Curled Up With a Good Book and a Cup of Tea

The first half of this month was marked by very little reading. But the second half of the month was all books all the time. Maybe it was all the rain we got that kept me inside and curled up on the couch. I did not read most of the books I had planned on reading during the month but I found some other great ones to get into. And of course, I did not blog like I had hoped so this continues to be a work in progress.  Here is what I read in May: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I Can't Make This Up: Life Lessons  - Kevin Hart ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Into the Water  - Paula Hawkins The Other Half of Happiness  - Ayisha Malik When Dimple Met Rishi - Sandhya Menon Run, Hide, Repeat: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood  - Pauline Dakin ⭐⭐⭐ The Last Neanderthal  - Claire Cameron This is That: Travel Guide to Canada  - This is That Fierce Kingdom  - Gin Phillips June I don’t have much planned in terms of what books I want to read in June. The Child by Fiona ...

April April has by far been the best reading month in terms of getting into a good reading groove and spending the whole month with a book in my hand. And because of that I ended up reading 10 books and for the first time in years am still ahead on my reading goal (which at this point of the year is usually already failing.) I'm also trying out a new way of posting here, by posting 2-3 reviews of recent reads that all share a similar theme. The reviews are much shorter but this way there is a lot less pressure on me and I feel content to just read. Here is what I read in April: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter - Scaachi Koul Baseball Life Advice  - Stacey May Fowles ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Bluebell Bunting Society  - Poppy Dolan The Child  - Fiona Barton Welcome to Lagos  - Chibundu Onuzo Rich People Problems - Kevin Kwan There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé  - Morgan Parker ⭐⭐⭐ Rock Solid: My Life in Baseball's Fast La...

I Found You by Lisa Jewell  (out now) Thanks to the dominance of the psychological thriller in the book market over the last two years, I have been reading a lot of mysteries lately. And recently, they’ve all started to blur into one and I have been getting tired of them. Enter this book. I Found You renewed my love for the genre and showed me that Lisa Jewell is one to read. Right from the start I was hooked on this one. I really liked how the book went between different people and their parts of the story. Then when the book picked up in the past in the second part, I really didn’t want to put it down. I spent the majority of the book playing detective, trying to piece it all together before the book did it for me, which I absolutely enjoyed in this one. Jewell gives you just enough in each chapter to move the story line along and keep you absolutely hooked, wanting to know what happens next. The Child by Fiona Barton  (release date: June 27) The Widow...

One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter - Scaachi Koul A unique voice, Koul is the first generation Canadian daughter of Kashmiri immigrants whose stories will resonate with everyone. Even this extremely pale Northern European could relate to her piece on body hair. The essay “Mute,” about the online harassment she experienced after encouraging non-white, non-males to submit pieces to her workplace, is reason enough to get this book. It is horrifying and a must-read for all.  The rest of this book is just as fantastic. This is the first of Koul’s work I have read but I’m definitely following her everywhere now (you know, in a non-creepy, admirer of her writing way.) All The Lives I Want: Essays About My Best Friends Who Happen to Be Famous Strangers - Alana Massey I picked up this book after reading a very short blurb which pretty much included the title and said it was one to read this year. Based on the title I was expecting a lighter comment...

March I'm reading. I'm totally reading. But I'm not blogging. I can't do it all people! Between reading the books and selling the books, I'm just not finding the time to blog the books. I'm much more active on Twitter and Instagram so follow me there (@goodbooksandtea) where we can really discuss books. But I do promise that I will be posting a bit more in depth reviews on here in the weeks to come. I think I may have found a way that works for me, we'll see how it goes for the month of April. Here is what I read during March: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Dear Ijeawale, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria - Wendy Pearlman ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I Found You - Lisa Jewell A Blessing and a Curse - ReShonda Tate Billingsley and Victoria Christopher Murray The Blood of Emmett Till - Timothy B. Tyson ⭐⭐⭐ The Lonely Hearts Hotel - Heather O'Neill In This Moment - Karma Brown Is Canad...

