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Sunday Matters

This is a FREE weekend for me. Nothing planned. We may hit the bookstore. We may have lunch, or dinner or both. I might spend the afternoon reading or sipping coffee. Or, I could spend the day napping. I’m so happy about this.

Right Now:

About to make breakfast. Scrambled eggs with feta and some gluten-free toast.

This Week:

Wizard of Oz auditions are behind us now. Callbacks are done. The final cast list posts on Tuesday. She went for the Wicked Witch and Glinda and was called back for Wicked Witch, Aunt Em and a dancing part. Think good thoughts, please. She has wanted to be the Witch since she was five.

We are technically in Fall Break, which means no school Monday and Tuesday but I have still have to work. On Monday afternoon I have to take The Girl to a dental appointment. It’s the only time I can take her since there’s no school.

Reading:

I finished The Boy at the Keyhole and thought it was pretty good.

I started Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver and oh my goodness, I am loving it.

Watching:

I am still watching American Horror Story and Fear the Walking Dead. Both, have turned it up a notch.

The other day I was flipping channels and came across Tammy, starring Melissa McCarthy, Susan Sarandon, and Kathy Bates. It came out in 2014 but from the trailer I thought it was pretty stupid. I was wrong. It’s very funny and sweet. I kind of want to own it.

New Things I Tried:

This week I tried the following three products and all were winners, except that the lentil pasta smelled like weed but it was delicious. Please ignore the dead plant (planter of dirt) in the background.

This wine was pretty darn good for a $7 bottle. Very rich, a touch of sweetness but no bitterness or dryness. Smooth. Fruity but not too fruity. The gal at Trader Joe’s said that at their wine tasting, her co-workers described it as “syrupy”. It’s a thicker consistency and coats a glass if you know what I mean. Delicious.

Lentil pasta and sauce!

These two. Very good but like I said above, the pasta smelled like weed but was so delicious and chewy for a gluten-free variety. The sauce was very good but “boozy”. Both from Trader Joe’s.

I get no kickbacks from TJ’s but have been shopping there a lot lately.

Grateful for:

Variety. It’s good to change things around sometimes. The day-to-day routine gets old quickly.

What new thing have you tried or want to try?

The Boy at the Keyhole
By Stephen Giles
Hanover Square Press, 9781335652928, September 4, 2018, 304pp

The Short of It:

This story is a little bit twisty, which I like.

The Rest of It:

What’s a young boy to do when his mother leaves in the middle of the night for America, and the only person he has to look after him is his housekeeper Ruth? Ruth doesn’t seem all that fond of him and when things begin to go missing, Samuel begins to question the true whereabouts of his mother. All he has to go by, are the postcards she sends from America.

But are they really from her?

Ruth and Samuel live in this big, old Victorian house. It’s full of secrets and strange happenings, locked doors and mysterious appearances. Is it haunted, or is Samuel just a very imaginative boy? When his mother doesn’t return after months of being away, his imagination gets the best of him. What has Ruth done with his mother?

The Boy at the Keyhole was a fun read. I really wasn’t sure what to think as I turned the pages and the ending was pretty surprising to me but it had all the elements I enjoy (a creaky house, a mean-spirited caretaker, a young boy with an active imagination). It kept me guessing right up to the end.

I’m not sure if this is being marketed as YA but it did feel like YA at times but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable. If you’ve read it, send me a private message so we can discuss the ending.

I’m counting this book towards the R.I.P Challenge.

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

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