Weekly Friday Finds | 09-13-2024|
Welcome to the 09-13-2024 Friday Finds.
Let’s see…what’s new this week?
I saw the eye specialist again and was fitted for new tear duct tubes. So far, so good!
This seems to be the best apple crop we’ve had in years. The pies have been plentiful and delicious. I’ll share my recipe and tips soon.
I’m making up for lost time with Amazon. I didn’t order anything—gasp—for over a week! But the UPS truck is back to making daily stops. What would they do without me? I think I’ll make a post about all the great items I have recently discovered!
Until next week,
Gina
Weekly Friday Finds | 09-13-2024 | Blog News
These are the blog posts I shared this week.
Nocturne with Gaslamps by Matthew Francis | Riveting Victorian Era #Mystery
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Book Review & Author Guest Post | Panic Peak by William Liggett (Warming World Adventures) A #CliFi #Thriller
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BookReview | Certain Sensibilities by Sondra Rice Newman | #AgeDifference #Romance
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BBNYA 2023 1st Place Winner! Perception Check (The Mages of Velmyra Saga Book 1) by Astrid Knight
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Weekly Friday Finds |09-13-2024 | Recipes
Southern Ground Beef & Bean Skillet
This easy ground beef one-skillet dinner is perfect for a busy weeknight. It’s tasty, savory, and great with cornbread, rice, or fries!
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Blackberry Cheesecake Brownies
For these blackberry cheesecake brownies, a fruity, blackberry-swirled cheesecake layer sits atop a chewy chocolate brownie layer in this gorgeously tasty dessert. Plan ahead, as these need time to chill in the refrigerator.
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You can also check today’s corresponding email newsletter for more recipes. (Don’t get the exclusive Friday Finds email? Sign up on the sidebar or the bottom of this post!) —>
Weekly Friday Finds | 09-13-2024 | Books
What are you reading this week? Here are some suggestions for books I recently added to my queue.
The Whisper Sister by Jennifer S. Brown
The author of Modern Girls delivers an atmospheric coming-of-age story set in Prohibition-era New York, tracing one immigrant family’s fortunes and a young girl’s journey from the schoolyard to the speakeasy.
The streets of New York in 1920 are most certainly not paved with gold, as Minnie Soffer learns when she arrives at Ellis Island. Her father, who left Ukraine when Minnie was a toddler, feels like a stranger. She sleeps on a mattress on the kitchen floor. She understands nothing at school. They came to America for this?
As her family adjusts to this new life, Minnie and her brother work hard to learn English and make friends. When her father, Ike, opens his own soda shop, stability and citizenship seem within reach. But the soda shop is not what it seems; it’s a front for Ike’s real moneymaker: a speakeasy.
When tragedy strikes the Soffers, Minnie has no choice but to take over the bar. She’s determined to make the speakeasy a success despite the risks it brings to herself, her family, and her freedom. At what price does the American dream come true? Minnie won’t stop until she finds out.
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The Pumpkin Spice Cafe (Dream Harbor, Book 1) by Laurie Gilmore
When Jeanie’s aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Café in the small town of Dream Harbor, Jeanie jumps at the chance for a fresh start away from her very dull desk job.
Logan is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor’s gossip at all costs. But Jeanie’s arrival disrupts Logan’s routine and he wants nothing to do with the irritatingly upbeat new girl, except that he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her.
Will Jeanie’s happy-go-lucky attitude win over the grumpy-but-gorgeous Logan, or has this city girl found the one person in town who won’t fall for her charm or her pumpkin spice lattes…
The Pumpkin Spice Cafe is a cozy romantic novel with a grumpy x sunshine dynamic, a small-town setting, and a guaranteed HEA!
Weekly Friday Finds | 09-13-2024 | Independent Author News
Elizabeth Pantley tells me that “Meditation and Mischief went live on September 12, 2024! (It’s a bit ahead of schedule to allow for early reviews. The official release date for book tours, etc., remains as September 30th.)”
