Curled Up With a Good Book and a Cup of Tea

One of the things I wanted to start doing on my blog this year is talk more about other forms of entertainment, mostly what I’m watching on TV and at the movies, as well as what I’m listening to whether music or podcasts.  I figure the best way to do this is a recap at the end of each month, so here it goes. Television I don’t watch much “traditional” television. I watch a lot of British shows which I have to watch either online or through Netflix.  I also binge-watch most of my television.  Here are the show I’ve been watching this month: Coronation Street: Ok so I always watch this one, it is my show. I’ve been watching for over a decade now and am heavily invested in the Street for the rest of my life. So can we talk about how superb the minivan crash scenes were?  The acting was fantastic and so was the filming.  But most importantly, the show won’t be the same without Deirdre Barlow, played by Anne Kirkbride who passed away this month. Bac...

Who Should Read This:   Anyone looking for a book with a modern day Jane Austen feel, Chick Lit fans. It’s been a rocky road for rock star and aristocratic heir Dominic Heath and his girlfriend Gemma but their time has finally arrived - it is their wedding.  Wanting to have their day to themselves, they escape to the Scottish Highlands where they will (hopefully) be out of the eyes of the paparazzi. But the weather may put a wrench in their plans.  When a major storm prevents them from getting to their home, they end up at Draemer Castle, with Dom's ex-girlfriend Natalie and her new husband Rhys.  At first, they think they are just staying for a few days with the owners of the castle, Natalie’s friend Tarquin and his wife Wren.  When more snow brings more family members, including Tarquin’s troubled young sister Caitlin, it quickly becomes a case of “the more, the merrier.”  But the arrival of a stranger named Helen may really ruin Dom and Gemma’s...

Who Should Read This:   Mystery/Thriller fans, anyone who enjoyed The Silent Wife, Before I Go To Sleep, The Girl on the Train, etc. The year is 1993 and the city of Toronto and surrounding areas are haunted by the disappearance and murders of two young girls.  Evie Jones is the rookie reporter assigned to cover the story, staking out the crime scene and digging around in the past to look at over a decades worth of missing girls. But all of this brings back the haunting memories of when Evie was eleven years old and her best friend Lianne Gagnon was kidnapped and murdered.  Though the police knew who did it, a man named Robert Cameron, he was never found and arrested.   As her work takes her into a troubling world, she decides to find out what really happened to Lianne.  But her queries make her mind race toward unimaginable places.  And when she catches a man standing outside her home, watching her through the window, she becomes convinced t...

Last year I entered and won a contest in which the prizes were tons of goodies (London Barbie!) from Katie Oliver and a copy of her most recent book, Mansfield Lark . The premise was so good, I got the rest of the series ( Prada and Prejudice and Love and Liability ) and devoured the books.  Now, Katie is about to release the next books in the series, And the Bride Wore Prada and Love, Lies and Louboutins .  I am very excited that she is stopping by the blog today. What books influenced you?  The books I read as a child probably had the biggest influence on me. I devoured A Little Princess and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, raced through the Chronicles of Narnia series, and of course I read all of the Nancy Drew mysteries.  I went through a mystery-loving phase in grade school that extended into high school, when I read every Agatha Christie novel I could get my hands on. My favorites featured Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, a pair of detecti...

Who Should Read This:   Fans of the Real Housewives and other Bravo shows. As Executive Producer of the Real Housewives franchises and host of the successful television show Watch What Happens Live , Andy Cohen has the front row seat and backstage pass to all things pop culture.  And now he’s bringing everyone along for the ride. In The Andy Cohen Diaries: A Deep Look at a Shallow Life , Andy shares the detailed diary he kept of one year in his life, inspired by The Warhol Diaries .  Readers follow along as he parties, flirts, and dates his way through life.  He shares behind the scenes drama, trying out Tinder, and finding true love in his dog Wacha.  Readers get to know his family and dear friends, his doorman, and the city of New York.  And if you’re into celebrity gossip, he has a ton for you. This book can definitely be described as a who’s who of pop culture in 2014.  Lady Gaga, the Housewives, Jimmy Fallon, Kardashians, Anderson Coop...

Who Should Read This:   Anyone interested in stories of different cultures and those who follow current events. A water truck, stranded in the American desert.  It is sealed from the outside to hide its secret. Inside the truck is human cargo, people who have left their lives behind in Mexico, hoping to make it across the border to America safely.  But the truck has broken down and the coyotes have stolen all of their money and the people are left to die. Among these people are Hector and his friend César.  César has the only phone that can make calls out but the signal is low and César now lies unconscious.  Hector finds one American number in the phone, a woman named AnniMac, and he knows that their survival depends on his ability to reach her.   For the next four days, Hector records messages to AnniMac, telling her about his home and life in Oaxaca, the story of his family and heritage, and how he came to be in the water truck.  ...

For my first Author Interview, I'm pleased to introduce you to Peggy Blair.  Peggy is a Canadian author of the Inspector Ramirez series, which includes The Beggar's Opera and The Poisoned Pawn . The third instalment,   Hungry Ghosts,  will be released in June. I was very fortunate to meet Peggy a few years ago at the Word on the Street Festival and she is an absolutely lovely person who is always well connected to her readers.  Be sure to follow her on Twitter @peggy_blair. Peggy has a great story about how she got her first book deal and I'm so happy she is sharing it here with my readers and answering a few other questions.  Enjoy! What was the process of getting a book deal like for you? Well, a lot of what happened around The Beggar’s Opera involved sheer luck. Not to mention timing. But also persistence. Honestly,  after 156 rejections by agents, I was ready to trunk the entire manuscript. My friends thought I’d lost my mind and that I should ...