Curled Up With a Good Book and a Cup of Tea

When it comes to food, there are two words that often intimidate people - vegan and raw.  Most people who eat these diets are often met with the phrase “well what do you eat?”  Angus Crawford and Chelsea Clark are about to answer that question with their new cookbook Rawlicious At Home: More than 100 Raw, Vegan, and Gluten-Free Recipes to Make you Feel Great . Vegan means that one does not eat any products from an animal, including dairy, eggs, and even honey.  Raw means that nothing is heated above 118F to retain enzymes, vitamins, and minerals.  This is what drives the kitchens of the successful Rawlicious restaurants, eight in Canada and one in the United States.  In addition to this, all of their food is free from gluten and refined sugar.  In other words, it’s food in its most basic state and contrary to what people may think, it’s delicious. I’ll admit that even as a vegetarian, I’m unsure about raw food.  Vegan I can handle, most of my meals are vegan, but raw?  I’m n

Growing up, sisters Chelsea and Ronnie Benson were always close.  But they drifted apart and it’s been two years since they’ve spoken to each other.  So when their mother surprises them with a week-long family holiday in Lanzarote to celebrate her sixtieth birthday, they both dread being in the others company. Chelsea is a sophisticated single-girl living in London and working as a fashion journalist.  She spends her days surrounded by socialites and designer clothing and dreads spending the week with her less than desirable family.  Ronnie is a mother of two who feels like her best years are behind her and she’s not looking forward to spending the week with her ultra-thin, ultra-fabulous sister who looks down on them.   The trip gets off to a rocky start and it doesn’t get any better from there.  But as tensions begin to bubble over, Chelsea and Ronnie are forced to confront their feelings toward each other.  When a family secret is exposed, will they give each other a shou

#2 - Learn the merengue. #5 - Stand on your head. #15 - Run a marathon.   Those are things from her list of things to do before she's forty that Annie Richards can handle.  But #38 - Fall madly in love?  She’s too busy to do that.  Besides, that’s the last thing she needs. As the single mother of a feisty five-year-old daughter, owner of a successful cake-making business, and caretaker for a grand country house, Annie O’Donnell is one busy woman.  So she didn’t need her best friend to add to it with a Forty Things to do Before You’re Forty list.  She’s up for a challenge so the first thing she takes on is the marathon.  But the arrival of a new man in the small town of Buttersley may just throw her busy life into a tailspin. Jake Sinclair is a crime writer who has taken up his friends offer of residence while he writes his next novel.  Buttersley should be the perfect place for him to get away from it all and concentrate on writing.  A recluse since a tragedy that oc

Get ready for the sweetest and most delectable road trip of all time. Laurie has just landed her dream job with a woman she has always admired, well-known British baker Pamela Lambert-Leigh.  As a travel specialist, Laurie is up for anything but this job may be the hardest of all.  Along with Pamela’s mother and sullen teenage daughter, Laurie and Pamela are setting out in a London bus to travel the East Coast of the United States.  Their mission is to bring classic British baking to the US and bring American goodies back home.  But as the women travel the country, family secrets and past heartbreak come to the surface.  Will the English tea shop make it to its final destination, and will romance pop up along the way? The Travelling Tea Shop by Belinda Jones is a mouth-watering tour of the United States combined with the fun and love of a chick lit novel.  Whether you’re a baker or a snacker, you’ll find true enjoyment in this book. Lately it seems as though books with

Thirty-three-year-old Shea Rigsby has dedicated her entire life to her hometown and its college football team.  In Walker, Texas, the team is everything and it is no different to Shea.  Her best friend is the daughter of Walker’s legendary head coach, Clive Carr, and she works in the university athletic department, ensuring her life revolves around football. But when Walker loses its matriarch, Clive’s wife Connie, the upcoming season takes on greater meaning.  As Shea’s comfortable world is changed forever, she begins to explore if there is more for her beyond Walker.  But she soon discovers that the people and things she has placed her trust in aren’t what they seem.  And when feelings surface that she knows will change things forever, she has to decide if she will finally follow her heart. The One and Only is Emily Giffin’s latest novel, a story about finding your passion and what means the most to you in life.   I have been such a fan of Giffin’s ever since my siste

Joely Zeller is the beautiful 32-year-old daughter of Hollywood film royalty who is determined to make her own way in life without help.  But after sacrificing her personal life to put in eight years of hard work at Wall Street law firm only to be foiled by her incompetent male counterpart AND being dumped by her fiancé for his best man, she finds herself heading home to Los Angeles. After only a few days at home with her mother, whose only efforts are to get Joely all the therapy and plastic surgery she could ever need, she realizes that she is sitting on a potential gold mine - her years of experience as an Estates and Trust lawyer combined with the impending demise of aging baby boomers and vast amount of wealth ready to be inherited.  With her two best friends, Joely opens her own law firm and instantly has clients knocking at her door.  But when one case brings her up against her counterpart from New York, her career and personal life may once again be on the rocks. Dea

After a fantastic month of reading in April, May wasn't so good for me.  I had a very busy month working on a community project (creating community gardens) and there was very little time left for reading and blogging.  But now things are slowing down, the weather is beautiful and my balcony is full of gorgeous plants so I think I will be getting a lot of reading down as I enjoy the outdoors. Here is what I read in May with my GoodReads ratings: Mansfield Lark by Katie Oliver ***** The Orchard of Lost Souls by Nadifa Mohamed **** The Beauty of Broken by Elisa Morgan **** Love and Liability by Katie Oliver **** Balancing It All by Candace Cameron Bure *** Strangers At My Door by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove *** Lost and Found by Sarah Jakes ** Challenges  Diversity on the Shelf (2), Canadian Book Challenge (0), TBR Pile (0), Classics Club (0) What I'm Looking Forward to in June