Sarai Henderson's Blog, page 190

Top 5 Books People Just Can't Seem To Finish

We all have them... A did not finish pile or DNF. Its only natural to find some books unfinishable or boring. I think though you would be surprised to find out what the top five books people can't seem to finish are, I know I was.


So, I've read all three of these books. They are all very different, but good in their own way. I can understand why Outlander is on the list. It is long and has sexy scenes that might not be everyone's cup of tea. The same is to be said about Fifty Shades of Grey. It is very erotic and should not be read lightly. The one that surprised me the most was The Book Thief. I loved this book and thought it was well written with a great story. Maybe its because its so sad. I'm not sure. If The Book Thief was on your DNF list, please tell me what it was about the book that made you put it down. 

These two books I have not read but are on my TBR list. I've heard a lot about this new book by J.K. Rowling. Most people I've talked to said it was terrible and made Rowling look like a one trick pony. I guess I'll have to make up my own mind. American Gods keeps sitting on my TBR pile because I'm not a big fan of Neil Gaiman and apparently a lot of people aren't either, but then again... a lot of people are.
Books are put down every day without a second look. We've all done it and we will all do it again. If you would like to see the whole list from Goodreads of the most DNF books, Click Here. I'd love to hear what books that you didn't finish and why. Leave me a comment bellow or send me an email. Let's connect.

The Truth of the Wall | Breach by W.L. Goodwater

Title: BreachBy: W.L. GoodwaterGenre: Historical FantasyPages: 336Release Date: November 6th, 2018Publisher: Ace
Summary from Goodreads: The first novel in a new Cold War fantasy series, where the Berlin Wall is made entirely of magic. When a breach unexpectedly appears in the wall, spies from both sides swarm to the city as World War III threatens to spark.
AFTER THE WAR, THE WALL BROUGHT AN UNEASY PEACE.

When Soviet magicians conjured an arcane Wall to blockade occupied Berlin, the world was outraged, but let it stand for the sake of peace. Now after ten years of fighting with spies instead of spells, the CIA has discovered the unthinkable:

THE WALL IS FAILING.

While refugees and soldiers mass along the border, operatives from East and West converge on the most dangerous city in the world to stop the crisis or take advantage of it.

Karen, a young magician with the American Office of Magical Research and Deployment, is sent to investigate the breach in the Wall and see if it can be fixed. Instead she will discover that the truth is elusive in this divided city, and that even magic itself has its own agenda.

THE TRUTH OF THE WALL IS ABOUT TO BE REVEALED.
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Review: A fantastic blend of history and magic. If you are looking for something new and fresh, look no further. This book throws you into a world full of magic. An incredible world where mystery and intrigue intertwine with our main character line. Its incredible really. The historical elements are spot on. Its an alternate timeline that feels like real life. Well done. 
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

5 Creepy Books To Read This Halloween

Halloween is next week and there is nothing like a good creepy book to get you in the Halloween spirit. Its one of my favorite times of the year. The leaves are falling the weather is cool and dreary. It just sets a certain ambiance that is so awesome. Grab a book and a cup of hot coco and sit in the window with a creepy story.

P.S. I jut had my wisdom tooth pulled and I'm a little loopy, so if this doesn't make any sense, it is not my fault.


It all starts when Jared Grace finds their great uncle's book, 'Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastic World Around You' and the Grace kids realize that they are not alone in their new house. Now the kids want to tell their story but the faeries will do everything they can to stop them.










This second novel begins in 1940, immediately after the first book ended. Having escaped Miss Peregrine’s island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. Along the way, they encounter new allies, a menagerie of peculiar animals, and other unexpected surprises.
Complete with dozens of newly discovered (and thoroughly mesmerizing) vintage photographs, this new adventure will delight readers of all ages. 






An unflinching, darkly funny, and deeply moving story of a boy, his seriously ill mother, and an unexpected monstrous visitor. 
At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting - he's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It's ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth.
From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd - whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself - Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.

There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives.

It is six months since the cataclysmic events of Abhorsen, six months Nicholas Sayre has spent recovering in the Ancelstierre. But he is desperate to return to the Old Kingdom, and at last has the chance.

All he has to do is spend a weekend in a country house as a favour for his Uncle Edward, Chief Minister of Ancelstierre. That seems easy enough, till he discovers that the house holds many secrets, and the worst of them is a relic of the Old Kingdom, too far from the Wall for any spark of its magical life to reignite.

Unless someone finds a way to unleash its power....

