I haven't updated "Tea and a Book" since Christmas! I am determined, however, to mend my ways AND account for April with this post... During a recent chat with my friend and crit partner Brandi, she recommended Sue Monk Kidd's The Invention of Wings. (I think we'd...
I'm introducing a new feature here on the blog in which I revisit my oldest blog posts from the archaic platform known as Livejournal. (Shout out if you started the whole blogging thing on LJ. I know you're out there! Do you ever miss those days?) Not so long ago, I...
I read 54 novels in 2018, five of them re-reads (which I count because my memory is terrible and subsequent readings still manage to surprise and delight). Last year I was determined to raise my overall count and I managed to do that by 6 books! Here are my favorites...
I come to you with tidings of tea and holiday reads! For young (and young-at-heart) readers: Christmas with the Savages, by Mary Clive: Seen through the eyes of a prim little eight-year-old, and based on real events and people, this novel perfectly recaptures a...
Quick take: Quirky and endearing. From the book jacket: Jessica Vye introduces herself with an enigmatic pronouncement: "I ought to tell at the beginning that I am not quite normal, having had a violent experience at the age of nine." A revered author has told Jessica...
It's mid-September and each day we draw closer to the season of ghosts, ghouls, and witches (not to mention sugar hangovers). I must confess, however, that I wrote this post not just to celebrate the season. I'm also hoping for a particular sort of redemption. Over...
Quick take: I was in the mood for something light and quirky, and Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce fit the bill perfectly. Goodreads synopsis: London, 1940. Emmeline Lake is Doing Her Bit for the war effort, volunteering as a telephone operator with the Auxiliary Fire...
I recently finished Tatiana de Rosnay's Manderley Forever, a carefully researched and annotated biography of Daphne du Maurier that reads like a novel. Some of you might remember my scathing reaction to Rebecca back in 2012. In short, I despised the unnamed heroine of...
Dear old blog o' mine, I've missed you! I'm back from my travels (see my instagram for recent photos) and am eager to get back into the routine here. Lately I've had cozy mysteries on the brain. To be honest, I'm always in the mood for cozy English...
It's nice to have regular topics on the blog, and with this post I recommit to discussing favorite books, films, TV shows, and whatnot in "Friday Favorites." If anything on this list strikes a chord, do let me know in the comments. (I'm also very open to your...
This past fall I decided to update the look of my website. As always I wanted something Gothic and a bit creepy, but I also yearned for warmth and color. Again and again I came back to this image: It struck me as both bleak and beautiful. Moreover it reminded me of...
Patrice Kindl's A School for Brides: A Story of Maidens, Mystery, and Matrimony is a delightful romp for fans of quirky characters and unusual conflicts, not to mention all things Regency. It's a companion to an earlier favorite of mine from Kindl, Keeping the Castle,...
To celebrate Valentine's Day here on the blog I searched my bookshelves and Goodreads reading list for stories that struck me as delightfully romantic. I'm leaving out category romance and trying only to include books that feature a pairing or a moment that really...
I only read 48 novels in 2017. Not a terrible total, but I can do better. I may never again equal the years when I read 100+ books, but I aim to improve in 2018. Here are my favorites. (I purposefully didn't include books from my Miss Marple re-read since I already...
Recently I was asked my opinion on what makes for an ideal reading nook. The first thing to come to mind was an image from my childhood copy of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women: "Jo! Jo! Where are you?" cried Meg at the foot of the garret stairs. "Here!" answered a...
