Book Chatter

Sunday Matters

Like all of you, I am still here trying to maintain a sense of routine. The routine part hasn’t been all that difficult. Work takes up most of my day, then there’s the meal prepping. I have gotten really good at not wasting anything but my creative spark is fading now.

It’s Easter! Maybe not an Easter you’ve ever celebrated before but it’s kind of special, really. All of the commercial stuff has been left by the wayside and we are left to focus on the actual day. I’ve spent more time in the Bible the past 45 days that I ever have. It feels good.

Easter 2020

Right Now:

Our church has their Easter service online at the top of each hour, all day long. Our youth group is not formally meeting online so we can spend time with our families. However, I am very excited that Andrea Bocelli is streaming a concert from Italy on his YouTube channel at 10am PT. I can’t wait to tune in.

Later, a ham dinner courtesy of Honeybaked Ham. I tried to order online and all the meals were sold out so I visited the webpage for the closest store to me and they shipped me a meal!

This Week:

Work and book club (Zoom). I may attack a closet this week. My closet is just full of stuff I never wear. If it would stop raining, I’d tackle the outside sitting areas but it just keeps raining.

Reading:

I am reading Just Mercy for a discussion. I should have read it last week to prepare but I was having a hard time getting into the mood to read it.

After that, who knows what I’ll read. I want fast, riveting, suspenseful reads. Maybe, The Lying Game by Ruth Ware.

Watching:

For those who loved Tiger King, a new episode is being added soon. I have to say it was rather dull. I know a lot of people have been chatting it up and it’s a strange show for strange times. For sure. I was so bored by half of it though.

My husband has me watching car shows. Shows like Rust to Riches. It’s SO not me but I enjoy them. The craftsmanship that goes into each car, how they come to find the frames, and the business aspect of up-trading.

New Things I’ve Tried:

I can’t say I’ve tried any new products but I have tried every combination of food this past week that you can imagine. Getting creative with meals is a must in this new world we live in.

Grateful for:

Friends I’ve made through blogging and how they continue to reach out to me during this time.
As weird as some of our meals have been, we are eating. This pandemic has really bought to light how many in this country go without food daily.
As dreary as the rain is, it’s keeping people inside so that’s the silver lining there.

I’ve had a few friends this week share that they have loved ones who have been hit with the virus. I pray for them daily. I pray that their symptoms are mild. And even if you don’t believe in prayer, please let me know if you have anyone you are concerned about and I will still pray on my end. It can’t hurt, right?

I love you all and I hope you all stay healthy. Try not to let this get to you too much and if you need to talk, let me know.

Then She Was Gone
By Lisa Jewell
Atria Books, 9781501154652, November 2018, 384pp.

The Short of It:

One minute Ellie is there, the next minute she is gone and the wake of her disappearance leaves a family changed forever.

The Rest of It:

The Mack family, fairly happy and close knit as far as families go is forced to learn how to live without their oldest daughter. Ellie, the golden girl. The perfect daughter whose light and personality resonates with just about everyone she meets, doesn’t come home from school one day and her parents and family are left to pick up the pieces.

Laurel, can’t quite put her finger on why she thinks Ellie is still alive but as the years go by and nothing new is discovered, the case goes cold. As a mother, can you really let go without any real closure?

The Mack family is affected by Ellie’s disappearance in many ways. A sister, who lives a very secret life and can’t find ways to be close to Laurel like Ellie was. An ex-husband who was a good man, but had to move on with his life. A son who distances himself from the family as soon as he’s able, and then Laurel, who tries desperately to hang on to hope, but quickly realizes that it’s okay for her to find happiness too.

Until a new development is discovered in the case.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fast read but I felt for these characters. The author did a really good job of presenting all the conflicts and keeping the story fresh. I felt Laurel’s pain over her daughter’s disappearance but I also felt her need for happiness. The story came together in a good way too. Not too predictable or over the top.

I’ve read one other Jewell book and I know she has many others. I am happy to have found an author I can keep reading for awhile.

Source: Purchased
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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