Reading Before it’s Over…

Is it really September 2^nd, already?  Really??  I woke up yesterday morning, and the first thought that popped into my head is that next week, my son starts school again.  So, preparing him for that fact, I mentioned it this morning.  He looked at me as if I were joking, and then, sensing the truth, he said, “For real?”  When I said yes, he shook his head slowly and replied, “I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”  Me neither.

There’s one more week of freedom, and summer’s not officially over for several more, so there’s still much fun reading to do before then.  And as I mentioned earlier in the week, after that, we simply move into fun autumn reading.  That’s the best thing about being a bookworm.  You can do it all year!

LEAVING BEFORE IT’S OVER by Jean Reynolds Page is a great book to pick up for the seasonal transition.  It’s all about shifting from one phase of life to another, and it’s about the way families thrust certain situations on us from which we simply cannot walk away.  Page creates the richest, most genuine characters you will come across, and while they are flawed, they are incredibly sympathetic.  LEAVING BEFORE IT’S OVER is a compelling family drama of twin brothers and family estrangement, secrets and lies, love and trust, and the wisdom of children in difficult times.  It’s the teenage children in this story who really see what’s going on, and who are able to pull their struggling family together.  There’s pretty much no way you won’t be moved by Page’s insights in this novel. Whether you’re a mother, a sister, a stepmother, a wife, a grandmother, she will touch us all.

Do you ever think about when you were a kid – and some things in life seemed so clear?