Sarai Henderson's Blog, page 73
April 23, 2023
Sunday Confessions #196
Hello Sunday!
I know its April, but does the rain have to be so intense? I hate it. I just want some sunshine so I can work on my outdoor sunroom/dinning room. Is that too much to ask?
Sunday Confessions #195~Weekly Menu #502 And The Book Of The Week~Book Review: Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner~Book Review: The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose
Weekly Menu #503 And The Book Of The Week~Book Review: Thief Liar Lady by D.L. Soria~Book Review: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven~Sunday Confessions #197
We tried this delicious new recipe form Plays Well with Butter.Its a creamy pasta wit spicy Italian sausage and mushrooms. Wonderful! it was full of flavor and had a bit of spice to it, just how I like it.
The only thing I had an issue with was the mushrooms. I could see them, which made it hard for me to eat them. Damn my autistic mind. Maybe next time I would finely chop the mushrooms so they were mostly undetectable and there for easier for me to eat.
I don't know who else needs to listen to this song, but you're welcome.
I'm down to 7 more episodes of season 8 of Chicago Med. Almost there.We also started Jury Duty on Freevee. If you are into hilarious docu-comedies then you need to try this one.
32/100 2023 Reading Challenge~51/196 in my Star Wars Legends challenge~58/341 Gilmore Girls challenge~58/100 in my 100 books before you die challenge
Another long week, but read some great books. Happy reading all.
April 21, 2023
Book Review: The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose
Title: The Perfect Marriage
By: Jeneva Rose
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 342
Release Date: July 3rd, 2020
Publisher: Bloodhound Books
Rating: ★★★★☆
Summary from Goodreads:Would you defend your husband if he was accused of killing his mistress?
Sarah Morgan is a successful and powerful defense attorney in Washington D.C. At 33 years old, she is a named partner at her firm and life is going exactly how she planned.
The same cannot be said for her husband, Adam. He is a struggling writer who has had little success in his career. He begins to tire of his and Sarah’s relationship as she is constantly working.
Out in the secluded woods, at Adam and Sarah’s second home, Adam engages in a passionate affair with Kelly Summers.
Then, one morning everything changes. Adam is arrested for Kelly’s murder. She had been found stabbed to death in Adam and Sarah’s second home.
Sarah soon finds herself playing the defender for her own husband, a man accused of murdering his mistress.
But is Adam guilty or is he innocent?
Anyway, lets talk about the book itself (Which Scott seems to hate)... but I don't. This story had me guessing the whole time. A real page turner. I generally don't read mystery thrillers like this, but I'm glad I did.
Although the whole premise of a wife defending her husband for murdering his mistress is a bit unorthodox and frankly a terrible idea, once I pushed past my own "WTF" moment, the story was wonderfully entertaining. Fast paced, this was a quick read and worth the time.
April 18, 2023
Book Review: Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner
Title: Only the Beautiful
By: Susan Meissner
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 400
Release Date: April 18th, 2023
Publisher: Berkley
Rating: ★★★★★
Summary from Goodreads:A heartrending story about a young mother’s fight to keep her daughter, and the winds of fortune that tear them apart by the New York Times bestselling author of The Nature of Fragile Things and The Last Year of the War.
California, 1938—When she loses her parents in an accident, sixteen-year-old Rosanne is taken in by the owners of the vineyard where she has lived her whole life as the vinedresser’s daughter. She moves into Celine and Truman Calvert’s spacious house with a secret, however—Rosie sees colors when she hears sound. She promised her mother she’d never reveal her little-understood ability to anyone, but the weight of her isolation and grief prove too much for her. Driven by her loneliness she not only breaks the vow to her mother, but in a desperate moment lets down her guard and ends up pregnant. Banished by the Calverts, Rosanne believes she is bound for a home for unwed mothers, and having lost her family she treasures her pregnancy as the chance for a future one. But she soon finds out she is not going to a home of any kind, but to a place far worse than anything she could have imagined.
