Friday Favorites~a weekly series where we share our favorite books, decor, fashion finds, recipes, podcasts, articles and more.
FRIDAY FAVORITES NO. 602
Good morning friends! Happy Friday to you, did you have a nice week. Mine was tiring but I feel great about all of the stuff that I accomplished.
I mentioned last week that I was on a mission to declutter and purge. That said, I am not a minimalist, I love books and magazines, and art and little mementos from family and trips. I am purging my closets and clothing and paperwork, and things I have saved for years and then I will tackle the rest of the stuff.
So far it has been a great success. I gave away 8 garbage bags of clothing and still have to go through my winter coats, boots, shoes, bags, etc.
This week I also finished a few projects that I started this summer but did not manage to get done. I am on a mission to tick things off of the list so that by the time my bathroom projects are finished my house is “finished.”
Ok, enough about me let’s get to all of our Friday Favorites!
FOOD
Doesn’t this Fall charcuterie board look scrumptious? This is a great appetizer for game day, holiday parties or just appetizers and drinks with friends.
Treat yourself to a ham and cheese croissant sandwich this weekend for breakfast or lunch.
Butternut squash, chicken and wild rice casserole made with wild rice, sweet butternut squash, tangy dried cranberries and plenty of parmesan cheese.
Chocolate chips cookies anyone? They are my favorite warm from the oven with a crunchy outside.
Pumpkin spice espresso martini! Could be an interesting addition to Friday cocktails.
LINKS TO READ+WATCH+LISTEN
Time to Say Goodbye to the B.M.I.?
Should We Think Twice About Fluoride?
From baking to MrBeast: Meet the YouTuber taking on the platform’s biggest creator
To Play or Not to Play With Your Kid?
NFL cheerleaders have been fighting for better pay for 10 years. They’re still being sidelined.
Organize Your Kitchen Like a Chef, not an influencer.
Why do we have earlobes? They make no evolutionary sense.
Does Working a 4 Day Week Make You Happier?
You’ll Never Know How Accurate Your Fitness Tracker Is, and That’s OK
BOOKS
Fifty Words for Rain
Kyoto, Japan, 1948. “Do not question. Do not fight. Do not resist.”
Such is eight-year-old Noriko “Nori” Kamiza’s first lesson. She will not question why her mother abandoned her with only these final words. She will not fight her confinement to the attic of her grandparents’ imperial estate. And she will not resist the scalding chemical baths she receives daily to lighten her skin.
The child of a married Japanese aristocrat and her African American GI lover, Nori is an outsider from birth. Her grandparents take her in, only to conceal her, fearful of a stain on the royal pedigree that they are desperate to uphold in a changing Japan. Obedient to a fault, Nori accepts her solitary life, despite her natural intellect and curiosity. But when chance brings her older half-brother, Akira, to the estate that is his inheritance and destiny, Nori finds in him an unlikely ally with whom she forms a powerful bond—a bond their formidable grandparents cannot allow and that will irrevocably change the lives they were always meant to lead. Because now that Nori has glimpsed a world in which perhaps there is a place for her after all, she is ready to fight to be a part of it—a battle that just might cost her everything.
Weyward
2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great-aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she suspects that her great-aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.
1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. When Altha was a girl, her mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence of witchcraft is laid out against Altha, she knows it will take all her powers to maintain her freedom.
1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family’s grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.
Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart’s Weyward is an
astonishing debut, and an enthralling novel of female resilience.
Grisha is a dragon in a world that’s forgotten how to see him. Maggie is a unusual child who thinks she’s perfectly ordinary. They’re an unlikely duo—but magic, like friendship, is funny. Sometimes it chooses those who might not look so likely. And magic has chosen Grisha and Maggie to solve the darkest mystery in Vienna. Decades ago, when World War II broke out, someone decided that there were too many dragons for all of them to be free. As they investigate, Grisha and Maggie ask the question everyone’s forgotten: Where have the missing dragons gone? And is there a way to save them? At once richly magical and tragically historical, The Language of Spells is a novel full of adventure about remembering old stories, forging new ones, and the transformative power of friendship.
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
Shop the Outfit
My Fall and winter uniform is a white t-shirt and a sweater paired with jeans or a skirt. It’s the same uniform I’ve worn for years and started in grade school with my school uniform.
Everyone has white t-shirts or button down shirts and sweaters and it is because they are classic wardrobe staples. Your scarves, bags and shoes are where you can show a little personality if you like. Or you can keep it classic.
Add a trench or a barn coat and you are ready for the day, be it running errands, sitting on the sidelines of your kids football games or just out for a casual lunch.
UNTIL TOMORROW
What are your weekend plans? Is the weather cooling off?
Tell me something that made you smile this week!
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.
Follow along with us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, and Pinterest.
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
Do you have a go to white t shirt that you always get?
Hello Shirley, I buy white 100% cotton crew neck t-shirts from The Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, LL Bean, Talbots. If I find them at other stores I will buy them too. I like to try them on and see how they fit and how long they are. Recently, I purchased a few t-shirts from Banana Republic on the recommendation of a friend, they are soft, fit great but are not 100% cotton.
I’m sorry that I cannot be more help.
Is there a brand that you like?
Actually I got an elbow length cotton white t shirt from LL Bean that is thick and washes well. Thanks for the answer. Your posts are my absolute favorite! I love food, fashion, home goods, family, gardening, travel, books, things to watch and you tick EVERY one of those boxes. Thank you.
Shirley,
LL Bean has very nice shirts. I am sure that your new one will keep you warm this Fall and winter.
Have a wonderful week and thank you for your kind comment.