He is the boy whose murder shocked the world. They are the parents whose grief and loss launched a movement.  In February of 2012, on an average evening in a small town in central Florida, seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot to death while walking home from the store with a bag of candy and a can of juice in his pockets. The head of the neighbourhood watch got out of the car against the advice of the authorities he had contacted regarding a suspicious person and followed the young man. This encounter ended with the man drawing his gun and taking Trayvon’s life. In the days that followed, Trayvon’s parents tried to get answers from the police but were ignored. They couldn’t understand how the man that murdered their son was allowed to walk free. Their grief overtook them but they knew they had to fight for their son and as time went on the world joined them in calling for justice for Trayvon and all victims of racism and gun violence. Rest In Power: The Endurin...

If you haven’t heard, celebrated Canadian author Joseph Boyden has come under the microscope over his Indigenous heritage. This isn’t the first time it has happened. Boyden, author of the novels Through Black Spruce , Three Day Road , The Orenda , and most recently the novella Wenjack , has for years been positioned as a spokesperson for Indigenous people in Canada. In the past, some have posed questions surrounding Boyden’s heritage and pointed out inconsistencies in his own personal stories. But it seems those questions were largely left to be minor discussions in the public realm. Until a couple of weeks ago when Jorge Barrera, journalist with the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) and blogger Robert Jago raised the question again, this time having done research into Boyden’s genealogy based on his own words and coming up with no evidence to back up what he has claimed. For a little while, Boyden remained quiet on the subject other than issuing a statement reaffirming ...

Release Date: March 7, 2017 Tiger mothers have nothing on Karen Bloom. Things may have not turned out so well with her son Ewan but she is definitely not letting her daughter Bronte slip through the cracks. Straight A’s, music lessons, and dance classes dominate the young prodigy’s life. Karen expects her family to always be at 200 percent and nothing less. But behind the facade of the perfect family lies a wealth of secrets. Karen’s husband Noel, a successful small-town doctor has a taste for women and alcohol. Noel’s teenage daughter Verity is under strict discipline at school and at home due to her aggressive behaviour. And Bronte, the one on whom everything rests, longs to run away from it all. When Bronte actually does go missing, a domino effect hits the family. As tragedy strikes the family again, all of their secrets and lies begin to spill out, leading readers to wonder how far people will go in their quest for perfection in The Trophy Child by Paula Daly. ...

Every March, the CBC hosts a one week discussion surrounding the question "what is one book that all Canadians should read?" (I know, just when you think Canadians can't get any more awesome, you find out we have literary debates on national television.) The longlist for this year's event, taking place from March 27 to 30, was announced this past week. Here are the contenders: Company Town by Madeline Ashby A brilliant, twisted mystery, as one woman must evaluate saving the people of a town that can't be saved, or saving herself. even this page is white by Vivek Shraya Vivek's debut collection of poetry is a bold, timely, and personal interrogation of skin - its origins, functions, and limitations. Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis Alexis's contemporary take on the apologue offers an utterly compelling and affecting look at the beauty and perils of human consciousness. I Am Woman by Lee Maracle One of the foremost Native writers in North America,...

It takes a brave person to fill the shoes of Jon Stewart, one of the (if not THE) most successful satirical news hosts on American television. At the helm of The Daily Show for 16 years, Stewart built the show into a 23 time Emmy-winning show that averaged 2 million viewers each night, becoming the authority on news and politics for the younger generation. It is only natural that his successor would be held to a scrutiny that few could withstand. But Trevor Noah was more than ready for the challenge. Everything in Trevor's life was leading him to The Daily Show . Starting as a young comedian in South Africa, he took all sorts of jobs that would eventually lead to him headlining one of the biggest stand-up shows the country had ever seen. Pretty soon, the rest of the world came calling and Noah was set on the path to taking over one of the most coveted seats on television. But it is the start of Trevor’s story that is most compelling. Born in apartheid South Africa to a ...

