Sarai Henderson's Blog, page 61

Book Review: A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller

 My book review of A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller.

Title: A New Dawn

By: John Jackson Miller

Genre: Scifi

Pages: 367

Release Date: September 2nd, 2014

Publisher: Del Rey

Rating: ★★★★☆

 

Summary from Goodreads:Ever since the Jedi were marked for death and forced to flee Coruscant, Kanan Jarrus has devoted himself to staying alive rather than serving the Force. Wandering the galaxy alone, from one anonymous job to another, he avoids trouble--especially with the Empire--at all costs. So when he discovers a deadly conflict brewing between ruthless Imperial forces and desperate revolutionaries, he's not about to get caught in the crossfire. Then the brutal death of a friend at the Empire's hands forces the ex-Jedi to make a choice: bow down to fear, or stand up and fight.
But Jarrus won't be fighting alone. Unlikely allies, including a bomb-throwing radical, a former Imperial surveillance agent, a vengeful security officer, and the mysterious Hera Syndulla--an agent provocateur with motives of her own--team up with Jarrus to challenge the Empire. As a crisis of apocalyptic proportions unfolds on the planet Gorse, they must stand together against one of the Emperor's most fearsome enforcers--for the sake of a world and its people.

 

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Review:Putting the whole similarity of the name of this book with the name of the first movie of the original trilogy aside, this was an excellent read that I enjoyed a lot.
I will never pick my favorite between Kanan and Hera. They are both high up on my favorite Star Wars characters list and I love them both to death. This book really showed their personalities, but also gave us back story into how they became so involved with each other. There wasn't always Kanan and Hera, but in my mind, it was fate... Or maybe the force that brought them together.
Favorite Quote:“But seeing and doing nothing isn’t the worst thing,” Hera had said. “The worst thing is to see and not to care.”
That quote really hit home to me, as it fits with what is going on in the world today. There is a lot of seeing and not caring going on and it makes my heart hurt.
I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars and as you all know, I don't review the Star Wars books much as they can be hard for me to enjoy side characters I'm not thrilled with. This one was the exact opposite. A wonderful story that I will cherish forever.

Weekly Menu #526 And The Book Of The Week

 

Hello Monday! Welcome back to my weekly menu where I share the recipes we are having this week and also the books I will be diving into.

I don't know why the sun has decided to come back out, but here we are having several 80 degree days in October. This isn't right. I want the rain and the cool air... At least until Christmas where I will start to complain again about how wet and cold it is, but that's besides the point.

Now that I'm caught up on all the audio books I borrowers from the library, I can finally dive into the back log of e-books I've been sitting on. Its amazing how quickly you can end up with 11 books ready to read. This week I will be starting off with Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. I was waiting forever to get my hands on a copy of this book and I'm super excited to read it after all the good things I've heard about it.

What are you reading this week? Leave a comment below.

Lets get to this weeks menu. I know its what you came here for. Enjoy!

WEEKLY MENU

Monday

Southwest Veggie Quesadillas

Kids - Cheese Quesadillas

 

Tuesday

Doritos Taco Salad

Kids - Chicken and Doritos

 

Wednesday

Epic Beef Nachos

Kids - Nachos

 

Thursday

Spaghetti Night

Kids - Chicken Ramen

 

Friday

Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese

Kids - Grilled Cheese

 

Saturday

Creamy Bruschetta Chicken

Kids - Chicken and Mac and Cheese

 

Sunday

Leftovers Night

Sunday Confessions #219

 

Friends, Its Sunday!
Welcome back to my Sunday post where we recap what's been happening on the blog in the last week.

Sunday Confessions #218~Weekly Menu #525 And The Book Of The Week~September 2023 Wrap Up~Book Review: Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson~Recipe: Air Fryer Parmesan Crusted Chicken~Book Review: Leia: Princess of Aldreraan by Claudia Gray


Weekly Menu #526 And The Book Of The Week~Book Review: Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale~Recipe: Sausage and Potato Soup~Book Review: A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller~Sunday Confessions #220







 

104/100 2023 Reading Challenge~58/196 in my Star Wars Legends challenge~67/341 Gilmore Girls challenge~78/100 in my 100 books before you die challenge

Another great week. It looks like I have a lot of reading to do, lol. Stay tuned and happy reading.

Book Review: Leia: Princess of Aldreraan by Claudia Gray

 My review of Leia: Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray.

Title: Leia: Princess of Alderaan

By: Claudia Gray

Genre: Scifi

Pages: 409

Release Date: September 1st, 2017

Publisher: Disney Lucasfilm Press

Rating: ★★★★☆

 

Summary from Goodreads:A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....there was a princess who became a legend.
Sixteen-year-old Princess Leia Organa faces the most challenging task of her life so far: proving herself in the areas of body, mind, and heart to be formally named heir to the throne of Alderaan. She's taking rigorous survival courses, practicing politics, and spearheading relief missions to worlds under Imperial control. But Leia has worries beyond her claim to the crown. Her parents, Breha and Bail, aren't acting like themselves lately; they are distant and preoccupied, seemingly more concerned with throwing dinner parties for their allies in the Senate than they are with their own daughter. Determined to uncover her parents' secrets, Leia starts down an increasingly dangerous path that puts her right under the watchful eye of the Empire. And when Leia discovers what her parents and their allies are planning behind closed doors, she finds herself facing what seems like an impossible choice; dedicate herself to the people of Alderaan—including the man she loves—or the galaxy at large, which is in desperate need of a rebel hero....

