On My Table and In My Cup November 4-11th

First I wish to acknowledge that today is Remembrance Day here in Canada, and I am observing the holiday and recognizing the sacrifices of others,  that has afforded my freedom and the freedom of so many others.

 My support, gratitude and thanks to the military families of the past, present and future for all they do so we can do all we do.

This week has been crazier than most, helping my cat through her recovery which she is not the most grateful of patients...She is however on the mend and showing marked signs of improvement. Thank you for those who reached out.

I have had some lovely books on my table this week and got three lovely books in the mail this week! I had pre ordered The Magicakal Family by Monica Crosson and I was thrilled it finally arrived from The Book Depository!
Libby Klein kindly sent me her Class Reunions are Murder which I think is a new book for 2018 and I got sent the coolest book of haiku, Killer Ku' which is all crime themed haiku, yep as cool as can be and this would make an amazing stocking stuffer!

I read CeeCee James The Frosty Taste of Scandal. My review will be up tomorrow.

I shared my review of Kate Carlisle's Eves of Destruction this week too, it's a good one this book is fab!

Bridget M. Tighe's independently published cozy that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Sunday I shared my love for The Witch at Wayside Cross by Lisa Tuttle. This was a great cozy!

I also shared that our Amigos are taking a Holiday Hiatus and resting up for our tours in 2018.

I even attended a Tea Festival this week and I love the new teas I bought. I have had some fantastic Chia this week, smooth creamy Earl Greys and so many more!

I would like to end today's post by inviting you all to join myself and 34 authors this December on my Beyond The Bookmarks Event Page for Cozies, Crime, Community and Christmas. A great way to spend the holidays and when anyone asks you can tell them you are booked for the holidays! At least one author per day will share their recipes, chat about their books and series and do a giveaway. There will be crafts posts, music, videos and so much more! You can join us from the comfort of your home just by visiting Beyond The Bookmarks and Clicking on the Event Section, Discussion page. We invite you to comment as well, share with us and help us build a great cozy community and spend time with each other virtually this holiday season. Click here for the Event page and you can see the full list of who will be stopping by on our page. 

Thank you for joining me here for a look back at what has been on my table and in my cup this week. I wish you a safe, happy and peaceful weekend. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

The Curious Affair of The Witch At Wayside Cross by Lisa Tuttle

Sometimes I get to review a book and series that stays with me long after I finish it for me it is the series of Jesperson & Lane, by Lisa Tuttle. In book two The Curious Affair of The Witch At Wayside Cross I found I was even more engrossed and enchanted by this Victorian times mystery. With amazing main characters who are an unlikely pair of private investigators reminiscent of  Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, but with hints of the paranormal and mysteries that you can not wait to have solved. 

The first book in the series I could not put down and it was very much the same with book two. It was entertaining, enlightening and eclectic. Wonderfully woven mysteries, characters that make you think and a time period that lends itself so well to mystery and discovery this is a series that I can say is now one of my most favorites and I am so looking forward to reading about their next adventures. 

"Witch!” cries the young man after stumbling unexpectedly into the London address of the consulting-detective partnership of Mr. Jasper Jesperson and Miss Lane. He makes the startling accusation while pointing toward Miss Lane . . . then he drops dead. Thus begins the strangest case yet to land—quite literally—on the doorstep of Jesperson and Lane.According to the coroner, Charles Manning died of a heart attack—despite being in perfect health. Could he have been struck down by a witch’s spell? The late Mr. Manning’s address book leads Jesperson and Lane to the shrieking pits of Aylmerton, an ancient archaeological site reputed to be haunted by a vengeful ghost. There they sift through the local characters, each more suspicious than the last: Manning’s associate, Felix Ott, an English folklore enthusiast; Reverend Ringer, a fierce opponent of superstition; and the Bulstrode sisters, a trio of beauties with a reputation for witchcraft.But when an innocent child goes missing, suddenly Jesperson and Lane aren’t merely trying to solve one murder—they’re racing to prevent another.

The Witch at Wayside Cross is out November 28th and you can find it for pre-order by clicking here from Amazon. 
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

On My Table and In My Cup October 21 st-28th

This weekend I am engrossed in the second book in a series I read earlier this year and loved from Lisa Tuttle,This one is The Curious Affair of The Witch At Wayside Cross. It is hard to put down! I am very much enjoying how this is written and the mystery so far.

This Monday I am hosting the evening part of my friend Sheryl from Booth Talks Books and My Monster Marathon of Authors at Kathi Daley's Halloween Spooktacular and I would love if it you came by. We have some wonderful authors, some great giveaways and games to play. You can join in the fun by clicking here. I will be logging on around 4pm PST/7pm EST and have a great lineup of authors who will be stopping by! Please come and say hello from the comfort of your home and celebrate with us.

This week I have read some wonderful books and I was very close to reading one per day! I loved Sharon Pape's That Olde White Magick and have a review coming up in a few days for you, but a great cozy/paranormal/fantasy, keep your eyes out for this one.

If Murder and Men by Lynn Cahoon was on my table and in my heart, this is book three in the series and the review will be up in the next week or so as well. Well written, planned perfectly and a delight!

A must read this holiday season for Krista Davis' Not a Creature Was Purring. My time reading it was too short and I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish it, not wanting to have it end and yet not wanting to put it down. Love this series and this book is perfect, review coming later in November as my review date is set for later in the month, but I could not resist having it in my hand and not reading it first. 

