The Perfect Blend

Welcome to The Perfect Blend where we pair a perfect cup of tea with a great book.

The Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen introduces Zoe, a high school graduate moving to South Carolina before beginning college. She moves into the condominium that her mother left her to start a new life and she is looking forward to having that connection and getting to know the other owners at Dallowisp Condos. Her neighbors each have their own secrets and their own ghosts.

Shelly's Tea: Get Soothed from Republic of Teas

Candy's Tea: "Spirit Communication" Tea Blend- Lipton Tea, lemon balm, dehydrated rose petals

Welcome to The Perfect Blend.

Today's book is a fast paced entertaining story about, well, killers of a certain age. Deanna Raybourn knocked this one out of the park!

Four retired assassins board an all-expenses paid cruise only to realize that this a plan for a permanent retirment. The ladies must use their wits and abilities to figure out who is behind the hit and how they will survive.

Shelly's tea: Dirty Chi Latte recipe

Candy's tea: Peppermint

Links to things from the book:

Paris catacombs

Ursaline Convent Museum

Yellow fever in New Orleans

Welcome to The Perfect Blend!

Today's featured book is The Illegal Gardener by Sara Alexi .

Juliet has left her home and life in England to work remotely from the Greek villa she has just bought. In need of help with her gardens she hires Aaman, an illegal immigrant from Pakistan. Both Juliet and Aaman have hardships and though they come from different backgrounds and situations, they learn that they have had similar traumas in their lives and these traumas help them forge a friendship that breaks language and cultural barriers.

This book will make you feel as if you are there- living in this friendly beautiful old world village- soaking up the sun and village life.

Shelly's tea: Tin Roof Tea's Black Aroma Indian Chai

Candy's tea: True Honey Tea's Lavender Lemonade

Welcome to The Perfect Blend!

J.J.A. Harwood has blended a fractured fairy tale with a faustian morality twist. Shelly and I have a lot to say about this- it definitely wasn't the Cinderalla story we expected!

Ella is a lady in training downgraded to a lowly housemaid. The opportunity for seven wishes appears along with a peculiar fairy godmother, but each wish comes with a heavy price.

Shelly's Tea: Forever Yours

Links:

https://www.madeleinemilburn.co.uk/mm-authors/jja-harwood/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Faustian-bargain

Welcome to The Perfect Blend!

Beware of Doors.....you never know where they will take you. Neil Gaiman has created magically fearful and wondrous worlds under the London we are familiar with. A hero's journey for a rather average gentleman who goes on a dangerous quest. Are you up for it?

Shelly's tea: Lavender Lady

Candy's tea: Insane Cinnamon Orange

Links mentioned:

Marquis de Carabas

Lyke Wake Dirge

Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd from Diamonds Are Forever

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We are revisiting author Sarah Penner and her second novel, The London Seance Society. What a treat! If you are interested in seances, ghosts, murder and intrigue- this is a book you'll definitely want to read.

Shelly's tea: http://spotorganic.com/index.html

Candy's tea: https://www.spiceandtea.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=victorian%20chai%20black%20tea

Jeanne Robertson "Don't send a man to the grocery store!"

Let us know what you think!

sound effect: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/search/sipping%20tea/

Welcome to The Perfect Blend.

We saved an Agatha Christie classic for our final March murder mystery. This was at the time a controversial book for Christie because she broke all the rules of writing a traditional murder mystery. We DO spoil it for you if you haven't read it, but that doesn't mean it's not worth reading anyway.

Roger Ackroyd is murdered just as he is about to find out who was blackmailing his fiance. The suspects all have motives and secrets and things are not always as they seem. Hercule Poirot uses his little grey cells to get to the bottom of the mystery and outwit a would-be Dr. Watson.

If you liked this, you may also like two other books mentioned in the podcast:

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

I Am Murdered by Bruce Chadwick

Shelly's tea: Bigelow's Organic Earl Grey Tea

Candy's tea: Traditional Medicinal's Lemon Detox

Welcome to The Perfect Blend podcast!

Today we had a delightful discussion of Rupert Holmes's book Murder Your Employer. Woweee-wow-wow....it's a wicked good guide to how to go about eh-hem...deleting a despicable boss. Told through case studies of three particular students who have been made absolutely miserable by the person that employs them, we get a peek into McMaster's Conservatory for the Applied Arts. Be prepared for great wit, a few twists and some very interesting events.

Shelly's tea: Know by Heart

Candy's beverage of choice: Tropicana Pina Colada because, HELL-ooooooo Rupert Holmes.......

Do you like pina coladas? And getting caught reading Murder Your Employer?

Let us know what you think!

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We chose this book because we were immediately intrigued by the title.  Benjamin Stevenson did NOT disappoint! 

 A family reunion is taking place at a decrepit ski resort and not everyone is excited to be there.  On top of lots of family drama, murders are happening. Oh you'll know when- the narrator makes sure to tell you.  And while he reveals clues and lets you know what's coming, you will still be surprised and curious as to WHAT happens next.  

Shelly's tea:  Connemara's Whisky Tea

Shelly's tea:  Cosnnemara's Whiskey Tea

Candy's tea:  Carribean Fusion's Peachy Groves in a Dream 

Let us know if you read the book/liked the book/have added it to your reading list!

the-perfect-blend.com

Welcome to The Perfect Blend.

This week's book is Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman.  Four individuals who live in Cooper's Chase Retirement Home and meet each week in the Jigsaw Room to discuss and try to solve unsolved murders.  

Shelly's tea (is DELICIOUS!):  Tropical Chamomile Dreams by Caribbean Fusion Sauces and Spices Loose Tea

Candy's tea (also yummy):  Peppermint Tea by Harris Teeter

We can only hope to be as cool as these septuagenarians and octogenarians when we get there...