Austria, 1947—After witnessing firsthand Adolf Hitler’s brutal pursuit of hereditary purity—especially with regard to “different children”—Helen Calvert, Truman's sister, is ready to return to America for good. But when she arrives at her brother’s peaceful vineyard after decades working abroad, she is shocked to learn what really happened nine years earlier to the vinedresser’s daughter, a girl whom Helen had long ago befriended. In her determination to find Rosanne, Helen discovers that while the war had been won in Europe, there are still terrifying battles to be fought at home.
The layers of this story are beautiful, although heartbreaking. From the moment I dove into these pages, I was hooked on Roseanna's story. At a young age she was orphaned, left alone with a family that would take advantage of her in more ways than one. When they found out she was pregnant, they abandoned her in a so called institute where horrific procedures were performed all in the name of eugenics.
Stories like this hit close to home for me. My children all have autism of various forms, and during these times they would have been considered less than human and would have normally ended up in places just like what was described in this story. It makes my heart break.
Although most of this story digs deep down into my soul, the ending was beautiful and full worth the wait. My emotions overcame me and bawled my eyes out, leaving my husband perplexed in bed next to me.
This has to be one of my favorite reads this year. Its story of pain and suffering, but also strength and joy. It all comes together in a wonderful way. Worth every minute of this read.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
April 17, 2023
Weekly Menu #502 And The Book Of The Week
Hello Monday!What a whirl wind of a week. Took the middle boy to Portland twice for two different doctors check ups. They are pleased with his healing from his TBI and I feel like we are on the right track. Hooray!
Also took a good friend out for her birthday to an escape room. I've never done one so was a bit weirded out at first, but got into the swing of things since its just one big puzzle and I love puzzles. We had so much fun.
This weeks read is Chaos Rising by Timothy Zane. This is in the Star Wars universe, so moving right along with my challenge. I like to think the title of this book is the title to my life...
Anyway, lets get to this weeks menu. Enjoy!WEEKLY MENU
Monday
Kids - Chicken and Biscuits
Tuesday
Baked Croissants with Turkey and Havarti
Kids - Baked Cheese Croissant Sandwiches
Wednesday
Kids - Chicken Nuggets and Rice Cakes
Thursday
Grilled Sausage and Veggie Couscous Bowls
Kids - Chips and Cheese
Friday
Kids - Mac and Cheese
Saturday
Kids - Grilled Cheese
Sunday
Family Dinner
April 16, 2023
Sunday Confessions #195
Hello Sunday!
The sunshine is on its way and this means we have a chance of having a finished driveway by the time this post goes live. We've been waiting on the weather since last summer. This project is holding up all our other projects. The front yard. The backyard. Both the mini truck and the mini car. All these things can't start until the driveway is done. Cross your fingers.
Sunday Confessions #194~Weekly Menu #501 And The Book Of The Week~Book Review: It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover~Book Review: The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
Weekly Menu #502 And The Book Of The Week~Book Review: Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner~Book Review: The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose~Sunday Confessions #196
I have a new section this week for my Sunday confessions. This is my recipe recap.
Usually, we love the recipes we try and some of them make it on my "Delicious" board on Pinterest, but every once and a while a recipe falls flat. That happened last week giving me the idea to recap the good and the bad meals we've tried.
You can find all the recipes I'm reviewing here.
Lets start with the Grilled Flank Steak with Burrata Cheese and Pesto. This was delicious. The cheese counter lady at the grocery store talked me into Water Buffalo Burrata cheese, and I have to say it was delicious. My husband broke the grill out for the first time this year, and that marinade was to die for. 5 star recipe. Ended up on the delicious board. Sorry about the terrible photo from my Instagram. I thought about sharing this meal half way through eating it, it was that delicious.
A huge fail this week was Instant Pot Chicken Ramen Stir Fry. I think it was the noodles I used.
Since I have to eat gluten free, its usually easier for me to use gluten free spaghetti noodles for ramen since I've never had good luck with rice noodles. Somehow, the sauce I put in the pot disappeared completely. This dish had absolutely no flavor. I'm going to chalk this one up as an accident and blame it on the noodles.
