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Sunday Matters: Winding Down

Sunday Matters

I always struggle with the title for these posts. Each week it seems like the days drag but then here we are, it’s Sunday again. How are you? As the world starts to ramp up again, we are finally winding down here. My daughter is taking a breather before in-person classes start. They are shooting for March 29th.

I just heard that we are moving out of the red tier, which is pretty restrictive so indoor dining, museums and the like may be opening up again soon. I have been dying to go to the museum. I never realized how much art played a role in my happiness. I kind of did but not really. Isn’t that how it is? We don’t really know until it’s gone.

Right Now:

As you read this, I am at church attending the big service and then youth group follows right after. I am double-masking. Last week seemed to go pretty well. I am actually really glad about youth group going back to mornings. My Sunday evenings are free again!

This Week:

Not a whole lot going on this week. Work, as usual but then mid-week there is a virtual publishing conference I signed-up for. I am eager to see which books they discuss.

One thing I need to do this week is shop for towels. It’s such a domestic thing to look for but I like a good towel and ours are on their last leg. Let’s just say they have served their purpose. Fun! I already went to look at towels last week and was not impressed. Funny how I expect to be impressed by towels. I like the Turkish towels I have seen around but they would get destroyed in this house. One swipe of mascara and they’d be done for.

Reading:

I just finished Good Company by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney. I should have the review up next week. I liked it better than her other book, The Nest.

I have two reviews coming up this week that you won’t want to miss. BRAT: An 80’s Story and The Beauty of What Remains.

Now that those reviews are scheduled, I am diving into When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain.

When the Stars Go Dark

Watching:

I fear the end of Schitt’s Creek might happen this week. We have just a few episodes left. It will be a sad, sad day when that series ends for us.

The Walking Dead has gone rogue again. Starts off good. Falls apart. This season is only six episodes due to their COVID shooting scheduled and it’s not going anywhere.

I did catch the Oprah interview after-the-fact. I don’t doubt that they have had a tough run of it and that Meghan has been treated differently but why, why sign-up for such a high-profile interview AND a reality TV show? I am not hinting at the money aspect. I just feel that if they want out, get out. Out of the spotlight. Out of the public eye as much as possible anyway.

I got sidetracked.

My son wants me to watch WandaVision. It doesn’t seem to be my kind of show but I told him I would watch so I will start this week.

Grateful for:

  • I’m glad that double-masking doesn’t add more fog to my glasses. Ha! I feared it would but it actually prevents it! I am using a paper mask and then a fabric one and it seems to cut down on the fog.
  • Happy scents. I am such a scent person. The smell of citrus or a really good candle puts me in the best mood. I just repurchased a perfume that I often wear and just one spritz takes me away from this working-at-home vortex I am in. Before, I was like, why bother? But now, I am more of the school of why not.
  • Soon we get to visit with my son. We will meet in Solvang. It’s known as a “little slice of Denmark” and touristy as heck but it’s fun. I will try to take a photo of the pup in a wooden shoe.

On a special note:

Remember that news that I said I could not discuss? Well, my daughter entered a competition through Spotlight (The Music Center) and was chosen as a semi-finalist for the Non-Classical Voice category!

Sadly, she did not move forward to finals but what an experience. We are so proud of her. She did this in the middle of college auditions so it was just one more thing added to her plate but she ought to be very proud. Here is a snap of the semi-finalists:

Spotlight

Tell me what you are doing this weekend or what you are looking forward to. Or, if you have a great book that I have to read!

Review: Watching You

Watching You

Watching You
By Lisa Jewell
Atria Books, 9781501190087, August 2019, 352pp.

The Short of It:

Twisty and full of surprises.

The Rest of It:

Melville Heights is one of those pristine English neighborhoods with brightly painted houses and manicured landscaping. Newly married Joey Mullen and her husband are invited to move in with her brother and his wife. Her brother and wife are expecting their first baby and could probably use the help down the line. Although Joey loves being close to her brother, she also feels like their company is not wanted and feels out of place at times.

In the same neighborhood is a good looking man who happens to be the head at the local school. Tom Fitzwilliams has this sure way of carrying himself and Joey finds herself looking forward to their run-ins as innocent as they seem, until they aren’t so innocent anymore and she can’t ignore this feeling of being watched. Tom has his own family but Joey doesn’t know much about them except that his son spends a lot of time at home and doesn’t seem to have many friends of his own.

Then, there is a murder. A woman is found dead and the details of the event slowly unfold and become more complicated as various parts of the story are revealed. There is so much more to this story than just the murder. The dynamics of family, teens, married couples and the past all collide in a satisfying way. At times I could see where the story was headed, but in the end, there are surprises that I did not see and it made for a very enjoyable read.

I’ve read four other books by Jewell, see below, but this is probably my favorite of the ones I’ve read.

Invisible Girl
The Family Upstairs
The Girls in the Garden
Then She Was Gone

Source: Purchased
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.