Sarai Henderson's Blog, page 175

20 Books of Summer 2019

Its too bad I got in on the 20 books of summer at the end of the season, but even though it's a little late to share the books i'm planning on reading, I can still share the 20 best books I read this summer. Lets get to it.

Salvation Day by Kali WallaceThis Is Where It Ends by Marieke NijkampVicious by V.E. SchwabBeneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. SullivanLast Ones Left Alive by Sarah Davis-GoffWilder Girls by Rory PowerThe Tuscan Child by Rhys BowenKeeping Lucy by T. GreenwoodLock Every Door by Riley SagerRust & Stardust by T. GreenwoodThe Passengers by John MarrsThe Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth SteinThings You Save in a Fire by Katherine CenterA Court of Thorns and Roses by Sara J. MaasThe Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick NessChangeling by William RitterNOS4A2 by Joe HillFever 1793 by Laurie Halse AndersonWhat a Scot Wants by Amalie HowardBird Box by Josh Malerman
This challenge was put on by 746 Books, so make sure you head on over and check out their 20 books of summer. Did you start a book challenge this summer? Did you read every book you said you were going to read? Tell me all about it in the comments.

Book Review: What a Scot Wants by Amalie Howard and Angie Morgan

Title: What a Scot WantsBy: Amalie Howard and Angie Morgan Genre: Historical RomancePages: 400Release Date: August 26th, 2019Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC (Amara)Rating: ★★★★☆
Summary from Goodreads: Highlander Ronan Maclaren must marry, but he’s in no particular hurry. He’s perfectly happy as the laird of his clan, running the Maclaren Whisky Distillery, and besides, he just hasn’t found the right woman.
Lady Imogen Kinley has cleverly avoided wedlock for years. Men, she has learned from painful experience, are not to be trusted. Determined to remain independent, she takes an indecent amount of pleasure in making herself as unattractive to potential suitors as possible.

When desperate measures are taken by their parents and a betrothal contract is signed, it’s loathing at first sight. They each vow to make the other cry off—by any means necessary. But what starts out as a battle of wits...quickly dissolves into a battle of wills.
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Review: A captivating tale of romance and deceit. I'm always drawn to historical romances, especially the ones with a highlander. This book was intense. It seemed like everyone had a secret, even when you weren't expecting them to have one. I loved the plot. Neither character wants to marry the other, but they find out that they really need each other in the end. There was romance and drama, thrilling drama. It was a wonderful read.  
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

August 2019 Wrap Up

So, August is over and September is here. Can we really be this far into 2019? The kids are going back to school, the weather is becoming colder and the days are shorter.

The art of racing in the rain~Super Turbo and the fire breathing dragon~Rust & Stardust~Things you save in the fire~A court of thorns and roses

Super Turbo protects the world~The passengers~Lock every door~Keeping Lucy~The Tuscan child~Wilder girls

Sword and Pen~Star Trek Discovery~NOS4A2~The knife of never letting go~Fever 1793 How to forget~Bird Box~The Oddmire~What a Scot wants~Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi
Above the Veil~Unearthed~Naked Mole Rat Saves the World~Star Wars: Darkest Knight~The call of the wild~The raven's heart Inkheart~Hitler's forgotten children~A little hotel in Cornwall

2019 Reading Challenge - I'm up to 96%. 144/150. I'm not planning on increasing my challenge, but I have a felling I will be done with it within the next week or two. 
2018 Best of Goodreads Challenge - I made a goal at the beginning of the year to read all the best books from 2018 on Goodreads. I feel like I'm behind, but I have 7 books left and if I get to it. I can finish them by the end of the year. 
Gilmore Girl Reading Challenge - I am so far behind on this one. This is not going to happen this year since I've only read a few books on this list and I'm keeping track if the ones I'm reading are even on the list. We shall see. If I can finish my best of 2018 quickly, I might start on this one. 


I managed to read 30 books in August and I'm hoping to read the same amount this month. Lets get to reading, we're wasting time.

Weekly Menu #315 And The Book Of The Week

Monday! This is my last Monday before school starts. I'm ready to have my quiet time back, but I'm sure going to miss the chaotic fun of having the boys around. It really has been a fun summer.


