Sara Reads Things

If you have been following my reading challenges, you will know that I am attempting to read through the Star Wars universe. Right now I am working through the Legends list, but throwing some of the Cannon books in there as well.  I'm currently at 16 books out of about 200 books, so I have a long way to go, but I'm at the point where I start to follow some of my favorite characters. Darth Maul is going to come into play and Qui-Gon and Obiwan are right around the corner. I can't wait. Here are the last three books that I read in the Legends series.  Annihilation (Star Wars: The Old Republic (Publication Order) #4) by   Drew Karpyshyn The Sith Empire is in flux. The Emperor is missing, presumed dead, and an ambitious Sith lord’s attempt to seize the throne has ended fatally. Still, Darth Karrid, commander of the fearsome Imperial battle cruiser Ascendant Spear, continues her relentless efforts to achieve total Sith domination of the galaxy. But Ka...

Title: First They Killed My Father By: Loung Ung Genre: Memoir  Pages: 238 Release Date: April 4th, 2006 Publisher:  Harper Perennial Rating: ★★★★☆ Summary from Goodreads: From a childhood survivor of the Camdodian genocide under the regime of Pol Pot, this is a riveting narrative of war crimes and desperate actions, the unnerving strength of a small girl and her family, and their triumph of spirit. One of seven children of a high-ranking government official, Loung Ung lived a privileged life in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh until the age of five. Then, in April 1975, Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge army stormed into the city, forcing Ung's family to flee and, eventually, to disperse. Loung was trained as a child soldier in a work camp for orphans, her siblings were sent to labor camps, and those who survived the horrors would not be reunited until the Khmer Rouge was destroyed. Harrowing yet hopeful, Loung's powerful story is an unforgettable account of...

Another wonderful book turned into a movie. I actually really enjoyed the movie and I didn't think I would. Ender's Game has been a big part of my book journey, I've read it many times and each time I seem to love it more. The movie put pictures and faces to some of those characters and scenes that I love. I recommend both the book and the movie. Title: Ender's Game By: Orson Scott Card Genre: Scifi Book Rating: ★★★★★ Movie Rating:  ★★★★★ Summary from Goodreads: Andrew "Ender" Wiggin thinks he is playing computer simulated war games; he is, in fact, engaged in something far more desperate. The result of genetic experimentation, Ender may be the military genius Earth desperately needs in a war against an alien enemy seeking to destroy all human life. The only way to find out is to throw Ender into ever harsher training, to chip away and find the diamond inside, or destroy him utterly. Ender Wiggin is six years old when it begins. He wil...

Monday! I feel like we keep coming back to this point and yet nothing changes. So, here we are again. I've been reading a lot right now. Up to 18 books in April and this month isn't over yet. Crushed a few pretty thick novels that I've been wanting to read, but didn't have the time to really get into them. Also been working on the blog, making it more user friendly and looking into building my foot print. Things are looking up. This weeks read is Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger. I'm reading this book as my Minnesota pick for my read around the country challenge.  What are you reading this week? Leave me a comment below. In the meantime, lets get to the menu. Enjoy! MENU Monday Figgy Chicken Tuesday Sesame Pork Cutlets Wednesday Italian Style Meatball Bake Thursday Creamy Garlic Chicken Thighs Friday Bacon Cheddar Burger Saturday Carne Asada Taco Salad Sunday Leftovers Night

Welcome back to my weekly confession. I have to say, this working from home thing is hard. My days seem to be running together and even this morning I woke up at the butt crack of dawn because I thought it was a work day, but instead its Sunday. Oy vey... I'm going to need a vacation after all of this. I hope you are all hanging in there.  Sunday Confessions #40 ~ Weekly Menu #348 And The Book Of The Week ~ Movie Review: Trolls World Tour ~ Book Review: The Last Druid by Terry Brooks ~ Book to Movie: Divergent by Veronica Roth ~ Book Review: Wild Love by Meg Benjamin Weekly Menu #349 And The Book Of The Week ~ Book To Movie: Enders Game by Orson Scott Card ~ Book Review: First they Killed my Father by Loung Ung ~ 3 Books in the Star Wars Cannon Series ~ Book Review: Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick   35/50 Books in my Read Around the Country challenge ~ 15/196 in my Star Wars Legends challenge ~ 5/20 in...

Title: Wild Love By: Meg Benjamin Genre: Romance Pages: 400 Release Date: April 20th, 2020 Publisher:  Entangled: Amara Rating: ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ Summary from Goodreads: After one bad relationship too many, Peaches Guidry came to the mountain resort town of Antero, Colorado to start over. Now, she’s manager of a great restaurant and on her way to bigger and better things without anyone complicating her life. The upcoming grand opening of the local brewery’s new pub is the perfect opportunity to introduce more customers to her menu. A partnership with Antero Brewing could bring her business to a whole new level. But then Colin Brooks strolls into town. Rugged, yet charismatic. The bad boy with a heart of gold—the kind of man she can’t resist. Her friends at the brewpub, though, are quick to tell her Colin isn’t exactly new in town. He’s the black sheep of Antero and disappeared years ago without a word. Now he’s back and hoping to prove he’s changed, but the welcome ...

