Gina Rae Mitchell

Friday Finds | July 17, 2020 | The corn is pollinating around here. I have never seen it quite this bad. Tom was filming his educational gardening videos for the grandkids, and the pollen literally rained down and covered his phone! I have an extreme allergy to pollen, so needless to say; it has kind of wiped me out. Let’s jump right into today’s finds before I wander off in antihistamine bliss. lol

Friday Finds | July 17, 2020 | Books I plan to check out this week.

After Impact by Nicole Stark 

Imagine a world where everyone you know is gone.

Avalon Adams wakes up 100 years in the future in a new habitat with few memories and lots of questions. At first, HOPE (Humanity’s One Plan for Escape) habitat appears to be a well-oiled machine, preparing 5,000 carefully chosen inhabitants for a new Earth. However, a medical assistant named Ilium reveals that certain members of the habitat have been falling ill from a mysterious virus they were inoculated against. Soon, the tranquil illusion of HOPE habitat is shattered as Avalon plays a perplexing message left by her father. Thrust into this new habitat, Avalon must decide who she can trust before it’s too late.

Hour of the Jackals by Emil Eugensen

It is a time of chaos, a time of vengeance, an hour of jackals.

A shadow stirs. Why is the US president slowly losing his mind? Why is Europe falling apart, and why are fascist coups seemingly imminent across the world?

A Chinese spy and his American colleague try to deduce who is behind everything. An English professor makes a Faustian deal to get revenge on his daughter’s racist attackers. A young federal agent falls in love with the woman he is ordered to betray. All the while, the fascist conspirators are preparing their secret mind-control weapons.

Yet other, possibly supernatural, forces could be at play as well. Including one unearthly Domina, who will provide any information you may seek, but the payment is harsh indeed…

Inevitable Ascension: Crossing Worlds by V. K. McAllister

If you knew your world would soon be torched to carbon, would you fight to save it? Or light a match of your own?

Violina’s life was never an easy one. Her late father was a mobster, and her mother was killed by the mob when Violina was only three. Still, she refused to be a product of her circumstances, opting instead to be a product of her choices. With this mindset, she headed out to build a new life. But does a new life mean a better life? She soon finds herself thrown into a post-apocalyptic war with mankind on the brink of extinction. Discovering the means to travel back in time, she teams up with the ever-optimistic, pun-loving Lux and sets out to prevent the apocalypse from ever happening in the first place. But as her crusade advances, she becomes increasingly disturbed by humanity’s apparent lack of humanity and comes to a frightening realization: to build a new world; she must first tear the old one down.

Inevitable Ascension—The twisted jigsaw puzzle of a story with equal parts rapid-fire action, humor, and charm. While it’s events can be dark at times, Violina and Lux are quite the opposite. They are hilarious, witty, lovable, and a team to root for. Inevitable Ascension has a host of twists that will literally make your brain explode! Actually not literally, you know, because otherwise, that would be really gross.

Whammy by Ted Akin

The trouble with small towns is that nothing of note ever happens. That has pretty much been the status quo for quite some time in Lily Grove, Texas, where the only two things keeping the town moving are farming and the oil field. But when an accidental death shakes up the oil patch, Klive Anderson tries to balance keeping some form of normalcy in his day-to-day life, while also trying to uncover exactly what the hell happened. You know, just in case the same thing could happen to him. Meanwhile, Stacey Karlisle has her own issues to worry about. Being the neighborhood entrepreneur keeps the day moving, but after a while, going through the motions starts to wear one down. Whammy follows the two as they both try to navigate the rare ripple in their little pond in their own very different ways. Part mystery, part comic book adventure, take a drive out to the country and find out how to handle yourself when exciting things happen in your normally sleepy little hometown.

Wild Horse on the Salt by Anne Montgomery

A woman flees an abusive husband and finds hope in the wilds of the Arizona desert.

Rebecca Quinn escapes her controlling husband and, with nowhere else to go, hops the red-eye to Arizona. There, Gaby Strand – her aunt’s college roommate – gives her shelter at the Salt River Inn, a 1930’s guesthouse located in the wildly beautiful Tonto National Forest.

Becca struggles with post-traumatic stress but is enthralled by the splendor and fragility of the Sonoran Desert. The once aspiring artist meets Noah Tanner, a cattle rancher and beekeeper, Oscar Billingsley, a retired psychiatrist and avid birder, and a blacksmith named Walt. Thanks to her new friends and a small band of wild horses, Becca adjusts to life in the desert and rekindles her love of art.

Then, Becca’s husband tracks her down, forcing her to summon all her strength. But can she finally stop running away?

Blog highlights from the week

Ollie’s Backpack by Riya Aarini

Saint Justice by Mike Grist (A Christopher Wren Thriller Book 1)

Intertwined by Eric Sudduth

The Ship of Shadows by Maria Kuzniar

 

Friday Finds | July 17, 2020 | Creatives

Beautiful baby cocoon from LiliaCraftParty

Easy and fast to make, using a lovely combination of knitting stitches will make your baby happy, cozy and comfortable all the time, the buttoned sides can easily open and close the cocoon without disturbing the baby, we don’t want angry babies, right?

Don’t these woven basket/totes from KagoCraft look fun, useful, and summery? Why not try your hand at one soon?

 

Friday Finds | July 17, 2020 | Recipes

Rustic Peach Galette

Niky from The House on Silverado graciously agreed to share her recipe for Rustic Peach Galette with us. Read how she turned a twenty-five-pound box of fresh peaches into the most delicious recipes.

While you are at it, why not try Homemade Ice Cream in a Mason Jar? Delicious, simple, and fun is the best way to describe this treat. It would be wonderful with those fresh peaches. They even offer a Keto version.

(Recipe from CNN-Underscored)

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I hope you enjoyed this week’s Friday Finds. Be sure you leave a comment and let me know how your week went and if you plan to try any of the treasures from today’s post.

Don’t forget, you don’t have to wait for Friday. I’m here sharing tidbits and answering comments all week.

Peace – Love – Good Health

Gina