I'ts time for your weekly read, hosted by me (Sara) @ Book Confessions. This weeks read is How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by  K. Eason. I've heard a lot of good things about this book and I'm excited to dive into the pages. Picked it up from Netgalley so you should be seeing a review of it shortly. What book will you be picking up this week? Leave me a comment below.

The Weekly Read is hosted here @ Book Confessions and is a post to share what you're planning on reading this week. It can be one book or many books. Make sure to share your weekly read in the comments below so others can see what you're up to and share their reads as well. Make sure to link back to http://www.exballerina.com.

Lets get on to the weekly menu. Enjoy!

Monday- Parmesan Thyme Chicken
Tuesday- BBQ Pork Tenderloin 
Wednesday- Japanese Beef Noodles
Thursday- Tarragon Chicken
Friday- Seared Steak and Ranch Wedges 
Saturday- Chinese Chicken Salad
Sunday- Leftovers Night

Sunday Confessions # 7

Sunday Confessions # 6~Weekly Menu #314 And The Book Of The Week~Blackberry Cookies and a Book~Book Review: The Passengers by John Marrs~Recent Netgalley and Edelweiss Book Haul~Book Review: Sword and Pen by Rachel Caine 


Weekly Menu #315 And The Book Of The Week~Book Review: What a Scot Wants by Amalie Howard and Angie Morgan~Book Review: Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center~Sunday Confessions # 8




 A little Hotel in Cornwall was a book that I won from a giveaway on another blog. I'm excited to read it and receive my Tardis tin that comes with it. This was a fun giveaway.

The Goldfinch was recently made in to a movie and I always like to read the book before I watch the movie if I can. The story line sounds great, so this one is a must.

I can't remember where the Girl King came from. It has been on hold at the library for so long I completely forgot. But who cares, it looks awesome and can't wait to read it.


All three of these books were recommended by a few of my favorite bloggers. They look really good, but I think the Unhoneymooners looks the best and I might want to read this one next. If you haven't read the synopsis, click here. It's a must. 


The Ardent Biblio has a really cute post about dinner and Anne of Green Gables. The pictures are amazing. You should check it out.
Destiny at The Howling Libraries has another wonderful Sunday Post. I always love to catch up on what my fellow bloggers have been up to.

I found this touching post about being written off by the one person you thought you could trust, your best friend. Click Here.
Its been a wonderful week and I hope to zoom right through these new books I've picked up. Make sure you stop back by to read the reviews and of course, I want to hear what you are reading this week.

Book Review: Sword and Pen by Rachel Caine

Title: Sword and PenBy: Rachel CaineGenre: FantasyPages: 368Release Date: May 12th, 2020Publisher: Berkley Books Rating: ★★★★☆
Summary from Goodreads: With the future of the Great Library in doubt, the unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone must decide if it's worth saving in this thrilling adventure in the New York Times bestselling series.
The corrupt leadership of the Great Library has fallen. But with the Archivist plotting his return to power, and the Library under siege from outside empires and kingdoms, its future is uncertain. Jess Brightwell and his friends must come together as never before, to forge a new future for the Great Library . . . or see everything it stood for crumble. 

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Review: I'm so excited this series keeps going. The Great Library is under siege. Will they survive the fighting, or will they all parish. There are a lot of exciting fighting scenes that really had me biting my nails. The character interaction was awesome. We got to revisit our favorite people as the story finally builds to a wonderful climax. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. 
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

Recent Netgalley and Edelweiss Book Haul

Recently, I've been back on the request trail and have picked up quite a few awesome review books from Netgalley and Edelweiss. Right now I have five books still left to read and review, so lets get to them.


A town gripped by fear. A woman accused of witchcraft. Who can save Pale Harbor from itself?

Maine, 1846. Gabriel Stone is desperate to escape the ghosts that haunt him in Massachusetts after his wife’s death, so he moves to Maine, taking a position as a minister in the remote village of Pale Harbor.

