Book Confessions of an Ex-Ballerina

Sunday always feels like a soft reset button I’m slightly suspicious of. The house is quieter, the coffee is stronger, and my brain decides this is the perfect time to replay every awkward moment from 2007 while also planning the entire week in color coded detail. So here we are. Sunday confessions. The things I overthought, the things I avoided, and the things I absolutely did on purpose. Let’s get into it.

Sunday Confessions #344

Weekly Menu #647 And The Book Of The Week

Book Review: A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

What I Read Last Week - February 9th to 15th

Weekly Menu #648 And The Book Of The Week

What I Read Last Week - February 16th to 22nd

Sunday Confessions #346

49/250 2026 Reading Challenge

136/214 in my Star Wars Legends challenge

19/102 2025 Goodreads Nominees Reading Challenge

And that’s this week’s unfiltered brain dump. Some wins, some facepalms, a few things I’m still side eyeing. Sunday can keep its soft lighting and fresh start energy. I’ll take the honesty and a decent to do list. See you next week with more confessions I probably overthought first.

What I Read Last Week - February 9th to 15th

4 Stars

This was an intense read, and I was pulled into the story right from the beginning. The atmosphere is heavy, dark, and gripping in a way Joe Hill does so well. I was fully invested early on, turning pages fast and bracing myself for whatever came next.

As the story went on, though, it started to slow for me. I reached a point where I just wanted it to wrap up so I could finally know what happened with the dragon. Not because I stopped caring, but because the tension felt stretched a little too thin.

That said, the writing is solid and confident, and the characters are well developed and memorable. Even when the pacing lagged, the world and emotional weight kept me engaged. A strong, dark story that didn’t quite stick the landing for me, but still absolutely worth the ride.

5 Stars

I loved this one. It was my favorite of the week.

A sentient noodle making robot trying to open a restaurant? Immediately yes. But it’s not just quirky sci-fi. There’s corporate drama, past secrets, labor rights issues, and a whole lot of “please just let us live in peace” energy.

What really got me was the found family. A bunch of humans and robots just trying to build something small and good in a world that keeps making everything complicated. I’m a sucker for that every time.

And the food descriptions? So good. I could practically taste the broth. It made everything feel grounded and personal instead of big and abstract.

It’s thoughtful without being preachy, cozy without being boring, and tense in all the right places. Five stars. No hesitation.

4 Stars

I love Stephen King. I really do. But Carrie wasn’t one of my favorites.

It’s sharp and uncomfortable in that very specific King way. Small town cruelty. Religious extremism. Teenagers being absolutely awful to each other. You can feel the pressure building from page one, like something is humming just under the surface.

Carrie herself is tragic. You don’t read this book so much as brace yourself through it. Knowing what’s coming doesn’t make it easier, just heavier.

I appreciated the format with the interviews and newspaper clippings woven in. It made everything feel inevitable, like you were reading a disaster report instead of a story. Smart. Effective. Still not my favorite.

It’s classic King and I’m glad I finally read it. Four stars. Just not the one I’ll be reaching for again anytime soon.

3 Stars

Okay. I’m just going to say it.

For most of this book, it felt like a weird fantasy sleepover.

There was so much traveling. So many conversations about who was sharing a room. So much circling feelings without actually doing anything about them. I love character development. I love tension. But at some point I started feeling like I was tagging along on a very dramatic road trip where everyone is exhausted and nobody will just say what they mean.

That being said… once the story actually kicked in, it kicked. The action picked up, the stakes felt real again, and I remembered why I care about these characters. The world is still rich. The dynamics are still layered. And when things finally started happening, I was locked in.

It just took a while to get there.

Not my favorite in the series, but not a bad installment either. If you love slow burn character moments and traveling companion energy, this one might work better for you than it did for me.

5 stars

I genuinely do not know why it took me this long to pick up a J.R. Ward book. This was excellent.

From the very beginning there’s this low, nagging tension that just sits in your chest. Every conversation feels loaded. Every interaction feels like it’s hiding something. I love when a book makes me slightly suspicious of everyone.

The world building is dark and weighty. You can feel the history pressing in from all sides. It’s not light, fluffy fantasy. It has teeth.

And that ending. I did not see that coming. Not fully. I knew something sneaky was happening in the background, but I could not pin it down. When it finally clicked? So satisfying.

Loved this one. Absolutely hooked.

4 Stars

This was a solid finish to the trilogy.

Champions of the Force pulls together all the threads from the Jedi Academy storyline and actually makes them matter. The stakes feel bigger here. Ancient Sith spirits, fragile new Jedi students, political tension bubbling in the background. It’s a lot, but it works.