 

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Review:I'm loving this part of the Star War's timeline. This story is an exciting coming of age saga set before the events of the original movies.
Every time Princess Leia is involved, some snarky adventure is about to happen. I think that's what I love her character so much. She has the air of a princess with the mind of a general and the heart of a humanitarian. Even at this young age, she is a wonderful person.
Favorite Quote: "Sometimes it does a girl good to fall for a bit of a scoundrel, now and then. Joy drives out fear. We must try to stand and succeed, but we must never fail to stand. I think two side buns tonight."
This book deserve a solid 4 out of 5 stars. It was a wonderful journey with one of my favorite princesses. I can't wait to read the rest of her timeline.

Recipe: Air Fryer Parmesan Crusted Chicken

 

This happens to be my favorite way of cooking chicken now. I've said it once and I will say it again, if you don't have an air fryer, you need to get one. I can make perfectly cooked, delicious chicken in 15 minutes. Simple as that. No mess with frying oil and half the clean up.

Pair the chicken with rice, pasta, salad, mashed potatoes or your favorite side dish. Its really a versatile protein that can be used in many different ways. You can even change up the seasoning for a whole different taste with the same time in the air fryer. Simple as that. 

Save this recipe for later, you are going to need it.

Course: Main Course

Servings: 4 people

Time to Make: 20 minutes

Ingredients:4 Chicken breasts1 Cup of flour (Or gluten free flour)1 Cup of bread crumbs (Or corn flakes, crushed)1/2 Cup coarsely grated parmesan2 eggsSalt and pepper
Instructions:1. You will need three shallow bowls. In bowl #1 pour your flour. Bowl #2 is for your eggs, make sure they are beaten and mixed up well. In bowl #3, mix your bread crumbs, parmesan and salt and pepper to taste. place the bowls aside.
2. Flatten chicken breast with a mallet to about a 1/4 of an inch.
3. Dredge chicken in the flour, fully covering it, then dredge in the egg mixture, before dredging in the bread crumb mixture. Each dredging should fully cover the chicken breast before moving on to the next.
4. place breaded chicken breast in the air fryer trying not to overlay the chicken so they cook evenly. You might need to make 2 batches if the chicken breasts are larger.
5. Cook chicken on 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
6. Serve right away with your favorite side dish.

Book Review: Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

 My book review on Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson.

Title: Tress of the Emerald Sea

By: Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 483

Release Date: January 10th, 2023

Publisher: Dragonsteel Entertainment

Rating: ★★★★★

 

Summary from Goodreads:Author Brandon Sanderson expands his Cosmere universe shared by The Stormlight Archive and Mistborn with a new standalone novel for everyone who loved The Princess Bride.
The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?

 

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Review:Brandon Sanderson is a genius.
I loved this book from start to finish. It was an adventure through and through with a strong protagonist who threw herself to the wolves wholeheartedly for love.
Tress is an amazing character. She is methodical, strong, level headed and smart, but at the same time would sale across an unknown sea for the one she loves. Deep down in my soul, I wish I was like Tress. 
Sanderson has a wonderful way of building a world. I wasn't overwhelmed with description, but had just enough color at my fingertips to want more. The world Tress sailed through was magical and unique. I would have never dreamed of an ocean full of spores that could kill a person and yet, here it is. 

Favorite Quote:

“Enjoy memories, yes, but don't be a slave to who you wish you once had been.”

I could have only given this read 5 out of 5 stars. It was magical and fantastic, a Brandon Sanderson masterpiece.

September 2023 Wrap Up

 

September is over and we are on to October. I'm having a hard time believing that Halloween is right around the corner. Of course, I've already asked my boys if they want to dress up for Halloween, but they all agreed that I should just buy a bowl of candy, and when no kids come trick-or-treating, they will just eat it all. Those kids are to the point... And I love it!
With 17 books in my back pocket from September, I'm finally on my way to finishing up a few of my reading challenges. I'm not sure why I decided to take on so much at once, but I promised myself in the future to have no more than 2 going at the same time and not 4. At least some of the larger books are finally finished. Those took forever.
Lets recap Septembers reads.

Tress of the Emerald Sea
Brandon Sanderson
Author Brandon Sanderson expands his Cosmere universe shared by The Stormlight Archive and Mistborn with a new standalone novel for everyone who loved The Princess Bride.

The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?

Yellowface
R.F. Kuang
Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars: same year at Yale, same debut year in publishing. But Athena's a cross-genre literary darling, and June didn't even get a paperback release. Nobody wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.

So when June witnesses Athena's death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena's just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers to the British and French war efforts during World War I.

