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Bookish Talk, Life

Sunday Matters: Still Here

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Sunday Matters

It was not my intention to take a mini break from the blog but I guess that’s what I did. Everything is fine. I started meds for all of my auto-immune issues and it’s taking a little bit of time to get used to them. To distract myself I’ve been diving into my books whenever I can.

My son came down on Thursday for a few days and we just dropped him and his cat Root Beer off at the airport. It was a really nice visit. As you can imagine, the Otter Pup just loved seeing her cousin again.

Right Now:

I am about to hang with the students at student ministry and then  later today we have a special event so I will be back there after a much needed nap.

This Week:

I am hosting book club this Wednesday. We will be discussing Nightcrawling. What a brutal book but I really enjoyed it. The author does an excellent job of creating a sense of place and the characters are so believable.

On Saturday, I am having a few friends over for a BBQ. That will be fun. Still trying to figure out what I will make.

Reading:

I scored a review copy of The Cabinet of Dr. Leng by Preston and Child so I am reading that along with Demon Copperhead,  my next club pick. I also received a copy of Beth Moore’s new memoir, All My Knotted Up Life. I am REALLY excited for this book.

Watching:

  • I really want to see Jesus Revolution but movie times are scare where I am. Soon. I will catch it soon.

Grateful for:

  • Opportunities to speak at student ministry. It went well, guys!
  • The successful run of my daughter’s show at MSU. We didn’t get to see her this time but she said it was a great experience. She now has a callback for Prom, the musical.
  • FaceTime with the kids and kitties.

What are you looking forward to this week?

Book Review

Review: Black Cake

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Black CakeBlack Cake
By Charmaine Wilkerson
Ballantine Books, 9780593358351, November 2022, 416pp.

The Short of It:

This is a case of “like”, not love.

The Rest of It:

In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking tale Eleanor unfolds, the secrets she still holds back, and the mystery of a long-lost child challenge everything the siblings thought they knew about their lineage and themselves. ~ Publisher

I had a really hard time finalizing my thoughts on this one, which is why it’s taken me so long to post the review. This book confused me. I really liked parts of it, but much of it is repetitive, in my opinion, and towards the end of the book I felt like little progress had been made with the story or the characters. I kept looking for growth but didn’t find it.

This was my book club’s pick for February and the host even made us a black cake, like the one in the book. Oh Nellie that cake had a ton of rum in it. Haha! We enjoyed it a little too much. Even with the added spirits in the form of rum and wine, we couldn’t find much to discuss. We all felt that the author could  have done more with it. It was almost like she played it safe. I didn’t feel much for the characters and their actions were hard to explain. That said, I would probably pick up another book by this author because again, there were parts that I enjoyed. Other than that, I don’t have much to say about it.

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