 Mary Ellen Hughes has a charming Keepsake Cove mystery series debut with A Fatal Collection, I very much enjoyed this one too!

Maddie Hatter, oh the special place in my heart for you and this series. A true delight to have read this and indulged my inner fan girl! A great read and a book series I think every 9+ year old girl should read.

I read Familiar Motives a few weeks ago but this was another one of those reviews I set up ahead of time but had the book in my hand and could not resist reading! I love this series and I know that if you like a New Witch cozy, this one is a good place to start, with a great storyline Familiar Motives is one you will feel very comfortable with and enjoy!

See sometimes I don't only use my teacups and saucers, this is a much treasured tea mug.

I have had a lot of tea this week. Most of it Vanila Black from Murchie's but I have also been indulging in my Stash Tea, the Portland Blend, as well as Mint teas and calming teas this week. The weather here is sunny right now but crisp and cold and it makes one truly appreciate a well stocked tea cupboard, or in this house, cupboards, baskets, shelves, countertops and well almost everywhere you look.
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

On My Table and In My Cup May 27th - June 2nd

Greetings this morning from my table to yours. I am so thrilled to have Lorna Barrett's book on my table this week, ahead of its June 13th release. I have read every book in this series and it is my favorite long running series. I can not wait to share this one with you all soon but for now I am savoring it!

With the arrival of June's Berkley reads I find that I am ahead of the game with only two left to read from this lovely selection.

Kate Carlisle's Once Upon A Spine was a lifesaver this week as I read it while at the doctor and X-Ray for what I now now is a sprained ankle. I am recovering very well.

Maggie Sefton's Only Skein Deep was such a comfortable read. I loved reading this one, made it feel like a nice visit with friends. This one is a must read for sure.

CeeCee James has a great book number 2 with Deadly Reservations. Great Mother/Daughter relationship story, as well as a great mystery.

A very sophisticated and proper mystery in The Curious Affair of The Somnambulist and The Psychic Thief by Lisa Tuttle, I very much enjoyed this period mystery.

This week I enjoyed David's Tea's Long Life Oolong,  as well as my blissful Murchies Vanilla Black and Tazo's Calm Tea. Even as the weather turns warmer I still enjoy all my hot favorite teas!
Thank you for joining me this week for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery week in review. I would love to hear form you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

The Curious Affair of the Somnambulist & the Psychic Thief by Lisa Tuttle

I finished The Curious Affair of the Somnambulist & the Psychic Thief by Lisa Tuttle last night. I chose this book to review from Netgalley based solely on its title and I did not know at the time that Somnambulist is the correct term for someone who sleep walks. This is a period mystery, a bit cozy and a very respectable paranormal. Great  main character, Miss Lane, who finds herself with ut a job and answering the call to become a detective assistant to a very charismatic man who calls himself detective. Living largely by her wits and abilities of observation Miss Lane is a fascinating character. The mystery is especially exciting and somewhat elusive. I hated to put the book down and I found myself thinking about it when  had to put it down and walk away. Lisa Tuttle wrote this book for mystery lovers like you and me. I enjoyed The Curious Affair of the Somnambulist & the Psychic Thief. 

   Has there ever been a more unlikely pair of consulting detectives than Jesperson and Lane? They certainly make a striking duo: Mr. Jasper Jesperson, with his shock of red hair and seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of all subjects—save common sense—and Miss Lane, whose logical mind is matched only by her fascination with psychic phenomena.

Their talents are rare . . . as are their customers. So when Jesperson and Lane are hired to track the nocturnal wanderings of a sleepwalking London business owner, they’re simply happy to be working again. The case begins as a window into the séances and other supernatural parlor games that are so popular these days, and takes a sinister turn as the intrepid investigators pull back the curtain on the cutthroat rivalries underpinning polite society.But after several mediums go missing, it’s clear that Jesperson and Lane are in over their heads. For they’ve uncovered a presence beyond their understanding—an evil force that won’t hesitate to kill in order to achieve its nefarious ends.

Find this book on Amazon now by Lisa Tuttle, by clicking here
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

On My Table and In My Cup May 20th-27th

Saturday morning and another week has flown by. Long cold winter and wet spring have given way to mid summer temps and the windows are open to get that much needed cross breeze and with the warm weather the ants have returned, and I am again at war....

 Several memorable events and activities this week, birthdays X3, a baby shower, honor choir concert, which I preformed in, a bake sale and more. This did not lend itself to much reading this week.

 I did however get a few reviews in, like Asking for Truffle by Dorothy St. James, This one is not out until September but one to preorder for sure. I really enjoyed how it read. Great mystery and start to a series!

The bake sale was Thursday and I baked more than 120 cookies this week to help support my son's upcoming Europe trip in 2018, the bake sale looks like it was a great success and I was thrilled to be reviewing an upcoming Holiday Cookies Cookbook, the Red Velvet Chocolate Crinkle Cookies turned out brilliantly. Some really great cookies in this book and the photos are fantastic. Out in September also this would make a really nice gift for a friend or yourself.

Maddie Hatter and The Deadly Diamond was another book I read and finished this week. It was a fun adventure mystery for those about 12 and older. Great Steampunk feel and adventure.

I am currently working my way through The Somnambulist and the Psychic Thief by Lisa Tuttle.
I hope where you are this weekend you are able to enjoy the more gentle weather and company of those you like most.
Thank you for joining me here for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com