Music Monday (90): Lil Nas X, Pharrell Williams,

   Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: One of the songs I’ve been listening to lately is Panini by Lil Nas X. It’s one of my favorite songs, and I like the music video for it.

Adri: I'm not sure if this counts, but my pick this Monday is CC The World by Pharrell Williams featuring Cara Delevingne. It was made for the Chanel short film, Reincarnation, by the late Karl Langerfeld. At first I wasn't into the song, but it really grew on me.

• Here's  the link to the video: CLICK HERE

What are some of the songs you've recently listened to? Do you have any new favorites?

Favorite Recipes... Waffle Cones/Bowls

After checking , I realized that our last favorite recipe post was in December... of 2017! And, I thought it would be a perfect time to do another one since we recently got a Koji Waffle Cone Maker.

The first recipe I made was the Waffle Cone Recipe from William Sonoma. For some reason, I thought that my first try was going to turn out horrible, but they were relatively easy. Just a little trial and error. The first four bowls I made came out thick. I wanted thinner batter and decided to add more milk. I did read on different recipe (from Barbara Bakes) that adding more butter is a way to thin it out. Unfortunately, I found this out after I made them.

 

Eventually, Breana suggested we should try chocolate ones, and I am glad I did. The second recipe I partially used was Homemade Chocolate Waffle Cones from Our Best Bites. I didn’t actually use the full recipe this time. The only thing I did was add the amount of chocolate to the first recipe. The bowls came out absolutely delicious. I did think about adding more chocolate; however, after having ice cream I found that the flavor was perfect, and that it would over power the ice cream.

And finally, I really wanted to try the recipe from Our Best Bites on its own. I found that the cones from Our Best Bites were more light and crispy than the other ones I made.

During the process of making cones/bowls three times, I discovered that the order of ingredients is important in terms of texture. Particularly in terms of mixing the egg and sugar.The first time around I kind of threw everything in at once. I felt like this resulted in a fluffy texture. It still tasted good, but that wasn't what I was going for. Additionally, when trying to roll cones I found that it was important to have something under it. I tried rolling it on a plate, but it made it cool too fast. In a lot of videos I watched, people used towels; I found it slightly easier with a paper towel.

Thanks for Reading.

Have you made waffle cones/bowls before?

*FTC: All products mentioned in this post were purchased.* 

ARC Review: Word to the Wise by Jenn McKinlay

Title: Word to the Wise
Series: Library Lover's Mystery #10
Author: Jenn McKinlay
Source/Format: First to Read; eARC
More Details: Cozy Mystery
Publisher/Publication Date: Berkley; September 3, 2019

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads...

It's no-holds-barred murder, in the latest page-turning Library Lover's Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Hitting the Books. 

Lindsey Norris is finally getting married to the man of her dreams--but it's not all roses for Briar Creek's beloved library director, as gardening enthusiast and town newcomer Aaron Grady gives the term "book lover" a whole new meaning. Inappropriate looks and unwelcome late-night visits to Lindsey's house have everyone from the crafternooners to Lindsey's fiancé, Sully, on edge. When Grady's dead body is found staged outside the library and all the clues point to Sully, Lindsey knows it's up to her to dig through the hidden chapters of Grady's previous life to find the real culprit and clear Sully's name. But becoming a thorn in the killer's side is not without its consequences, and the closer Lindsey gets to the truth, the more determined the murderer is to make her just a footnote....

I’ve been looking forward to Jenn McKinlay’s follow-up to Hitting the Books since I read it last year. In Word to the Wise, some of the themes—like harassment and climate change—leaned toward the more timely side. McKinlay nailed the unusual weather patterns, enabling actions of others, the emotional toll, and the disconcerting characterization of characters like Aaron Grady. Because of that, there was an eerie—and sometimes exasperating—feel to the whole story. The mystery was anything but straight forward, and the twists were especially twisty in this one. As such, Word to the Wise was a page-turner. It also turned out to be one of my favorite installments in the Library Lover’s Mystery series.

At first, everything seemed great for Lindsey Norris. She had her job at the library. She was getting married to Sully. And I was happy about the development, because it meant that the romantic subplots of previous books were finally beginning to pay off for the characters. Plus, the stages of wedding preparation were fun, okay. However, once the mystery of who killed Aaron Grady began, some of that happiness evaporated. I liked the mystery here, because the suspects had sufficient motive to want Grady gone. He was a creep who used his reputation as an upstanding citizen as an excuse, a cover, to get away with harassment and stalker behavior. But, just like there was more to Grady, the mystery was also a complex issue. Nothing was as it seemed, and the twists kept coming.

The characters were as great as always. In particular, I liked the library staff who worked for Lindsey, as well as many of the other reoccurring characters. I liked the setting as well. Briar Creek is a small, idyllic coastal town: if you’re familiar with this series, then you know what it’s like, and there isn’t much more to say about it.

Overall, Word to the Wise was an excellent addition to the series. If you’ve read any of the previous books, then this one should be on your TBR List.

About the author...

Jenn is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of several mystery series and will be debuting a new women's fiction series in June 2017, starting with the title About a Dog. She lives in sunny Arizona in a house that is overrun with kids, pets and her husband's guitars.

Website     Goodreads    Twitter     Instagram

Disclaimer: This copy of the book was provided by First to Read for this review, thank you!

Music Monday (89): Jidenna

   Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: I’m currently listening to Jidenna’s new album, 85 to Africa. One of my favorite songs is Jungle Fever.

What are you listening to this week?

The Friday 56 (159) & Book Beginnings: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Under the streets of London there's a place most people could never even dream of. A city of monsters and saints, murderers and angels, knights in armour and pale girls in black velvet. This is the city of the people who have fallen between the cracks. Richard Mayhew, a young businessman, is going to find out more than enough about this other London. A single act of kindness catapults him out of his workday existence and into a world that is at once eerily familiar and utterly bizarre. And a strange destiny awaits him down here, beneath his native city: Neverwhere....

Beginning: "The night before he went to London, Richard Mayhew was not enjoying himself."

56: ""A spy from the Upworld," said the Lord Rat-speaker."

Comments: Neverwhere is one of those books I've been meaning to read for a very long time. Recently, I finally got around to checking it out from the library, and I loved the story. What are you reading this week?