Sarai Henderson's Blog, page 75
March 20, 2023
Weekly Menu #498 And The Book Of The Week
Hello Monday!I just wanted to thank all of you for being patient with me last week as my family went through some struggles. My middle son fell at school and hit his head really hard. He ended up with two skull fractures, a bruised brain, bleeding on the brain and a blood clot. We spent 11 days in the hospital and just came home yesterday. It was hard leaving my other children at home and spending that much time away to care for my middle son, but I know they understood and we are all glad to be back to a somewhat normal routine.
Getting back to my reading, this week I will be diving into Her Lost Words by Stephanie Marie Thornton. This review is due to be posted on Wednesday, so I need to get to it. Of course, I'm a little behind due to recent events. Lets do this!
This weeks menu is a bit modified, but I promise next week we will be back to normal. Enjoy!
WEEKLY MENU
Monday
Nothing Today...
Tuesday
Kids - Chicken Nuggets and French Fries
Wednesday
Kids - Chicken Ramen
Thursday
Sausage and Egg Breakfast Pizza
Kids - English Muffin Pizza
Friday
Grilled Sausage and Veggie Couscous
Kids - Mac and Cheese
Saturday
Kids - Cheese Quesadillas
Sunday
Leftovers Night
March 14, 2023
Book Review: Smolder by Laurell K. Hamilton
Title: Smolder
By: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Romance
Pages: 496
Release Date: March 21st, 2023
Publisher: Berkley
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Summary from Goodreads:The wedding of the century between vampire hunter Anita Blake and the vampire king of America Jean-Claude is almost here, but an ancient evil arrives in St. Louis and even Jean-Claude’s unmatched power isn’t enough to save them. Only with the return of a lost love can they hope to combat the monster and save their loved ones and every vampire in the country from being consumed by darkness.
Review:
Well, teach me to jump into a well established series without reading the pervious books first.
Anita and Jean-Claude are getting married. Anita is a vampire slayer, and you guessed it, Jean-Claude is a Vampire. Typical paranormal smut action. At times, I really couldn't find the plot. It was weird to follow and fell apart easily before the author got back on track.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
March 13, 2023
On A Break
Unfortunately, the blog will be in hold for a little while as my son is in the hospital with a TBI. I don't know when I will be back. I'm asking patience and healing thoughts for my little man.
March 12, 2023
Sunday Confessions #190
Hello Sunday!
My husband kindly gave me his cold. Its a good thing I love that man dearly. This week has been a struggle due to the lack of energy and the general feeling of ick. I hate being sick.
At least I have some fodder for the blog. Check it out.
Sunday Confessions #189~Weekly Menu #497 And The Book Of The Week~February 2023 Wrap Up~Book Review: The Ripple Effect by Greg Wells~Reading through the Star Wars Universe Part 8
Weekly Menu #498 And The Book Of The Week~Book Review: Smolder by Laurell K. Hamilton~Book Review: Spare by Prince Harry~Sunday Confessions #191
My husband and I started watching Ghost on Paramount+. We binge watched the entire first season. We are not really sitcom kinda people, but that show is hilarious.
Finished season 5 of Chicago Med.
Finished up season 2 of The Cleaning Lady. Crazy!
And I'm all caught up with Carnival Row season 2.
19/100 2023 Reading Challenge~50/196 in my Star Wars Legends challenge~58/341 Gilmore Girls challenge~57/100 in my 100 books before you die challenge
Enjoying my Dutch Brother's smoothie while listening to How to Hug a Porcupine by June Eding. Hoping to get some insight into my dark and moody nine year old. This is going to be a great afternoon.
March 10, 2023
Reading through the Star Wars Universe Part 8
I'm working quickly through the Star Wars universe right now. Probably since I'm at a wonderful part of the timeline where Anakin has turned into Darth Vader and the Jedi are on the run. I love this part of the story.
My Rating: ★★★★☆Star Wars: Dark Lord - The Rise of Darth VaderJames LucenoThroughout the galaxy, it was believed that Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker the Chosen One had died on Coruscant during the siege of the Jedi Temple. And, to some extent, that was true. Anakin was dead.
