My dear readers, I have had many changes happening in my life the last few months. One of these changes has brought me such joy. I have started working for one of my most favorite tea companies and I could not be happier. If you have followed my blog for a while you know that Murchie's tea is one of my daily staples and to be able to share my joy and passion of tea is a dream come true. Sipping teas and sharing about them has me over the moon.
I will be honest and tell you I am pretty sure I will pay to work there. The teas, giftware and accessories are very much high on my wish list! Check out Murchie's online by clicking here. I look forward to sharing more about the teas I have been tasting and the giftware I am ogling.
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com
Greetings of peace from my table here on the West Coast of Canada, my salute to the Olympics with my morning tea. I watched the opening ceremonies last night and was very impressed. I cannot help but feel pride and excitement as I look upon the faces of each and every athlete that entered the stadium and think of all that must first happen to get them to that moment. I find it moving to see. I prefer the Winter Olympic sports to watch and cannot wait to see what happens next.
Upon my table this week Hummus and Homicide by Tana Kashian. Just started this one.
I will be sharing my review for Rhys Bowen's The Tuscan Child tomorrow. I could not put this down and I have one heck of a book hangover from this one.
Outstanding read.
Also a great read was Clairvoyant and Present Danger by Lena Gregory. I found this my most favorite of the series and the characters are so great in this one. I hope that there will be a book 4!
Miranda James Claws for Concern was one of those reads that you just have a special place in your heart for. This series has surpassed my expectations and this one was incredibly well written, with so much heart and a great mystery too!
Pawprints & Predicaments by Bethany Blake was a lovely cozy read and one that I know you will read. A great post Christmas based mystery story with lots of great animals and friends too!
Rescue cups on my table this week were a guilty pleasure for me this week, this one was a $3.99 rescue.
This Paragon rescue is a lovely light blue and it has the biggest flowers on it, I love the look and feel of it, right down to the delicate handle. This one was a bit more at $14.99 but I fell in love with it.
This $4 rescue has quite a good story which I will share next week...
In my cup this week I have had Murchie's new Sweet Heart blend of black and green tea, with fruit and delicate spices. A lovely light holiday tea. I have also been enjoying the Plumb Deluxe Readers Nook Tea, A Laura Secord Green tea, A Orange, Honeybush tea from Twinings Honeybush & Mandarin Orange tea, and A Celestial Seasonings Chamomile & Lavender tea. I have of course started most of my days off with the Murchies Black Vanilla that is my long standing favorite!
Thank you for taking time today to join me for a cup of tea and a look back at what has been on my table and in my cup this week. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com
A week has gone by and what a week it has been, new year, new tea and new teacup rescue for me. I was finally feeling better this week and headed to my local Murchie's Tea shop to stock up on my favorite blend and discovered their Balmoral Blend which is such a lovely blend of black teas with a soft malty flavor which is perfect for afternoon tea.
The tea shop is near two second hand stores so I stopped into both having no car with me and was delighted to find a long sought after toast holder, silver and only $5! The china shop that I go to had a half price sale as well and I got the lovely Royal Albert Cup, Saucer and bread and butter plate for $16! A truly great find, and a fun way to spend some of my Christmas money!
I have bought the Witches Spell-A- Day Almanac for about 5 years now, I love reading this book, some lovely sentiments in this book, something I find apply and some don't but I enjoy the read and the history in this book year after year. Happy to have found it just before the new year again.
Just arrived on my table Friday is two of the books in the Terry Lynn Thomas series The Spirit of Grace which I have been looking forward too for so long! I have a few more to get through before I can start these but I am delighted to have them peaking out at me from my TBR pile.
Tomorrow I have my review of Tonya Kappes upcoming cozy Six Feet Under, this is a series that I really enjoy and I am looking forward to sharing this with you tomorrow.
I had a very busy week of reading and I read and shared my review of The Cat of The Baskervilles by Vicki Delany another great story in this series and my favorite so far! This one is out in a few weeks and I recommend it!
