Friday Finds 24 September 2021 | It’s Fall Y’all
Hello and welcome to the Friday Finds 24 September 2021 edition. This week you’ll “find” new books, gifts, recipes, and DIY in the Friday Finds.
While Fall means cooler temps, pumpkin spice, sweaters, and football around here, it also means ragweed, dust from the harvest, and mold in the air. Since I’m allergic to all those things, I’m a bit medicated right now. I hope this week’s newsletter makes sense to everyone. I must say though, I have done some of my most creative work under the influence of Benedryl! lol
Speaking of Fall and Pumpkins, I’m working on my new Halloween reading list. It should be finished very soon.
Let’s move on to the Friday Finds 24 September 2021 I hope you enjoy them. Be sure to leave a comment with your favorite from this week and tell what your favorite season is.
Friday Finds 24 September 2021 – Books
The Wish by Nicholas Sparks (releases on 9/24/21)
From the author of The Longest Ride and The Return comes a novel about the enduring legacy of first love, and the decisions that haunt us forever.
1996 was the year that changed everything for Maggie Dawes. Sent away at sixteen to live with an aunt she barely knew in Ocracoke, a remote village on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, she could think only of the friends and family she left behind . . . until she met Bryce Trickett, one of the few teenagers on the island. Handsome, genuine, and newly admitted to West Point, Bryce showed her how much there was to love about the wind-swept beach town—and introduced her to photography, a passion that would define the rest of her life.
By 2019, Maggie is a renowned travel photographer. She splits her time between running a successful gallery in New York and photographing remote locations around the world. But this year she is unexpectedly grounded over Christmas, struggling to come to terms with a sobering medical diagnosis. Increasingly dependent on a young assistant, she finds herself becoming close to him.
As they count down the last days of the season together, she begins to tell him the story of another Christmas, decades earlier—and the love that set her on a course she never could have imagined.
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Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty by Anderson Cooper & K. Howe
New York Times bestselling author and journalist Anderson Cooper teams with New York Times bestselling historian and novelist Katherine Howe to chronicle the rise and fall of a legendary American dynasty—his mother’s family, the Vanderbilts.
When eleven-year-old Cornelius Vanderbilt began to work on his father’s small boat ferrying supplies in New York Harbor at the beginning of the nineteenth century, no one could have imagined that one day he would, through ruthlessness, cunning, and a pathological desire for money, build two empires—one in shipping and another in railroads—that would make him the richest man in America. His staggering fortune was fought over by his heirs after his death in 1877, sowing familial discord that would never fully heal. Though his son Billy doubled the money left by “the Commodore,” subsequent generations competed to find new and ever more extraordinary ways of spending it. By 2018, when the last Vanderbilt was forced out of The Breakers—the seventy-room summer estate in Newport, Rhode Island, that Cornelius’s grandson and namesake had built—the family would have been unrecognizable to the tycoon who started it all.
Now, the Commodore’s great-great-great-grandson Anderson Cooper joins with historian Katherine Howe to explore the story of his legendary family and their outsized influence. Cooper and Howe breathe life into the ancestors who built the family’s empire, basked in the Commodore’s wealth, hosted lavish galas, and became synonymous with unfettered American capitalism and high society. Moving from the hardscrabble wharves of old Manhattan to the lavish drawing rooms of Gilded Age Fifth Avenue, from the ornate summer palaces of Newport to the courts of Europe, and all the way to modern-day New York, Cooper, and Howe wryly recount the triumphs and tragedies of an American dynasty unlike any other.
Written with a unique insider’s viewpoint, this is a rollicking, quintessentially American history as remarkable as the family it so vividly captures.
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Walter Does His Best: A Frenchie Adventure in Kindness and Muddy Paws by Eva Pilgrim
What does it mean to be a good neighbor? From Central Park to Broadway to Times Square, Walter the French Bulldog is on a mission of kindness in this hilarious dog adventure story from ABC’s Good Morning America’s Eva Pilgrim.
Walter’s heart is full of kindness, but this little dog’s efforts to help his neighbors don’t go as planned. Journalist Eva Pilgrim’s charming narrative and Jessica Gibson’s vibrant illustrations make Walter Does His Best a wonderful way to introduce kids ages 4-8 to new adventures in kindness.
This beautiful jacketed hardcover
- encourages children to look for opportunities to be kind
- affirms that everyone makes mistakes
- appeals to kids’ enjoyment of animals
- celebrates authors of color
- can be read aloud for storytime or enjoyed as an independent read
- introduces kids to New York City landmarks in a fun, colorful way!
Join Walter for a jaunt through Central Park, inside a Broadway theater, onto subway cars, through the Rockefeller Center gardens, and all the way to Coney Island as he tries his very, messy best to be a good dog–and learns that what matters most is the love you share with others every day.
Friday Finds 24 September 2021 – Gifts
This is a new section I’m starting since I get so many requests for gift suggestions. Naturally, I think books make the best gifts, but I do realize you might be looking for other ideas this time of year.
- CREATE FASTER With the Cricut Explore 3 you will see your creativity skyrocket with our latest DIY dream machine. With the all-new Cricut Explore 3, you can cut, draw, score, and more with jaw-dropping speed and precision. It’s up to 2X faster than its predecessor, so you can bust out everything from custom iron-ons to big-time banners in record time
- SMART MATERIAL COMPATIBLE: The Cricut Explore 3 is compatible with all new Cricut Smart Materials. Cricut Smart Paper, Cricut Smart Vinyl, and Cricut Smart HTV Iron On are perfect for super-long, super-precise cuts up to 12ft without a machine mat.
- DIY ADVENTURES: Cricut Explore 3 works with 6 different tools for cutting and embellishing 100 plus materials, including cardstock, vinyl, iron-on, glitter paper, cork, and bonded fabric (sold separately). Ideal for everything from everyday craft projects to big-time DIY adventures.