From the site of Anakin Skywalker s last stand on the molten surface of the planet Mustafar, where he sought to destroy his friend and former master, Obi-Wan Kenobi a fearsome specter in black has risen. Once the most powerful Knight ever known to the Jedi Order, he is now a disciple of the dark side, a lord of the dreaded Sith, and the avenging right hand of the galaxy s ruthless new Emperor. Seduced, deranged, and destroyed by the machinations of the Dark Lord Sidious, Anakin Skywalker is dead . . . and Darth Vader lives.
Word of the events that created him the Jedi Council s failed mutiny against Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, the self-crowned Emperor s retaliatory command to exterminate the Jedi Order, and Anakin s massacre of his comrades and Masters in the Jedi Temple has yet to reach all quarters. On the Outer Rim world of Murkhana, Jedi Masters Roan Shryne and Bol Chatak and Padawan Olee Starstone are leading a charge on a Separatist stronghold, unaware that the tide, red with Jedi blood, has turned suddenly against them.
When the three narrowly elude execution and become the desperate prey in a hunt across space it s neither clone soldiers, nor the newly deployed stormtroopers, nor even the wrath of the power-hungry Emperor himself they must fear most. The deadliest threat rests in the hideously swift and lethal crimson lightsaber of Darth Vader behind whose brooding mask lies a shattered heart, a poisoned soul, and a cunning, twisted mind hell-bent on vengeance.
For the handful of scattered Jedi, survival is imperative if the light side of the Force is to be protected and the galaxy somehow, someday reclaimed. Yet more important still is the well-being of the twin infants, Leia and Luke Skywalker, the children of Anakin and his doomed bride, Padme Amidala. Separated after Padme s death, they must be made safe at all costs, lest the hope they represent for the future be turned to horror by the new Sith regime and the unspeakable power of the dark side. From the Hardcover edition."
My Rating: ★★★★☆Star Wars: Coruscant Nights #1Jedi Twilight
Michael ReavesWith the dark ascension of the Empire, and the Jedi Knights virtually wiped out, one Jedi who escaped the massacre is slated for a date with destiny-and a confrontation with Darth Vader.
Jax Pavan is one of the few Jedi Knights who miraculously survived the slaughter that followed Palpatine's ruthless Order 66. Now, deep in Coruscant's Blackpit Slums, Jax ekes out a living as a private investigator, trying to help people in need while concealing his Jedi identity and staying one step ahead of the killers out for Jedi blood. And they're not the only ones in search of the elusive Jax. Hard-boiled reporter Den Dhur and his buddy, the highly unorthodox droid I-5YQ, have shocking news to bring Jax-about the father he never knew.But when Jax learns that his old Jedi Master has been killed, leaving behind the request that Jax finish a mission critical to the resistance, Jax has no choice but to emerge from hiding-and risk detection by Darth Vader-to fulfill his Master's dying wish.
Don't miss the continuing adventures in the Coruscant Nights series, coming this Fall!
My Rating: ★★★★☆The Last JediMichael ReavesKNIGHT OF RECKONING
The Emperor’s ruthless Order 66 has all but exterminated the Jedi. The few remaining who still wield the Force for good have been driven into exile or hiding. But not Jax Pavan, who’s been steadily striking blows against the Empire—as a lone guerrilla fighter and a valued partner of Whiplash, a secret Coruscant-based resistance group. Now he’s taking on his most critical mission: transporting a valued Whiplash leader, targeted for assassination, from Coruscant to safety on a distant world. It’s a risky move under any circumstances, but Jax and his trusted crew aboard the Far Ranger, including the irrepressible droid I-Five, are prepared to pit their combat skills and their vessel’s firepower against all Imperial threats—except the one Jax fears most. Reports have raced across the galaxy that the dark lord of the Sith has fallen in a duel to the death with a Rebel freedom fighter. But Jax discovers the chilling truth when he reaches out with the Force . . . only to touch the dark, unmistakable, and malignantly alive presence that is Darth Vader. And Jax knows that Vader will stop at nothing until the last Jedi has fallen.
My Rating: ★★★★☆Star Wars: Republic Commando #5501st
Karen TravissThe Clone Wars are over, but for those with reason to run from the new galactic Empire, the battle to survive has only just begun. . . .
