Friday Favorites~a weekly series where we share our favorite books, decor, fashion finds, recipes, podcasts, articles and more.
Good morning friends, it’s Friday! How was your week? Did you survive the storms? We had heavy rains and winds, sadly no snow. Thankfully only one large branch down and lots and lots and lots of pinecones and little limbs.
With the cold weather this weekend and next week, maybe we will see a few flakes. What about you? Did you have bad weather? Are you shoveling out from under the snow or waiting for some like me?
So far no plans for the weekend except dinner with friends. It’s a three day weekend for many do you have any fun plans?
Ok, on to favorites this week, easy on pan/pot recipes, a comfy outfit and of course books and lots of interesting articles to read.
FRIDAY FAVORITES NO. 567
FOOD
One pot Souper Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Rice. looks delicious.
Winter is the perfect time for gooey cheese appetizers, this Baked Camembert with Oven-Roasted Grapes is a cozy and comforting treat after a day out in the snow.
If you have a few ripe bananas try this Double chocolate banana bread with cocoa nibs.
LINKS TO READ+WATCH+LISTEN
How to Make New Years Resolutions that work!
The hottest new dating site: LinkedIn
The 32 Most Anticipated Movies of 2024
An Expert Says the 30/30/30 Morning Routine Is the Best Routine
11 Tips to Prevent Dry Winter Skin
The Most Popular Recipes on Camille Styles This Year
The Paint Color Trends of 2024 Are in—And They’re Gorgeous
An A-to-Z Guide to Living Longer in 2024
Old School Southern Beauty Tips
Don’t overcomplicate your 2024 goals. These simple and effective resolutions are all you need.
BOOKS~ ON MY LIST AND MY BEDSIDE TABLE
The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B
I read this book years ago and was reminded of it when I saw the trailer for the Napoleon movie.
Passion intertwines with fate in this riveting and historically rich novel about the journey of a woman from poverty to ultimate power in Revolution-era France.
In this first of three books inspired by the life of Josephine Bonaparte, Sandra Gulland has created a novel of immense and magical proportions. We meet Josephine in the exotic and lush Martinico, where an old island woman predicts that one day she will be queen. The journey from the remote village of her birth to the height of European elegance is long, but Josephine’s fortune proves to be true. By way of fictionalized diary entries, we traverse her early years as she marries her one true love, bears his children, and is left betrayed, widowed, and penniless. It is Josephine’s extraordinary charm, cunning, and will to survive that catapults her to the heart of society, where she meets Napoleon, whose destiny will prove to be irrevocably intertwined with hers.
The Curse of Penreath Hall
After the Great War, American heiress Ruby Vaughn made a life for herself running a rare bookstore alongside her octogenarian employer and house mate in Exeter. She’s always avoided dwelling on the past, even before the war, but it always has a way of finding her. When Ruby is forced to deliver a box of books to a folk healer living deep in the Cornish countryside, she is brought back to the one place she swore she’d never return. A more sensible soul would have delivered the package and left without rehashing old wounds. But no one has ever accused Ruby of being sensible. Thus begins her visit to Penryth Hall.
A foreboding fortress, Penryth Hall is home to Ruby’s once dearest friend, Tamsyn, and her husband, Sir Edward Chenowyth. It’s an unsettling place, and after a more unsettling evening, Ruby is eager to depart. But her plans change when Penryth’s bells ring for the first time in thirty years. Edward is dead; he met a gruesome end in the orchard, and with his death brings whispers of a returned curse. It also brings Ruan Kivell, the person whose books brought her to Cornwall, the one the locals call a Pellar, the man they believe can break the curse. Ruby doesn’t believe in curses―or Pellars―but this is Cornwall and to these villagers the curse is anything but lore, and they believe it will soon claim its next victim: Tamsyn.
To protect her friend, Ruby must work alongside the Pellar to find out what really happened in the orchard that night.
The Mystery Guest
Molly Gray is not like anyone else. With her flair for cleaning and proper etiquette, she has risen through the ranks of the glorious five-star Regency Grand Hotel to become the esteemed Head Maid. But just as her life reaches a pinnacle state of perfection, her world is turned upside down when J. D. Grimthorpe, the world-renowned mystery author, drops dead—very dead—on the hotel’s tearoom floor.
When Detective Stark, Molly’s old foe, investigates the author’s unexpected demise, it becomes clear that this death was murder most foul. Suspects abound, and everyone wants to know: Who killed J. D. Grimthorpe? Was it Lily, the new Maid-in-Training? Or was it Serena, the author’s secretary? Could Mr. Preston, the hotel’s beloved doorman, be hiding something? And is Molly really as innocent as she seems?
As the high-profile death threatens the hotel’s pristine reputation, Molly knows she alone holds the key to unlocking the killer’s identity. But that key is buried deep in her past, as long ago, she knew J. D. Grimthorpe. Molly begins to comb her memory for clues, revisiting her childhood and the mysterious Grimthorpe mansion where she and her dearly departed Gran once worked side by side. With the entire hotel under investigation, Molly must solve the mystery posthaste. Because if there’s one thing she knows for sure, it’s that secrets don’t stay buried forever.
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.
FINDS
OUTFIT OF THE DAY~ Let’s Get Cozy
Winter is nesting season at my house. I love nothing more than staying in on the weekend with a good book, a pile of magazines, a cup of hot chocolate, lounging around in some comfy clothes. Sweats of pjs are always a comfortable option.
These wide leg joggers and a sweatshirt can be worn at home or to run errands. Simply switch out your slippers for your favorite shoes.
Boden is getting some beautiful Spring looks in just in case you are looking. This dress is one of my favorites.and this one too.
UNTIL TOMMORROW
I hope you enjoyed the recipes, links and books I discovered this week on Friday Favorites. If you did please share the post on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!
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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You always have the best links! That chicken parm looks AMAZING!
Thank you Sheri! Have a wonderful weekend.
I agree with Sheri & the Mystery guest is next on my list to read. When it’s my weekend, I’ll take some time to go whale watching- it’s the season.
Enjoy your weekend.
Enjoy the whale watching. I went whale watching a couple of times when visiting Maui and loved it.
HAve a wonderful weekend.
With all of the busyness before the holidays, I missed the publication of the Nita Prose book! Now it’s on my kindle and waiting for me , thanks for that!