Sarai Henderson's Blog, page 194

What I'm Reading This Week | #WeeklyMenu Week #263

It's Monday again and vacation is over. This is the last week before school starts and all my babies are off into the world. Middle school, and two in grade school. How did I get this old? My baby is five and my oldest is a pre-teen. I'm not ready for this, but who is.

I'm really going to try and work on my writing this week. It's been a while since I've sat down and written anything more than a blog post. It's disheartening. I want to write, but every time I sit down, I feel angry and unwilling. Push through, I must push through. Otherwise, nothing will ever be finished and I have several books I want to write.

This weeks, I'm going to finish Storm of the Gods by Amy Braun. I started it on my beach vacation and I'm really excited to finish it. Its right up my ally. Magic, urban fantasy and one of the characters is named Liam and that is my babies name. Great name. The other books I've read by Amy Braun have been great. I can't imagine this one would be any different.

This weeks menu is going to be delicious and I can't wait to dive into it. Enjoy!


Monday- Southwestern Beef Tacos
Tuesday- Thyme and Honey Pork Chops
Wednesday- Amazing Apricot Chicken
Thursday- Southwestern Pork Burrito Bowl
Friday- Cayenne Ranch Chicken
Saturday- Argentina Chimichurri Steak
Sunday- Leftovers Night

Vacation Week | #WeeklyMenu Week #262

It's a mid week menu. We've been on vacation for the last four days and I haven't had access to the internet or the time to really sit down and hash out a menu, but now that we are back at home, I'm putting together a little menu for the rest of the week, just so I don't have to think about it after this. 
Vacation stuff will come later this week or next week, depending on how I feel and how much work I want to do while I'm trying to rest and reset before the boys go back to school. 
Here is a little help for the rest of the week. Enjoy!
Thursday- Beef Ragu Spaghetti
Friday- Tomato Tortelloni Soup
Saturday- Argentina Chimichurri Steak 
Sunday- Leftovers Night

Jean will reclaim her voice | Vox by Christina Dalcher

Title: VoxBy: Christina DalcherGenre: Urban Fantasy/DystopianPages: 336Release Date: August 21st, 2018Publisher: Berkley
Summary from Goodreads: Set in an America where half the population has been silenced, VOX is the harrowing, unforgettable story of what one woman will do to protect herself and her daughter.
On the day the government decrees that women are no longer allowed more than 100 words daily, Dr. Jean McClellan is in denial--this can't happen here. Not in America. Not to her.

This is just the beginning.

Soon women can no longer hold jobs. Girls are no longer taught to read or write. Females no longer have a voice. Before, the average person spoke sixteen thousand words a day, but now women only have one hundred to make themselves heard.

But this is not the end. 

For herself, her daughter, and every woman silenced, Jean will reclaim her voice.

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Review: This book was really infuriating to read. I wanted to stab it with a pencil and throw it against the wall. I guess that's what you want from a book though. One that makes you feel extreme emotion. It kind of had a Handmaid's Tale kind of vibe where men ran the world and women were only there to serve them, but that's as far as I would go with that comparison.

The first half of the book was really intense. It was interesting and drew me in. The second half of the book seemed like a completely different story. It was like starting over. I never really felt connected to the characters and their struggle.

Although there was a great premise to the book, I felt a little let down. Still, it was a good afternoon read and I'm not mad that I picked it up.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

Vacation

I'm on vacation this week. I'll be back next week with a menu and more books and movies. Happy vacation.

Camping time | A trip to the Redwoods

Its that time of year again, VACATION TIME! Every August we take a week vacation with the boys and usually head to the beach. This year, we wanted to try something different. Instead of Cannon Beach, Oregon, where we usually go, we are headed to the redwoods in California.
I've always wanted to see the redwoods and with the recent fires in California threatening the amazing forest, we thought it was about time that we took a gander on the giant trees. They boys are old enough now to have memories and this will be a great start. 

While we are having a blast in California, Check out these 7 awesome hikes in Oregon for you to take this weekend. Make sure you stop back by and tell me about it. 

The very heart of the Misery | Ravencry by Ed McDonald

Title: RavenCryBy: Ed McDonaldGenre: FantasyPages: 380Release Date: June 18th, 2018Publisher: Gollancz
Summary from Goodreads: Four years have passed since Nall’s Engine drove the Deep Kings back across the Misery, but as they hurl fire from the sky, darker forces plots against the republic.
A new power is rising: a ghost in the light known only as the Bright Lady manifests in visions across the city, and the cult that worship her grasp for power even as the city burns around them.

When Crowfoot’s arcane vault is breached, an object of terrible power is stolen, and Galharrow and his Blackwings must once find out which of Valengrad’s enemies is responsible before they have a chance to use it.

To save Valengrad, Galharrow, Nenn and Tnota must venture to a darker, more twisted and more dangerous place than any they’ve walked before: the very heart of the Misery.

