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Sunday Matters

This past week was a little nuts. Work, volunteering, registration for a new show. I used to do a lot more than that and it was no biggie but these days one or two appointments outside of the normal stuff kind of makes me crazy. But, all went well and lots got done.

Right Now:

Happy Easter! We hit the Easter service on Friday to avoid the masses so I slept in this morning and it felt great. Plus, I don’t have to go anywhere later. We are staying home, eating a good meal and just lounging around like sloths.

This Week:

I am meeting up with my life group on Tuesday to decide which day we’ll meet now that the series is over. I can’t wait to see what the new topic is.

I have a follow-up for my neck injury on Thursday. The shots are wearing off. I think I may need another round. Will it ever heal?

Reading:

The Barrowfields is really good and I am almost done with it. I’m thinking about reading Walden next. I’ve never read it!

Watching:

Bates Motel is really good. Only two episodes left! That show is giving me fits. It’s so well shot. So well-acted. Every time Norman becomes Norma I die. Seriously, I die.

Making:

I haven’t cooked all that much but if heating things up and picking up cooked items at the market counts then I am doing okay. Picked up a roasted turkey breast and then made mashed potatoes and maple glazed carrots for one night. Bought some gourmet take and bake pizzas for another night.

Right now the apricot & mustard glazed ham is the oven and it will be served with au gratin potatoes, gluten-free cornbread dressing and creamed spinach. There will be dessert too. A chocolate chip cheesecake!

Grateful for:

Lunch room conversations. In the past, I would find a quiet spot to eat lunch but about three months ago, I started to eat lunch in the work lunch room. A place where no one really ate lunch, oddly enough. But then, people started showing up and now we have the best lunch time conversations. My word this year is “Connect” so I’m trying really hard to make those connections.

What are you doing to today? What is a must-read book you can recommend to me?

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.

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