Panda Love and Olympic Gold Pet Ducks
Animal cuteness and romance novel movie adaptation success.
Welcome, Substack friends to what I hope will be an upcoming week of sunshine and fun…
I found this lovely flower a few days ago (or maybe the flower found me?). Such beauty, right?
Have you heard of Rap Snacks? Rap Snacks is available at my supermarket, and of course they have a very familiar face who has become the darling of the Paris Olympics.
“Rap Snacks is on a mission to create a lasting impression on the culture through its business blueprint.
Created in 1994 by James Lindsay, Rap Snacks has energized the business and music landscape for Hip-Hop artists that include Master P, who now serves as limited partner, and other relevant artists such as Lil Baby, Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg, and Nicki Minaj.
Today, Rap Snacks has grown to be a well-known brand found in 40 different cities around the United States and grocery stores that include Walmart, Kroger, Sam’s Club, Target, and more.”
Within the first two hours of Rap Snacks’ launch, the company sold out of all 800 cases. This was a testament to its promise of bringing authentic products to the Black community.”
The San Diego Zoo has new pandas! From Axios:
“The wait is over. Panda Ridge officially opens today for visitors to see Yun Chuan and Xin Bao at the San Diego Zoo.
Why it matters: The giant pandas' highly anticipated debut is expected to draw big crowds — and traffic — to Balboa Park for the rest of August.
These are the first pandas to come to the U.S. in 21 years, renewing panda diplomacy between Washington, D.C., and China, as well as boosting local research and conservation efforts.”
All the cute baby pandas!
As the Paris Olympics end today, let’s not only salute all the medal winners but some of the most adorable stories that have been reported during the games, such as Skateboarder Arisa Trew, who not only is fourteen, but won the gold. As an extra incentive for winning a gold medal, her parents are giving her own pet duck. From People:
“Skateboarder Arisa Trew made history on Tuesday, Aug. 7 at the 2024 Paris Olympics as the youngest Australian to win a medal, and she will have something special waiting for her at home: a pet duck.
During a press conference after her victory, the 14-year-old said her parents promised her she could get a pet duck if she won a gold medal.
“Ducks are really cute and I really wanted a pet duck,” Trew told reporters when asked about her unconventional gift choice. “
When books are adapted for the big screen, it’s awesome. Even more so when romance novels are made into movies. If a romance novel adapted into a film or series for television or streaming platforms, that means more romance novels have a good chance at being adapted also. This weekend, the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s It Ends with Us came out, and I was anxious to see how well the movie did. Good news for those who love Colleen’s books, especially It Ends with Us, Variety reports it’s a box office smash with $50 million ticket sales.
“A film adaptation of her 2016 novel, starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni (who also directed), has collected a stellar $50 million from 3,611 venues in its opening weekend. It’s a huge win for the Sony Pictures movie, which cost $25 million to produce. “It Ends With Us” tells the story of Lily Bloom (Lively), a small business owner who gets caught in a love triangle between a charming but abusive neurosurgeon, Ryle (Baldoni) and her first love, Atlas (Brandon Sklenar). Critics were mixed but audiences have responded enthusiastically to the PG-13 romantic drama, which notched an “A-” on CinemaScore.”
I’m hoping It Ends with Us movie success will lead the way for more romance novels to be adapted. I need more romance novel movies or series in my life!
If you like Kit Kat bars, why not try and make your own? Over at The Bakermama there’s a recipe for KitKat Bites.
Ingredients:
Chocolate crème filled wafer cookies, halved lengthwise
Semi-sweet chocolate chips
This week’s book recommendation is from 1983- A Kiss Remembered by Erin St. Clair, aka Sandra Brown.
Ten years after sparks first flew between them in a passionate kiss, a recently divorced woman and a college professor meet in another classroom -- but is it too late to explore what could have been? After leaving her disastrous marriage behind, Shelley Browning goes back to college to get her degree and comes face to face with an unforgettable man from her past. Ten years ago, when she was Grant Chapman's student, they shared a single, scorching, unplanned kiss that still haunts Shelley's dreams. Now, as irresistible as ever, Grant has just returned to teaching after a stint as a congressional aide in Washington . . . and sees no impropriety in asking Shelley out. Isn't this what she secretly longs for? Still, Shelly isn't sure what she really wants. But a stunning accusation is about to change all that -- and she must choose to take some dangerous risks or spend the rest of her life filled with regret.
Why I’m recommending this book- A Kiss Remembered is one of my all time favorite category romances on my keeper shelf. Sandra Brown was a category romance queen back in the 1980’s. The teacher and student dynamic in regards to the romance is handled with such care, and what I call swoony. The sexual tension and courtship is what I look forward to in a romance novel.
If you need to fix something within yourself, just start to and see where it leads you….
“I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.” -Jane Austen