Weekly Menu #638 And The Book Of The Week

 


This week’s menu feels like a deep breath after a long exhale. It’s a lineup built for busy days, hungry people, and the kind of evenings where dinner needs to show up without a fight. Nothing fussy, nothing forgettable. Just warm bowls, familiar flavors with a little wanderlust, and meals that understand the difference between “I love to cook” and “I need everyone fed.” If your week looks anything like mine, this menu is here to carry you through it, one plate at a time.

WEEKLY MENU

Monday

Sausage & white bean skillet

Kids - Cheesy chicken quesadillas

 

Tuesday

Honey-soy chicken bowls

Kids - Honey garlic chicken bites

 

Wednesday

Baked ziti with ricotta and spinach

Kids - Baked ziti mac and cheese

 

Thursday

Beef bulgogi bowls

Kids - Chicken with buttered noodles

 

Friday

Sheet-pan salmon with lemon and dill

Kids - Fish sticks & oven fries

 

Saturday

Upgraded grilled cheese night

Kids - Grilled cheese night

 

Sunday

Leftovers Night

 

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Sunday Confessions #335

 


Welcome back to Sunday Confessions, where I spill the bookish truths I’ve been mulling over all week. As much as I love diving deep into individual reviews and giving each book its own moment, the reality is… it’s a lot. Between reading, blogging, and, well, life, I’ve built up a mountain of reviews waiting for their turn. So in the name of simplicity (and sanity), I’m shifting to one or two weekly summary posts. This way I can still share everything I’m reading without getting buried under my own backlog, and hopefully keep the whole process a lot more enjoyable.


Sunday Confessions #334
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Weekly Menu #637 And The Book Of The Week
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November 2025 Wrap Up
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ARC Review: The Starseekers by Nicole Glover
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Book Review: Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
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Book Review: The Bridge Kingdome by Danielle L. Jensen


Weekly Menu #638 And The Book Of The Week
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Book Review: The Compound by Aisling Rawle
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What I Read Last Week November 8th to 14th
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Sunday Confessions #336





★★★☆☆

Life Is a Lazy Susan of Sht Sandwiches* by Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan didn’t quite land for me. I used to listen to their podcast, but even then it felt like the same beats on repeat—two very angry, very chaotic women recounting the messiness of their lives. The book follows that same pattern, only with even shallower dives into the stories behind the chaos. It skims the surface of their issues without offering anything fresh, insightful, or particularly engaging. Mostly, it’s just anger presented as entertainment, and that’s not something I connect with. Ultimately, it wasn’t for me, and while I’m settling on 3 stars, I could just as easily justify giving it 2. 









396/100 2025 Reading Challenge
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2/102 2025 Goodreads Nominees Reading Challenge



Streamlining my reviews feels like the right move. A small shift that already feels lighter and more sustainable. I still get to share all the books I’m excited about, just in a way that fits more naturally into my week. Hopefully this new rhythm keeps things fun, keeps me caught up, and lets me focus on what I love most: reading great stories and talking about them with all of you. Here’s to simpler systems and happier reading.

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Book Review: The Bridge Kingdome by Danielle L. Jensen

 

Title: The Bridge Kingdom

By: Danielle L. Kingdom

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 448

Release Date: October 16th, 2018

Rating: ★★★★★

 

Summary from Goodreads:

A warrior princess trained in isolation, Lara is driven by two certainties. The first is that King Aren of the Bridge Kingdom is her enemy. And the second is that she'll be the one to bring him to his knees.

The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom enriches itself and deprives its rivals, including Lara's homeland. So when she's sent as a bride under the guise of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture its impenetrable defenses. And the defenses of its king.

Yet as she infiltrates her new home and gains a deeper understanding of the war to possess the bridge, Lara begins to question whether she's the hero or the villain. And as her feelings for Aren transform from frosty hostility to fierce passion, Lara must choose which kingdom she'll save... and which kingdom she'll destroy.

 

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Review:

I absolutely loved The Bridge Kingdom. Yes, it leans into the familiar beats of a classic fantasy plot, but it’s written so well that I didn’t mind one bit. In fact, I couldn’t put it down. The tension, the worldbuilding, and the character dynamics pulled me in from the start and kept me glued to the page. It’s the kind of fantasy that reminds me why I love the genre. Immersive, addictive, and just plain fun.

