Curled Up With a Good Book and a Cup of Tea

June was a very busy month.  Reading was not heavily involved in any of that busyness.  Actually, I started off the month with a really good reading binge but then it tapered off.  That’s okay, June is always a busy month when your entire household schedule revolves around the school year.  I am definitely happy that the summer is here. I’m looking forward to lots of reading and lots of time spent outside. Here are the books I read in June with their GoodReads ratings: March: Book Two - John Lewis ***** Finding Audrey - Sophie Kinsella ***** How to Enjoy Reading Your Bible - Keith Ferrin ***** What a Girl Wants - Lindsey Kelk **** Brunch at Ruby’s - D.L. White **** Fairytale Beginnings - Holly Martin **** Broken Glass - Alain Mabanckou - **** It’s Not Me, It’s You - Mhairi McFarlane *** That’s Not English - Erin Moore *** Challenges Diversity on the Shelf (3) What I’m Looking Forward to in July This month I’m focusing ...

June was a very busy month in my little corner of the world.  With school finishing up, that means there are field trips, play days, and concerts to attend.  My job kept me pretty busy through the month as well so it feels like there was very little time to sit down to do anything (except watch baseball, I always make time for my Toronto Blue Jays, especially when they are on a hot 12 game win streak.) Watching Television This month, I managed to watch only one television show - Episodes .  I’d been wanting to watch it for a while considering the plot is one that is often discussed in my household, British television shows crossing the pond.  So it’s been on my Netflix list for a while and I decided it was time to watch.  And I absolutely loved it.   Movies My husband and I went to see Jurassic World at the theatres this month.  I really enjoyed it.  I’ll admit, the acting wasn’t fantastic but I didn’t go for the acting....

Quite. Clever. Toilet.  When it comes to the British and Americans, we know that they are speaking the same language.  But when one looks closer, they will begin to realize that while the language sounds the same, it is actually very different.  Take for example, the three words I mentioned.  The meaning of the word is different depending which side of the ocean you are on and in some cases, that can get one into a whole lot of trouble. In That’s Not English: Britishisms, Americanisms, and What Our English Says About Us , lifelong Anglophile Erin Moore uses her personal experience of moving from America to England to share just how different these two countries are. When I first saw other bloggers reviewing and talking about this book, I knew that I had to pick it up.  The English language has always been a fascinating thing to me.  Us Canadians speak an English that is not quite British but definitely not American - nothing makes you feel like a...

Fourteen-year-old Audrey has been struggling with an anxiety disorder since a terrible incident at school.  Though she has been making progress with the help of her psychologist, she still keeps herself hidden away, preferring the dark provided to her by the sunglasses she constantly wears. But when a friend of her brother named Linus initiates contact with her, she finds herself having feelings she had long forgotten.  At first, Linus is someone she can talk to, but very quickly he becomes so much more.  As Audrey’s recovery gains momentum, she finds herself making a romantic connection she never expected.  But is Audrey moving faster than her family and doctor think she should be and will it ultimately help or harm her recovery? Finding Audrey is the first Young Adult novel from celebrated author Sophie Kinsella and is a heart-warming, sweet novel that readers of all ages will love. I read this book, not just because I’m a huge fan of everything Kin...

In March: Book One , Congressman John Lewis shared details of his early life in the segregated South and the beginning of his involvement with the Civil Rights movement in a stunning graphic novel, designed to educate and inspire young readers. The story now continues in March: Book Two which is once again written in collaboration with writer Andrew Aydin and award-winning artist Nate Powell.  Picking up where the first book left off, this book covers the sit-ins, freedom rides, and the landmark 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedoms.  As is the case with the first book, this story is told in retrospect as Barack Obama is being sworn in as President of the United States. John Lewis is known one of the Big Six leaders of the Civil Rights movement, and is the last surviving speaker from the 1963 March on Washington.  As we come to a time where we begin to lose the people who shaped some of the most changing decades of our society, it is important that th...

This book will be published on 10 July 2015 and is available for pre-order. Milly Rose is a hopeless romantic and obsessed with all things Disney.  So it only makes sense that she makes her living determining the history and authenticity of castles.  And though she has experienced her fair share of heartbreak, she hasn’t ruled out meeting her Prince Charming. When Milly is sent to the little village of Clovers Rest to investigate a building, she discovers every little girls dream.  Complete with turrets, a drawbridge, and secret tunnels, Clover Castle is straight out of a fairytale.  And so is its handsome owner, Cameron Heartstone. Both Milly and Cameron have been burned in relationships before and neither are looking for love.  As they begin discover the secrets that lie within the castle, they cannot fight their feelings for each other.  And with the help of a few eccentric villagers and a century-old love story, they may end up finding th...

Ruby’s Soul Food Café is the perfect spot for girls to gather, catch up on each others lives, and enjoy the delicious food on offer.  And that is exactly what Debra, Maxine, and Renee, friends since childhood, do once a month - eat, drink, and get in each other’s business. Debra is a successful high school principal, married to her high school sweetheart and mother to their twelve-year-old daughter.  But she has a secret that will destroy both her family and her career.  Maxine is a self-made woman, owner of a very successful high-end realty company.  Fierce and determined, she is used to getting any man she wants. Except for one, and in her quest to make him hers, she may end up losing one of her best friendships. Renee has moved back to Atlanta to care for her father who struggles with Alzheimer’s and keep the struggling family bookstore afloat.  As she gives all of her time to caring for the father who is beginning to forget her, she is sacrifi...

“There is nothing universal or timeless about this love business…It is hard if you really want to do it right.” In the city of Toronto, millions of people go about their daily lives, surviving, thriving, and falling in and out of love.  It is in this city that we meet four people - June, Bedri, Da’uud, and Lia - whose lives intersect as they make their way through the urban landscape. Love Enough , by Dionne Brand, is a beautiful and poetic look at love, relationships, and living in the moment.  Brand’s writing can best be summed up by the words “the little things,” as she gets to the very core of a person and their emotions.  She subtly touches upon the things that are difficult to see, that make a person who they are.   June has had a string of lovers over her lifetime, people whose lives have been wrapped up in politics, activism, and uncertainty.  But now she is facing mid-life with her love Sydney who couldn’t be more different from those in ...

As Bill Masen lies in a hospital bed, bandages over his eyes, he misses the most spectacular meteor shower anyone has ever seen.  But the next morning, he realizes that something happened over night that no one saw coming. After removing the bandages, he finds that everyone who witnessed the meteor shower has mysteriously gone blind.  As the masses wander the city in hopes of finding answers, he searches for others like him and happens upon a woman named Josella, who also still has her sight.  As they try to leave the city, it becomes clear that the world they knew is no more. But the loss of sight has given opportunity to a new threat - the Triffids.  These strange plants that began to appear throughout the world years earlier can pull up their roots from the ground to walk.  At over seven feet tall, they can kill a person with one quick lash.  And now, with humans unable to keep them at bay, they are poised to take over the world. The Day o...