On the final Friday of each month, I take a look back at all the things I loved and put together this list of recommendations for you: the Friday Finale. It might include the best book I read, a particularly impressive recipe I tried, or the best thing I streamed this month. I hope these standout moments from my month inspire you to make some time for yourself looking forward!
What a month it’s been! In some ways, February felt less productive than January, but I think that’s probably just because we spent a good two weeks not leaving the house for all the snow.
Let’s be honest, we hardly leave the house anyway, but we had enough inches that even our weekly grocery story run got pushed back by a few days. It was absolutely gorgeous, though, and working from home means I got to enjoy all the splendor without worrying about any of the hassle.
Speaking of working from home, next month marks an entire year that we’ve been living in this COVID-19 world. I wouldn’t believe it except that my current motivation levels absolutely indicate I might be struggling with the emotional and mental fatigue of just making life happen right now. So if you have some tips for staying motivated when the world is imploding around you and has been for a year, hit me up!
In the meantime, I’ll share a few of the things that did keep me going through February in this month’s Friday Finale!
I first saw the trailer for this Amazon original movie on Valentine’s Day, and I immediately thought, Oh, that has the potential to be really good. AND IT WAS!
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things is a bit Groundhog Day meets a John Green novel, and it was charming in all the right ways. Two teenagers realize that they’re living the same day over and over again, which leads them to create a catalog of all the tiny perfect things that happen during that one day.
I didn’t realize until the opening credits that it’s based on a short story by Lev Grossman of The Magicians fame, and he also wrote the screenplay. Kathryn Newton and Kyle Allen are fantastic leads and really have to keep the whole movie going, especially since it’s just them for the majority of it.
I smiled, I giggled, I cried; I would recommend if you’re feeling something sweet and a little bit nerdy.
This book was my Book of the Month selection for February, and I was so intrigued by it that I read it almost as soon as it arrived.
Girl A is the story of Alexandra “Lex” Gracie, living in the aftermath of the horrors she and her siblings experienced at the hands of her cultishly religious parents. When her mother dies in prison, Lex is named executor of the will and has to reach back out to each of her siblings, some of whom she hasn’t seen in years, to decide what to do with their parents’ House of Horrors.
Reading this book felt similarly to how I did with another Book of the Month pick: The Book of Essie. There’s that morbid fascination with finding out just what happened to them. I appreciated the way the book moved between the past and the present so fluidly, and I also thought it was nice that the author spent a chapter on Lex’s relationship with each of her siblings.
Overall, I enjoyed it and admittedly did not see the twist coming until pretty far into the book! I gave it ★★★★☆ on Goodreads.
Previously in the Friday Finale, I’ve waxed poetic about Half Baked Harvest’s soup and soft pretzels. Today, let me introduce you to your new favorite mac and cheese: the Cheese-Maker’s Mac and Cheese.
I first came across this recipe in Tieghan’s first cookbook, Half Baked Harvest. (I also own the Half Baked Harvest: Super Simple cookbook!) Luckily for you, she graciously shared this one on her website, too. But you really should buy at least one of her cookbooks. Her recipes are so approachable, and they always turn out!
This mac and cheese includes five kind of cheeses: sharp white cheddar, fontina (I subbed mozzarella), havarti, smoked gouda, and cream cheese. The pièce de résistance? The garlicky Ritz cracker crumble on top. I made this a few days into pulled pork leftovers when I was pretty much done with eating saratoga chips and pulled pork sandwiches. Instead, we spooned the pork over this mac and cheese and made what Lyle’s, our favorite local barbecue place, calls “joey bowls.”
You know you’ve found a great partner when they will willingly play a game that you’re basically guaranteed to win, despite being infinitely more competitive than you are. All this is to say that Spencer played Lord of the Rings Movie Trilogy Trivial Pursuit with me not just once, but twice this month. True love is real, you guys.
The fact that this game is specifically related to the movies is what makes it so enjoyable for someone like me who has watched the trilogy basically annually since 2004. I’ve even watched a number of the cast commentary versions. Yes, I am that kind of fan. The one category that trips me up is the one that is specifically about movie production because even I don’t know the names of all the stunt doubles and the weird acronyms for the CGI software.
I’m linking the game on Amazon, but this “collector’s edition” looks suspiciously like my regular version except with a jacked up price. You’d be better off looking for it secondhand!
Ready for some nostalgia? The moment I heard Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella was coming to Disney+, I knew I would be watching it. Last weekend, I finally did, and it was just as good as I remembered!
I still knew all the lyrics to “In My Own Little Corner,” and I was also honestly amazed by the special effects… because I assumed they were going to look so bad in light of today’s possibilities. Cinderella has never been my favorite Disney princess (that honor belongs to Belle), but I think Brandy does such a good job with her. Whitney Houston’s fairy godmother is so perfect, and I don’t think I knew until it premiered on Disney+ that she was instrumental in making the movie happen. Now I need a “behind the making” video because I don’t believe they wouldn’t have filmed the process.
Do your inner child a favor and watch this movie. It’s not even 90 minutes long!
What’s one thing that kept you motivated during February? I really need some tips over here, friends.
P.S. This monthly favorites roundup was pretty movie-heavy, so if you’re looking for book recommendations, check out my best reads from 2020.
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