Well, hello there old friend, it has been quite sometime since we last visited. Almost 2 years, boy things have changed and yet somethings have stayed the same. For me the love of tea and reading really never left, but allowing myself the time to read, in an ever changing world where I felt like if I took my eyes off of the news, social media etc that the world would indeed come to an end and in ways It was that fear that has kept me away from reading and reviewing for so long. When we last chatted in 2020 things were about to change even more than I had ever imagined, my life had done ..read more

  I read, and loved A Death Long Overdue by Eva Gates. This series is set in a lighthouse library and has characters that I have come to love and feel like good friends. Through each book I feel more and more like a member of the community. I dove right in and could not put this one down. I loved the idea of the Librarians reunion and the "look back" at Library procedures over the years. I do remember joyfully filling out my card at the library as a child and still get excited at the site of the Vintage pocket and cards when I come across them at old book stores.  If you are lookin ..read more

  I was delighted to be treated to an advanced reading copy through Netgalley, of Vicki Delaney's January 2021 Release, A curious Incident. I love this series, this book for me was an especially great read and a nice distraction from the world. I loved being able to travel by book back to the spend time with Jayne and Gemma, and have no problems imagining being in the shop and the tea room, being part of this reluctant and nosy crime solving team. I very much enjoyed the interactions of the characters and the age difference between Jayne and 10 year old Lauren, the dynamic felt natural a ..read more

  I have happy news to share in a time where happy news is much needed. I am thrilled that even with all that is going on in the world, my plans for my Timeless Tea Trailer, are on track. As of yesterday I have received the official paper work and the last coat of primer is drying on the inside of the trailer, soon she will get her coat of paint.   Not the best photo of me, but hey its hot and I am happy. I did have a dream that all the primer was actually white glue and when I went back to the trailer it was all brown again. But thankfully that was just a dream! The proces ..read more

  I was so thrilled to get an advanced reading copy of , Chili Cauldron Curse, the first in a new series by Lynn Cahoon that is so close to my heart. This is the first in her Kitchen Witch Series and I loved it. This is a Novella, not as long as a typical cozy but it was packed with every element I love.   Growing up my mom had a Kitchen Witch that I was obsessed with, when I was 11 years old we moved and some how the kitchen witch was lost. I searched for years to find another on, especially after my mom died, I did manage to find one a few years ago in need of a bit of TLC ..read more

 Welcome back readers and I am again sorry for the delay in updating my blog. I have been busy working on my tea trailer yes, but I have also been having some trouble with my vision which has not allowed for me to read, thus prompting a visit to the eye doctor and now I have some follow up appointments, it seems that the major changes in my vision are due to the rather high prescription and require further follow up I have updated my glasses which I did not more than a year ago and the dramatic change has helped me so far to actually be able to seed the kindle to read. So with out further ..read more

I am thrilled and most relieved to be writing about a book I just finished, Murder in Waiting by Lynn Cahoon.  Relieved mostly because I lost my kindle for more than a month, finding it finally as it had fallen behind the book shelf and I was a day away from ordering a new one. I have to say in these trying times it is wonderful to have a series like The Tourist Trap Mystery Series to give some much needed relief and escape. A visit to South Cove was exactly what I needed to fores back into the land of reading. Not enough words to describe the delight of just how much Lynn's series has b ..read more

Hello dear readers, I have been absent working on my tea trailer and hope you will indulge me for today's post. I had my trailer professionally painted and got her back on July 1st.  She went from Hunter green, to sparkling red, a thin line of robins egg blue and white on top. I was so excited to get her back after ten days in the shop. The Wet West Coast, has lived up to it's reputation this summer but even in the rain I think she is a beauty! July 4th, I invited the design team for a trial run of our tea and craft party, something I hope to incorporate with our mobile tea room, our t ..read more

I am really excited to be hosting a virtual party all day long On Thursday July 2nd on my Beyond The Bookmarks Facebook Page, in celebration of Kathleen Bridge's Newest book in the Hamptons Home and Garden Series.  Discerning cozy mystery fans who delight in well-developed characters, rich detail, and a smart plotline will find that Kathleen Bridge’s A Design to Die For is their cup of tea!” —Ellery Adams, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Montauk’s first annual Designer Showhouse was meant to be a collaborative event, so decorator Meg Barret ..read more

“She is a beautiful piece of broken pottery, put back together by her own hands, and a critical world judges her cracks while missing the beauty of how she made herself whole again.” -JM Storm  My tea photo from this morning,  American Beauty is the pattern name, and I bought the mug at a thrift store, brought it home, washed it and then it broke, such a pretty pattern I wanted to do something with it so I decided to make a small center piece planter bowl for my table. This weekend I also found the tray that the scone is on, paying $4.99 for it. I do love how it looks together ..read more