The Jedi have been decimated in the Great Purge, and the Republic has fallen. Now the former Republic Commandos–the galaxy’s finest special forces troops, cloned from Jango Fett–find themselves on opposing sides and in very different armor. Some have deserted and fled to Mandalore with the mercenaries, renegade clone troopers, and rogue Jedi who make up Kal Skirata’ s ragtag resistance to Imperial occupation. Others–including men from Delta and Omega squads–now serve as Imperial Commandos, a black ops unit within Vader’s own 501st Legion, tasked to hunt down fugitive Jedi and clone deserters. For Darman, grieving for his Jedi wife and separated from his son, it’s an agonizing test of loyalty. But he’s not the only one who’ll be forced to test the ties of brotherhood. On Mandalore, clone deserters and the planet’s own natives, who have no love for the Jedi, will have their most cherished beliefs challenged. In the savage new galactic order, old feuds may have to be set aside to unite against a far bigger threat, and nobody can take old loyalties for granted.
Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!
My Rating: ★★★★☆Catalyst: A Rogue One NovelJames LucenoWar is tearing the galaxy apart. For years the Republic and the Separatists have battled across the stars, each building more and more deadly technology in an attempt to win the war. As a member of Chancellor Palpatine’s top secret Death Star project, Orson Krennic is determined to develop a superweapon before their enemies can. And an old friend of Krennic’s, the brilliant scientist Galen Erso, could be the key.
Galen’s energy-focused research has captured the attention of both Krennic and his foes, making the scientist a crucial pawn in the galactic conflict. But after Krennic rescues Galen, his wife, Lyra, and their young daughter, Jyn, from Separatist kidnappers, the Erso family is deeply in Krennic’s debt. Krennic then offers Galen an extraordinary opportunity: to continue his scientific studies with every resource put utterly at his disposal. While Galen and Lyra believe that his energy research will be used purely in altruistic ways, Krennic has other plans that will finally make the Death Star a reality. Trapped in their benefactor’s tightening grasp, the Ersos must untangle Krennic’s web of deception to save themselves and the galaxy itself.
March 8, 2023
Book Review: The Ripple Effect by Greg Wells
Title: The Ripple Effect
By: Greg Wells
Genre: Non-Fiction
Pages: 302
Release Date: April 4th, 2017
Publisher: Collins
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Summary from Goodreads:In his new book, Dr. Greg Wells offers concrete strategies on how to get better and stay better—not just for a few weeks or a few months, but for life. Optimal well-being is obtained through a commitment to the “holy trinity” of healthy living—eating better, moving better, sleeping better. Together these lead to peak physical performance.
With tremendous insight into the physiology of the human body and the reasons mankind has evolved the way it has, The Ripple Effect exposes exercise and diet myths, inspiring you and leading you on a clear path to achieving a health and fitness transformation. With small—and very achievable—daily changes in your life, you'll see the incredible effects of aggregate gains that professional athletes know.
You'll learn how:-Eating broccoli provides the body with more protein per calorie than eating steak- Using one teaspoon less of sugar per day would help you lose four pounds of fat per year- Walking for fifteen minutes per day decreases your risk of cancer by fifty per cent- Playing games like tennis can prevent Alzheimer’s disease- Losing ninety minutes of sleep reduces daytime alertness by nearly a third- Replacing an hour of television with an hour of sleep could help you lose over fourteen pounds in a year
And much more.
Take what you want from this book, but just keep in mind that you won't have any fun doing it. I've read self-help books that have fun stories and a writers voice that is easy to read and entertaining, but Greg Wells is very analytical and straight forward. There's not much going on between the lines other than the plain old facts.
I found a lot of useful info within these pages, but it took me a while to finish the book. Still, a worthy read for anyone looking for this kind of information.
March 7, 2023
February 2023 Wrap Up
February was a crazy month. The weather couldn't make up its mind, the boys schedule was impacted and work was crazy. Not the month I would have hoped, but its over and spring seems to be approaching.