While this is officially the 8th book in the Magical Mystery Book Club series, it can certainly be read as a stand-alone. But you really don’t want to miss this fantastic, cozy mystery series. It’s perfect for booklovers, cozy fans, and anyone who loves an entertaining story!
Here’s the book blurb:
When this club selects a book, magic happens!
This book club does more than read their books – they are absorbed into them to become the amateur sleuths! In order to leave the book, they must solve the mystery and reach The End.
In this journey they travel to The Golden Island Wellness Retreat for yoga, meditation, workshops, and spa treatments. They’ll bond with nature and improve their spiritual wellbeing. They’ll find their inner peace – and a dead body, of course.
Graduates from an acting college have gathered at the retreat for their ten-year reunion. Old friends reconnect, but apparently, so have old enemies. The book club must evaluate the attendees to determine whose baggage has led to murder.
Watch for my review on the blog next week. If you read it, please leave a quick review.
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I received this bit of news from Rachel Hanna.
“I’ve decided to give The Baking Games a fresh new look with a brand-new cover!
Why the change? When The Baking Games was first released, I loved the original cover, but as I took a step back and reflected on my brand and the tone of the story, I realized I wanted something that truly captured the fun, romance, and heartwarming journey Savannah goes through. I’m so happy with how the new cover turned out, and I hope you love it just as much as I do!
For those of you who haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, here’s a little taste of what The Baking Games is all about:
Savannah Greene has always been the rock for her little sister, putting her own culinary dreams on hold to make sure her family comes first. But now, at 30, she’s got a chance to win $200,000 in a reality TV baking competition! However, with her ex-boyfriend sabotaging her and her grumpy pastry school rival, Rhett Jennings, suggesting a fake relationship to win over the audience, things heat up quickly in the kitchen—and in her heart.
Will Savannah take home the grand prize, or is love the real victory? You’ll have to read to find out!
The Baking Games is available now, and I’d be so grateful if you grabbed your copy today!”
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Authors, if you have any upcoming promotions or news, please send them in so that I can share them with my readers.
Weekly Friday Finds | 09-13-2024 | Blogs to Visit
Here are a couple of entertaining blogs I think you will enjoy.
Karen Siddall is the force behind the blog Boys’ Mom Reads. We work with some of the same book tour companies, and I always enjoy her take on books.
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Another fascinating blogger to check out is The Chocolate Lady’s Book Review Blog. Here’s what Davida says in her bio:
“A little bit about me:
I have been writing on-line content (reviews and articles of all kinds) since about 1998. In 2013, I began specializing in writing book reviews. Since starting this blog, I receive ARCs from NetGalley, Edelweiss, and most recently from BookBrowse (where my reviews there are exclusive to that site, and available only to site members, unless they are featured reviews. Fear not, I write new reviews for all those books here as well). Aside from this blog, and the reviews on Book Browse, I also sometimes post my reviews on my Times of Israel Blog (an English on-line newspaper originating in Israel).”
Weekly Friday Finds | 09-13-2024 | Trivia Time
This week’s trivia question is:
Which infamous event in history occurred 717 years ago on Friday the 13th, contributing to the superstition surrounding the date?
Leave your answer in the comment section to be entered into this month’s trivia contest.
The answer to last week’s question:
Which type of yarn is made from flax plants’ long, strong fibers and is known for being cool and breathable? Linen!
Remember, if you find something you like in the 09-13-2024 Friday Finds, leave a comment and click the LIKE button at the bottom of the page. It means the world!
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See you soon for more Weekly Friday Finds Fun!
Gina
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Glad to hear your eyes are doing ok! I hope they continue to do well!
The trivia question answer is The Knights Templar were arrested by King Philip IV.
Have a great weekend!
The Knights Templar were hunted down and executed.
Beautiful post, but I’d like to see AI make a pie that tastes good! 😆
Thank you so much for the shout-out here. I really appreciate it (as well as the blackberry cheesecake brownies)!
Pumpkin spice Cafe is spicier than I thought it would be! Maybe the title should have been a clue! Other than the spice, it does have Stars Hollow vibes!