This week's basics. #4: Books, sips, and bites etc.

Repeat authors, a Sonic dupe, Palm Royale and a lunch on repeat.

Welcome to this week’s basics! I’m back with a little of everything from this past week. This is a chance for me to share a few things that help you get to know me. I hope it’s fun and maybe I even influence you a little.

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Recent Reads

I listened to The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley (thank you PRH audio for the advanced alc). This is the much anticipated sequel to The Guncle and narrated by the author himself. It’s just under ten hours on audio (at 1x speed) so it was an easy and quick listen. I loved being back with Gup and the kids and just like The Guncle this made me laugh and tear up. I’m not much for sequels but this was a delight. It hits shelves on May 21st.

From the nationally bestselling author of The Guncle comes the much-anticipated sequel, in which Patrick O’Hara is called back to his guncle duties…at a big, family wedding in Lake Como, Italy.

Patrick O’Hara is finally in a league of his own…professionally. Inspired by his stint as Grant and Maisie’s caretaker after their mother’s passing, Patrick has "un-stalled" his acting career with sit-com, Guncle Knows Best . Still, some things have had to take a back seat. Looking down both barrels at fifty, Patrick is single and lonely after breaking things off with Emory. But at least he has family, right?
When his brother Greg announces his big, second wedding in Lake Como, Italy, Patrick feels pulled toward Grant and Maisie and flies to Europe to attend the lavish event, only to butt heads with a newfound Launt (Lesbian Aunt), curb his sister Clara from flirting with guests, and desperately restore himself to the favored relative status in the eyes of the kids, as they struggle to adjust to a new normal. But is it Patrick’s job to save the day? Or is simply celebrating love enough to quell the family chaos?
Gracing the page with his signature blend of humor and heart, Steven Rowley delivers the long-awaited sequel to a beloved story, all about the complicated bonds of family, love, and what it takes to rediscover yourself, even at the ripe age of fifty.

I also read The Family Experiment by John Marrs on my kindle (thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the advanced e-copy). This doesn’t come out until July but I was in the mood for a reliable author that would keep me invested and turning pages.

This is part of the same world as The One and considered speculative suspense. It can be read as a stand-alone but I would recommend starting with The One so you have some background into this world that Marrs has made. There are some cross-over mentions and characters from a few of his stories.

Marrs continues to amaze me with his not too distant concepts that make for excellent book club discussions. I thought this dragged on a little at the ending but he does a great job at tying up any unanswered questions.

From the acclaimed author of The One and The Marriage Act, The Family Experiment is a dark and brilliant speculative thriller about families: real and virtual.

Some families are virtually perfect...

The world's population is soaring, creating overcrowded cities and an economic crisis. And in the UK, the breaking point has arrived. A growing number of people can no longer afford to start families, let alone raise them.

But for those desperate to experience parenthood, there is an alternative. For a monthly subscription fee, clients can create a virtual child from scratch who they can access via the metaverse and a VR headset. To launch this new initiative, the company behind Virtual Children has created a reality TV show called The Substitute. It will follow ten couples as they raise a virtual child from birth to the age of eighteen but in a condensed nine-month time period. The prize: the right to keep their virtual child, or risk it all for the chance of a real baby...

Set in the same universe as John Marrs's bestselling novel The One and The Marriage Act, The Family Experiment is a dark and twisted thriller about the ultimate Tamagotchi--a virtual baby.

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Things I Tried

We’re approaching hotter temperatures here in Dallas so the need to cool off with an ice cold beverage is a necessity. Sonic to the rescue! My order ninety-nine percent of the time is the diet cherry limeade. So gooood!

For Mother’s Day the boys and I wanted to try some new things together. While the snacks weren’t a hit we found a new drink we want to share with you.

The new Sprite Zero Sugar Chill. It’s Sprite with a Cherry Lime flavor and tastes just like the diet cherry limeade from Sonic. We bought ours at Walmart but I’ve also spotted it on the Target shelves.

Soda is ridiculously EXPENSIVE these days so this is definitely a treat and will be reserved for the 100 degree temp days that I’m needing a cool refreshing drink.

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What I watched

My husband and I have been watching Palm Royale on Apple TV and it’s been a rollercoaster of a RIDE.

Apple TV series have generally been a hit for us so we decided to give Palm Royale a go. The first episode in and we weren’t sure we’d continue watching and then things progressively got weirder and then it ended and we looked at one another and said “wait what?” It is certainly an odd duck of a show and I’m not sure I’d recommend it but I’ll remember it.

Palm Royale has a star cast with Kristen Wiig, Ricky Martin, Josh Lucas, Leslie Bibb, Laura Dern, Carol Burnett, Allison Janney and more. A stretch role for some but not all.

In 1969, an ambitious woman aspires to cross the line between the haves and have-nots to secure her seat at America's most exclusive, fashionable and treacherous table: Palm Beach high society.

Based on: Mr. & Mrs. American Pie; by Juliet McDaniel

Created by: Abe Sylvia

Genre: Period comedy-drama

Network: Apple TV+

Have you watched it? What did you think?

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What I Ate

My sister told me about the Trader Joe Greek Chickpeas awhile back and it’s quickly become a pantry staple. I love keeping these on hand for a quick and healthy lunch.

A can of the chickpeas, some grape tomatoes, cucumber and red onion is all you need. I chop it all up and toss in a bowl and I’ve got lunch for the week. The can of chickpeas has enough oil and seasoning that nothing else is needed. A great source of protein too. I’ve done this with regular chickpeas as well and then added fresh lemon juice, olive oil and some salt and pepper.

Let me know if you try it out.

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Life Lately

The kids are officially on SUMMER BREAK! I think we’re all ready for a break from schedules, concerts, tests, and the general grind. Let’s just hope we can keep the technology use under control. I’ll report back on that. ha ha

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Thanks for taking some time out of your day to catch up on some basics. I would love to hear what you enjoyed this last week.

Until next time.

xoxo Basic B

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In case you missed it…