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Friday Favorites~a weekly series where we share our favorite books, decor, fashion finds, recipes, podcasts, articles and more.
FRIDAY FAVORITES NO. 585
Good morning friends, happy Friday.
How was your week? We have been busy this week. My niece has been in town and we have been picking strawberries, visiting the farmers market, going to the golf museum, spending time at the pool and just hanging out. She heads home on today to start her first job after graduating and I could not be more excited for her and the adventures that are ahead.
Aside from that, more house stuff. Still trying to decide on the bathroom layout, tile, light fixtures, mirrors, etc. And waiting for more estimates from tradespeople to fix the tree damage.
Ok, let’s get to all of my favorites from this week.
Food
A burger, a bowl, salad and a drink that you are going to want to add to your summer meal plans.
Grilled portabello burgers topped with creamy havarti cheese, served with lettuce and tomato on a fluffy bun and drizzle with house sauce. Perfect for all of your summer gatherings.
Doesn’t this carrot arugula salad with sweet dried figs, tangy goat cheese, creamy avocado and crunchy walnuts look scrumptious?
I cannot wait to make Mediterranean Rice Bowl with Grilled Chicken Tawook Skewers
Add watermelon cocktail punch to your summer drinks menu.
LINKS TO READ+WATCH+LISTEN
Le Chalet Olivet: A 19th Century Swiss Chalet Rental in the Loire Valley
The keeper of the Vatican’s secrets is retiring. Here’s what he wants you to know
The Ambling Mind and the Power of Walking.
Airline Meals Used to Be Plentiful, Luxurious. Here’s What Happened
20 Essential Things to Start Doing for Your Own Happiness
If you want to belong find a third place.
What do you think of the One Room a Day, Cleaning Method?
Fragrant and Fatal: The Fascinating Case of Yellow Jessamine
Animals Make an Unexpected Appearance at This Celebrity-Favorite Ranch
Meet the Falconer Who Makes $20,000 a month.
Books
These are the books I currently have on order from Amazon or at the library or have recently read. What are you reading or waiting to be released?
The twentieth century American department store: a palace of consumption where every wish could be met under one roof – afternoon tea, a stroll through the latest fashions, a wedding (or funeral) planned. It was a place where women, shopper and shopgirl alike, could stake out a newfound independence. Whether in New York or Chicago or on Main Street, USA, men owned the buildings, but inside, women ruled.
In this hothouse atmosphere, three women rose to the top. In the 1930s, Hortense Odlum of Bonwit Teller came to her husband’s department store as a housewife tasked with attracting more shoppers like herself, and wound up running the company. Dorothy Shaver of Lord & Taylor championed American designers during World War II–before which US fashions were almost exclusively Parisian copies–becoming the first businesswoman to earn a $1 million salary. And in the 1960s Geraldine Stutz of Henri Bendel re-invented the look of the modern department store. With a preternatural sense for trends, she inspired a devoted following of ultra-chic shoppers as well as decades of copycats.
Jo Jones has always had a little trouble fitting in. As a neurodivergent, hyperlexic book editor and divorced New Yorker transplanted into the English countryside, Jo doesn’t know what stands out more: her Americanisms or her autism.
After losing her job, her mother, and her marriage all in one year, she couldn’t be happier to take possession of a possibly haunted (and clearly unwanted) family estate in North Yorkshire. But when the body of the moody town groundskeeper turns up on her rug with three bullets in his back, Jo finds herself in potential danger—and she’s also a potential suspect. At the same time, a peculiar family portrait vanishes from a secret room in the manor, bearing a strange connection to both the dead body and Jo’s mysterious family history.
With the aid of a Welsh antiques dealer, the morose local detective, and the Irish innkeeper’s wife, Jo embarks on a mission to clear herself of blame and find the missing painting, unearthing a slew of secrets about the town—and herself—along the way. And she’ll have to do it all before the killer strikes again…
The Paradise Problem
Anna Green thought she was marrying Liam “West” Weston for access to subsidized family housing while at UCLA. She also thought she’d signed divorce papers when the graduation caps were tossed, and they both went on their merry ways.
Three years later, Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while West is a Stanford professor. He may be one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has little interest in working for the heartless corporation his family built from the ground up. He is interested, however, in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. There’s just one catch.
Due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather’s will, Liam won’t see a penny until he’s been happily married for five years. Just when Liam thinks he’s in the home stretch, pressure mounts from his family to see this mysterious spouse, and he has no choice but to turn to the one person he’s afraid to introduce to his one-percenter parents—his unpolished, not-so-ex-wife.
But in the presence of his family, Liam’s fears quickly shift from whether the feisty, foul-mouthed, paint-splattered Anna can play the part to whether the toxic world of wealth will corrupt someone as pure of heart as his surprisingly grounded and loyal wife. Liam will have to ask himself if the price tag on his flimsy cover story is worth losing true love that sprouted from a lie.
Loretta Crawford grew up in a family where lives are small and appetites are big, and where the cure for what ails you can usually be found in a plate of hot biscuits or a slice of rich pound cake. The results show all too clearly on her 5’4″, 280-pound frame. Until one day, Loretta realizes she’s had enough–enough of her mama’s sugarcoated putdowns and of feeling unattractive, and enough of being called “Bubbles” when she blows her saxophone at Ziggy’s club.
The final indignity comes when her loser husband, Lyman, leaves her for another woman. Down but determined, Loretta opts for weight loss surgery. As her size plummets, her horizons expand. Men look at her with desire instead of derision, and the catering business that was once a hobby begins to take off in earnest. . .
The fact is, no one in Houston can cook as well as Loretta, whether it’s spicy shrimp Creole or delectable pecan wafers. Soon, the food that was her downfall promises to be her key to success. But the closer she gets to attaining the life she’s always dreamed of–complete with a new love interest–the messier things become. Once, Loretta was sure that happiness, or something close to it, would be found in her first pair of skinny jeans. The reality isn’t just complicated–it’s surprising, heartbreaking, and ultimately liberating.
MORE BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
If you have already read these books or missed something I have featured before on the blog check out My Bookshop on Amazon.
SHOPPING
OUTFIT OF THE DAY
Soft buttery yellow us everywhere this summer. Even if you are not a fan of yellow, and I am not, this subtle yellow looks beautiful on most if us. I found this linen blend shirt that would be perfect with white shorts, jeans, pants or even a skirt. Paired with black leather sandals or tan and a tote to carry all of your essentials and you are all set.
Outfit Details
More Yellow Separates
UNTIL TOMORROW
I hope you enjoyed the recipes, links and books I discovered this week on Friday Favorites. Thank you for spending part of your day with me, your time is valuable and I am grateful that you spend a little of each day with me. Have a wonderful weekend.
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Don’t forget that Kim, Juliet and I will be back tomorrow on Weekend Meanderings!
If you have missed a Friday Favorites post you can find them all here.
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On my Radar
Friday Favorites No. 567 from David Lebovitz, Epicurious, Half Baked Harvest and More
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As always, so many great links! I am always looking for book recommendations and I think I’ll have to try “The Framed Women of Ardemore Street”. Have the best weekend, Elizabeth!
Thank you! The Framed Women of Ardmore Street is a great book, I hope that you enjoy it.
Have a wonderful weekend.