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Recommendation Roundup

Recommendation Roundup #1

Hey everyone! Happy Wednesday!

I’m kicking off a new series today called Recommendation Roundup where I gather and share a variety of things I’m reading and watching. You may see me talk about a series I watched or a book I read in a Friday Favorites post or a Currently post, but this series will be one spot where I share my recent top recommendations for the series. Don’t worry, I’ll still be sharing what things I’m loving week by week, but this series that will come out every few months will be a one stop shop for recent favorite things. 

Here’s the first recommendation roundup. 

For the book lover:

Taylor Jenkins Reid books. Like so many other readers, I have fallen in love with Taylor Jenkins Reid and her writing. I love that several of her books are in the same universe, meaning you could be reading one book and then there’s a reference to a character from another book. Such a creative way to tell a story and to find little Easter eggs in the books. 

So far I’ve read

Daisy Jones and the Six

Malibu Rising

Carrie Soto is Back

One True Loves

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

(I can’t choose a favorite since they were all so good and have their unique storylines. But, I do have to say, I have loved seeing Daisy Jones and the Six come alive on the big screen. I can’t wait for One True Loves to come out soon.)

Rebecca Serle books. I’ve read a few of Serle books and I love how she ties family, love friendship and finding oneself all in one. I also love how she usually has a twist in her books too. She has a way of writing that once you start, you can’t put it down. 

So far I’ve read:

In Five Years

One Italian Summer

Colleen Hoover books. I just started reading some of Hoover’s books but I have found myself hooked with her thriller themes and intriguing way of writing. There have been so many times when I’ve wanted to stop reading since a storyline was getting intense, but couldn’t put it down. Even after reading the books, I still think of the endings.

So far I’ve read

November 9

Verity

It Ends with Us

For the binge watcher:

Downton Abbey (PBS) – A classic period piece with two movies that follows. This series follows a family who’s male heir dies and it’s up to the family to find a husband for one of the three daughters within the family. The series follows the wealthy family in England through ups and downs, war, love, marriage, loss, friendship and new decades. I was hooked on this series and equally loved the movies.

Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) – A series that I have watched for years. It starts with five interns on the first day working in the hospital and follows them through residency and eventually becoming attendings. There’s love, loss, death, drama, lots of crazy, unexpected plot twists, natural disasters, characters coming and going, but after over 20 seasons, it’s still going strong.

This season is off to a great start!

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime)– This follows a woman who takes a chance on becoming a stand up comedian in the 1950’s. The costumes are fantastic, the one-liners are too funny and the scripting keeps you on your toes. After watching this series, you will wish you were back in New York City in the 1950’s.

Emily in Paris (Netflix)– This tells the story of a young girl who moves to Paris for a job and ends up falling in love with the city. I drool over the fashion, Emily pulls off outfits that I couldn’t pull off. There’s some love triangles, cute one liners, gorgeous Paris scenes and of course lots of finding oneself. 

Outer Banks (Netflix)- It may seem like a teen drama and it is, but once you start, it’s hard to stop until you see if a group of high school friends discover buried treasure. Just when you think, things can’t get crazier, there’s another twist. Definitely a fun show to have on in the background.

For the podcaster

The Simplified podcast -Emily Ley and her team put out episodes once a week where they offer ways to simplify and automate your life. They cover topics like friendship, family, cleaning, organizing, schooling, relationships, holiday prep, summer fun and more. It’s such a fun way to find ways to make my life simpler.

That’s my recent roundup of recommendations. Some of my all time favorite things. The next time you are searching for something new to read or watch, I hope this provides some suggestions. Happy hobbying!

Categories
Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites #16

Hello hello and happy Black Friday!

I hope you had a great day yesterday with family, friends or loved ones. I had a wonderful day with family, visiting, eating, relaxing and watching the parade.  Our family always decorates the day after Thanksgiving, so that’s what I have on my agenda for today along with some fun treats and appetizers for dinner.

As always, I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea for a weekly edition of Friday Favorites where I share some of my favorite things from this week. 

Here’s a round up of some of my favorite things. 

First Snow-We had our first big snowfall last week/weekend. Although it was not pretty to drive and work in, it was beautiful to sit inside and read, watch a movie or turn on a fire and look at. Some of it has already melted due to warmer temperatures but I know it will be back soon. Seeing all the big, white, snow flakes gets me in the holiday spirit even more.

New Wall Flower Scent- Speaking of the holiday season, I swapped out my wallflower scent this weekend for this festive scent. I had been using eucalyptus and mint and swapped it out for fresh balsam. It smells like Christmas. Between the snow, decorating and new scents, I am ready for December 25…well I still need to do some shopping but I’m almost there. 

Pretzel Bites-I mentioned last week I picked up some fun snacks from Target and wanted to share another snack with you today. I got these chocolate covered peanut butter pretzel bites from Target and they are the perfect sweet and salty treat. You only need to enjoy a few to be satisfied. These would be great to enjoy on their own or a fun addition to a charcuterie board. 

One True Loves– I’ve been reading a lot of Taylor Jenkins Reid, I’m just finished the Seven Husbands of Elena Hugo and will be sharing my thoughts on it soon, but I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to talk about One True Loves. It follows the story of a young woman who loves her husband when his flight goes missing, it takes her a while, but she moves on and meets someone else, she’s happy and engaged until her husband is found and returns home. It’s up to her to figure out who her one true love is. This story is about love, loss, growth and finding yourself. I breezed through this book in four days. In fact, I finished the last hundred pages in one sitting. A cute, love story with a twist.

The Santa Clauses on Disney Plus– And because I can’t stop talking about the holiday season…have you seen The Santa Clauses series on Disney Plus? I loved the original movies and I couldn’t wait for the series to come out. I love the Easter eggs to the original movies tucked throughout the series. This is a great family-friendly way to kick off the holiday season.

That’s just a look into some of my favorite things this past week. I hope you have a relaxing weekend and wonderful kick off to the holiday season. Happy Friday!