Book Chatter

Sunday Matters

With Christmas just a couple of days away, I find myself taking cover and hiding from the hustle because my fuse has been very short and I don’t want to head into the holidays angry. I’ve had the past few days off to get stuff done and now I just want to transform into a slug.

Right Now:

Nothing. I am not doing anything because I am really worn-out and just need to sit. We have nothing planned for the day.

This Week:

We attended Christmas service last Thursday but on Christmas Eve we will make a short trip to say “Hi” to some friends who are working at the church that day and then head over to my MIL’s. My nephews are down and one of them has small kids so it ought to be fun. I’m bringing the mashed potatoes and boat loads of butter and cheese are a must.

Christmas Day I am cooking a Prime Rib roast with all the trimmings and then we are heading to the movies, probably to see the new Mary Poppins movie!

The Hub has off this week which is very rare and although we had hoped to head out-of-town we will be doing some day trips to places we’ve not been or to places we haven’t been to in a while.

Reading:

Finishing up Force of Nature. I had not planned to pick this one up but the book I wanted to read “fell” off my Kindle and I was left with nothing to read so I dove in. I want to end the year with Michelle Obama though.

Watching:

Christmas movies and shows. So behind on them.

New Things I’ve Tried:

I haven’t tried any new products this week but this year I tried to tone down my Christmas spending and I’d say I was about 60% successful. I went to the mall for two small things and left, totally disgusted by what the holiday has become. I saw a lady at the PINK store who had wads of cash out in plain sight, and she was making a sale of over $1500. At an underwear store, people. I think it was admirable that she was paying cash but I seriously feared for her safety because it was clear to me that she had thousands more to spend.

Gosh, the majority of us do too much, spend too much and just fall apart at the end of the year. It’s not supposed to be like that at all. It doesn’t have to be. I’m hopeful.

Grateful for:

I am grateful for this time off. I can’t even begin to tell you how grateful.

What does this weekend look like for you? Are you doing okay? Do you need some encouragement?

The Incendiaries
By R.O. Kwon
Riverhead Books, 9780735213890, July 2018, 224pp.

The Short of It:

Misplaced faith can blind anyone.

The Rest of It:

Phoebe and Will meet during their first year at Edwards University. Phoebe comes from money. Will, the opposite, doing his best to keep his scholarship while working part-time. In whatever spare time he has, Will finds himself completely obsessed with Phoebe. When Phoebe is lured into a religious cult by its enigmatic leader, John Leal, Will, puts his judgement aside and joins Phoebe and this cult just to be close to her, which ultimately leads them down a path of no return.

The Incendiaries is short but powerful. Beautiful but destructive. As a reader, you can’t help but sense the underlying unease that is interwoven between each page. Phoebe’s increasing passion alarms Will. Her dedication to a group she knows so little about is at once admirable and terrifying. Their love is fleeting and there is a definite sense that something horrible is about to happen.

This is a dark subject but Kwon delicately dances between the dark and the light. The Incendiaries is very well-balanced and simply told. No fluffy language or extra anything but the story will stay with you after turning that last page.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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