Welcome to the Friday Finds: January 31, 2020. It’s SuperBowl weekend here in the US, one of the biggest party & snacking days of the year. So naturally, I’ve got the scoop on your dips, appetizers, and more. Read on to find book and craft recommendations, also.
Friday Finds: January 31, 2020 – Superbowl edition
To everyone coming here from the email newsletter, I hope you enjoy your free football party printables! If you are reading this & are not on the email list. Sign up before Sunday, Feb 2, 2020 and I’ll make sure you get a copy of the email so you can play along with us.
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To view the books on Amazon, please click the picture, title link, or the shop now buttons at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Friday Finds: January 31, 2020 – Books
Let’s kick the book section off with a beautiful football book that should be on every fan’s shelf.
As the NFL celebrates its monumental 100th season, this vivid retrospective pays tribute to America’s game in spectacular fashion. The superstars, the dynasties, and the most heartstopping, unbelievable moments are all here. With incisive writing and hundreds of the finest historical photos, relive a century’s worth of the greatest games and personalities that have captivated football fans everywhere. NFL 100 takes you on a journey through the 100 most essential, influential, and amazing moments in the league’s history in breathtaking fashion—it’s a journey no fan will want to miss.
Children’s
The Heart of a Whale by Anna Pignataro
In this beautiful story of kindness and empathy, loneliness and love, one creature finds that the help he needs is just a song and a sigh away.
Whale’s beautiful song winds its way through the ocean, reaching the farthest of faraways. His song is one of happiness and hope, magic and wonder–and Whale’s fellow sea creatures are calmed, cheered, and lulled by it. But though Whale sings his tender song day after day, night after night, Whale wonders why he has no song to fill his empty heart. So when he lets out a mournful sigh, the ocean carries it like a wish through its fathoms, bringing it to just the right place.
Filled with stunning art and poetic language, this poignant story reminds us that being kind and helping a friend in need is sometimes the most beautiful thing of all.
Fiction
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Sanctuary: Short Fiction from Queer Asia by Libay Linsangan Cantor
Gathered in this book are nineteen tales of queer lives in Asia: stories of humor and heartbreak; magic and murder; love, lust and living happily ever after. Meet an altar boy in Davao City, a madrasah schoolgirl in Karachi, a former child soldier in Siem Reap. Discover their passions in the saunas of Singapore, the hotel rooms of Taipei, the university dorms of Manila. Sanctuary: Short Fiction from Queer Asia is a celebration of the creativity and diversity of the continent’s LGBT writing, drawn from both established and emerging authors in ten different countries and territories in the region. It bears witness to oppression but also dares to imagine strange new worlds and happy endings.
Thriller/Mystery
A Minute to Midnight (An Atlee Pine Thriller Book 2) by David Baldacci
FBI Agent Atlee Pine returns to her Georgia hometown to investigate her twin sister’s abduction, only to encounter a serial killer in this #1 New York Times bestselling thriller.
FBI Agent Atlee Pine’s life was never the same after her twin sister Mercy was kidnapped–and likely killed–thirty years ago. After a lifetime of torturous uncertainty, Atlee’s unresolved anger finally gets the better of her on the job, and she finds she has to deal with the demons of her past if she wants to remain with the FBI.
Atlee and her assistant Carol Blum head back to Atlee’s rural hometown in Georgia to see what they can uncover about the traumatic night Mercy was taken and Pine was almost killed. But soon after Atlee begins her investigation, a local woman is found ritualistically murdered, her face covered with a wedding veil–and the first killing is quickly followed by a second bizarre murder.
Atlee is determined to continue her search for answers, but now she must also set her sights on finding a potential serial killer before another victim is claimed. But in a small town full of secrets–some of which could answer the questions that have plagued Atlee her entire life–digging deeper into the past could be more dangerous than she realizes.
Available in all formats including audiobook.
Mystery/Crime/Suspense
City of Dark by C.H. Dickinson
The Paris catacombs. The city’s subterranean shadow. Hundreds of kilometers of tunnels. A land of history and legend, where the underground explorer treads a fine line between reality and irreality. Below the City of Light, this is the City of Dark. As the top inspector on the counter-terror squad, Khalid Sadiqi thought he knew everything there was to know about the city’s weak spots. But even he is rattled when he arrives at Val de Grace military hospital and discovers that not only has the Prime Minister been assassinated, but the catacombs were used to break into the secure facility.
As if that weren’t enough, the killer has left behind puzzling messages making the attack feel like a warped game of cat-and-mouse. As the link to the catacombs crystallizes, Sadiqi teams up with Antonia Corrigan, a vibrant foreign engineering student who enlightens him on the world below the city. Not only does she have intricate knowledge of the layout of the underground tunnels, she also knows all the myths and legends that will provide deeper insight into the case. But will her knowledge of the tunnels below ground be enough to stop the mayhem above?
Non-Fiction
Better Off Bald: A Life in 147 Days by Andrea Wilson Woods
Adrienne squeezes more life into 147 days than most people do in a lifetime.
Adrienne Wilson is a depressed, suicidal teenager—until the day she receives a diagnosis of stage IV liver cancer. Facing the fight of her life, Adrienne discovered just how much she wants to live.
In Better Off Bald: A Life in 147 Days, Andrea Wilson Woods chronicles her sister’s remarkable life, from the time she was born to the day she dies at age fifteen.
Written like a journal, Andrea takes the reader inside her and Adrienne’s journey explaining how she gained custody of Adrienne from their mother and how the sisters’ relationship evolved over time.
Adrienne’s courageous spirit shines through as she squeezes more life into 147 days than most people do in a lifetime. From meeting Jay Leno to spending the day with Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction, Adrienne makes every moment count.
As she lay dying, Adrienne teaches Andrea how to live.
Friday Finds: January 31, 2020 – Website
This week on the website/blog was a good one. If you missed any of the posts, you can find them here:
Review: Storm’s Herald by J.W. Golan is book 1 of the Stormfall Chronicles
Cover Reveal – Frozen Stiff Drink: Braxton Campus Mysteries #6 by James Cudney
Rise: Birth of a Revolution Series: Flynn Chronicles Book 1 by Mark S. Moore
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Friday Finds: January 31, 2020 – Recipes
Who needs a Superbowl excuse for this delicious recipe: Everything Bagle Cheese Straws from Mary at BareFeetintheKitchen.com
Popcorn is always a favorite snack. Let’s healthy that up with Cauliflower Popcorn from Good Housekeeping.
No party is complete without something sweet. Check out Crazy for Crust’s Peanut Butter Football Dip!
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Friday Finds: January 31, 2020 – Creating
Do you feel like getting a little creative with your football-themed party? These ideas a simple, yet fun.
Princess Pinky Girl has a free printable banner and all the directions you need to set up this cute Concession Stand. You’ll find several more fun ideas on this page.
If you need to keep your hands busy during the game, this crocheted football scarf should be perfect. It’s a digital download from Spagotini so if you have the stash, you don’t even have to leave the house to get started on it.
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That’s all folks. I thank you for reading to the end.
I’ll see you next Friday for more fun.
Gina
NFL 100: The Greatest Momen...Shop on Amazon 
Better Off Bald: A Life in ...Shop on Amazon 
City of DarkShop on Amazon 
A Minute to Midnight (Atlee...Shop on Amazon 
The Heart of a WhaleShop on Amazon
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