But not all is as it seems in the sleepy town. Strange, unsettling things have been happening, and the townspeople claim that only one person can be responsible: Sophronia Carver, a reclusive widow who lives with a spinster maid in the eerie Castle Carver. Sophronia must be a witch, and she almost certainly killed her husband.

As the incidents escalate, one thing becomes clear: they are the work of a twisted person inspired by the wildly popular stories of Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. And Gabriel must find answers, or Pale Harbor will suffer a fate worthy of Poe’s darkest tales. 






In this fast-paced, international thriller, chaos erupts after a shadowy figure with ties to an elite and ancient society posts incantations on the dark web that allow people to perform real magic.

When an enigmatic message uploaded to the dark web turns out to contain an ancient secret giving regular people the power to do impossible things, like levitate cars or make themselves invisible, American government officials panic. They know the demo videos on YouTube and instructions for incantations could turn from fantastical amusement to dangerous weapon at the drop of the hat, and they scramble to keep the information out of the wrong hands.

They tap Ben Zolstra, an ex-CIA field operative whose history with the Agency is conflicted at best, to lead the team that’s racing to contain the dangerous knowledge—and track down the mysterious figure behind the leak who threatens that even more dangerous spells will be released one by one until the world as we know it no longer exists.

This sweeping, globe-spanning thriller explores the dark consequences of a question mankind has been asking for centuries: What if magic were real?




Shave the princess? Inconceivable! The hilarious bestselling authors of Kill the Farm Boy and No Country for Old Gnomes are back with a new adventure in the irreverent world of Pell.

Once upon a time, a princess slept in a magical tower cloaked in thorns and roses.

When she woke, she found no Prince Charming, only a surfeit of hair and grotesquely long fingernails--which was, honestly, better than some creep who acted without consent. She cut off her long braids and used them to escape. But she kept the beard because it made a great disguise.

This is not a story about finding true love's kiss--it's a story about finding yourself. On a pirate ship. Where you belong.

But these are no ordinary pirates aboard The Puffy Peach, serving under Filthy Lucre, the one-eyed parrot pirate captain. First there's Vic, a swole and misogynistic centaur on a mission to expunge himself of the magic that causes him to conjure tea and dainty cupcakes in response to stress. Then there's Tempest, who's determined to become the first dryad lawyer--preferably before she takes her ultimate form as a man-eating tree. They're joined by Alobartalus, an awkward and unelfly elf who longs to meet his hero, the Sn'archivist who is said to take dictation directly from the gods of Pell. Throw in some mystery meat and a dastardly capitalist plot, and you've got one Pell of an adventure on the high seas!

In this new escapade set in the magical land of Pell, Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne lovingly skewer the tropes of fairy tales and create a new kind of fantasy: generous, gently humorous, and inclusive. There might also be otters. 



First in a duology that reimagines fairy tale tropes within a space opera—The Princess Bride meets Princess Leia. 
 
Rory Thorne is a princess with thirteen fairy blessings, the most important of which is to see through flattery and platitudes. As the eldest daughter, she always imagined she’d inherit her father’s throne and govern the interplanetary Thorne Consortium. 
 
Then her father is assassinated, her mother gives birth to a son, and Rory is betrothed to the prince of a distant world.
 
When Rory arrives in her new home, she uncovers a treacherous plot to unseat her newly betrothed and usurp his throne. An unscrupulous minister has conspired to name himself Regent to the minor (and somewhat foolish) prince. With only her wits and a small team of allies, Rory must outmaneuver the Regent and rescue the prince.
 
How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is a feminist reimagining of familiar fairytale tropes and a story of resistance and self-determination—how small acts of rebellion can lead a princess to not just save herself, but change the course of history.



Fae was once a flourishing paradise. Until Death turned greedy and destroyed it, targeting the creatures who inhabited it. Those who survived escaped to Earth’s realm, but Death wasn’t far behind . . .

Olivia Finn is just another pixie trying to blend in among humans and hide from the death hounds who devoured her family. Clinging to the talisman that keeps her veiled from those who hunt her, she believes she is safe. . .. Until Death finds her and discovers she’s immune to its grip.

