Weekly Friday Finds | 04-26-2024 | Books ~Author News ~ Recipes ~ Crafts ~ New Trivia Contest Question
Welcome to the o4-26-2024 edition of the weekly Friday Finds.
I don’t have a lot of personal news to share today. Clean-up of the demolished barn continues. I forgot to bring the carrot starts inside Wednesday night, and we had a hard frost. I’ll have to give them a few days to come back, but I think there is a replant in the future. It’s got to be Spring weather sometime soon…or maybe we’ll go straight into Summer. It wouldn’t be the first year that we went from furnace in the morning to AC in the afternoon. I think the only one who enjoys that is the electric company!
So we keep plugging along on all our Spring projects, regardless of the weather…mostly.
Until next week, Peace & Love to you!
Gina
Weekly Friday Finds | o4-26-2024 | Blog News
Did you catch all these on the blog this week? Here’s your second chance if you missed anything.
The Last Dragonfly (Dragonfly Destiny Series #1) by E.G. Moore This 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 media.
Katharine’s Remarkable Road Trip by Gail Ward Olmsted Since Landscape of a Marriage was one of my favorite reads last year, I jumped at the chance to read Olmsted’s latest. It’s set in the same time period and has characters we met in the earlier book. Fantastic! If you like fiction with real people in known situations, this is most definitely the book for you!
Robber Ducky (Granny Appleton #3) by Missy Tarantino I finally wrote my review for the latest Granny Appleton cozy mystery. I simply adore Granny Appleton. What’s not to love about a Granny Appleton cozy from Missy Tarantino? Granny is hilarious, caring, and devoted to her family, friends, and pets. She’s spry, witty, and changes her wigs like some of us change shoes.
Peace Tigers by Dave Martelon This book is as deep as you want to make it. On the surface, it’s a coming-of-age fantasy, but there is a lot of deep thought that can go into this one.
The Fallenwood Chronicles by Leslie D. Soule This is a spotlight I did for a four-book fantasy series. There’s still a wee bit of time left to enter the drawing for a $25 Amazon/BN gift card.
Guest post by Bethany Rosa, author of Pursuit of Innocence I have a review of this one coming up in May. When I agreed to review it, I had no idea it was Spicy with a capital X. I had to do some skimming because I’m kind of over that type of reading, but the underlying story is good. Tune in on the 16th for my full review, but read the author’s post from the above link. She talks about the issues she has writing in this genre.
There’s much more coming this week, so please check back often.
Weekly Friday Finds | 04-26-2024 | Recipes
If the weather doesn’t cooperate for grilling out this weekend…This is on the menu!
Mini Meatloaf Muffins from Cook Top Cove
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“These brown butter berry tea cakes are delicate miniature sponge cakes perfect for a tea party, bridal shower, Mother’s Day, or any gathering where you’re serving coffee or tea. The browned butter gives the batter its depth of flavor, which accents the juicy berry at the heart of the tea cake.” Sally McKenney
Brown Butter Berry Tea Cakes from Sally’s Baking Addiction
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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 | 04-26-2024 | Books
If you’re looking for a quick short mystery, here’s a good one from Margaret Atwood, author of more than fifty books of fiction, poetry, and critical essays. Her novels include Cat’s Eye, The Robber Bride, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin, MaddAddam trilogy. and her 1985 classic, The Handmaid’s Tale.
Three women scheme to avenge an old friend in a darkly witty short story about loyalty, ambition, and delicious retribution
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Atwood, Margaret (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 35 Pages - 05/01/2024 (Publication Date) - Amazon Original Stories (Publisher)
This one was in the running for my Amazon Free First Read of April. I ultimately chose a different book, but I plan to get my hands on this historical fiction soon. (I love all the features of Amazon Prime. Check them out here.)
The Bootlegger’s Daughter by Nadine Nettmann
In Prohibition-era Los Angeles, two women on opposite sides of the law must take control of their lives, make their marks, and try to survive. Even if it means crossing the line.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Nettmann, Nadine (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 05/01/2024 (Publication Date) - Lake Union Publishing (Publisher)
A New York Times Best Seller and award-winning book, What Do You Do With an Idea? is for anyone who’s ever had a big idea.
What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada
This is the story of one brilliant idea and the child who helps to bring it into the world. As the child’s confidence grows, so does the idea itself. And then, one day, something amazing happens. This is a story for anyone, at any age, who’s ever had an idea that seemed a little too big, too odd, too difficult. It’s a story to inspire you to welcome that idea, to give it some space to grow, and to see what happens next. Because your idea isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it’s just getting started.
- Hardcover Book
- Yamada, Kobi (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 36 Pages - 02/01/2014 (Publication Date) - Compendium (Publisher)
Weekly Friday Finds | 04-26-2024 | Author News
This is my latest scoop from Indie Authors.