If anyone reading this has a good gluten free chicken ramen recipe they could share, I would be grateful.
Knee deep into the current season of Chicago Med and my husband and I just binge watched the last season of The Librarians. We loved this show and are super sad it's no longer running.
29/100 2023 Reading Challenge~51/196 in my Star Wars Legends challenge~58/341 Gilmore Girls challenge~57/100 in my 100 books before you die challenge
Cross your fingers for the drive way and drop a link to your gluten free ramen recipe in the comments. Have a happy week.
April 14, 2023
Book Review: The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
Title: The Amber Spyglass
By: Philip Pullman
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 465
Release Date: September 9th, 2003
Publisher: Laurel Leaf
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Summary from Goodreads:Will is the bearer of the knife. Now, accompanied by angels, his task is to deliver that powerful, dangerous weapon to Lord Asriel - by the command of his dying father.
But how can he go looking for Lord Asriel when Lyra is gone? Only with her help can he fathom the myriad plots and intrigues that beset him.
The two great powers of the many worlds are lining up for war, and Will must find Lyra, for together they are on their way to battle, an inevitable journey that will even take them to the world of the dead...
Where the story took a weird turn for me was when Lyra and Will went to the afterlife. I don't understand what the purpose of this was other than to break free and come back to the world of the living. After this, everything fell off the bandwagon. Characters seemed pointless and the story seemed to have taken a turnabout, moving backwards on its self.
In the end, my emotions were raw as Pullman separated our two young lovers, closing the rip between their worlds for good. I'm torn with this ending. Although it was touching and heart wrenching, the lead up to this ending was a huge let down and none of it made sense.
Disappointed, yes. Do I wish I never read this book, no.
April 12, 2023
Book Review: It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover
Title: It Starts With Us
By: Colleen Hoover
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 323
Release Date: October 18th, 2022
Publisher: Atria Books
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Summary from Goodreads:Before It Ends with Us, it started with Atlas. Colleen Hoover tells fan favorite Atlas’s side of the story and shares what comes next in this long-anticipated sequel to the “glorious and touching” (USA TODAY) #1 New York Times bestseller It Ends with Us.
Lily and her ex-husband, Ryle, have just settled into a civil coparenting rhythm when she suddenly bumps into her first love, Atlas, again. After nearly two years separated, she is elated that for once, time is on their side, and she immediately says yes when Atlas asks her on a date.
But her excitement is quickly hampered by the knowledge that, though they are no longer married, Ryle is still very much a part of her life—and Atlas Corrigan is the one man he will hate being in his ex-wife and daughter’s life.
Switching between the perspectives of Lily and Atlas, It Starts with Us picks up right where the epilogue for the “gripping, pulse-pounding” (Sarah Pekkanen, author of Perfect Neighbors) bestselling phenomenon It Ends with Us left off. Revealing more about Atlas’s past and following Lily as she embraces a second chance at true love while navigating a jealous ex-husband, it proves that “no one delivers an emotional read like Colleen Hoover” (Anna Todd, New York Times bestselling author).
I loved how It Ends with Us ended. Lily was ready to take control of her own life and that meant doing things on her own. It was a strong and powerful ending that didn't need any follow up.
This book, It starts with Us dove back into the lives I had already said goodbye to and told a mundane story of general life with very little excitement. It felt like the characters were just going about their day just like I would and it felt plane. I want an escape, a good story. Not something I could live myself out in the world. It wasn't until about 70% of the way through the story that something exciting happened, but it was short lived.
I really find Colleen Hoover to be a great writer. Her way with words was the only reason I continued to read this story to the very end, but this was a boring story.
April 10, 2023
Weekly Menu #501 And The Book Of The Week
Hello Monday!I hope you had a wonderful Easter. My kids are full of candy and exhausted. Not only did we spend Sunday with family, we spent Saturday watching the Mario Movie. It is absolutely hilarious and very well done. You have to go see it. There is a little blue star called Lumelee that reminds me of my youngest son, dark and insane. Just the way I like him.