- GETTING STARTED: The Cricut Explore 3 machine comes with a Cricut Explore 3 Machine, Premium Fine-Point Blade plus Housing, Welcome Card, USB Cable, Power Adapter, Free trial subscription to Cricut Access (for new subscribers), 100 ready-to-make projects online, and material for practice. Combine this with the expanded suite of Cricut Materials and Cricut Tools and Accessories (sold separately) and you have everything you need to take your creativity to the ultimate level.
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Wireless Bluetooth Karaoke Microphone,3-in-1 Portable Handheld Karaoke Mic Speaker
- 【 DESIGN】—The excellent design of our karaoke wireless microphone is very suitable for your hand, which can make you feel more comfortable. And the built-in high-quality Bluetooth module can be used as a speaker, player, and Recorder, compatible with various music applications
- 【TWO WAY CONNECTION】— Bluetooth Connection & Cable Connection. You just need to connect your phone with cable or Bluetooth, and then open the singing APP on your phone. The built-in clear audio and vividly sound effect can make you listening and singing anytime and anywhere.
- 【HIGH COMPATIBILITY】— Supporting micro SD card max 32GB(NOT INCLUDED) and song switch. The Bluetooth has a great distance of connection(10m)
- 【EASY TO USE】— Multi-function buttons, easy to switch to a different model, adjust volume, sing and play music. With the echo model, our karaoke wireless microphone can bring a surrounding immersion. And the USB port allows you to plug USB, turn this magic piece to MP3, and play it directly
- 【BONAOK Rechargeable Battery】— 2600mAh rechargeable multi-protect lithium battery(18650) ensures a longer sing time and quicker charging.
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Friday Finds 24 September 2021 – Blog Roundup
Here are the books I reviewed the past week.
The Juggle by Ellie Barker | Review – Excerpt
Blank: Madam Doesn’t Like That by Zhanna Hamilton | Review – Blog Tour -$75 Giveaway
Music Shall Untune the Sky by Lou Kemp | Review
Humanity’s Cry for Change: Actions You Can Take to Create a New Earth by Kate Heartsong
Kyle and Corey and the Game-Store Mystery by Joe Stephens | Review-Excerpt-$25 Giveaway
These are my spotlight posts from the past week.
Behind Blue Eyes by Anna Mocikat | 2021 BBNYA Semi-Finalist Spotlight Tour
No Names to Be Given by Julia Brewer Daily | Audiobook Tour | $100 Giveaway!
Stargazer by David Scott | Exclusive Excerpt – Spotlight – $15 Giveaway
Friday Finds 24 September 2021 – Recipes
Cheese Straws/Crackers (recipe courtesy of Penzey’s Spices)
by cook Kieran and Stephanie Furlong
If you’re feeling creative, use your favorite small cookie cutters to turn these crackers into fun shapes. These are a family holiday tradition in Kieran’s family.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. REGULAR MUSTARD POWDER
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. CAYENNE PEPPER or PENZEYS PEPPER
4 TB. butter, cold, cut in small chunks
1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg yolk
1 TB. cold water
1/4 tsp. salt, PAPRIKA or CAYENNE PEPPER to sprinkle on top, optional
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450°. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, MUSTARD POWDER, salt, and PEPPER. Add the butter and mix with forks or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add the cheese and toss/mix well. Add the egg yolk and water and mix with a large fork until a soft dough forms. You can make them to this point, then pat into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a bit if you don’t want to do it all at once. Also makes rolling easier, just remove from the fridge 20 minutes before rolling and baking.
Roll out gently, on a flour-dusted surface, to 1/4 inch thick and cut into 3/4-inch wide by 2-inch long portions for crackers, longer and thinner for straws. Sprinkle with salt or SEASONING if desired, place on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets, and bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until golden and a bit puffy.
Prep. time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 24 straws
Nutritional Information:
Servings 8; Serving Size 3 straws (30g); Calories 130; Calories from fat 80; Total fat 9g; Cholesterol 50mg; Sodium 170mg; Carbohydrates 9g; Dietary Fiber 0g; Sugars 0g; Protein 3g.
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I made Cinnamon Apple Pie Bread this week. It disappeared quickly. So YUMMY!
Friday Finds 17 September 2021 – Creative Project
Knitting Pattern Top-Down Sweater Pullover The Evermore
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That wraps up the Friday Finds 24 September 2021 edition. Be sure you scroll down to reply and let me know your favorite find this week and tell what your favorite season is.
I also share many of my reviews on the following websites:
- Lovely Audiobook’s Monthly Link-up (Not limited to audiobooks)
- The Inspire Me Monday Link Party
- Inspire Me Monday with Anita Ojeda
- Grammy’s Grid Unlimited Monthly Link Party
- Esme’s Salon Monthly Link-up
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My favorite season is spring because everything comes alive; flowers, trees, backyard barbecues.
My favorite season is summer because the heat makes everyone stop running around. It’s like a bit of forced laziness can’t hurt our fast paced lifestyle, right? Summer is the perfect time to grab a Nicholas Sparks novel, like the one you suggested, and head for a hammock. I hope to read The Wish, someday.
Me too Eve! BTW, I’m reading Penniless this evening. Loving it so far.
Hi Gina! I’m looking forward to listening to Anderson Cooper reading Vanderbilt—so glad this is on Audible! As for my favorite season, I’d have to mix them together and say late summer into early fall. That’s when the weather is best here. I don’t like cold weather or very hot either! I hope your allergies subside soon!
My favorite season is spring. My second is fall.
The book cover of Walter does his best is adorable. I really like how the dog looks like he’s looking out a window.