"Out with the old, in with the new," has never been a more appropriate saying than it is for 2017! Today marks my 7th year with this little blog. Over the last year it has suffered quite a bit with my trying to balance family life, work life, and writing life. Sadly, the writing life has suffered greatly. But as New Year’s Day brings about another year of blogging, I’m committing to a refresh and once again giving it my attention. My holidays have been a busy one. It was full-on right up until Christmas Eve (everyone who works in retail knows what that is about) but I’ve thankfully been able to have some good downtime to spend with my family and, of course, watch television. Because I’m all about the binge-watching. These holidays have been spent doing a massive Coronation Street catch up but also getting reacquainted with my Netflix account and watching Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency , The Crown , and Black Mirror . And of course my beloved British Christmas sp...

It's such a busy reading time of the year with all of the amazing books nominated for the big three Canadian literary prizes. In fact my physical pile of books to read was already so high at the beginning of the month. But there are still so many good books coming out this month that I cannot forget about. Here is a look at some October new releases that have my interest. October 4 The Wangs vs. The World - Jade Chang Something in Between - Melissa De La Cruz Today Will Be Different - Maria Semple News of the World - Paulette Jiles You Can't Touch My Hair - Phoebe Robinson October 11 Hag-Seed - Margaret Atwood Hungry Heart - Jennifer Weiner Bridget Jones' Baby - Helen Fielding Around the Way Girl - Taraji P. Henson October 18 Wenjack - Joseph Boyden The Candidate - Noah Richler October 22 Canada- Mike Myers October 25 Thanks for the Money - Joel McHale What are you looking forward to reading this month?

A young man has moved back to Toronto, the city he grew up in, after years of drifting between school and work that was getting him nowhere. His older sister, Grace, is the one who has brought him back home and she and her friends take him under their wing, helping him find friendship, romance, and a job. Grace and her boyfriend John are promising researchers in psychophysics but it soon becomes apparent to the man that all is not well with his sister and her research. When the two of them disappear, first Grace then months later John, the man makes an incredible discovery while cleaning out their apartment. In the second bedroom that they always kept locked, Grace and John have left behind a box big enough to crawl inside of, a lab, rat, and a note that says “this is the only way back for us.” After months of witnessing Grace’s rage and John’s mental health decline, the man knows that these are not ordinary circumstances. And he knows that he was brought back to Toronto for...

When Clare moves into a new home with her eleven-year-old daughter Pip and thirteen-year-old daughter Grace, she is pleased to find that the private garden square they back on to is shared by other families with children around the same age. In the bustling city of London, the garden is a place where children can roam free and are encouraged to make other people’s homes their own. Especially the home of Adele, Leo, and their three daughters. Clare and her daughters are starting over and the girls are thrilled to quickly fall in with the crowd of kids. Clare isn’t sure she will fit in with the adults, but is happy her daughters have made friends. It may be a motley group of kids but everyone seems nice enough. Until Grace becomes the girlfriend of one of the boys in the group and runs afoul of a couple of the other girls. One summer night, after the annual party in the garden, Pip discovers Grace lying unconscious and bloody in a tucked away area of the park. No one knows wha...

Reviewed This Week The Hopefuls - Jennifer Close The Girls  - Emma Cline Falling - Jane Green Read This Week Wellth - Jason Wachob Where’d You Go Bernadette - Maria Semple Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Vol. 1 - Brandon Montclair The Underground Railroad - Colson Whitehead (started) Online bits and bobs CBC Books released their Fall Preview . So many good books, my TBR exploded. Apparently, people who read books live longer . Here's to an extra 10 years! I've spent some time with my Pinterest page. By that I mean, I stopped ignoring it. I've joined Reco . Because I apparently I need another bookish app to keep me busy. But seriously, this is a good one. Stories from the Bookshop Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you will know that last Sunday was the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child . I didn’t work that day but I did work the next day (and the days after that) and it’s safe to say that Harry was the m...