19/100 2023 Reading Challenge~50/196 in my Star Wars Legends challenge~58/341 Gilmore Girls challenge~57/100 in my 100 books before you die challenge
I made it a new goal to try and read three books a week. I almost made it last week by getting 90% of the way through my third book before I got busy with house work on Saturday. I'm still hoping for three more books this week, but if not, I'm already two books ahead of schedule for the year. Pretty good if I do say so.
March 6, 2023
Weekly Menu #497 And The Book Of The Week
Hello Monday!Last week seemed to drag on. I don't know if it was because we have some kind of cold passing through our house and we are not feeling the best, or if it was because work just seemed a little more stressful. Either way, I'm glad to start a new week.
This weeks read is Spare by Prince Harry. I have to admit, I've already started reading and it is amazing. Prince Harry goes into a lot of personal details about his struggle with his mothers death, drugs and family dynamics. There isn't much he's left out and its no wonder the royal family isn't liking. He doesn't paint them in a pretty picture. In fact, they have really let Harry down. This, of course, is one side of the story, but I doubt the other side will ever come out with a tell all book, so we're just going to go with it.
Lets get to this weeks menu. Enjoy!
WEEKLY MENU
Monday
Kids - Cheese Quesadilla
Tuesday
Kids - Beef Ramen
Wednesday
Kids - Flatbread Pizza
Thursday
Kids - Macaroni and Cheese
Friday
Chipotle Scrambled Egg Breakfast Sandwich
Kids - Sheet Pan Pancakes
Saturday
Kids - Cheese Quesadilla
Sunday
Family Dinner
March 5, 2023
Sunday Confessions #189
Hello Sunday!
Well, if I thought my autoimmune disorder was rough, the side effects of the medication are pretty bad too. My meds lower my immune system to combat my disorder. This makes my body forget how to fight my allergies. They are coming out of the wood works. The worst one was olive oil the other day.
My lips and tongue went numb. My back and head itched. Hives on my face. Lower back and hip pain and the wort symptom of them all was the asthma. I've had asthma my whole life, but this wouldn't go away with a puff of my inhaler. So I took an allergy pill and suffered through it, but now I know. Don't ingest olive oil.
Sunday Confessions #188~Weekly Menu #496 And The Book Of The Week~
Book Review: The Office BFFs by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey~
Book Review: The Keepers Six by Kate Elliot
Weekly Menu #497 And The Book Of The Week~February 2023 Wrap Up~
Book Review: The Ripple Effect by Greg Wells~Reading through the Star Wars Universe Part 8~Sunday Confessions #190
We just finished season 1 of 1923, and although I love the series, they left every end untied. There was no conclusion and no one is where they are supposed to be. Talk about cliff hangar.
16/100 2023 Reading Challenge~50/196 in my Star Wars Legends challenge~58/341 Gilmore Girls challenge~57/100 in my 100 books before you die challenge
Well, after my accidental poisoning, I'm feeling better now that I have cut olive oil out of my diet. This is going to be rough. Happy reading.
March 3, 2023
Book Review: The Keepers Six by Kate Elliot
Title: The Keeper's Six
By: Kate Elliott
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 197
Release Date: January 17th, 2023
Publisher: Tor
Rating: ★★★★☆
Summary from Goodreads:Kate Elliott's action-packed The Keeper's Six features a world-hopping, bad-ass, spell-slinging mother who sets out to rescue her kidnapped son from a dragon lord with everything to lose.
There are terrors that dwell in the space between worlds.
It’s been a year since Esther set foot in the Beyond, the alien landscape stretching between worlds, crossing boundaries of space and time. She and her magical travelling party, her Hex, haven’t spoken since the Concilium banned them from the Beyond. But when she wakes in the middle of the night to her son’s cry for help, the members of her Hex are the only ones she can trust to help her bring him back from wherever he has been taken.
Esther will have to risk everything to find him. Undercover and hidden from the Concilium, she and her Hex will be tested by dragon lords, a darkness so dense it can suffocate, and the bones of an old crime come back to haunt her.
Fantasy is one hard genre to fit into less than 200 pages and Elliott has done just that, and she's done it well. This was a full story from start to finish with a wonderful pace. I loved how the author played with dragons and keepers and merged them all with a thrilling mystery of the main character, Esther's missing son.
This book was full of all the components I needed for a dopamine high when it was done.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
