Family | Book Chatter

Sunday Matters

It’s strange how everything is ramping up again schedule-wise. School registration is at the end of this month and yet we have no final word on how classes will be handled this fall and school starts on 8/11. Voice, monologue and dance lessons all adding up. My calendar is slowly filling up again. I swore it wouldn’t. Can I go back to simple without having the entire world shutdown again?

Right Now:

At the moment I am prepping for a picnic with my youth group. We kept is simple. Meeting at a park. Everyone brings something to share. Not sure how much of a turnout we will have. RSVPs were spotty. I am looking forward to some fresh air.

This Week:

This week is pretty easy going. My daughter’s acting intensive starts this weekend but that’s all on her. She is very excited. Especially for the master classes with various Broadway stars. Other than that, not much else going on.

My son is moved into his rental house now. The new job is going well. Crossing my fingers that there won’t be another shutdown for California. Talk of one is looming.

My husband is glad to be back in the gym. It makes me nervous but he enjoys it.

Reading:

Last week I reviewed The Last Flight and Emma in the Night. This week my review for Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine will post. Oh my gosh! That book! Why was it marketed as warm and funny?? Yes, it has some warm and funny moments but I wasn’t expecting a story like that. Stop by later this week for the review.

I just picked up The Guest List by Lucy Foley. It’s on my Summer Reading List and I’ve read one other book by this author so I am looking forward to it.

Watching:

My daughter wanted me to watch The Edge of Seventeen with her. I enjoyed it but the actress in that role (Hailee Steinfeld) looks exactly like my daughter so it was like watching my daughter go through life. See a side by side here:

Grateful for:

Simple meals. Back to soup and a sandwich.
Patio coffee time
Plants. They’ve really cheered me up.
Bubly brand sparkling water

Are you also waiting for your school district to decide how fall will look? It’s causing a lot of anxiety in my house. I want my daughter to have a senior year but the hybrid models look so confusing.

The Mother-In-Law
By Sally Hepworth
St. Martin’s Griffin, 9781250120939, March 2020, 368pp.

*No Spoilers*

The Short of It:

Whether you can relate to having a Mother-In-Law of your own, or not, this book has you flipping the pages. It’s one of those easy, fast, reads that I am reaching for like crazy during this pandemic.

The Rest of It:

The story is told by the two main characters and alternates between the past and present. When Lucy meets Diana, everything she has heard about Mother-In-Laws is put to the side. After all, she’s not even married to Ollie yet and she’s a pretty agreeable person. Surely, they will get along.

But, Diana is a little different. She’s guarded and although she looks perfectly pleasant and is polite to a fault, there is something off putting about her. She’s a little cold, perhaps. Even to her own children, Ollie and Nettie, she lacks affection and Lucy immediately picks up on it but when she marries Ollie the deal is sealed. Diana is her Mother-In-Law whether she likes it or not.

As the story unfolds, Diana and Tom are asked countless times to help their kids out financially. Although Tom is up for it and certainly has the money to hand out, Diana doesn’t believe in handouts. She believes in hard work and struggle. This is a running theme throughout the story.

One day, Diana ends up dead. How did it happen? Why? Is there more to the story than meets the eye?

Yes.

On top of all the family drama, there is the question of what happened to Diana. This family has a lot of secrets and you know that always makes for good reading. Although I felt like the ending was a tad rushed, I enjoyed this book a lot and read it in just a couple of sittings.

You wouldn’t necessarily think of this book as a club read but there were questions in the back and I must admit, they were pretty thought provoking.

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

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