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The Outsider
By Stephen King
Scribner Book Company, 9781501180989, May 2018, 576pp.

The Short of It:

Probably King’s best writing in a long, long time.

The Rest of It:

I am a die-hard King fan but even I’ll admit that some books hit it out of the park while others amuse me. The Outsider hit it out of the park and then some.

A young boy is violated and murdered in the worst possible way. Evidence at the scene and statements from eye witnesses lead investigators to a very unlikely suspect, Terry Maitland. Terry is a stand-up guy. He coaches the town’s little league team and teaches English at the high school. No one, including his wife and two children can believe what is happening when he is hauled in for the murder of that young boy.

What makes the case more complicated, is the DNA and fingerprints recovered at the scene point to Terry but Terry was out-of-town with his colleagues when this all went down. How could he be in two places at the same time?

As the story moves along, you quickly realize that something else is at play here, but what? My mind was going all over the place. Was Terry guilty? Did the investigators really have the right guy? That’s when the lead investigator enlists the help of others and I gotta tell you, that is when the story gets really interesting and King fans will cheer when they get to one particular part in the story.

As you can see, I am not saying much about the plot because it’s too easy to give something away but all I can say is that The Outsider was everything I was hoping it would be. It’s almost 600 pages long but I had to pace myself or blow through it in one sitting. It’s the type of book you want to take your time reading only because it’s so good and you don’t want it to end.

I’ve had friends who listened to the audio say it was fabulous as well. I don’t think you can go wrong with this book. It’s really good, really entertaining and will keep you on the edge of your seat as you try to figure it all out. I love it when Uncle Stevie hits a home run.

Source: Purchased
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Sunday Matters

OLIVER is done! My kids have done this show three or four times now but this time around, it was the easiest, most well-rehearsed show. Everyone was awesome. Here is a photo that someone snapped of my daughter backstage as Mrs. Sowerberry, the undertaker’s wife. She got to sing That’s Your Funeral and fall into a coffin. So fun. That link is not her actually singing because we are not allowed to record but it’s such a fun song.

Mrs. Sowerberry from Oliver

And here is just a snippet of the show’s rehearsal that the theatre company posted. As you can see, very elaborate sets. Definitely not a high school production.

Right Now:

We had to miss church last weekend due to the production schedule so we are going this morning. No high school ministry tonight but the girls in my group want to meetup so I am meeting them later for frozen yogurt.

This Week:

Nothing. Guys, I have nothing. Well, I have work but no other commitments except Monday night outreach.

Reading:

I started Tin Man by Sarah Winman and it’s so good! The writing is so lovely. After just a page or two I completely fell into the story.

I will start my book club book today. We are reading Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? It’s an interesting choice for discussion.

Watching:

Nothing, although my life group ladies told me to watch Botched. Does anyone watch that show?

Making:

I’ve been ordering groceries online and I am really liking it. This week we will have pizza, a hamburger/cheese bake, Parmesan chicken with broccoli, and breakfast for dinner.

Grateful for:

Online groceries. I add to my cart throughout the week and then show up at a certain time for them to load up my car. And to be truthful, I’ve sent The Hub to pick it up twice now which is even easier for me!

What are you grateful for this week?

Chatting with friends about books and life…