A Grave Issue by Lillian Bell was a first in series I read earlier this week and loved! I like where this story went and I cannot wait to see where it goes next! One to watch for!
One of two cozy shorts I read this week. I bought myself this one from Lorraine Bartlett earlier this week and read it. I love it when you find just the right book for the moment and it makes your spirit soar! I loved this book and the Lotus Bay mystery series. I hope we see more from it soon!
All I wanted was a Drink by Michelle Ann Holstein was the other holiday short I read. This was funny, smart and very well done. A great way to end the holidays on my end.
Monday I will have for you the review of Class Reunions are Murder, I really did not want this one to end. Very well done and I am anxious to share the review with you all on Monday. I still have book hangover from it! Such a great read.
Thank you so much for joining me for a cup of tea and a look back at what has been on my table and in my cup this week. I look forward to sharing more with you tomorrow. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com
First chapter, hook line and sinker, wishing I could put the world on hold to have read this one in one sitting. Still working my way through it, wishing time would stand still, knowing when I finish it I will have to wait that much longer for the next one. Ellery Adams is one of my most favorite authors and this subject is right up my alley!
This book by Linda Lovely is out near the end of October and I finished this one and dreamed all about it, review for this one will be out October 1st.
Oh what fun to have had Barbara Early's book to read and finish this week, review coming up soon. Loved this toy themed cozy.
I read and enjoyed Canal Days Calamity this week by Jamie M. Blair, a dog lover's delight for sure.
I got a sweet surprise in my mailbox from Karen K this week, I love Doctor Who as you may know and she kindly sent me the above books! My kids were as excited as I was! I also got to break out my Doctor Who themed Teacup I had made...see the tiny tardis on the saucer. Each cup of tea is really like a Tardis, the flavor is so much bigger on the inside....Tea in the cup is Carrot Cake by Murchie's...
In my cup this week I have had my lovely Murchie's Black Tea but I have also had their new Rooibos Tea called Carrot Cake. I went in store to get more of the Black tea and while there they were sampling the Carrot Cake one which I normally would not go for but it smelled so nice and it had full flavor, it tasted to me more like a coffee cake my mom used to make and I loved it.
If you missed my post on Wednesday, it is the one where I shared my photos from my annual witches tea. I really am so grateful to my friends for joining me year after year and making this such a fun event. You are never too old to have a fancy dress party and I hope that next years will be even larger and include more friends!
Thank you for joining me for this weeks look back at what has been on my table and in my cup. I love having you join me and hearing from you. Please leave me a comment below or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com
Another week has flown by in the blink of an eye. I am more busy now than ever before and I am so thankful for the time to do what I do! I get up much earlier then my family so that I may have time to share my passion for reading and enjoy a pot of tea or two before my full day of work begins. Dragging myself to bed when the sun is still high in the sky and the boys are unwilling to drift off to sleep makes for long days but I love it. This weekend i am starting to read Kate Kingsbury's Doom with a View, this one is out in several weeks time and one I have been looking forward to reading. With summer, ghost stories go hand in hand.
I announced earlier this week a collaborative project with author Jayne Barnard! I am so excited about this cup coming Facebook event and I have so many fun things planned to share during the party. I would be so honored to have you join us for a few hours on Wednesday July 26th. The Maddie Hatter series is one I discovered in May with the purchase of my first book in the series, and I just finished book two (will be sharing the review tomorrow) and it is a series I am so excited about. I am dreaming of clockwork birds, chickens and zeppelins! My creative brain has been spinning and I have some fun crafts to share. If you are a parent, grandparent, aunt or special friend of a young reader (I am 42 and this series I personally love) I recommend the adventure mystery series of Maddie Hatter !
I have exciting crafts, fun facts, prizes and more to share at the party don't miss it!
Paranormal cozy mysteries have a special place in my heart as many of you know. I read Ghost of a Chance by Cate Dean this week and absolutely loved it, it was exactly the story I needed at the time and lovely as well as light. I could love to read the series!
Out of my comfort zone I read a suspense thriller that is up coming by Kathleen Valenti, this one is a very good mystery and will keep you on the edge of your seat, not a cozy to be sure but it does have a happy ending.
