Friday Favorites~a weekly series where we share our favorite books, decor, fashion finds, recipes, podcasts, articles and more.
FRIDAY FAVORITES NO. 605
Good morning friends! How was your week? I’ll be honest, it just seems like the world is going off its axis. It has been 6 days and there are many parts of WNC that have had no outside help, no one has even been to these remote places.
We have no idea how many people are missing or dead and how much help they need. Just under one million people are still without power, many have no drinking water and are running out of food.
We landed on the moon in the 60’s but in the year 2024 we can’t get to a rural mountain town in less than a week? My heart is broken for all of the people in GA, TN, FL, NC and SC there are so many people suffering and aside from donating time and money it feels like a helpless situation.
Throw in the Middle East, the Ukraine and the election, along with life in general and some days there does not seem much to smile about. It’s just one disaster after the other.
Does anyone else feel like this? Pease share your thoughts in the comments.
Ok, back to our regularly scheduled post, Friday Favorites!
FOOD
Creamy black bean soup with lots of toppings is a delicious addition to your weekend menu.
A fall favorite, broccoli cheddar soup.
Short ribs, a decadent rich and satisfying family dinner recipe that can be made in a slow cooker
What could be better than a how chocolate chip cookie? A giant chocolate chip skillet cookie for two!
LINKS TO READ+WATCH+LISTEN
Chronic diseases cause 75 percent of all deaths globally. The toll is likely to rise.
Stressed out? These 8 skills can help boost mood and reduce anxiety
How Substack Became the New Fashion Destination for Online Shopping
6 Tiny Daily Rituals that Can Easily Change the Rest of Your Life
9 Small Ways to Let Go of Regret
Longevity Experts Reveal The 6 Things They Personally Never Do
15 Great Family-Friendly Halloween Movies to Watch This Year
Is A.I. Going To Destroy Lifestyle Blogs/Websites?
BOOKS
A couple of witchy books in honor of the season and a new book by the author of Under the Tuscan Sun.
Dara Willcox, in New York for a weekend, meets Austin Clarke at an art gallery. If love at first sight can happen, it happens to them. These two vivid, ambitious people are on different courses—he’s British, working temporarily in New York. She’s from North Carolina, set on law school. They don’t care. They will make their lives together happen. At their April engagement dinner at Dara’s family home, her mother, Lee, sets a beautiful table, and the family and close friends gather to celebrate. Rich, Dara’s father, raises a toast. Suddenly, Lee spills the wine, a brilliant red stain splashing onto the tablecloth and onto Austin.
Days later, Austin hears unsettling news from London that wrecks their plans. Dara abruptly cancels the wedding. She refuses to reveal the reason, not even to her best friends or her parents or grandmother, disrupting their family tradition of openness. As everyone knows, Lee and Rich have a great marriage, and Charlotte, her grandmother, had a colossal one, to the late Senator Mann. Charlotte literally wrote the book on the subject: She’s the author of international bestsellers on what makes a good or possibly a great marriage.
While Dara escapes to California and Indigo Island, South Carolina, Austin, back in London, faces a major tragedy, the consequences of which are life-altering. But it’s Lee, Dara’s mother, whose impulsive visit to London alters their fate.
The Crescent Moon Tea Room
Ever since the untimely death of their parents, Anne, Beatrix, and Violet Quigley have made a business of threading together the stories that rest in the swirls of ginger, cloves, and cardamon that lie at the bottom of their customers’ cups. Their days at the teashop are filled with talk of butterflies and good fortune intertwined with the sound of cinnamon shortbread being snapped by laced fingers.
That is, until the Council of Witches comes calling with news that the city Diviner has lost her powers, and the sisters suddenly find themselves being pulled in different directions. As Anne’s magic begins to develop beyond that of her sisters’, Beatrix’s writing attracts the attention of a publisher, and Violet is enchanted by the song of the circus—and perhaps a mischievous trapeze artist threatening to sweep her off her feet—it seems a family curse that threatens to separate the sisters is taking effect.
With dwindling time to rewrite their future and help three other witches challenge their own destinies, the Quigleys set out to bargain with Fate. But in focusing so closely on saving each other, will they lose sight of themselves?
An Age of Winters
In 1625, the Franconian village of Eisbach has been plagued by disease, famine, heinous crimes, and a merciless winter. Katarin Jaspers is the maidservant to the enigmatic Reverend Zacharias Engel, appointed by Rome to cure the village of suspected diabolism and save every God-fearing soul.
Zacharias soon finds his first witch, and the public burning of a local man could spell the end of misfortune. As a sense of peace settles over the village, Katarin finds herself increasingly infatuated with Zacharias, who is a disruption to her predictable existence and a balm for her cruel past. But peace for Katarin is short-lived. Margaretha Katz—the new midwife—is seen as a rival for the reverend’s attention. Fear and recrimination reach a fever pitch when a great tragedy sets the town fully on edge.
With the walls of winter closing in around Eisbach once again, rumours flourish and villagers turn on each other. Now, no one is safe from the pyre.
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
A cashmere sweater is a wardrobe staple in the Fall and winter, it can be worn alone or layered with a t-shirt, button down or even another sweater. J Crew is having a sale on cashmere, 20% off, so this week I made an outfit using one from their sale.
Layer it over a skirt for a more dressy casual look, add boots and a bag and you can go from day to night.
Riding boots are another addition to your closet that you can wear with almost anything, dress, skirts, jeans, wide leg pans and even sorts. Frye is the brand that I like to wear but there are many other comfortable boots to choose from those season.
Outfit Details
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
Hi Elizabeth,
I hear you, there are many situations our country and in the Middle East that is extremely unsettling. The war in Russia and Ukraine has been going on forever, and what has happened to the beautiful people of Israel.
Our guy thank goodness finished his nine month biblical and Torah studies. He had just arrived in August and the war started on October 7th. We could not rest in total peace until he left for Spain and onto Paris for a Bar Mitzvah. Then home to La La Land, now just moved into his dorm at UCLA. I hope the university stays safe. The gun violence weighs
heavy on my mind and guns in general and in schools.
Global warming is real, what has happened, the disaster of Helene is shocking the lives lost and all the displaced people saddens my heart. Speaking of the havoc it’s caused how is your community.
In spite of the not so great things happening I hope you can a creative outlet in your baking and cooking. I baked my Pumpkin Cookies today that I have been baking since I lived with my parents. This was a LONG time ago. I share my goodies with a few neighbors. It’s important to spread kindness. As you noted food brings people together.
Take care, thanks for sharing your frustration, these are difficult times.