Sara Reads Things

  Hello Sunday! We've survived the hottest week of the summer so far, but it was a rough one. Our internet went out, and somehow my husband and his friend jerry-rigged it until the cable company can come out and fix it properly. This really put a hitch in my work plans. Good thing we can still connect... For now. Lets recap the week. Sunday Confessions #158 ~ Weekly Menu #466 And The Book Of The Week ~ Book Review: A Dress of Violet Taffeta by Tessa Arlen ~ Movie Review: The Secrets of Dumbledore ~ Book Review: I Let You Fall by Sara Downing ~ Book Review: Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood Weekly Menu #467 And The Book Of The Week ~ July 2022 Wrap Up ~ Book Review: Mean Baby by Selma Blare ~ Book Review: Finding Me by Viola Davis ~ Sunday Confessions #160 Anna Fox lives alone, a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times . . . and spying on her neighbors. Then the Rus...

  Title: Love on the Brain By: Ali Hazelwood Genre: Romance, Fiction Pages: 368 Release Date: August 23rd, 2022 Publisher: Berkley Rating: ★★★★☆   Summary from Goodreads: A STEMinist rom-com in which a scientist is forced to work on a project with her nemesis--with explosive results. Like an avenging, purple-haired Jedi bringing balance to the mansplained universe, Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project--a literal dream come true after years scraping by on the crumbs of academia--Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward. Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing-eyes kind of way. And sure, he caught her in his powerfully corded arms like a romance novel hero when she accidentally damseled in distress on her first day in the lab. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school--archenemies wo...

  Title: I Let You Fall By: Sara Downing Genre: Fiction Pages: Unknown Release Date: June 20th, 2022 Publisher: Quilla Books Rating: ★★★★☆   Summary from Goodreads: On a summer night in London, art teacher Eve Chapman finds herself in a hospital emergency room. She watches surgeons desperately operate on a young woman with a terrible head injury. But when the bandages are removed, Eve is horrified to find her own body on the operating table. Trapped in a coma, Eve struggles to cope with the fact that no matter how hard she tries, her family and friends cannot see or hear her. But then she meets Luca Diaz, a handsome and comatose lawyer who can see her. He takes Eve under his wing and teaches her how to use her new abilities to help the living. As the weeks pass, Eve struggles to find a way back to her body and to Nathan, the man she loves. But the more time she spends with Luca, the more she wonders if her old life is worth going back to at all.     Add on Goodreads ...

Title:  The Secrets of Dumbledore Genre:  Fantasy Release Date:  April 15th, 2022 My Rating: ★★★☆☆ IMDB Rating:  6.2/10 Cast: Jude Law ,  Mads Mikkelsen ,  Eddie Redmayne Watch On: Amazon Prime   Summary from IMDB: Professor Albus Dumbledore must assign Newt Scamander and his fellow partners as Grindelwald begins to lead an army to eliminate all Muggles.    IMDB Trailer   Review: I wasn't as thrilled about this installment of Fantastic Beasts. The story seemed lacking to me and the excitement around the characters were lacking. All the feelings that should be involved in a movie were missing and I felt bored at the end. We also need to address the half assed relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald. If you are going to give them a relationship, them make it believable. It felt forced and awkward. Of course, this movie is a must watch for any Harry Potter fans, but make up your own mind about it. I wasn't as pleased with this one a...

Title: A Dress of Violet Taffeta By: Tessa Arlen Genre: Historical Pages: 352 Release Date: July 5th, 2022 Publisher: Berkley Books Rating: ★★★★☆   Summary from Goodreads: A sumptuous novel based on the fascinating true story of Belle Epoque icon Lucy, Lady Duff Gordon, a woman determined to shatter the boundaries of the fashion world and support herself and her young daughter with her magnificent designs. Lucy Duff Gordon knows she is talented. She sees color, light, fabric, and texture in ways few other people do. But is the world ready for her? A world dominated by men who would try to control her and use her art for their own gain? After being deserted by her wealthy husband, Lucy is desperate to survive. She turns to her one true talent to make a living. As a little girl, the dresses she made for her dolls were the envy of her group of playmates. Now, she uses her courageous innovations in Belle Époque fashion to support her own little girl. Lucile knows it is an uphill battl...

  Hello Monday! Spent the weekend with family and celebrated our youngest's birthday. I think the highlight for youngest was the blowup dino costume from his Grandme. He loves that thing and he is not a kid that loves much. This weeks read is The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn. I've heard a lot of great things about this book from both family and friends and I can't wait to peak inside. Lets get to this weeks menu. Enjoy! WEEKLY MENU Monday Cheesy White Bean Tomato Bake   Tuesday Parmesan Chicken Pasta   Wednesday Breakfast Charcuterie Board   Thursday Ground Beef Tacos   Friday BLT Caesar Salad   Saturday Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese   Sunday Leftovers Night

  Hello Sunday! Its been another amazingly sunny week full of food, family and great reads. Lets recap. Sunday Confessions #157 ~ Weekly Menu #465 And The Book Of The Week ~ Book Review: Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson ~ Book Review: The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer ~ Movie Review: The Last Duel ~ Book Review: Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan Weekly Menu #466 And The Book Of The Week ~ Book Review: A Dress of Violet Taffeta by Tessa Arlen ~ Book Review: I Let You Fall by Sara Downing ~ Book Review: Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood ~ Sunday Confessions #159 The Children on the Hill by   Jennifer McMahon A genre-defying new novel, inspired by Mary Shelley’s masterpiece  Frankenstein , which brilliantly explores the eerie mysteries of childhood and the evils perpetrated by the monsters among us. 1978: at her renowned treatment center in picturesque Vermont, the brilliant psychiatrist, Dr. Helen Hildreth, is acclaimed for her compassiona...