Friday Finds 29 October 2021 | Happy Halloween | Books, Giveaways, Recipes, & more
Hello and welcome to the Friday Finds 29 October 2021 edition.
This week’s Author of the Week is Cricket Rohman. I’ve read her McAllister Brothers series and loved it. I can’t seem to find where I have reviewed it on the blog, but I have mentioned the series in a Friday Finds post. I’ll be posting reviews for more of her books soon! You can find her as my Featured Author in the BookShop. She’s a wonderful author and a great friend of the blog!
My Blogger of the Week is Danni. She’s a talented artist and blogger. Her drawings are fantastic, her blog posts are highly entertaining, and her Instagram & Bookstagram are inspiring. Don’t miss her incredible pumpkin carving skills either!
On to the Halloween edition of the Friday Finds 29 October 2021.
Friday Finds 29 October 2021 – Books
Snowmen at Halloween by Caralyn M. Buehner
The snowmen are getting their Halloween costumes ready for the latest picture book in this New York Times bestselling series.
Have you ever built a snowman and discovered the next day that his grin has gotten a little crooked, or his tree-branch arms have moved? And you’ve wondered . . . what do snowmen do when we’re not watching?
After an early snowfall, a few kids build some snowmen before going trick-or-treating. And when the kids go off to bed, the snowmen have their own Halloween festival! There’s candy and apple-bobbing and costume contests and all sorts of autumn activities. When the kids wake up the next morning, the snowmen are gone… but they’ve left a very special message behind.
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Hallowe’en Party: A Hercule Poirot Mystery by Agatha Christie
In this exclusive authorized edition from the Queen of Mystery, a Halloween Party turns deadly, and it falls to Hercule Poirot to unmask a murderer.
At a Halloween party, Joyce—a hostile thirteen-year-old—boasts that she once witnessed a murder. When no one believes her, she storms off home. But within hours her body is found, still in the house, drowned in an apple-bobbing tub.
That night, Hercule Poirot is called in to find the `evil presence’. But first, he must establish whether he is looking for a murderer or a double murderer.
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Mrs. Claus and the Halloween Homicide (Mrs. Claus Mysteries)
April Claus knows being married to the real Santa makes every day feel like Christmas. But when a different holiday arrives at the North Pole, so does murder…
For the first time ever, Christmastown is celebrating a strange new tradition—Halloween. But not everyone is willing to watch their dependable winter wonderland get overrun by carved pumpkins and costume parties. As a series of scary happenings hit Santaland, each one more intense than the last, April realizes having a role in the festivities could cost her family, friends—even her own life.
April isn’t the only unlucky target. Outspoken elf Tiny Sparkletoe is found dead in the snow outside his cottage, crushed in the middle of what appears to be a monstrous footprint. With mayhem descending like reindeer on rooftops, April must stop the Halloween killer before the fate of Mrs. Claus becomes another creepy tale to tell in the dark.
Friday Finds 29 October 2021 – Gifts
I’ve never put an item this pricey on my list before, but I couldn’t resist. Isn’t Astro the cutest robot ever? He’s on sale for $500 off right now (possibly still by invitation only). And to be honest, that’s not really a bad price for a home security system. 
- Introducing Intelligent Motion – Amazon Astro uses advanced navigation technology to find its way around your home and go where you need it. When you’re not using Astro, it will hang out close by at the ready.
- Stay connected from anywhere – Remotely send Astro to check on specific rooms, people, or things. Plus, get alerts if Astro detects an unrecognized person or certain sounds when you’re away.
- Unlock even more peace of mind – Activate your 6-month free trial of Ring Protect Pro subscription and have Astro proactively patrol, investigate activity, save videos in Ring’s cloud storage for up to 60 days, and more.
- Alexa Together subscription (coming soon) – Remotely care for aging loved ones, giving you peace of mind while helping them live independently. Set up reminders, manage shopping lists, receive activity alerts, and more.
- Put Alexa in motion – Astro can follow you with entertainment or find you to deliver calls, messages, timers, alarms, or reminders.
- Designed to protect your privacy – Turn off mics, cameras, and motion with one press of a button and use the Astro app to set out of bounds zones to let Astro know where it’s not allowed to go.
- Customize with compatible products – Astro comes with a detachable cup holder and can carry other items (sold separately) like a Ziploc container, the OMRON blood pressure monitor, and a Furbo Dog Camera that tosses treats to your pet.
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We need batteries all year, not just during holiday celebrations. I’ve gifted this item before and it is a huge hit!
Friday Finds 29 October 2021 – Blog Roundup
I added some items to the gift post this week. This is turning into quite a fun project. Check it out and let me know what type of gifts you are in need of.
Here are the books I reviewed the past week. Once again, the authors have some amazing giveaways!!
100 Little Crochet Gifts to Make
Mockingbird’s Cry: Hera Force Series #1 by Winter Austin | Excerpt, Review, & Giveaway
Little Sweetpea Teaches Little Possum a Lesson by Halle J Ladd | Review, $10 Giveaway, Excerpt
While My Guitar Gently Sleeps by Jason Lee Christopher | Review, $10 Giveaway, Excerpt
Conversations at the Pond by Henry Slator | Book Review
Country Hearts by Gisèle L Grieves | Review, $10 Giveaway, Excerpt
These are my spotlight posts from the past week:
The Lighthouse by Christopher Parker | Promo – Interview
Friday Finds 29 October 2021 – Recipes
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Halloween 7 Layer Taco Dip Recipe from ShugarySweets
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The Unofficial Hocus Pocus Cookbook
Join the Sanderson sisters just in time for Halloween with this USA Today bestselling cookbook that is sure to put a spell on you!
The Unofficial Hocus Pocus Cookbook is filled with over 60 recipes for fare inspired by everyone’s favorite witches and their spells, potions, and schemes. It is the ultimate must-have for fans of all ages—but don’t worry, no children were harmed in the test of these recipes. Inside you’ll find frightfully delicious recipes for:
- Burning Rain of Death Punch
- William’s Wormy Grave Tombstone Cake
- Dead Man’s Toes Sausage Appetizers
- Baked Witch Casserole
- “Way to Go, Virgin” mocktails
- And much more!
Friday Finds 29 October 2021 – Creative Project
This isn’t exactly a craft but I think it’s an adorable idea for the kids Thanksgiving table. Heck, around our house, the adults will get as much fun out of it as the younger crowd.
GIANT Thanksgiving Activity Poster or Table Cover
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Tell me your favorite find this week. I love to chat with readers in the comments!
This week’s prompt is “Your Favorite Halloween Candy”.
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
So many great finds this week, Gina. Love those books and the recipes.
Thanks, Carla. I appreciate you being such a loyal reader. The Friday Finds are a “labor of love”… I love to read and to cook!
What great finds. Would love to read & review those books in print format.
Snowmen at Halloween looks like a cute book!
My favorite candy is any organic chocolate! Organic peanut butter cups are the best!
Awesome! I agree that is a super cute robot and now if he only could do the dishes!