Weekly Friday Finds | 04-19-2024 | Books ~Author News ~ Recipes ~ Crafts ~ New Trivia Contest Question
Welcome to the 04-19-2024 edition of the weekly Friday Finds. It’s been quite the busy week around here.
My better half tore down the remnants of an old barn on the farm. Now all that remains is to clean up and dispose of 100 years worth of “junk.” Once we rent the dumpster, we’ll have about two weeks to get that chore finished. I think I’ll call in the grandkids to give us a hand. They’re hard workers and will accept cookies & overnight visits as payment. But, we always slip them a bit of cash for all their help.
We attended my nephew’s wedding last Saturday. It turned out to be a gorgeous spring day for an outside wedding. All my siblings were there except one, as was my dad, and one daughter with her family. We were able to get some lovely family pictures.
It’s been a week of occasional thunderstorms, and you know what that means… BARN KITTENS! So far, we have found four yellow kitties. I’ll try to get pictures when I can. Barn cats lead a pretty cushy life around here in exchange for keeping the mice out of the barns.
Other than that, it’s been a time of reading, writing reviews, and knitting on the Go Brewers hat.
Until next week, Peace & Love to you!
Gina
Weekly Friday Finds | 04-19-2024 | Blog News
I had a fun week on the blog with the following reviews:
Guinea Pig Power by Ben St. James, Children’s
Secrets We Keep by Valeriya Goff, Contemporary Fiction
Island Detour by Maria Imbalzano, the kick-off of The Sunrise Island series, Contemporary Romance
A Guest Post from Dana King, Author of Off the Books, a Hard-boiled Private Investigator Mystery
Falling for a Bossy Cowboy(Vargas Ranch Book 3) by Karen Baney, An Opposites-Attract Christian Cowboy Romance
The Wedding by Kelly Smith, A tale of female friendship & contemporary romance
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Weekly Friday Finds | 04-19-2024 | Recipes
Lemon-Glazed Cream Cheese Cookies from Pillsbury
You won’t believe these tender lemon cookies are made with refrigerated sugar cookie dough. Personally, I could eat lemon cookies all year long, even though many people consider them a summer ingredient.
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Easy Apricot Chicken (only five ingredients) from Favorite Family Recipes
This easy, flavorful apricot chicken can be made in the oven, slow cooker, pressure cooker, or even on the grill. You can’t go wrong with this recipe!
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You can also check today’s corresponding email newsletter for more recipes. (Don’t get the Friday Finds email? Sign up on the sidebar! ) —>
Weekly Friday Finds | 04-19-2024 | Books
Diavola: A Novel by Jennifer Thorne
Jennifer Thorne skewers all-too-familiar family dynamics in this sly, wickedly funny vacation-Gothic. Beautifully unhinged and deeply satisfying, Diavola is a sharp twist on the classic haunted house story, exploring loneliness, belonging, and the seemingly inescapable bonds of family mythology.
Most Anticipated Books of 2024—Goodreads
Anna has two rules for the annual Pace family destination vacations: Tread lightly and survive.
It isn’t easy when she’s the only one in the family who doesn’t quite fit in. Her twin brother, Benny, goes with the flow so much he’s practically dissolved, and her older sister, Nicole, is so used to everyone—including her blandly docile husband and two kids—falling in line that Anna often ends up in trouble for simply asking a question. Mom seizes every opportunity to question her life choices, and Dad, when not reminding everyone who paid for this vacation, just wants some peace and quiet.
The gorgeous, remote villa in tiny Monteperso seems like a perfect place to endure so much family togetherness, until things start going off the rails—the strange noises at night, the unsettling warnings from the local villagers, and the dark, violent past of the villa itself.
(Warning: May invoke feelings of irritation, dread, and despair that come with large family gatherings.)
At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied so it can be read on any device.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Thorne, Jennifer (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 296 Pages - 03/26/2024 (Publication Date) - Tor Nightfire (Publisher)
The Life-Changing Magic of Chess: A Beginner’s Guide with Grandmaster Maurice Ashley
After making history as the chess world’s first Black Grandmaster, Maurice Ashley went on to become a three-time national championship coach and commentator. Now he’s sharing his passion for chess with YOU!
Discover more about Maurice’s story as he recounts his journey from Jamaica to New York to the world stage where he has ranked among the best in the game. Then find your own chess magic as he shows you basic skills like how each piece moves and how to make a start.
When you’re ready, follow along with Maurice’s step-by-step instructions for
- Capturing
- Checkmates
- Castling
- Sacrificing
- …and more!
