Sara Reads Things

Title: My Story By: Elizabeth Smart Genre: Non-Fiction Pages: 308 Release Date: October 7th, 2013 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Rating: ★★★ ★ ★ Summary from Goodreads: For the first time, ten years after her abduction from her Salt Lake City bedroom, Elizabeth Smart reveals how she survived and the secret to forging a new life in the wake of a brutal crime. On June 5, 2002, fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart, the daughter of a close-knit Mormon family, was taken from her home in the middle of the night by religious fanatic, Brian David Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee. She was kept chained, dressed in disguise, repeatedly raped, and told she and her family would be killed if she tried to escape. After her rescue on March 12, 2003, she rejoined her family and worked to pick up the pieces of her life. Now for the first time, in her memoir, MY STORY, she tells of the constant fear she endured every hour, her courageous dete...

Title: As Old As Time By: Liz Braswell Genre: Fantasy Pages: 484 Release Date: September 6th, 2016 Publisher: Disney-Hyperion Rating: ★★★★☆ Summary from Goodreads: What if Belle's mother cursed the Beast? Belle is a lot of things: smart, resourceful, restless. She longs to escape her poor provincial town for good. She wants to explore the world, despite her father's reluctance to leave their little cottage in case Belle's mother returns--a mother she barely remembers. Belle also happens to be the captive of a terrifying, angry beast. And that is her primary concern. But Belle touches the Beast's enchanted rose, intriguing images flood her mind--images of the mother she believed she would never see again. Stranger still, she sees that her mother is none other than the beautiful Enchantress who cursed the Beast, his castle, and all its inhabitants. Shocked and confused, Belle and the Beast must work together to unravel a dark mystery about th...

Title:  Jumanji: The Next Level Genre:  Adventure/Comedy Release Date:  December 13th, 2019 My Rating: ★★★★☆ IMDB Rating:  6.7/10 Cast: Dwayne Johnson , Jack Black , Kevin Hart Summary from IMDB:   In Jumanji: The Next Level, the gang is back but the game has changed. As they return to rescue one of their own, the players will have to brave parts unknown from arid deserts to snowy mountains, to escape the world's most dangerous game. IMDB Trailer Review: On my quest to watch all the movies I missed last year, I finally was able to put some time aside for this little gem. I really enjoyed the previous addition to the Jumanji saga and this one was just as fun. In true Jumanji fashion, our characters are thrown back into the game after one of their friends decides he liked who he was better inside the game. They take a long a few new friends as they search for Spencer. This time, the characters are all switched around, giving...

Title: Lobizona By: Romina Garber Genre: Paranormal Pages: 400 Release Date: August 4th, 2020 Publisher:  Wednesday Books Rating: ★★★★★ Summary from Goodreads: Some people  ARE illegal. Lobizonas do NOT exist. Both of these statements are false. Manuela Azul has been crammed into an existence that feels too small for her. As an undocumented immigrant who's on the run from her father's Argentine crime-family, Manu is confined to a small apartment and a small life in Miami, Florida. Until Manu's protective bubble is shattered. Her surrogate grandmother is attacked, lifelong lies are exposed, and her mother is arrested by ICE. Without a home, without answers, and finally without shackles, Manu investigates the only clue she has about her past--a mysterious "Z" emblem—which leads her to a secret world buried within our own. A world connected to her dead father and his criminal past. A world straight out of Argentine folklore, where the se...

Monday! Oddly enough, I have no idea how we got back here. The week seemed to be going along nicely and then around Friday, it took a strange turn and dumped me back on my Monday ass. I feel like I'm in the of Groundhogs day movie or something. I know it's bee months, but even autistic people get tired of quarantine after a while. Been reading a lot though. This weeks book is Burn by Patrick Ness. I've been hooked on his writing ever since I read A Monster Calls. It was the first book that made me cry. This one looks epic and I can't wait to share it with you. What are you reading this week? Lets get to the menu. Enjoy!   MENU   Monday Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas Tuesday Crock Pot French Dip Wednesday English Muffin Pizzas Thursday Smash Burgers Friday Sausage and Rice Skillet Saturday Taco Salad Sunday Leftovers Night

