Gina Rae Mitchell

Friday Finds | 01-03-2025 | New Year’s Cheer!

Welcome to the first Friday Finds of the year—your weekly treasure trove of bookish delights, creative inspirations, and maybe even a little jello salad magic. 🥳

As we dive into 2025, I’m tackling my goal of staying organized (wish me luck!). Whether it’s scheduling book tours or avoiding the chaos of a forgotten planner entry, I’m determined to keep all my ducks—and book reviews—in a row.

This week’s Friday Finds is packed with must-read books, creative ideas, and a sprinkle of personal traditions to kick off the year. Are you curious about the books on my January TBR? Or maybe you’re ready to try my family’s quirky New Year recipe for luck (yes, it involves marshmallows and cabbage—trust me, it works!).

There’s an exciting announcement for Independent Authors, so scroll down to learn how to snag a feature on the blog.

Let’s step into 2025 with peace, love, happiness, and maybe a few good books! 💖

—Gina

P.S. Don’t forget to share your New Year traditions in the comments! I’d love to feature them in next week’s Fun Time section. 😊

Friday Finds | 01-03-2025 | Book Reviews

Crimes After Hours by Daniela Alibrandi (Rome’s Multidimensional Crimes  Book 1) 

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Plenty by Kelly K. Lavender (Fifty Shades of Mystery, Moxie, and Suspense)

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Here’s a look back at last week’s Friday Finds in case you missed it in all the holiday cheer.

🎄 The Last Friday Finds of 2024: Year-End Highlights & Holiday Cheer! 🎄12-27-2024

Friday Finds | 01-03-2025 | Books

These are a few of the books on my January TBR. They are from blog tours, author & publisher requests, and books I just WANT to read.

The After by J. Taylor
Middle-Grade Fiction & YA Fiction (10 to 15 yrs old)
Genre: Fictional Dystopian, 183 pages

Review Coming January 13, 2025

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The Owls of Wickenden Wood by Shauna Kramer Barnes
Genre: Children’s Picture Book, 34 pages

Review coming on January 20, 2025

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Pilgrims by M.R. Leonard
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +)
Genre: Science Fiction, 412 pages

Audiobook review is coming on January 30, 2025

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Spring’s Fling by Cricket Rohman (Part of the Fantasy Maker series)

Category: Novella, 160 pages
Genre: Clean, Wholesome Romance

Each book in The Fantasy Maker series is a standalone story with new characters, plots, and settings. The thread that binds them together is The Fantasy Maker.

• SUMMER’S ISLAND (I failed to post this review, but I will squeeze it into the schedule soon.)
• AUTUMN’S GHOST
• WINTER’S BLUSH
• SPRING’S FLING (Review planned for January 23, 2025)

Friday Finds | 01-03-2025 | Fun Time

I plan to stick with fun questions instead of trivia-type ones. I’m not great at coming up with questions that aren’t easy to look up on Google, so let’s keep them fun and entertaining while we get to know each other better.

Do you have any New Year traditions that you try to observe each year?

I’ve always adhered to the “so goes New Year, so goes all year” plan, which means I like to have all the chores caught up. No dirty dishes, laundry, etc., hanging over into the new year. A friend felt like their family had a tough year, so she opened all the windows and doors at midnight to shoo out the old and welcome the new. As an added bit of luck, I made my Aunt Betty’s famous New Year’s jello salad for the first time in ages. I’ll include the recipe below.

Share your traditions with us in the comment section to be included in the next fun-time drawing!

Friday Finds | 01-03-2025 |Independent Author News

I’m starting a new feature on the blog where Independent Authors can purchase a dedicated block to advertise their books, websites, events, etc. for a very small fee. At this point in the planning, everything is negotiable. I need to find a way to bring in more income to make the blog self-sufficient. If this is something you might be interested in, please let me know, and I’ll see what we can work out.

This will be separate from the Author of the Month, awarded to the Indie Author with the most blog interactions during the previous month.

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Friday Finds | 01-03-2025 | Recipes

I promised you my Aunt Betty’s Lime Jello New Year’s Salad recipe. Here it is. People scrunch their noses until they taste it, then change their tune.

• Start with a package of lime jello. (I use sugar-free)
• Follow the directions on the box.
• Chill the jello in the fridge.
• When it starts to set (soft and wiggly, not solid), remove it from the fridge and add the good luck ingredients.
• Stir and let it finish setting up in the fridge.

Good Luck Ingredients

Pineapple tidbits for friendship.
Shredded cabbage for wealth.
Mini marshmallows for fun.

I use about 1/2 cup of pineapple, a handful of shredded cabbage, and a cup or so of mini marshmallows for one box of jello. The recipe is super easy to double or triple.

This is the traditional way my family shares recipes. We aren’t much into following rules and directions. We tend to use terms like half an eggshell of liquid, a pinch of something, and a handful of something else. lol

I could only find one picture. I know it’s pretty low-quality, but you get the idea.

Friday Finds | 01-03-2025 | Creative News

Valentine’s Day will be here before you know it. I actually saw stores putting out Valentine’s AND Easter candy at the same time! This is an excellent done-for-you deal if you want a non-candy idea this year. Fun, personalized, and on sale! Perfect for classroom or friendship parties!

We Were Built To Be Friends Valentine’s

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I have a thing for vintage trucks in my decor. I saw this cute crochet pillow kit and couldn’t resist sharing it with you.

Remember, if you find something you like in this post, leave a comment and click the LIKE button at the bottom of the page. It means the world!

Please share the 01-03-2025  Friday Finds with your friends and family.

Get your own or gift a Kindle Unlimited subscription TODAY!

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If you are feeling exceptionally generous…donations are always welcome!

See you next week for more Friday Finds Fun!

Gina