Emma Montague is looking for a new life, one far from her days as a banker in New York City where she moved to escape the confines of her upper-class British family.  When she finds a cottage in the beautiful town of Westport, Connecticut that is in need of a lot of TLC, she knows she has found the perfect place. She can leave the fast-paced and stressful world of finance behind and pursue her passion for interior design. Knowing only one other person in town, Emma throws herself into fixing up the cottage, much to the dismay of her landlord and next door neighbour Dominic. But she quickly wins Dominic over and when he lends her a hand, she realizes that the two of them make a great team. And not just at fixing up houses. Dominic isn’t the type of man that Emma usually goes for but that doesn’t stop her from falling for him. As they spend more and more time together, she realizes that in him and his six-year-old son she has found the family she has always wanted. But the...

One hot summer day, fourteen-year-old Evie Boyd comes across a group of girls at the park who are unlike no others she has even seen. Dressed carelessly, dirty, searching through dumpsters for food, stealing from stores, Evie is immediately drawn to the girls. A lonely girl herself, she is envious of their freedom and the way they move through life with wondrous abandon. This is a group of girls she wants to be friends with. Evie is quickly drawn into their circle through the care and attention of one of the older girls named Suzanne. Evie is mesmerized by Suzanne who gives her access to a world she never knew existed. She goes with them to the ranch hidden away in the hills of California that they live in and meets the groups charismatic leader Russell.  Evie truly believes that this is where she belongs, not back home with her parents who couldn’t care less and the friends who have turned against her. As she spends more and more time with this group, she desires to sta...

July was a great month for me reading-wise because it was my vacation month. We spent two weeks in America and that always results in a high number of books read for me because I love nothing more than reading by the pool. Of course, I didn’t finish ALL of the books I took with me on vacation but that’s because I always seem to take more with me than I could ever read in that time period. Here is what I read in July with my GoodReads ratings: Flawfully Wedded Wives - Shana Burton **** Falling - Jane Green **** The Pastor’s Husband - Tiffany L. Warren **** The Hopefuls - Jennifer Close **** Whisky, Words, and a Shovel - R.H. Sin **** In the Language of Miracles - Rajia Hassib **** A Very Accidental Love Story - Claudia Carroll *** The Girls in the Garden - Lisa Jewell *** Thoughts My favourite of the month was The Hopefuls . It is a fun and easy read that I found myself completely engrossed in. I think Falling is going to be the book I recommend to people who li...

When Beth Kelly moves from New York City to Washington D.C. after her husband Matt gets a job at the White House, she is less than thrilled. She loved everything about New York City and the people there were her people. In D.C., it seems to Beth that everyone is obsessed with politics and if you’re not one of them you’re on the outside looking in. In a place where people like to compare their security clearance levels, speak in acronyms, and can’t separate themselves from their Blackberries, Beth is all on her own. But when Beth and Matt meet White House staffer Jimmy and his wife Ashleigh, things begin to brighten for her a little bit. Right from the beginning Ashleigh and Beth get each other, they connect over being outsiders, and before long are doing everything together. Jimmy and Matt get along perfectly and push each other to succeed in the fast-paced world of politics. The foursome quickly become inseparable spending meals, birthdays, and holidays together. When Jimmy...

When Jenna Gray’s life changed in a split second, the world became too much for her to handle. Knowing the only way she would be able put it all behind her was to escape, and so she left her home to live in a remote cottage on the Welsh coast. But no matter how far from home she was, she couldn’t escape the events of that terrible night in November. The detectives investigating the case couldn’t just walk away. Though there were few leads, they knew that if they just kept with it long enough, there would be a breakthrough. And when that happens, the past comes crashing back down on Jenna just as she thinks she may once again be able to experience a little happiness in her life. I Let You Go , by Clare Mackintosh, is a heartbreaking, thrill ride of a novel that will have you hooked with every twist and turn. Whenever someone asks me if I have read this book, all I can say is “yes and wow.” This book gets a big, huge “WOW” from me. It is incredible. Twice, I gasped so loud...