I really enjoyed seeing Luke step fully into his role as a teacher. He’s still figuring it out, still doubting, which made it feel more grounded. The students were messy in that very believable “learning to wield the Force and your emotions at the same time” way.

The Sun Crusher storyline is still slightly over the top for me. Fun? Yes. Subtle? Not even a little. But honestly, sometimes Star Wars is at its best when it leans into the dramatic chaos.

Not perfect, but engaging and a satisfying conclusion. Four stars from me.

5 Stars

This is how you end a trilogy.

The Last Command takes everything that’s been building across the Thrawn series and tightens it until it snaps. The strategy. The political maneuvering. The quiet tension humming beneath every conversation. It all lands.

Thrawn continues to be one of the most compelling villains in Star Wars. Calm, calculated, ten steps ahead. Watching him work is almost unsettling because it feels inevitable.

I loved seeing the New Republic stretched thin, scrambling to hold itself together. Luke’s growth, Mara Jade’s arc, the way everything converges without feeling messy. It just works.

The pacing never drags. Every chapter feels intentional. And that ending? Satisfying without being neat.

Five stars. This trilogy absolutely deserves the hype.

Book Review: A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

Title: A Gathering of Shadows

By: V.E. Schwab

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 512

Release Date: February 23rd, 2016

Rating: ★★★★★

Summary from Goodreads:

It has been four months since a mysterious obsidian stone fell into Kell's possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Prince Rhy was wounded, and since the nefarious Dane twins of White London fell, and four months since the stone was cast with Holland's dying body through the rift—back into Black London.

Now, restless after having given up his smuggling habit, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks as she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games—an extravagant international competition of magic meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries—a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.

And while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night will reappear in the morning. But the balance of magic is ever perilous, and for one city to flourish, another London must fall.

Add on Goodreads

Review:

A Gathering of Shadows takes everything I loved about A Darker Shade of Magic and sharpens it. The stakes are higher. The tension is thicker. The characters feel like they’re standing on a knife’s edge and daring the world to push them.

The Essen Tasch? Obsessed. Magical Olympics but make it elegant, cutthroat, and slightly unhinged. Every round felt like holding my breath underwater just to see who would surface.

Kell is still carrying the weight of multiple Londons like it’s stitched into his bones. Lila Bard continues to be chaos in boots, and I love her for it. Rhy broke my heart in quiet, unexpected ways. Even the side characters felt deliberate and alive, like pieces on a very dangerous chessboard.

And that ending? Cruel. Absolutely cruel. Dark, layered, character driven fantasy with a pulse. Five stars. No notes.

Weekly Menu #647 And The Book Of The Week

WEEKLY MENU

Monday

Greek Turkey Rice Bowls

Kids - Chicken and Rice Bowls

Tuesday

Oktoberfest Sheet Pan Brats

Kids - Brat Mac and Cheese

Wednesday

Italian Meatball Soup

Kids - Grilled Cheese

Thursday

Pad See Ew

Kids - Beef Ramen

Friday

Cajun Potato Soup

Kids - Tater Tots and Cheese

Saturday

Spicy Sriracha Tuna Wrap

Kids - Cheese Quesadilla

Sunday

Leftovers Night

Sunday Confessions #344

Sunday has a way of catching me mid thought. The week is over, the noise dies down a little, and all the things I’ve been shoving into the corners of my brain suddenly want airtime. This is where I drop the filters, let go of the “I should be fine” narrative, and say the quiet parts out loud. No fixing, no wrapping things up neatly. Just honesty, exactly as it is.

Sunday Confessions #343

Weekly Menu #646 And The Book Of The Week

Book Review: Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

What I Read Last Week - February 2nd to 8th

Weekly Menu #647 And The Book Of The Week

Book Review: A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

What I Read Last Week - February 9th to 15th

Sunday Confessions #345

43/250 2026 Reading Challenge

134/214 in my Star Wars Legends challenge

19/102 2025 Goodreads Nominees Reading Challenge

That’s all I have in me for today. No tidy lessons, no big takeaways, just the relief that comes from saying the things I usually keep tucked away. I’ll sit with this, let it be enough for now, and carry what needs carrying into the next week. If you made it this far, thanks for listening. Sometimes that’s more than enough.

Book Confessions of an Ex-Ballerina

Pages

Weekly Menu #648 And The Book Of The Week

WEEKLY MENU

Sunday Confessions #345

What I Read Last Week - February 9th to 15th

Book Review: A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

Summary from Goodreads:

Review:

Weekly Menu #647 And The Book Of The Week

WEEKLY MENU

Sunday Confessions #344

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