Sara Reads Things

  3 Stars I really wanted to love this one. The premise is strong. Big scale sci-fi. Alien conquest. Philosophical undertones about humanity and survival. On paper, this should have been exactly my thing. But it felt slow. Very slow. A lot of time spent in introspection and explanation, not a lot that kept me urgently turning pages. I kept waiting for it to click, and it never fully did. The world building is detailed, and you can tell it’s deliberate. I just didn’t feel connected to the characters enough to stay invested in what was happening to them. For a book about captivity and survival, I wanted more tension. It’s not bad. It just didn’t grip me the way I expected it to. Three stars. I might continue the series, but this one didn’t hook me. 4 Stars The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan started off strong. The opening had momentum and intrigue, and I was fully locked in. The story moved at a swift pace and I felt genuinely invested in where it was heading. Then the middle hit a w...

  WEEKLY MENU Monday Vietnam Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Bowls Kids - Rice Bowl with Carrot, Cucumber and Pork   Tuesday Morocco Mediterranean Chicken Couscous Bowl Kids - Popcorn Chicken and Couscous   Wednesday Japan Katsu Bowls (With Frozen Tenders) Kids - Chicken Tenders and Rice   Thursday Southern Italy Creamy Ricotta Pasta with Sausage Kids - Sausage and Butter Noodle   Friday Korea Ground Pork Lettuce Wraps Kids - Chicken and Rice   Saturday Mexico Sonoran Hot Dogs Kids - Cheese Quesadillas   Sunday Family Dinner Ground Turkey Tacos

  Sunday always feels like a soft reset button I’m slightly suspicious of. The house is quieter, the coffee is stronger, and my brain decides this is the perfect time to replay every awkward moment from 2007 while also planning the entire week in color coded detail. So here we are. Sunday confessions. The things I overthought, the things I avoided, and the things I absolutely did on purpose. Let’s get into it. Sunday Confessions #344 ~ Weekly Menu #647 And The Book Of The Week ~ Book Review: A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab ~ What I Read Last Week - February 9th to 15th Weekly Menu #648 And The Book Of The Week ~ What I Read Last Week - February 16th to 22nd ~ Sunday Confessions #346 49/250 2026 Reading Challenge ~ 136/214 in my  Star Wars Legends challenge ~ 19/102 2025 Goodreads Nominees Reading Challenge And that’s this week’s unfiltered brain dump. Some wins, some facepalms, a few things I’m still side eyeing. Sunday can keep its soft lighting and fresh start energy. ...

  4 Stars This was an intense read, and I was pulled into the story right from the beginning. The atmosphere is heavy, dark, and gripping in a way Joe Hill does so well. I was fully invested early on, turning pages fast and bracing myself for whatever came next. As the story went on, though, it started to slow for me. I reached a point where I just wanted it to wrap up so I could finally know what happened with the dragon. Not because I stopped caring, but because the tension felt stretched a little too thin. That said, the writing is solid and confident, and the characters are well developed and memorable. Even when the pacing lagged, the world and emotional weight kept me engaged. A strong, dark story that didn’t quite stick the landing for me, but still absolutely worth the ride. 5 Stars I loved this one. It was my favorite of the week. A sentient noodle making robot trying to open a restaurant? Immediately yes. But it’s not just quirky sci-fi. There’s corporate drama, past secr...

  Title:  A Gathering of Shadows By:  V.E. Schwab Genre:  Fantasy Pages:  512 Release Date:  February 23rd, 2016 Rating: ★★★★★   Summary from Goodreads: It has been four months since a mysterious obsidian stone fell into Kell's possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Prince Rhy was wounded, and since the nefarious Dane twins of White London fell, and four months since the stone was cast with Holland's dying body through the rift—back into Black London. Now, restless after having given up his smuggling habit, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks as she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games—an extravagant international competition of magic meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries—a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port. And while ...