The Ultimate Sacrifice | War of the Wilted by Amber Mitchell

Title: War of the WiltedBy: Amber MitchellGenre: FantasyPages: 360Release Date: October 1st, 2018Publisher: Entangled Teen
Summary from Goodreads: Like flowers denied water, people are wilting under the emperor's tyranny.
Rose will not rest until the Gardener is dead. But there are bigger battles to fight, and Rayce—leader of the rebellion and the only man Rose has ever loved—believes their best chance at winning the war is to join forces with her sworn enemy.

Saving innocent people is more important than her quest for revenge. But their new ally can’t be trusted—and he knows her darkest secret. One betrayal could leave the war and Rayce’s life hanging in the balance, and Rose will need to make the ultimate sacrifice to save them all. 
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Review: Oh goodness! I was super excited to read this story. The first book was awesome. Great concept. Something new and never before seen. That is a rare thing in the world of books. This second installment seemed more generic to me, not that the story was bad, but it was something I had already heard. This was the only reason I gave it a four star and not a five star. Love the author and her writing style. She really brings her world to life in a very colorful way. Loved the characters and how they interact. This was a great book and should be read ASAP!
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

What I'm Reading This Week | #WeeklyMenu Week #271

Is it Monday again? Well, shoot. What a crazy week. I feel like the life has been sucked out of me and I am just a husk of flesh and bone. Wow, were did that come from? That was some serious creepiness coming out of my brain. Talk about Halloween, sheesh. My youngest came down with an ear infection. Poor little guy. He was up all night Thursday and it threw his sleep schedule off. He then got me up at 1am the next morning and kept me up until I had to go to work. Needless to say, my boss sent me home to get some sleep. Slept again from 9am to noon. I think we are on the mend now.

This weeks read is going to be Limetown by Cote Smith, Zack Akers, Skip Bronkie. Its a prequel to the same named pod cast that I have to say I've never listened to, but the book sounds really amazing so here we are. I've never thought that a pod cast was really my thing, but who knows, maybe I will listen to it just this once.

Well, make sure you check out this weeks menu, its going to be amazing. Enjoy!

Monday- Balsamic Fig Chicken
Tuesday- Tuscan Sausage and Pepper Spaghetti 
Wednesday- Cheesy Beef Tostadas
Thursday- Mediterranean Roasted Chicken
Friday- Chicken Sausage Flatbread
Saturday- Tuscan Sausage Soup
Sunday- Leftovers Night

Even Her Conscience | The Shadow Glass by Rin Chupeco

Title: The Shadow GlassBy: Rin ChupecoGenre: FantasyPages: 432Release Date: March 1st, 2019Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Summary from Goodreads: In the highly anticipated finale to the Bone Witch trilogy, Tea’s life—and the fate of the kingdoms—hangs in the balance 
Tea is a bone witch with the dark magic needed to raise the dead. She has used this magic to breathe life into those she has loved and lost…and those who would join her army against the deceitful royals. But Tea's quest to conjure a shadowglass—to achieve immortality for the one person she loves most in the world—threatens to consume her heart.

Tea's black heartsglass only grows darker with each new betrayal. And when she is left with new blood on her hands, Tea must answer to a power greater than the elder asha or even her conscience...

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Review: Well, I finally got through this book. I didn't really like it as much as I liked the first too. This one seemed heavy and bogged down. I guess the best way to explain it was that the story was thick. I still loved the characters though, they really made the book worth while. 
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

Everything The Girls Hold Dear | Aaru: Halls of Hel by David Meredith

Title: Aaru: Halls of HelBy: David MeredithGenre: ScifiPages: 386Release Date: July 27th, 2018Publisher: Amazon
Summary from Goodreads: “… Let them have everything - health, food, a place to live, entertainment. They are and remain unhappy and low-spirited for the demon waits and waits…”-Friedrich Nietzsche

Rose is a Veda.

In Elysian Industries’ virtual paradise of Aaru, that means she’s practically a goddess. She is immortal. She is powerful. A limitless paradise is hers and her friends’ to command. They are free from sickness and pain, old age and death. She should be ecstatic over her prestige and privilege, but the gilded utopia has lost its luster. 

In a reality where anything can be hers with a thought, and Rose can master any skill instantly with nothing but her imagination, to what can she still aspire? She has all of eternity to fill, but what will her purpose be? Rose adores her sweet, Latin boyfriend, Franco. She loves wiling away endless immaculate days with her friends, but shouldn’t there be more to life than mere play? Also, Rose is dogged by deep concern for her little sister, Koren, the Elysian Industries spokes-model and reality star back in the “Before” world.

Though Koren is wealthy, famous, and idolized by millions of adoring fans, her life is spinning out of control. Her parents’ marriage is on the rocks, and the boyfriend of her dreams, Jonas Perry, seems suddenly indifferent. Koren finds her celebrity increasingly isolating, her grueling work schedule exhausting, and the constant scrutiny of her personal life unwelcomed and intrusive. To top it all off, she has regular nightmares about the death of her friend, Kiku, and the still-at-large Magic Man who nearly stole away her everything.