Welcome back to the weekly confessions. Hey, did you know its Sunday? why does the end of the week have to come so fast. I just can't. I just can't.  Well, there's a lot to recap to get to, so here we go.  Sunday Confessions #53 ~ Weekly Menu #361 And The Book Of The Week ~ Movie Review: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle ~ Book Review: All We Left Behind By Danielle Graham ~ Movie Review: Greyhound ~ Book Review: The Little Shop of Ever After by Jenny Colgan Weekly Menu #362 And The Book Of The Week ~ Book Review: Lobizona by Romina Garber ~ Movie Review: Jumanji: The Next Level ~ Book Review: As Old As Time by Liz Braswell ~ Sunday Confessions #55 48/50 Books in my Read Around the Country challenge ~ 17/196 in my Star Wars Legends challenge ~ 7/20 in my Scotland challenge ~ 40/341 Gilmore Girls challenge ~ 39/100 in my 100 books before you die challenge I am so close to finishing my...

Title: The Little Shop of Happy Ever After By: Jenny Colgan Genre: Fiction Pages: 343 Release Date: January 11th, 2016 Publisher: Sphere Rating: ★★★★☆ Summary from Goodreads: Given a back-room computer job when the beloved Birmingham library she works in turns into a downsized retail complex, Nina misses her old role terribly - dealing with people, greeting her regulars, making sure everyone gets the right books for their needs. Then a new business nobody else wants catches her eye: owning a tiny little bookshop bus up in the Scottish highlands. No computers. Shortages. Out all hours in the freezing cold; driving with a tiny stock of books... not to mention how the little community is going to take to her,   particularly when she stalls the bus on a level crossing...   Add on Goodreads Review: This was a wonderful love story that I couldn't put down. The main character in this book has to be one of the strongest women I've read about. She ha...

Title:  Greyhound Genre:  Historical/Action Release Date:  July 10th, 2020 My Rating: ★★★★☆ IMDB Rating:  7.1/10 Cast: Tom Hanks , Elisabeth Shue , Stephen Graham Summary from IMDB:  Early in World War II, an inexperienced U.S. Navy captain must lead an Allied convoy being stalked by Nazi U-boat wolfpacks. IMDB Trailer Review: This was a nail biter. I am deathly afraid of drowning and water movies and this tail consists of boats and U-boats and sinking ships. I nearly chewed off my fingers. Tom Hanks plays a captain with a soft demeanor and a spiritual background. He is tasked with leading a convoy of supply ships across an section of water that is known to be deadly and infested with U-boats. The captain never sleeps during the several day trip as they are attacked over and over again, losing ships and crewmates. He also walks so much, that his feet bleeds. The tactics and determination, saves many lives and helps deliver...

Title: All We Left Behind By: Danielle R. Graham Genre: Historical Pages: 256 Release Date: January 10th, 2020 Publisher: One More Chapter Rating: ★★★★☆ Summary from Goodreads: The Secret Orphan meets The Tattooist of Auschwitz with a dash of Wild Swans A powerful and incredibly moving historical novel inspired by an untold story of the Second World War. Vancouver 1941 As the war rages around the world, Hitler’s fury is yet to be felt on the peaceful shores of Mayne Island. Sweethearts Hayden and Chidori are in love. But everything changes after Pearl Harbor. Now seen as the enemy, Chidori and her family are forced into an internment camp. Powerless to help them, Hayden joins the Royal Canadian Air Force to bring about an end to this devastating war – the thought of Chidori is all that keeps him alive. Can they both survive long enough to be reunited? Or will the war be the only thing to separate their love? Add on Goodreads Revi...

Title:  Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Genre:  Comedy/Action Release Date:  December 20th, 2017 My Rating: ★★★★☆ IMDB Rating:  6.9/10 Cast: Dwayne Johnson , Karen Gillan , Kevin Hart Summary from IMDB:  Four teenagers are sucked into a magical video game, and the only way they can escape is to work together to finish the game. IMDB Trailer Review: I've been waiting to watch this movie for a while now. Finally convinced my husband to watch it with me. With everything going on in the world, I needed a little light heartedness, and this movie really hit the spot. A mix of humor and action, the story follows four teens who are very different, as they learn to work together to win the game of Jumanji, saving their lives in the process. Each character was phenomenal. Jack Black cracked me up as he portrayed a preppy teenage socialite who's obsessed with her phone. I really believed there was a young woman behind that dad bod...