Curled Up With a Good Book and a Cup of Tea

In August of 2008, Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout travelled to war-torn Somalia, the most dangerous place on earth, hoping to get her next big story.  Having already been to Afghanistan and Iraq, she knew the risks she was taking but what happened to her there was something she never expected. On her fourth day in the country, Amanda and her photographer, ex-boyfriend Nigel Brennan, were abducted by masked men.  What followed was a nightmare.  Amanda and Nigel were held hostage for 460 days, abused and broken.  Theirs is a story of suffering, horror, and terror but more importantly one of hope, forgiveness, and survival.   A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett is an incredible tale of hope and survival against all odds.  Amanda is open and honest about her life before Somalia as well as her time in captivity.  Reading this book is as though you are sitting down with her yourself.  Her pain and her spirit jump off...

From the outside, Jodi and Todd have the perfect marriage.  They both have great jobs, they live in a beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago, and they are equally supportive of each other.  But on the inside, it is a completely different story.  Todd is a serial philanderer and Jodi chooses to look the other way.  But things can't stay that way forever and they are headed down a path which at the end Todd lays dead and Jodi is the killer. The Silent Wife is the debut novel by non-fiction writer A.S.A Harrison.  A gripping page-turner, it is the story of a marriage that is falling to pieces and is beyond repair.  A highly talked about novel, it has been called "this summer's Gone Girl ." I was hooked on this book from the beginning.  When you first pick up a book that tells you right on the back who committed the crime, you have to wonder how much there is going to be to hold your interest.  But this is more than a whodunit book, it's a...

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey . Well, we survived the first week of school.  There were a few tears (ok, quite a few tears, but they weren't from me.)  Thankfully, they weren't "I don't want to go school" tears.  Nope, they were "I don't want you to pick me up from school Mummy, I want Daddy to pick me up" tears.  Sure knows how to make his mom feel good! (I know he loves me, I found the whole scene quite hilarious actually, and it's quickly ended with me saying "hey, let's go to the park.") I'm looking forward to having this time to myself, and I've got a great pile of books waiting for me to start enjoying it.  Unfortunately, this was not the week for it, as I was pretty tired.  I'm still like a teenager when it comes to the whole waking up early after a summer of late nights and mornings spent sleeping.  What I Read Last Week About A Girl by...

As young girls in school, Ven, Roz, Olive, and Frankie were inseparable.  As they daydreamed about all the future held in store for them, the romance and the fabulous jobs, they made a promise that they would take a cruise together when they're forty.   But twenty-five years later, their lives haven't turned out the way they thought they would.  Olive cleans other people's homes while supporting her lazy husband and mother-in-law.  Roz is in a difficult relationship with the wonderful Manus because of the emotional state her cheating ex left her in.  On top of that, Roz and Frankie haven't spoken to each other in years. But Ven thinks that she can get the girls back together and back on track.  When she wins a cruise before her fortieth birthday, everything seems to fall into place.  The ladies set sail for sixteen days of blue skies and hot sun.  But no matter how far away they go, they can't escape the life that awaits them back home....

Nell McNamara has settled comfortably in her life, living with her boyfriend Olly and four-year-old daughter Petal while working at the local chip shop.  She loves her family, friends, and where she lives.  But times are tough and she and Olly are working opposite shifts trying to make ends meet.   When it becomes evident the chip shop is in desperate need of a makeover, Nell takes on the task herself, unleashing the creativity inside her.  With her boss and co-workers cheering her on, she wonders if maybe she was meant for more than dishing up chips.  And so she follows her dream and designs a line of unique, must-have handbags. Almost instantly, the line takes off and Nell finds herself thrust in the fashion world.  But it soon becomes evident that she doesn't know very much about running her business.  And with Olly wanting their old life back, Nell may be in over her head.   Summer Daydreams by Carole Matthews is a delightful ...

Kerry at Entomology of a Bookworm  is hosting "Septemb-Eyre: A Jane Eyre" read-along and I have decided to join in!  If you're interested, be sure to check it out here .  It's a great opportunity for me to knock another book of my Classics list, and it's always nice to have others reading along with you. But first, I have a little confession to make....not only have I not read Jane Eyre  by Charlotte Bronte, I don't actually know what it is about. Seriously Miss Jay.  (And hey, that's the first ever gif used on my blog!)  I honestly cannot tell you one thing about the book if asked.  So maybe it's a good thing this read-along has come along. ETA: I posted this a few days before the actual intro post.  Today, September 3, everyone else is posting and introducing themselves, so I thought I'd add a bit about more for those who are new to my blog via the read-along.  I'm on Twitter - @goodbooksandtea so be sure to find me.  I'll ...