Sara Reads Things

  Lately, my family and I are trying to find new traditions for the old holidays we celebrate. With the kids growing up and not wanting to participate in a lot of the more childish fun, sometimes its nice to change things up. This year, I'm going to spend my Halloween reading a scary book, watching Coco with my youngest and celebrating our ancestors who have come before us on the day of the dead. This slow down will do us some good after the year we've had. I can't wait. Here are 5 books I've read recently that fall into either the creepy or the paranormal that I know you will love. Enjoy! Dead Voices Katherine Arden Dead voices by Katherine Arden is right in the middle of a super creepy series, but happens to be my favorite book of them all. Its easy to pick up on the established characters, if you haven't read the first book yet. Having survived sinister scarecrows and the malevolent smiling man in Small Spaces, newly minted best friends Ollie, Coco, and Brian are...

  Hello Monday! Welcome back to my weekly menu where I share all the delicious recipes we will be trying over the week. What happened to the warm weather? One minute its 75 degrees and sunny and the next its below freezing and wet. Has winter finally showed up? I would have liked a more even transition. Maybe slowly ease us into it, but nope... We get a wall of cold. This weeks read is A Dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden. I picked this one up from Netgalley and I'm super excited to find out what its all about. Sounds like I will be emersed in dark kingdoms, magic, imprisonment and possibly romance. Sounds intriguing.  Lets get to this week menu. Enjoy! WEEKLY MENU Monday Chicken Alfredo Flatbread Kids - Flatbread Cheese Pizza   Tuesday Fetta and Chicken Patties Kids - Chicken Nuggets and Salad   Wednesday Honey Mustard Porkchops Kids - Grilled Cheese   Thursday Crockpot Chicken and Gravy and mashed potatoes Kids - Cheesy Fries   Friday Epic Beef Nachos Kids - Na...

   Hello Sunday! Welcome back to the weekly recap of the blog. Sunday Confessions #221 ~ Weekly Menu #528 And The Book Of The Week ~ Book Review: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt ~ Recipe: Instant Pot Orange Chicken ~ Book Review: Take the Lead by Sasha DiGiulian Weekly Menu #529 And The Book Of The Week ~ Favorite Scarry Books ~ Book Review: The Invisible Life of Addy LaRue by V.E. Schwab ~ Recipe: Cajun Chicken Mac and Cheese ~ Book Review: To Build a Dream by Greg Hickey ~ Sunday Confessions #223 Another recipe recap coming at you! The Louisianan Red Beans and Rice from last night, spicy, but delicious.  Slow cooker Cheesy Ham Chowder is always a fan favorite around here. Made way too much though for my small family, lol. Greek Meatball Bowls had a lot of components, but worth making it all. Delicious! Sesame Chicken Schnitzel is one of my favorite meals this last week. Great for the air fryer to save on time. For an extra treat, Roxy's Island Grill ...

 My review of Take the Lead by Sasha DiGiulian. Title: Take the Lead By: Sasha DiGiulian Genre: Memoir Pages: 278 Release Date: September 26th, 2023 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Rating: ★★★★☆   Summary from Goodreads: World champion climber Sasha DiGiulian tells her story—from coming of age under the scrutiny of social media, navigating a male-dominated sport, and tackling her most heart-stopping climbs—and shares the power of perseverance and positivity. At age six, Sasha DiGiulian stepped into a climbing gym for the first time and was competing within a year. Decked out in all-pink gear and with her blonde hair tied into pigtails, Sasha knew from an early age what it was like to be a girl in a traditionally male-dominated sport, vowing to never sacrifice her femininity to fit in. With a fierce love for the climb and incredible natural talent, Sasha soon won her first National Sport Climbing Championship at only seventeen, and a year later took the title of World Champion. T...

  If you've been following my food journey, you know how much I love my instant pot/air fryer. I use it several times a week and the amount of different kinds of foods you can make with that one kitchen appliance, is insane.  This recipe is super delicious and only takes about 15 minutes. My husband absolutely loves it. Is Orange Chicken sweat?... I thought this same thing when I first made this recipe. I'm not a fan of mixing sweat and savory foods, but this recipe is not as sweat as you would think.  What should I have with my Orange Chicken?... I like good old white rice, but you can try rice noodles or even mashed potatoes if you are feeling like mixing and matching a bit. Course: Main Course Servings: 4 -6 people Time to Make: 15 Minutes Ingredients: 4 Chicken breasts 3/4 Cup of your favorite BBQ sauce 2 Tbs soy sauce 3/4 Orange marmalade 2 Tsp cornstarch Green onions Instructions: 1. Chop chicken breasts into large bite sized chunks. 2. Add chicken, BBQ sauce and s...

 My book review of Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. Title: Remarkably Bright Creatures By: Shelby Van Pelt Genre: Fiction Pages: 360 Release Date: May 3rd, 2022 Publisher: Ecco Rating: ★★★★★   Summary from Goodreads: After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago. Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova. Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the tr...