Now that Olivia’s power is unearthed, she is sought by Fae who see her as their savior and stalked by dark entities compelled to destroy her. Can she trust the King of the Dead who has sworn to train and protect her? Or should she obey her instincts that warn he desires more?

Olivia can no longer hide from Death. To survive, she must seek it.







Alright! Let's get reading!

Book Review: The Passengers by John Marrs

Title: The Passengers
By: John MarrsGenre: ScifiPages: 400Release Date: April 1st, 2019Publisher: Ebury DigitalRating: ★★★★★
Summary from Goodreads: Eight self-drive cars set on a collision course. Who lives, who dies? You decide.
When someone hacks into the systems of eight self-drive cars, their passengers are set on a fatal collision course.

The passengers are: a TV star, a pregnant young woman, a disabled war hero, an abused wife fleeing her husband, an illegal immigrant, a husband and wife - and parents of two - who are travelling in separate vehicles and a suicidal man. Now the public have to judge who should survive but are the passengers all that they first seem?
Addon Goodreads

Review: A phenomenal thriller full of twist after twist. How can one book surprise me time and again? Just when I think I understand, another plot twist happens and I’m flabbergasted. I loved this story because you never know what is true and what is fake. Who is behind the hijacking? Who is really a terrible person and who is faking it? You don’t know and you don’t find out until the end. And even thought the book leads you on, it’s a nice smooth ride until, BAM! It hits you. Even the last few pages are filled with a plot twist. Five stars for The Passengers.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

Blackberry Cookies and a Book: The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen

With the summer coming to an end, my blackberries are in overdrive. I have way too many and don't know what to do with them. Pinterest is my friend. I did a search for blackberry everything and came across this delicious cookie recipe. I think I ate way to many in one sitting. Ugh!
These cookies would pair wonderfully with a good book, maybe this book by Rhys Bowen. I really enjoyed this historical fiction full of mystery and deceit during world war 2. 
Goodreads Summary: A novel about a woman who braves her father’s hidden past to discover his secrets…
In 1944, British bomber pilot Hugo Langley parachuted from his stricken plane into the verdant fields of German-occupied Tuscany. Badly wounded, he found refuge in a ruined monastery and in the arms of Sofia Bartoli. But the love that kindled between them was shaken by an irreversible betrayal.
Nearly thirty years later, Hugo’s estranged daughter, Joanna, has returned home to the English countryside to arrange her father’s funeral. Among his personal effects is an unopened letter addressed to Sofia. In it is a startling revelation.
Still dealing with the emotional wounds of her own personal trauma, Joanna embarks on a healing journey to Tuscany to understand her father’s history—and maybe come to understand herself as well. Joanna soon discovers that some would prefer the past be left undisturbed, but she has come too far to let go of her father’s secrets now…

Check out the full recipe at Butter with a side of Bread

BLACKBERRY OATMEAL COOKIES1 cup butter, softened to room temperature1 cup packed light brown sugar1/2 cup white sugar2 eggs2 tsp vanilla extract1 1/4 cups flour + 2 TBSP flour, divided1/2 tsp baking soda1 tsp salt3 cups quick oats1 cup white chocolate chips1 cup blackberries, quartered (if your blackberries are huge, you might cut them into sixths or even eighths!)

Weekly Menu #314 And The Book Of The Week

Welcome back to Monday. Its the last Monday before September and the second to last Monday before school starts for us. Its almost time to wrap up the month and I'm super excited about it. I still can't believe its September already.

This weeks book is going to be The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. I'm really excited to read this one. I was moved by a Monster Calls. It made me cry and I want to know if Patrick Ness has it in him again. Can the writer make me feel something? The story line sounds amazing. Who is with me on this one?

It's going to be a long week so we better get to it. Enjoy!


Monday- Parmesan Thyme Chicken
Tuesday- Five Spice Beef Stir Fry
Wednesday- Creamy Skillet Tortellini 
Thursday- Grilled Chicken and Arugula 
Friday- Hoisin Glazed Pork Tenderloin 
Saturday- Steak and Garlic Butter
Sunday- Leftovers Night