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Book Review: Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe

 

Title: Say Nothing

By: Patrick Radden Keefe

Genre: Historical Non-Fiction

Pages: 441

Release Date: November 1st, 2018 

Rating: ★★★☆☆

 

Summary from Goodreads:

In December 1972, Jean McConville, a thirty-eight-year-old mother of ten, was dragged from her Belfast home by masked intruders, her children clinging to her legs. They never saw her again. Her abduction was one of the most notorious episodes of the vicious conflict known as The Troubles. Everyone in the neighborhood knew the I.R.A. was responsible. But in a climate of fear and paranoia, no one would speak of it. In 2003, five years after an accord brought an uneasy peace to Northern Ireland, a set of human bones was discovered on a beach. McConville's children knew it was their mother when they were told a blue safety pin was attached to the dress--with so many kids, she had always kept it handy for diapers or ripped clothes.

Patrick Radden Keefe's mesmerizing book on the bitter conflict in Northern Ireland and its aftermath uses the McConville case as a starting point for the tale of a society wracked by a violent guerrilla war, a war whose consequences have never been reckoned with. The brutal violence seared not only people like the McConville children, but also I.R.A. members embittered by a peace that fell far short of the goal of a united Ireland, and left them wondering whether the killings they committed were not justified acts of war, but simple murders.

Patrick Radden Keefe writes an intricate narrative about a notorious killing in Northern Ireland and its devastating repercussions.

 

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Review:

While the history and subject matter in Say Nothing are undeniably fascinating, I struggled to stay invested in the writing itself. Keefe presents a complex and important chapter of Northern Ireland’s past, and the real-life stakes are gripping, but the narrative style felt dense at times and made it hard for me to stay fully engaged. I appreciated learning more about the era, but the delivery didn’t quite hold my attention the way I hoped.

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ARC Review: The Starseekers by Nicole Glover

 

Title: The Starseekers

By: Nicole Glover

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 496

Release Date: January 6th, 2026

Rating: ★★★☆☆

 

Summary from Goodreads:

Indiana Jones meets Hidden Figures in this brand-new stand-alone historical fantasy set in the world of The Conductors, in which the space race of the mid-20th century will be determined by magic...if not murder.

In the 1960s, the world was caught up in reaching beyond our planet and into the cosmos. It felt impossible—but there was nothing science, math…and magic couldn’t make possible. The race to space was on, and the Moon was what everyone had their eyes on.

Including Cynthia Rhodes, a brilliant arcane engineer at NASA’s Ainsworth Research Labs. Talented in math and magic, she hosts a magical educational show... a job she took mostly for a chance to regularly see the dashing Theodore Danner, a professor of arcane archeology.

She is also an amateur sleuth—something that has run in her family for generations.

When a cursed museum curator nearly interrupts a broadcast of their show, Cynthia finds an eager sleuthing partner in Theo. Pairing up, they begin investigating the strange behavior of the curator and a mysterious theft at the arcane history museum—until one of Cynthia’s own coworkers perishes right in front of her in a major lab accident that endangers Ainsworth’s role in the space race.

Certain it was murder instead of an accident, Cynthia sees this as a separate case at first. However the more she and Theo investigate, Cynthia uncovers a surprising link between the two incidents. The museum theft and murder are part of a larger equation—one that includes deadly enchantments, rumored pirate treasure, a peculiar plant, and a dire threat to the space program as well as everything she holds dear.

The Starseekers is another rip-roaring adventure for the Rhodes family, who have been using magic to aid their community and solve mysteries since before the Civil War. The times may have changed, but a Rhodes once again finds themselves thrust into a world of murders, theft, sabotage, and curses, and this time the stakes extend to the stars themselves. 

 

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Review:

I was completely hooked in the beginning of The Starseekers, especially with its fascinating blend of witchcraft and NASA-level space exploration. That mix gave the story a vibe similar to Hidden Figures. Brilliant women using extraordinary talents to push the boundaries of science, just with a magical twist. But as the book went on, the pacing slowed down, and the plot started to drag enough that I had trouble staying focused. The concept is genuinely compelling and there are moments that shine, but the momentum didn’t quite carry through. A solid, intriguing read that just didn’t keep me as invested as I hoped.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. 

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