Sara Reads Things

Hello Sunday! It's been a long week. I got my hands on the new Hunger Games book. If you didn't know, Suzanne Collins came out with a prequel to the fabulous Hunger Games trilogy, so go get your copy. Our county is now in the post Covid 19 phase 1. Not sure what that is going to look like for me, but I'm dying for a haircut. Pandemic hair is not pretty. And, I've lost 5 lbs in all this Kerfuffle. Its been a weird week. Anyway, lets move on with this weeks confessions.   Sunday Confessions #45 ~ Weekly Menu #353 And The Book Of The Week ~ Recipe: Deconstructed Chicken Pot Pie ~ Book Review: The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner ~ Book Review: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins ~ Book Review: The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley Weekly Menu #354 And The Book Of The Week ~ Book Review: Creepy Little Things by Chelsea Ichaso ~ Book Review: Reflection by Elizabeth Lim ~ Author Interview: Brian Finney ...

Title: The Winter Sea By: Susanna Kearsley Genre: Time Travel Pages: 536 Release Date: December 1st, 2010 Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark Rating: ★★★★☆ Summary from Goodreads: In the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown. Now, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn that story into her next bestselling novel. Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle, she creates a heroine named for one of her own ancestors and starts to write. But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth—the ultimate betrayal—that happened all those years ago, and that knowledge comes very close to destroying her.… Add on Goodreads Review: A mystical time traveling tale that brought the future in line with the past. The way the au...

Title: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes By: Suzanne Collins Genre: Dystopian Pages: 540 Release Date: May 19th, 2020 Publisher: Scholastic Press Rating: ★★★★☆ Summary from Goodreads: It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the 10th annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to out charm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined - every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute.....

Title: The Jane Austen Society By: Natalie Jenner Genre: Historical Pages: 320 Release Date: May 26th, 2020 Publisher:  St. Martin's Press Rating: ★★★★☆ Summary from Goodreads: Just after the Second World War, in the small English village of Chawton, an unusual but like-minded group of people band together to attempt something remarkable. One hundred and fifty years ago, Chawton was the final home of Jane Austen, one of England's finest novelists. Now it's home to a few distant relatives and their diminishing estate. With the last bit of Austen's legacy threatened, a group of disparate individuals come together to preserve both Jane Austen's home and her legacy. These people—a laborer, a young widow, the local doctor, and a movie star, among others—could not be more different and yet they are united in their love for the works and words of Austen. As each of them endures their own quiet struggle with loss and trauma, some from the recent war, o...

As promised, here is the recipe for the chicken pot pie from the menu a few weeks ago. This meal was delicious, and apart form the biscuit, I was able to make it gluten free. The biscuit was for my husband and my kids, but they smelled so delicious. I was sad that i couldn't eat them. I was also too lazy to make my own gluten free biscuits, so who's fault was that?  Let's get to cooking, shall we? Ingredients Prepackaged biscuits (I used Grands biscuits) 1 1/2 cup chicken stock 1 cup whole milk 3 tbsp. all purpose flour (or gluten free flour) 1 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning 1 chopped small yellow onion 1 c. matchstick carrots 3 tbsp. butter 2 c. shredded rotisserie chicken (or leftover chicken) 1 c. green beans (fresh or frozen) 2 tbsp. parsley Directions 1. Prepare the biscuits according to package. 2. Remove the chicken from bone and put it aside. 3. Cut carrots, onion and green beans. 4. Mix in a bowl chicken stock, milk, flour...

I believe we are finally moving on. The county is in phase one of opening back up and things are starting to feel like they are going back to normal. It's been rough. I'm not going to lie. The boys are feeling the strain of living inside the house for the last two months, and its all about to blow up... I can feel it. We need to get out of this house. The read of the week is The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. I've been waiting forever for this book and I was shockingly surprised how fast I was able to obtain it from the library. I can't wait to dive in. Are you as excited as I am? I'm trying some new recipes on the menu this week. They sound delicious and I can't wait to see how they go. If you like the menu, leave me a comment below. I'd love to hear what you think about the new recipes. Enjoy. MENU   Monday Balsamic Fig Chicken Tuesday Mexican Pork & Street Corn Tacos Wednesday Black Pepper C...

Sunday is one of my favorite days.... and one of my least favorite... I don't have to work. The whole family is home and I can do pretty much whatever I want... After I finish the cleaning, laundry and grocery shopping. Usually all the things I want to do are in the afternoons. Still, I can hear the birds chirping this morning and the weather is fairly nice, although a little on the chilly side.  I read some really great books this week and have some reviews to share with you, so lets get to it. Sunday Confessions #44 ~ Weekly Menu #352 And The Book Of The Week ~ Book Review: Date Me, Bryson Keller by Kevin Van Whye ~ Book Review: The Unseen Force by Catherine Fitzsimmons ~ Movie Review: Frozen 2 ~ Book Review: The Gift of Forgiveness by Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt Weekly Menu #353 And The Book Of The Week ~ Book Review: The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner ~ Book Review: The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley ~ Sunday Confe...

Title: The Gift of Forgiveness By: Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt Genre: Non-Fiction Pages: 224 Release Date: March 10th, 2020 Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books Rating: ★★★☆☆ Summary from Goodreads: A fresh, inspiring book on learning how to forgive--with firsthand stories from those who have learned to let go of resentment and find peace "When we learn to embrace forgiveness, it opens us up to healing, hope, and a new world of possibility."  --Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt Written with grace and understanding and based on more than twenty in-depth interviews and stories as well as personal reflections from Schwarzenegger Pratt herself,  The Gift of Forgiveness  is about one of the most difficult challenges in life--learning to forgive. Here, Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt shows us what we can learn from those who have struggled with forgiveness, some still struggling, and others who have been able to forgive what might seem truly unforgivable. The book...

Title:  Frozen 2 Genre:  Animated Fantasy Release Date:  November 22nd, 2019 My Rating: ★★★★☆ IMDB Rating:  6.9/10 Cast: Kristen Bell , Idina Menzel , Josh Gad Summary from IMDB:  Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven leave Arendelle to travel to an ancient, autumn-bound forest of an enchanted land. They set out to find the origin of Elsa's powers in order to save their kingdom. IMDB Trailer Review: This was a fun movie. The plot explores the past of Arendelle and the princesses parents, how they came from two different backgrounds and united the kingdom. But within the past, they find troubling consequences that have gone on for many years. This was a story of adventure and above all else, love... Of course... These characters make me laugh every time I see them. My youngest son used to make me watch the first movie two to three times a day when it first came out. I can quote the whole movie to you, sing every line. This movie gave...

Title: The Unseen Force By: Catherine Fitzsimmons Genre: Fantasy Pages: 306 Release Date: June 19th, 2020 Publisher: Brain Lag Rating: ★★★☆☆ Summary from Goodreads: The Battle of Albrith is over. The battle for Faneria has just begun. Magic is forbidden in Faneria. That's why it came as a complete surprise when the king's city was attacked by a band of rogue mages. Though they were thwarted, Damian Sires, instrumental in their defeat, is known for only one thing--her magic. She returns home to a cold welcome and an even greater threat looming. For Niabi, servant of the Gods of Light, is amassing an army far to the west. After Niabi fought the Goddess of Chaos in the streets of Albrith with no thought to the damage she caused, Damian knows that this Army of Light spells disaster. Guarded at all times and accompanied by a former mercenary with a dark past, Damian sets out to stop Niabi from wreaking havoc on her country. However, even more dangerous secrets a...