Friday Finds Roundup | August 7, 2020

Welcome to the Friday Finds Roundup | August 7, 2020 edition. It’s great to have you join me today. It’s been a whirlwind week for me. I had a quick visit from my daughter and her family last weekend, followed by a bountiful harvest from the garden this week. I’ve been freezing corn, making salsa, and the ever-popular blackberry sauce has been simmering on the stove. However, I managed to find time to gather a few goodies for the Friday Finds. Let’s jump right in. Be sure you leave a comment below to let me know what intrigues you this week and if you would like me to share my recipes for salsa & blackberry sauce.

Friday Finds Roundup | August 7, 2020 | Books

Blood & Silver by Vali Benson

What is a twelve-year-old girl to do when she finds herself in the silver boomtown of Tombstone, Arizona, in 1880, and her only home is a brothel and her only parent is a drug-addicted mother? If she is Carissa Beaumont, she outsmarts the evil madam and figures a way out.

After tricking the madam, Miss Lucille, into summoning a doctor for her mother, Lisette, she discovers that Miss Lucille has been drugging her. She and the kind doctor make a plan to try to save Lisette.

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Strand the Silver Radio by Justin Attas

The world outside is a myth. All that remains is Strand’s great Tower. An entire world’s worth of ecosystems and infrastructures crammed inside one segregated pillar.

Strand’s rules are simple. The more you can contribute to what’s left of humanity, the higher you climb. Everyone must contribute. This is a problem for Quincy Famino.

Deemed “unfit” from a young age, Quincy is devoid of biological Augments, essential enhancements in Strand’s workforce. Everyone in his life has a chip in their brain or self-repairing tissue. Anything to make them better. To make them worthy of Strand’s resources and time. Everyone but Quincy.

An artist by passion, he shows no necessary skills to keep Strand’s system running. Nearing the end of his time in the Academy, Quincy faces two paths. He can tow the Strand line and “find his fate”, along with an Augment, to stay in the suburban Terra Layer where he was born. Should he fail, he faces down shipping to the Nether Layer- the rugged, lawless bottom level of the Tower.

In the Realm of Ash & Sorrow by Kenneth Harmon

When bombardier Micah Lund dies on a mission over Hiroshima, his spirit remains trapped in the land of his enemies. Dazed, he follows Kiyomi Oshiro, a war widow struggling to care for her young daughter, Ai. Food is scarce, work at the factory is brutal, and her in-laws treat her like a servant. Watching Kiyomi and Ai together, Micah reconsiders his intolerance for the people he’d called the enemy. As his concern for the mother and daughter grows, so does his guilt for his part in their suffering. Micah finds a new reality when Kiyomi and Ai dream–one which allows him to interact with them. While his feelings for Kiyomi deepen, imminent destruction looms. Hiroshima is about to be bombed, and Micah must warn Kiyomi and her daughter. In a place where dreams are real, Micah races against time to save the ones he loves the most. In the Realm of Ash and Sorrow is a tale about love in its most extraordinary forms–forgiveness, sacrifice, and perseverance against impossible odds.

Mix Bloods by Bobbie Gott

Celestria Slavic is considered to be the Princess of Covens. She is a four-century-old purebred vampire, with a lineage that dates back to Dracula. Her duty as the next elder in line is to train newly transitioning vampires. On the eve of our creation, all the Covens will join in welcoming all newly transitioning vampires. Newly turned vampires are called Mix Bloods. This will be the night Celestria’s life takes an annoying and terrifying turn. She will be forced to wed a Mix Blood Named Killian and give up her appointment to train. Celestria will soon realize that there is so much she didn’t know about her Covens, and she will soon be a witness to the first of many betrayals. She must do all within her power to survive.“How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!”Isaiah 14:12

Mix Bloods (The Mix Bloods ...Shop on Amazon

How I took a Bartending Course and Traveled for Seventeen Years by Steven Nicolle

IT IS 1979 – the dawning of a new, exciting decade. On the cusp of the eighties, the path of unlimited possibilities is laid at the feet of a young man by the name of Steven. Fresh into adulthood and poised to embark on a wild, new direction, he takes a bartending course in the throbbing metropolis of Montréal. In a politically-charged region of Canada that is constantly on the verge of separating from the rest of the country, he sets a solid foundation for what will become a rich career in Hospitality. Upon entering this demanding but rewarding vocation, he thrives and excels-and, unbeknownst to him, will be catapulted to as-of-yet unimagined vistas.

How I Took a Bartending Cou...Shop on Amazon