If you are like me, you love when one of your favorite movies is turned into a book. If you are also like me, you are hesitant to watch the movie because you don't know if the movie is going to do the book justice. At some point, you have to rip off the band-aid and just watch the movie.  Title: Divergent By: Veronica Roth Genre: Dystopian Book Rating: ★★★★☆ Movie Rating:  ★★★★☆ Summary from Goodreads:  I n Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, ...

Title: The Last Druid - The Fall of Shannara By: Terry Brooks Genre: Epic Fantasy Pages: 448 Release Date: June 2nd, 2020 Publisher:  Del Rey Books Rating: ★★★★☆ Summary from Goodreads: The riveting conclusion not only to the Fall of Shannara but to the entire Shannara series--a truly landmark event, twenty-nine books and forty-three years in the making. Bringing a conclusion to an epic that has spanned centuries is a vast undertaking, but Terry Brooks is entirely equal to the challenge. As the Four Lands reels under a brutal invasion from across the sea, spearheaded by a nation determined to make this land their own, our heroes must decide what they will risk to save the integrity of their home. For as one group remains to defend their homeland, another undertakes a perilous journey across the sea to the homeland of the invaders, carrying with them a new piece of technology that could change the face of the world forever. For both groups, the stakes could...

Title: Trolls Would Tour Genre: Fantasy  Release Date: April 10th, 2020 My Rating: ★★★★★ IMDB Rating: 6.1/10 Cast:  Anna Kendrick , Justin Timberlake , Rachel Bloom Summary from IMDB:  Poppy and Branch discover that they are but one of six different Troll tribes scattered over six different lands devoted to six different kinds of music: Funk, Country, Techno, Classical, Pop and Rock. Their world is about to get a lot bigger and a whole lot louder. A member of hard-rock royalty, Queen Barb, aided by her father King Thrash, wants to destroy all other kinds of music to let rock reign supreme. With the fate of the world at stake, Poppy and Branch, along with their friends, set out to visit all the other lands to unify the Trolls in harmony against Barb, who's looking to upstage them all. IMDB Trailer Review: We rented this movie for the kids the day it came out... Best choice ever... My kids loved it and it was great for my husband and I too. ...

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands... I mean... I've been in this house too long. Now that I am working from home, I wake up in the morning not knowing what day it is. I'm fairly certain its Monday today... I have been reading soooo much lately. Ripping through books like they were a pizza. I finished An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, over 1000 pages, in three days. That's how bad (or good) it is. So, this week I'm going old school and diving into Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Its 500 pages of old English... Not the easiest to read or understand at times, but I'm doing it.  What are you reading this week? I hope you enjoy this weeks menu below. MENU Monday Monterey Jack Burger Tuesday Chipotle Chicken and Rice Bowl Wednesday Korean Steak Stir Fry Thursday Cheese Ravioli with Broccoli Friday Figgy Chicken Saturday Italian Chopped Salad Sunday ...

Sunday Confessions #39 ~ Weekly Menu #347 And The Book Of The Week ~ Movie Review: Onward ~ Book Review: The First Confessor by Terry Goodkind ~ 6 books to read you around the country ~ Book Review: Red Dragon by Thomas Harris ~ Book Review: Lakeshire Park by Megan Walker Weekly Menu #348 And The Book Of The Week ~ Book Review: The Last Druid by Terry Brooks ~ Book Review: Wild Love by Meg Benjamin ~ Sunday Confessions #41 34/50 Books in my Read Around the Country challenge ~ 15/196 in my Star Wars Legends challenge ~ 4/20 in my Scotland challenge ~ 38/341 Gilmore Girls challenge ~ 37/100 in my 100 books before you die challenge Another week down. What does next week have in store for us?

Title: Lakeshire Park By: Megan Walker Genre: Historical Romance Pages: 320 Release Date: April 7th, 2020 Publisher:    Shadow Mountain Rating: ★★★★☆ Summary from Goodreads:   “Charming, beautifully written, and hopelessly romantic. Sure to be a new favorite!” -JULIANNE DONALDSON, best-selling author of  Edenbrooke Brighton, England 1820 Amelia Moore wants only one thing—to secure the future happiness of her younger sister, Clara. With their stepfather’s looming death, the two sisters will soon be on their own—without family, a home, or a penny to their names. When an invitation arrives to join a house party at Lakeshire Park, Amelia grasps at the chance. If she can encourage a match between Clara and their host, Sir Ronald, then at least her sister will be taken care of. Little does she know that another guest, the arrogant and overconfident Mr. Peter Wood, is after the same goal for his own sister. Amelia and Peter begin a rivalry that...