Sunday I reviewed Cat About Town by Cate Conte, this one is out in September and has a lovely feel to it, a great cat, small town and new business, this is a series I hope that will be long running, who doesn't love a cat cafe?
I also shared a bit on Monday in our Three Amigos Book Club post my choice for this weeks book or series and I chose Janice J. Richardson's series. Set in Niagara Falls and centered around a funeral home, this series amazed me with how calm and serene I felt while reading it even though the trauma of death and funerals is something that I struggle with, I came away from reading both books with an undeniable sense of comfort. I hope you will too!
I discovered something I had no idea about when I was picking up my supply of Murchie's tea this week, they offer something called Purple Majesty, a PURPLE TEA that steeps purple! I must get this tea to try! It is a rare one but stay tuned as I give this one a try!
A special thank you to Author Laura Bradford for spending some time with us yesterday, I am quite honored she could spend some time with us this week during her busy tour!
Below is my Friday Spotlight Youtube video, I would love to have you pop over and watch under a minute! I have 9 subscribers and would love to make it a dozen as I build my new channel and step out of my comfort zone of being on camera!
Thank you all for joining me here this week for a look back at what I have had on my table this week!
I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com
Happy Canada Day! Today is Canada's 150th Celebration and we are starting our day early with a parade and then a large BBQ with family and dear friends. July 1st is not only the day Canadians celebrate Canada's Birthday it is also the day I moved to the province I live in now, actually I moved here 40 years ago today!
On my table this week I have had some lovely reads and in my cup today I have a special blend from Murchie's Tea to celebrate Canada's 150th. It is a blend of black and green tea with a hint of maple. It is a lovely blend I hope they keep in stock for years to come.
I will start the book part of my post by talking about the Summer Whodunnit Mystery Set of 6 Cozy Mysteries I bought on Amazon this week. Only two of the authors are known to me and I love discovering a great new author, book and series.
Reading Cate Conte's Cat About Town a new series and one I hope to share the review of tomorrow. I like a good mystery with a great cat and this book is shaping up to be just that!
Body on Baker Street by Vicki Delany is one I very much enjoyed, this one is out in September and is the second in the series.
I had Even Witches Get The Blues on my table this week a light paranormal fantasy story I found on Facebook and downloaded from Amazon.
Toast and Jam! This is the cookbook of the year for me, it would be hard to wow me with a better book at this point. I liked it so much I have ordered a copy for myself to have, hold, keep and make! There is a peach and green tea spread I am looking very much forward too along with so many more. I have already begun to hoard jars.
Sunday I shared Canadian Author Judy Volhart and her second in series Ice Whine and Irish Cheddar, this is the perfect book to read in the hot summer! It is out now and should go on your summer reading list for sure!
Also arrived but I have not yet started is a book by Kathleen Valenti! I will share more on this in the coming weeks!
Monday was the second week in our Three Amigos Summer Reading Club and we are all hoping you enjoyed our weekly suggested books and I am looking forward to sharing our next selections with you on Monday. We all love hearing from you so please leave us a comment below our posts, share them on social media and with all your friends.
Thank you for joining me here today for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery week in review. I wish you and yours a very happy and safe Holiday weekend.
I too would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com
This weekend we are hosting two boys from our son's sister school in Japan, so I have been playing tour guide and Mom and did not finish reading a book to share, so in the spirit of hospitality and all things Canadian this morning I am sharing a few Canadian fun finds I hope you will enjoy. Above is one of my most favorite types of tea cozies, this one features the Canadian flag and can be found by clicking here from the tea cozy shop.com
Thank you for joining me here today and for understanding my not having my review ready to go today.
"Every single day we need to choose hope over fear, diversity over division."- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. This morning from my table I offer you peace, sending love and a prayer of comfort for all. Sending this love from the West Coast of Canada as well as wise words from the Prime Minister of my country who's quote from 2016 means even more today. I choose hope...
I would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email us at karenmowen@gmial.com