So what if June edits Athena's novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song--complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn't this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That's what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.

But June can't get away from Athena's shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June's (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

With its totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface takes on questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation not only in the publishing industry but the persistent erasure of Asian-American voices and history by Western white society. R. F. Kuang's novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable.
Cassandra in Reverse
Holly Smale
If you had the power to change the past…where would you start?
Cassandra Penelope Dankworth is a creature of habit. She likes what she likes (museums, jumpsuits, her boyfriend, Will) and strongly dislikes what she doesn't (mess, change, her boss drinking out of her mug). Her life runs in a pleasing, predictable order…until now.
• She's just been dumped.
• She's just been fired.
• Her local café has run out of banana muffins.

Then, something truly unexpected happens: Cassie discovers she can go back and change the past. One small rewind at a time, Cassie attempts to fix the life she accidentally obliterated, but soon she'll discover she's trying to fix all the wrong things.











103/100 2023 Reading Challenge~58/196 in my Star Wars Legends challenge~67/341 Gilmore Girls challenge~78/100 in my 100 books before you die challenge

Another great month. Hoping to get close to finishing up my 100 books before I die. Happy reading.

Weekly Menu #525 And The Book Of The Week

 

Hello Monday, and welcome back to my weekly menu where I share the delicious recipes we are cooking this week. Lets not forget the read of the week also.

I think the week seemed twice as long as normal. Did anyone else have that feeling?

My middle son had his final doctors appointment for his brain injury he sustained back in March. They did a whole day of stressing his brain out with lots of questions and activities. This time around he scored far higher than other kids his age, meaning he's super smart, but we already knew that. He has autism and ADHD. Those kids tend to be hyper intelligent. I'm just glad he recovered so well and we can put this whole thing behind him.

This weeks read is The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz. I heard this is a great stand alone scifi and I'm excited to see what's between the covers. What are you reading this week? Share in the comments below.

Lets get to this weeks menu. Enjoy!

WEEKLY MENU

Monday

Chicken Chow Mein

Kids - Chicken Ramen

 

Tuesday

Irish Chicken in a Whiskey Cream Sauce

Kids - Chicken Tenders and Ranch

 

Wednesday

Italian Sausage Hoagies

Kids - Birddogs

 

Thursday

BLT Caesar Salas

Kids - Bacon Grilled Cheese

 

Friday

Baked Sage Chicken Meatballs

Kids - Chicken Tenders and Mac and Cheese

 

Saturday

Sriracha Tuna Wraps

Kids - Cheese Quesadillas

 

Sunday

Family Dinner

Sausage Potato Soup

Sunday Confessions #218

 

Sunday sure came quickly. Welcome back to my weekly confessions and blog recap. Enjoy!

Sunday Confessions #217~
Weekly Menu #524 And The Book Of The Week~Book Review: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang~Recipe: Pumpkin Muffins~
Book Review: Atonement by Ian McEwan

Weekly Menu #525 And The Book Of The Week~September 2023 Wrap Up~Book Review: Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson~Recipe: Air Fryer Parmesan Crispy Chicken~Book Review: Leia: Princess of Aldreraan by Claudia Gray~Sunday Confessions #219








Creamy Chicken Soup~Orange Chicken~Cajun Chicken and Mac and Cheese~Crispy Chicken and Cabbage Salad

100/100 2023 Reading Challenge~58/196 in my Star Wars Legends challenge~66/341 Gilmore Girls challenge~77/100 in my 100 books before you die challenge

Finally finished my 2023 reading challenge. Now onto finishing my 100 books before I die. Happy reading, friends!

Book Review: Atonement by Ian McEwan

 My book review of Atonement by Ian McEwan.

Title: Atonement

By: Ian McEwan

Genre: Historical

Pages: 351

Release Date: September 20th, 2001

Publisher: Anchor / Random House

Rating: ★★★★☆

 

Summary from Goodreads:Ian McEwan’s symphonic novel of love and war, childhood and class, guilt and forgiveness provides all the satisfaction of a brilliant narrative and the provocation we have come to expect from this master of English prose.
On a hot summer day in 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses the flirtation between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, the son of a servant. But Briony’s incomplete grasp of adult motives and her precocious imagination bring about a crime that will change all their lives, a crime whose repercussions Atonement follows through the chaos and carnage of World War II and into the close of the twentieth century.

 

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Review:I've been reading too many depressing books as of late. It seems my book challenge has lead me down a rabbit whole, but damn are the books excellent.
Ian McEwan has a wonderful way of making the most heartbreaking stories memorable. I found myself drawn to the injustices inside these covers. Hoping and praying they would come to rights, but with some great stories, sadly they came far to late. 

Briany was probably my least favorite character, and for good reason. She pretty much was the cause of the whole story, but if it wasn't for her, there would be no story. So there is that.

Favorite Quote:
“A person is, among all else, a material thing, easily torn and not easily mended.”
I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. Although I wanted to slap a few people every so often, I was generally entertained by this read.