From Mim Eichmann: For next weekend’s Friday Finds, could you please include my print ARC Goodreads Giveaway for Tayvie’s Story? It just went up in historical fiction and literary fiction.
Book giveaway for Tayvie’s Story by Mim Eichmann Apr 20-May 05, 2024
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Eichmann, Mim (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 355 Pages - 07/23/2024 (Publication Date) - Living Springs Publishers (Publisher)
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Roberts, Lauren Kristen (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 375 Pages - 04/26/2024 (Publication Date) - LKR Books (Publisher)
Author of the Month Winner
I wanted to start up my Author of the Month category once again but decided to mix it up and let readers vote instead of me choosing one. For now, I’m going with a combination of book review page visits and comments. I may adjust this as I see how it’s going. So, if you have a favorite book review, author, guest post, etc, from April, click on that post and show some love.
I’m trying this as a monthly feature, but I may have to move it to quarterly if it gets overwhelming to keep up. Authors, there is no shame in visiting and commenting on your own book review. My readers love seeing the author show up in the comments.
The winner for March is….. MARK J. ENGLES!
Authors! Do you have news you would like to share with my readers? Please email me, and I’ll include it in the next available Friday Finds Author News spot. Remember to vote for your book review and send your fans over, too.
Weekly Friday Finds | 04-26-2024 | Creative News
If you are like me, you have all kinds of kitchen things that you rarely use anymore. This project is cute, easy, and a perfect way to upcycle them.
How to Convert a Colander Into a Planter
Weekly Friday Finds | 04-26-2024 | Trivia Time
This week’s trivia question is:
What book holds the record for being the most stolen book from public libraries?
The answer to last week’s question:
Qiviut is a very soft and sturdy fiber. From which animal is this fiber harvested?
Quiviut is a luxurious fiber that is obtained from the muskox, a large mammal native to the Arctic Circle. The term “qiviut” translates to “down” or “underwool,” referring to the incredibly fine, soft underlayer of fur that muskox grows beneath its tougher, protective outer layer.
Qiviut is stronger and warmer than sheep’s wool and softer than cashmere wool. It is very expensive; a high-quality knitted scarf can cost more than $300 U.S. but will last over 20 years with good care. Isn’t it amazing how nature provides us with such unique and valuable resources?
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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[…] case you missed last week’s announcement, Mark J Engels was voted my Author of the Month. His badge is on the sidebar. Let me know if you […]
Gina – bummer re your carrots and unintentional journey into the internet’s bottomless black hole of death … hope everything somehow survived!
Thanks Mim! The carrots are going to make it. I love home grown carrots, they just taste better/different from store-bought. Everything is good on the blog, although I am actively searching for a new email provider. ConvertKit really irritated me over this one. So any suggestions are appreciated. 😆
We plant them too (small garden) – totally agree: they’re amazing! Other than red leaf lettuce and cherry tomatoes last year, the carrots were about the only decent harvest — beets and celery were bitter & not edible. My one and only totally dead-looking zucchini plant rallied forth and produced at least one perfect zuke daily, nonstop thru late autumn, however … how the heck do they do that??
Zucchini are sneaky like that!
Hi Gina,
That’s too bad about your carrots. I hope they will bounce back somehow! I can’t wait for warmer weather so we don’t have to worry about any more frost!
The trivia answer is Guinness Book of Records, I think. I also saw that the Bible is stolen a lot as well!
Seriously? People steal the Bible!
The carrots survived! Got your entries added to the jar
Great Friday Finds post, Gina. I just read a book, review coming tomorrow, that I thought was historical fiction, but it was a spicy Victorian romp. I didn’t read the description well. I definitely skimmed a lot! I’m getting too old and cynical for all that, I think. Spring clean up always keeps me crazy busy at this time of year. I am also hoping we get some spring temperatures before those hot and humid summer days hit. Have a wonderful week. BTW: Guiness book of world records, I’m going to say the most recent one.
I don’t find anything wrong with skimming. I’ll skim anything too graphic, whether it’s sex, violence, or gore. I figure if the story itself holds my attention, it’s worth it to get to the end and write my review. Lol
I completely agree, Gina.
Congratulations on the grand baby! You sound like a busy bee in spring! I like everything on your blog! Your meatloaves, colander- planters, book reviews–you name it! ♥️😊
Thanks, Eve!
😂😂😂 I wish books came with a spicy rating!
That would be helpful. But, that’s what book bloggers and reviews are for, right?
Thanks for taking one for the team!
Did you read the author’s guest post? I have often wondered how they deal with friends & family reading their books.
Right?! 😱😰