Over the last several months I re-read (or in some cases read for the first time) Agatha Christie's novels and short stories featuring Miss Jane Marple. What a delight! In addition I introduced myself to the Joan Hickson TV adaptations (most excellent) and revisited...
tea and a book
A Valentine’s tea with Margery Sharp
Last month, through the power of BookBub, I discovered Margery Sharp. Or perhaps I should say rediscovered, for I was a fan of The Rescuers as a child. I had no idea she'd written so many novels for adults until BookBub featured Cluny Brown*. This charming story...
December Tea and a Book: No Holly for Miss Quinn (Christmas at Fairacre)
Quick take: So COZY. (Special thanks to Laura B. for recommending it and to Glenda A. for gifting it!)Goodreads synopsis: Miss Quinn, who cherishes her privacy, intends to spend Christmas on her own as she likes it. But before the holiday, her brother telephones to...
September Tea and a Book: Daddy Long Legs
Quick take: Such a delight!Official-ish synopsis: First published in 1912, this young adult novel is comprised mostly of letters from orphan Jerusha "Judy" Abbott to her anonymous benefactor whom she names "Daddy Long Legs". The letters chronicle her departure from...
March Tea and a Movie and a Book!
My dear friend Michelle visited earlier this month--it's an annual thing for us. We shop, have tea, see movies at the theater, watch tv and movies at home, and, of course, we talk, talk, talk. I look forward to it every year, and it's always hard to say goodbye at the...
January 2016 Tea and a Book
This past weekend I accompanied Steve on his trip to NYC for the AALS conference. Once he was finished with sessions on Saturday, we took a long walk through Central Park and rewarded ourselves with afternoon tea in the Plaza Hotel's Palm Court. (We booked in a...
July Tea and a Book
Tea and a Book is back!(I have to admit, however, that this installment is a bit of a cheat. You'll see what I mean later.)My favorite read of the summer (so far) is Kimberly Brusker Bradley's The War that Saved My Life.The story features many of my favorite things:...
February tea and a book: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
When I met with my editor earlier this month, she enthusiastically recommended this book by Marie Kondo (and was nice enough to send me a copy). As a lifelong clutter bug, I was intrigued by Kondo's technique of organizing your possessions by reducing to those that...
January tea and a book: the Blandings novels
I just love a clever English comedy set between the wars, especially if it involves a country house party. After gobbling up multiple novels by E.M. Delafield and Angela Thirkell (each already featured on "tea and a book"), I decided to shake things up a bit...by...
Christmas glee part III: Tea and HIGH RISING
This month's "tea and a book" recommendation has such a Christmassy cover, doesn't it? Or perhaps it's just wintry, but that's almost as good. Angela Thirkell, granddaughter of Pre-Raphaelite phenom Edward Burne-Jones, published High Rising in 1933 and went on to...
November tea and a book: The Signature of All Things
I first saw The Signature of All Things recommended at the blog of Stephanie Burgis, and knowing how much Steph and I have in common when it comes to fiction preferences, I figured it would be just my cup of tea. Prior to this, I'd never read a book by Elizabeth...
October tea and a book: The Crowfield Curse
Early this month I listened to Ric Jerrom's exquisite voice performance of Pat Walsh's The Crowfield Curse while driving home from Iowa, and nothing I've read since has topped it. Though it's not a horror story, it does offer chills and thrills fitting for Halloween....
(Last minute) September tea and a book: A Fine Romance
If you're an Anglophile and/or a lover of travel, books, good food, and good friends, you might want to take a peek at Susan Branch's A Fine Romance: Falling in Love with the English Countryside. Prior to this, Branch was the author/illustrator of keepsake books like...
August tea and a book: Penelope Lively
This summer in Oxford I discovered Penelope Lively. In fact I gobbled up three of her books, utterly captivated by her appreciation for setting, history, and the imagination. I won't go into great detail about the plots because they really aren't plotty sorts of...
July Tea and a Book: the Lyme Regis edition
This month's post features books mostly set in Lyme Regis: Seems like various people have recommended Tracy Chevalier's Remarkable Creatures to me, and I'm not sure why I waited so long to read it. It's a fictionalized account of the friendship between early 19th...