RAVENCRY is the second book in the Raven’s Mark series, continuing the story that began with the award winning epic fantasy BLACKWING.
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Review: I'm always a fan of Ed McDonald's work. He has a unique world that I'm excited to explore. The characters were solid and full of life. The story had depth and was unpredictable. I was actually scared after wrapping up Blackwing, that this book was going to fall short of the greatness that McDonald had already created. I was not disappointed. 
Four stars for Ravencry! 
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

If they hear you, they hunt you | A Quiet Place Review

Title: A Quiet Place Genre: Horror Release Date: April 6th, 2018Rating: 7.7/10Cast: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski 
Summary from IMDB: In a post-apocalyptic world, a family is forced to live in silence while hiding from monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing.
IMDB Trailer 
Review: AAAHHHH! What is happening? This is one messed up movie. I love it so much, but hate it at the same time. 
There is tragedy in the very beginning of the movie. Its heart breaking and so sad. The rest of the movie is the family trying to get back to life as best they can with super freaky monster things that can hear everything surrounding them. 
First off, I want to know where these things came from? Are they aliens? Did the government create them? Where did they come from? This is never explaned in the movie. It would be interesting to have a few flash backs of how this world came to be. It's not too much to ask.
This family is torn apart over and over again, but still manage to hold the bond of love in the darkest of times. 
A great movie with a powerful message of family and love in the midst of it. Very scary, not for young eyes. Five stars for me.

Cinderella is only a fairy tale… | Butterface by Avery Flynn

Title: ButterfaceBy: Avery FlynnGenre: RomancePages: 250Release Date: July 30th, 2018Publisher: Entangled Amara
Summary from Goodreads: It’s true. I’m not what most people would call “pretty” and, well, high school was rough. Fast forward ten years and life is good… 
Until a bunch of jerks think it’s hilarious to put the “butterface” (AKA me) on a wedding Kiss Cam with the hottest guy ever—and that old humiliation hits hard. 

I recognize him immediately. The sexiest cop in Waterbury and totally out of my league. 

But then he kisses me. 

And we totally forget the room, the crowd, everything. 

Then he tells everyone we’ve been dating for months. 

Soon everything starts to feel too real, from adorable fights over “necessary” tools to fix my broken porch to surviving a free-for-all dinner with his six siblings to picking up where our last kiss left off. 

But there’s something he’s not telling me about why he’s really hanging around, and I’m pretty sure it has to do with my mob-connected brothers. 

Because this is not a make-over story, and Cinderella is only a fairy tale…
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Review: I just wanted to start off saying thank you to Entangled Publishing and the author for giving me a copy of this book.This was a fun book to read. It was steamy, exciting and to hot to handle. There were times where I felt like the sex scenes seemed rushed. Like, she touched herself twice and was done. I could have used a little more intrigue, but otherwise, the story was great. 
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

What I'm Reading This Week | #WeeklyMenu Week #261

Monday!!!!! It's back, and the exciting thing is that a week from now we will be on vacation. That means next week, you'll probably be on your own for meals. If you need some ideas, there are 260 menu posts to look back on. They are all smashing so take your pick. Just click on the food link in the menu above.
I finished my 21 day fix plan yesterday. Down five lbs and I haven't measured myself yet, so I don't know how many inches I've lost, but more about that later.
Writing is literally nonexistent these days. There is never enough time in the summer with all the things the kids have going on. Doctor appointments and activities.What little down time I have, I spend doing absolutely nothing. It's the greatest feeling ever. I've been reading a book about taking control of your life and the first chapter was all about realizing that you can't be perfect all the time. Which I knew, but sometimes its a nice reminder. It snapped me out of my funk and got me moving forward again. This fall is going to be the start of something good. I can feel it.
This weeks book is going to be Ravencry by Ed McDonald. I absolutely love this cover and can't wait to dive into this book. What are you reading this week? Share it with me in the comments bellow.    
Monday- Sesame Beef Taco 
Tuesday- Tuscan Sausage and Pepper Spaghetti 
Wednesday- One Pan Mexican Pork Meatballs 
Thursday- Honey Sesame Chicken
Friday- Beef Ragu Spaghetti
Saturday- Tomato Tortelloni Soup
Sunday- Leftovers Night

Ready Player One | Movie Review

Title: Ready Player One

Genre: ScifiRelease Date: March 29th, 2018 Rating: 7.6/10Cast: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn
Summary from IMDB: When the creator of a virtual reality world called the OASIS dies, he releases a video in which he challenges all OASIS users to find his Easter Egg, which will give the finder his fortune.
IMDB Trailer
Review: Guys! What just happened? I read the book and loved it and now I love this movie. The graphics are epic, the screenplay is amazing and the whole movie all around was awesome!
I have to say, they did change the story line and I wasn't pleased, but at least they did it well. If they had screwed it up, that would have been a different story. There were some things that if you didn't read the book, you wouldn't understand the depth of what was going on, but still, if you didn't know, you didn't care. It had no weight on the movie at all. 
This was an awesome movie and you have to watch it!