Tag Archives: Family

Bookish Talk, Life

Sunday Matters: Thought I Had a Plan

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Sunday Matters

Last week I was very optimistic about setting up a summer reading schedule. I’ve always enjoyed summer reading. Then, the protests happened. The news took over. Things got very heated all the way around. I’ve seen so much nastiness and violence on social media. On its own, this is bad but with COVID still lurking about, it’s almost too much. Anxiety is high.

Right Now:

Meeting with my youth group in a bit. I think everyone is getting tired of Zoom, I know I am . After we meet, I am going to try to visit the bookstore. It is open but with restrictions. Not sure I will even get in as their is a limit to how many they will allow inside at once and you know me, I want to browse.

This Week:

Tonight, my daughter has a master class with the University of Michigan which I also have to attend and then on Tuesday, she has a consultation and a vocal assessment with the Musical Theatre College Audition group so she can figure out what she needs to do for college auditions. I will be attending those too. She finished classes so she is officially a SENIOR and no summer school this year because she is ahead of the game.

My son finished with his lectures and just has some work to turn in and then, drum roll please, he will be a SENIOR too. They both graduate in 2021. Can you even believe it?

Reading:

Hmmm. I wanted to start it last week but I will begin Hello Summer this weekend.

Watching:

We finished Broadchurch and now I am searching for something equally good. I really loved those characters. It is a hard show to beat.

I ended up watching It: Chapter Two on my own. It was not good. I don’t know why King movies suck. The books are always so good and I know he is often involved in some way. The only King movies I really enjoyed were The Shining and Carrie.

With summer around the corner it’s time for my annual viewing of JAWS.

Grateful for:

  • This little pup, who is modeling the blue light glasses that I got for my daughter. My daughter had eye strain from all the online school work but they got lost in the mail and came AFTER school ended.

Chloe wearing her glasses.

Did you survive the week? Have you ventured outside to do normal things? Tell me what you’ve done. I am still staying at home for the most part.

Book Review

Review: Then She Was Gone

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Then She Was Gone

Then She Was Gone
By Lisa Jewell
Atria Books, 9781501154652, November 2018, 384pp.

The Short of It:

One minute Ellie is there, the next minute she is gone and the wake of her disappearance leaves a family changed forever.

The Rest of It:

The Mack family, fairly happy and close knit as far as families go is forced to learn how to live without their oldest daughter. Ellie, the golden girl. The perfect daughter whose light and personality resonates with just about everyone she meets, doesn’t come home from school one day and her parents and family are left to pick up the pieces.

Laurel, can’t quite put her finger on why she thinks Ellie is still alive but as the years go by and nothing new is discovered, the case goes cold. As a mother, can you really let go without any real closure?

The Mack family is affected by Ellie’s disappearance in many ways. A sister, who lives a very secret life and can’t find ways to be close to Laurel like Ellie was. An ex-husband who was a good man, but had to move on with his life. A son who distances himself from the family as soon as he’s able, and then Laurel, who tries desperately to hang on to hope, but quickly realizes that it’s okay for her to find happiness too.

Until a new development is discovered in the case.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fast read but I felt for these characters. The author did a really good job of presenting all the conflicts and keeping the story fresh. I felt Laurel’s pain over her daughter’s disappearance but I also felt her need for happiness. The story came together in a good way too. Not too predictable or over the top.

I’ve read one other Jewell book and I know she has many others. I am happy to have found an author I can keep reading for awhile.

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