Book Chatter

The Fall of Lisa Bellow
By Susan Perabo
Simon & Schuster, Hardcover, 9781476761466, March 14, 2017, 352pp.

The Short of It:

A tense, finely orchestrated tale of what happens to a person when guilt works its way through you from the inside out.

The Rest of It:

Everyone has known a “Lisa Bellow” in their lifetime. Lisa is that pretty girl who can wear a pair of ugly shoes and somehow make them fashionable. She’s the girl who every other girl strives to be and she knows it. She can cut you down with a look or a couple of words and no matter how confident you are, the hurt takes its toll.

This is the story of Lisa and Meredith, victims of a sandwich shop robbery. Both, told to hit the floor. Both, scared for their lives. Only one taken as a hostage. As Lisa is forced to leave with the robber, Meredith stays on the ground, fearful for her life but is that the only reason she chooses to remain there?

The Fall of Lisa Bellow was a perfect read for me. It had everything I like in a book and then that human nature thing kicked in and I could not put it down. I kept asking myself, “Where is Lisa? Is she alive? Is it just a set-up? Where in God’s name can she be?” I mean, this story really worked my brain but in a totally good way.

Meredith, is also a victim. She’s the one left behind and the one who bears the weight of Lisa’s disappearance and it’s heartbreaking. HEARTBREAKING, I tell you! Her memory of the event is not reliable and she questions what would have happened if she had done something differently. Meredith’s mother is protective of her but also feels a sense of guilt as Lisa’s mom continually makes contact with them and with Lisa’s friends, all in a desperate attempt to keep Lisa in her life.

This author gets into each character’s head and really stirs things up. I’m talking childhood memories, hateful feelings, jealousy and spite and no matter how shocking some of it is, it’s not all that shocking given the circumstances. I could relate to every single person in this story and that’s rare. My heart ached for so many of these characters.

You know how hard it is to turn the last page of a novel you love? I think I read the last page at least three times. Get yourself a copy.

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

Sunday Matters

Last week was a short week and it was glorious. Two days of work and the rest reserved for play. That’s how it should always be. We hit the beach, we visited the LA Arboretum and we managed to see Beauty and the Beast.

Garden — The LA Arboretum on a gloriously sunny day.

Everything is so green right now and the weather was perfect! I mean, on a day like that, how can you stay indoors?

Right Now:

Oh, much of the same going on today as on most Sundays except The Walking Dead is over so my evenings are free now. What shall I do with the 9 o’clock hour?

This Week:

Sometime this week I have to make two appointments I’ve been dreading. A consult for braces (the girl) and a booster shot appointment for The Otter Pup. She was due earlier but when the rabies is a three-year shot you tend to let the other stuff fall to the wayside. She is a few months past where she should be so that must be done.

Work? The same.

Rehearsals start-up again for Shrek and sign-ups for Grease take place Monday night. Yes. Two shows now, Shrek and Grease. Auditions for Grease haven’t happened yet but hopefully this time my daughter will get something. She tries really hard and practices plenty but I am not in the room with her so I haven’t a clue what is going on with her auditions.

Reading:

I finished The Fall of Lisa Bellow and it was wonderful. I loved it. The review posts on Tuesday, I also finished The Things They Carried for book club. It was a good discussion.

I picked up The Barrowfields thinking it might take some time for me to get into the story but nope, I am already a good ways in. I really need to pick up the pace because I have a lot of review copies, which I try not to have all at once but so be it! It’s a nice problem to have.

Watching:

Still watching Bates Motel and it’s fabulous. If you haven’t seen the series you really need to. SUCH good writing and if you think you know the story of Norman and his mother, you’d be wrong because this is not a retelling of Psycho.

Making:

This is sad but I am thinking of removing this category from this template because these days I really don’t make much. I am trying to eat clean and it’s not very fancy or exciting. I do like to hear about what you are all making though.

Grateful for:

I got really depressed this week over the situation with my sister. It just hit me. Hard. I was so out of it that I wandered into a thrift store and just staggered around for awhile. For some reason that comforted me. I have no idea why! The thrift store has nothing to do with anything but it was quiet and empty and it was a good place for me to just unload (mentally). Mindlessly browsing with no purpose in mind. Actually, the thrift store is where my mother spent a lot of her time. Okay, that just hit me. I am going now.

What are you up to today? Cooking anything good? Any wonderful news to share?

Chatting with friends about books and life…