Denis Angelov’s fun-filled, graphic-novel-inspired illustrations bring Maurice’s tips to life. It’s the perfect beginner’s guide to chess for kids.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Ashley, Maurice (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 04/02/2024 (Publication Date) - Magic Cat (Publisher)
Life-Changing Magic Series
The Life-Changing Magic of Skateboarding by Sky Brown and illustrator Shaw Davidson
The Life-Changing Magic of Chess by Maurice Ashley and illustrator Denis Angelov
The Life-Changing Magic of Baking by Joy Wilson and illustrator Tatiana Kamshilina
The Life-Changing Magic of Druming by Nandi Bushnell and illustrator Andrea Stegmaier (coming)
Weekly Friday Finds | 04-19-2024 | Author News
This is my latest scoop from Indie Authors.
Ellwyn Autumn has a line of printables and other educational materials to complement her children’s books. Depending on when you read this, the books may still be available on Amazon with deep discounts. I have more reviews of them coming up shortly.
Author E.G. Moore is celebrating the 1st book birthday of her fantastic The Last Dragonfly: An epic teen fantasy book (Dragonfly Destiny Series 1). Watch for my review this weekend!
Eragon meets The Forgetting in this powerful story about friendship, loyalty, and discovering that things aren’t always what they seem.
A magical dragonfly. A science-focused society. Only one can bring the land and her people from the brink of death.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Moore, EG (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 297 Pages - 04/23/2023 (Publication Date) - E.G. Moore Freelance & Fiction (Publisher)
Weekly Friday Finds | 04-19-2024 | Creative News
Lots of readers have expressed an interest in the projects listed here but feel left out since they don’t know how to knit or crochet. I found two beautiful kits that teach you the skills needed while you create a beautiful scarf.
First up is this beautiful knitted scarf kit, which includes everything you need to be successful, including video tutorials.
Let’s Knit a Scarf Kit from Knifty Knitting
In your kit, you’ll find:
– 2 skeins of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick yarn (80% acrylic/20% wool) in either Fisherman, Charcoal, Grey Marble, or Mustard
– 1 pair of US 15/10 mm premium bamboo knitting needles
– 1 jumbo yarn needle
– Written pattern
– Video library access
– All packaged in a hand-stamped project bag
Learn to Crochet a Chunky Scarf Kit from Knittorious
In your kit, you’ll find:
x 1 skein of yarn (80% acrylic/20% wool) in your color choice (you will get one full and one small cake of yarn if you choose an option that is multi-colored).
x 1 crochet hook (photos show blue or cream; blue is currently sold out)
x 1 large-eyed tapestry needle
x 1 stitch marker
x written pattern on a postcard (NOT step-by-step written instructions)
x Link with NEW, detailed (as of 4/27/21) How To Crochet Video Instructions Included
x Muslin Draw String Project bag that items ship in
Weekly Friday Finds | 04-19-2024 | Trivia Time
This week’s trivia question is:
Qiviut is a very soft and sturdy fiber. From which animal is this fiber harvested?
The answer to last week’s question:
What is the oldest soft drink in America?
There are evidently quite a few answers to this question. Dr Pepper and lemonade are considered correct. Everyone that played along has been entered into the trivia contest!
Remember, if you find something you like in this post, leave a comment and click the LIKE button at the bottom of the page. It means the world!
See you soon for more Weekly Friday Finds Fun!
Gina
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I also had to re-read your post after the #BloggersWeekendLinkUp link 🙂 (I just did it later than intended). Those food pics really don’t do much for my blood sugar 🙂 (but are better than me trying the actual thing)
I’ve been a T2 diabetic for many, many years. I live vicariously through my Friday Finds searches!
[…] teen and up epic fantasy, is a delightful mix of magic and science. And in case you missed the news last week, E.G. Moore is celebrating the one-year book birthday for The Last Dragonfly on social […]
What a great week you’ve had! Glad you got nice weather for the wedding. Those barn kittens sound so cute too 🥰
You’ve featured a lot of books and authors I hadn’t heard of before too and I can’t wait to try that apricot chicken. Sounds delicious 😋
Sorry I’m a day late but I had a book reading event today that I was fretting over, I mean preparing for, lol! I’m glad it’s over now!
The trivia question is from the animal the artic musk ox, artic hare, and artic fox.
Have a great weekend!
I hope your event went well!
Wow, you had a very busy week, Gina. I have to catch up on all your posts, I think I only read a couple. Qiviut is an inuit yarn from muskox. I didn’t know muskox lived in the north, but you learn something new everyday. have a great weekend.
😋😋😋 you had me at lemon cookies!
I do love anything lemon!