Koren and Rose have more to fear from this quarter than they know. Magic Man’s obsession with the teenage idol has not lessened, and he is far from defeated. With vital aid from an unexpected source, his nefarious schemes to make Koren his own and to hack the Aaru mainframe are on track and moving forward. Unless the sisters can thwart his sinister designs, everyone and everything the girls hold dear could be destroyed.

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Review: Another great read from David Meredith. I really enjoyed the first book, but the second installment really touches on how we can perceive something as perfect when it is far from it. Meredith took his characters from the last book and gave them more depth. They loved and cried. There was pain and heartache, but joy too. That is what I loved about this book. Don't get me wrong, the story was good too, but that characters were what drew me into the book.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

Captured Her Own Heart | Evermore by Sara Holland

Title: EvermoreBy: Sara HollandGenre: FantasyPages: 368Release Date: December 31st, 2018Publisher: HarperTeen
Summary from Goodreads: The highly anticipated sequel to New York Times bestseller, Everless! 
Jules Ember was raised hearing legends of the ancient magic of the wicked Alchemist and the good Sorceress. But she has just learned the truth: not only are the stories true, but she herself is the Alchemist, and Caro—a woman who single-handedly murdered the Queen and Jules’s first love, Roan, in cold blood—is the Sorceress.

The whole kingdom believes that Jules is responsible for the murders, and a hefty bounty has been placed on her head. And Caro is intent on destroying Jules, who stole her heart twelve lifetimes ago. Jules must delve into the stories that she now recognizes are accounts of her own past. For it is only by piecing together the mysteries of her lives that Jules will be able to save the person who has captured her own heart in this one.
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Review: I put down all of my other books to read this one because I was so excited to get the sequel to one of my favorite books I've read this year. Yippy! The story was great with a lot of twists and turns. We pick up where the last book drops off with Jules on the run for her life. Our main character keeps running into trouble and loosing the ones that she loves. Tragic. I loved how we got to see a more loving side of Liam. I also loved the new characters Elias and Stef. They brought a wonderful feeling to the story. 
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

Her Mysterious Lineage | Assassin's Creed Odyssey by Gordon Doherty

Title: Assassin's Creed OdysseyBy: Gordon DohertyGenre: Historical FictionPages: 384Release Date: October 30, 2018Publisher: Ace
Summary from Goodreads: Get ready for Odyssey: journey deeper in the world of Assassin's Creed in the official novel of the highly anticipated new game, coming October 2018.
Greece, 5th century BCE. Kassandra is a mercenary of Spartan blood, sentenced to death by her family, cast out into exile. Now she will embark on an epic journey to become a legendary hero - and uncover the truth about her mysterious lineage.
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Review: If books could talk this one would tell you about a story of loss, war and hope. All the things you need to wield a good tail. We follow a young girl who has to overcome being cast out by her family. It is a long journey, but in the end she becomes her own woman. I loved how in-depth the story was. I could really feel the world around me, but at times it felt heavy and was hard to work through. This made the read long and tedious. It was a good story, but too much work for me to enjoy.  
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

What I'm Reading This Week | #WeeklyMenu Week #270

Ahh Monday! Its really nice not to have to work on Monday. I work one Monday a year and that was last Monday, Columbus Day. It really throws the whole week off. I had to grocery shop, do laundry and clean the house all on Sunday instead of spreading it out over both days. Terrible...

Anyway, I know NaNoWriMo is coming up in a few weeks and I'm on the fence if I want to participate. Its a lot of work. You have to write over 1700 words a day and right now I'm averaging about 1700 words a week. There just isn't time. I'm leaning toward not participating. I've already won NaNoWriMo back in 2015, so its not like I haven't done it. How many of you are thinking about participating? Have you done it before?

This weeks book is going to be Strange the Dreamer. I've decided to start reading more books on my TBR list and take time back from my reviews. Its heard for me because my eyes are usually bigger than my stomach so to say, but is that really a bad thing. I have over 500 books on my TBR pile and its not getting any smaller.

I joined a book club on Goodreads, Bookworm Bitches... The October read is Strange the Dreamer. I figure, if I can read the book of the month from my book club that I already have on my TBR pile, I will widdle down some of those books I've been needing to read. How do you take care of your TBR pile? 

Here is this weeks menu. Enjoy!


Monday- Sausage and Orzo
Tuesday- Korean Beef
Wednesday- Fajita Bar
Thursday- Balsamic Onion Chicken
Friday- Southwestern Pork Burgers
Saturday- Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Sunday- Leftovers Night