping for our pantries. (Remember the Cherry Almond Bundt- Our personal favorite). Sara is an excellent cook, baker, and inspiration for farm to table casualness with a style that speaks to her naturally added elegance within the norm of feeding family and friends. Follow her: Sara@SproutedKitchen.com , if you don't already.