Anyway, this weeks read is Bram Stoker's Dracula. Another book on my 100 to read before you die list. I know the tory of Dracula, but have never read the book. This shall be interesting.
Lets move along to the menu this week, shall we? I hope you enjoy!WEEKLY MENU
Monday
Kids - Cheesy Pizza Sliders
Tuesday
Sausage Bake with Potatoes and Gravy
Kids - Chicken and French Fries
Wednesday
Pizza Night
Thursday
Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwich
Kids - Grilled Cheese and Ketchup
Friday
Creamy Pasta with Sausage and Mushrooms
Kids - Mac and Cheese
Saturday
Kids - Chips and Cheese
Sunday
Leftovers Night
April 9, 2023
Sunday Confessions #194
Hello Sunday!
I know that it's April, but can the weather just not anymore. Its the PNW, the Pacific North West. It doesn't snow here in the Valley. We might have snow once a year at best, but it keeps snowing on and off for months now, most of it not sticking, but the cold is driving me nuts and I want my spring flowers. I have Wisteria that supposed to bloom for the first time this year and the cold is preventing that.
Dang Oregon weather!
Deep breath... Lets recast the week. That will probably help me calm down. Lol.
Sunday Confessions #193~
Weekly Menu #500 And The Book Of The Week~Book Review: The Danish Way of Parenting by Jessica Joelle Alexander~March Wrap Up 2023~
Caste by Isabelle Wilkerson
Weekly Menu #501 And The Book Of The Week~Book Review: It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover~Book Review: The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman~
Sunday Confessions #195
Halfway through season 7 of Chicago Med. Caught up on 9-1-1: Loan Star, Star War: Bad Batch, The Mandalorian, and Ghosts.
We've been doing a lot of planning on our outdoor dinning room this week. Our home is small and we have no place for a dinning room table, but we do have a large backyard and we've decided to make the space right behind the house a sunroom/greenhouse dinning room. It will be completely closed in with a small fire place to keep it warm and room for all my boys. I can't wait to start on it when the weather warms a little bit. Come on Oregon! Give me some good weather soon.
Check out my Pinterest Board
27/100 2023 Reading Challenge~51/196 in my Star Wars Legends challenge~58/341 Gilmore Girls challenge~57/100 in my 100 books before you die challenge
There's a lot going on around my house right now with the completion of our driveway finally in sight and the planning for our outdoor dinning room. I can't wait to have a beautiful place to read my books.
April 7, 2023
Caste by Isabelle Wilkerson
Title: Caste
By: Isabel Wilkerson
Genre: Non-Fiction
Pages: 496
Release Date: August 4th, 2020
Publisher: Random House
Rating: ★★★★☆
Summary from Goodreads:The Pulitzer Prize–winning, bestselling author of The Warmth of Other Suns examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.
“As we go about our daily lives, caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight cast down in the aisles, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance. The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power—which groups have it and which do not.”
In this brilliant book, Isabel Wilkerson gives us a masterful portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched narrative and stories about real people, how America today and throughout its history has been shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy of human rankings.
Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences people’s lives and behavior and the nation’s fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more. Using riveting stories about people—including Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball’s Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many others—she shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day. She documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their out-cast of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the surprising health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics. Finally, she points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity.
Even more so now, in this world we live in, I can see the caste system and how its been working against the human race for hundreds even thousands of years, and not much has changed other than the fact that those placing these roles on other people have learned how to hid it better or call it different things. I love how the author deep dives into the real nitty gritty of our society. Its very eye opening.
The writing itself can become highly repetitive, so keep that in mind when reading. After looking at other similar reviews, it was brought to my attention that this can help to solidify these ideas into the mind by repeating the same idea over and over. I can see how this could be a useful tactic, but maybe not when I'm looking for a good story to read. However, this is non-fiction and not a good story, but facts and history.
With this all being said, this was a good read and very relevant in today's society.
