Eleanor is a midwife in 14th century Avignon. She becomes an assistant to the physician to the Pope at the beginning of the plague.

Elizabeth DeLozier

Shelly's tea: Adagio Tea Three French Hens

Candy's tea: Spot Organic (no longer available) Plum Deluxe Ginger Citrus Burst

The Story of the Thieves

The Very Bad Reputation of Joanna of Naples

Lauren comes home from a hen party to discover her husband coming down the attic steps...except Lauren has never been married.

⁠Holly Gramazio⁠

⁠The Husband Generator⁠

Shelly's tea: Chad's Chai ⁠Naked Chai⁠

Shelly also recommends: ⁠Camino Bakery⁠

Candy's tea: ⁠Plum Deluxe⁠ Crystal Clarity Oolong (no longer sold, but there are quite a few good oolong flavors)

In the village of Marigold, a magical laundry is conjured up. Painful memories can be washed away, or ironed to get the creases out. The memories become petals that drift away towards the setting sun.

⁠Jungeon Yun⁠

Shelly's tea: The Tea Spot ⁠Genmaicha Green Tea⁠

Candy's tea: Traditional Medicinals ⁠Nettle Leaf Tea⁠

A hen’s weekend getaway turns into a sinister twisted turn of events.

Shelly's tea: Snarky Tea ⁠Turmeric Golden Latte

Candy's coffee: Joffrey's Sanderson Sisters Brew

Ruth Ware

A marshal walks into an undertaker's office...

He works in the wilds of Tanria killing drudges and taking care of the unsavories. She is struggling to keep her family's business afloat.

Both loathe the sight of each other.

Shelly's tea: The Whistling Kettle ⁠Moringa Tea⁠

Candy's tea: Adagio Tea ⁠Cat Scratch⁠

⁠Megan Bannen⁠

⁠The Shop Around the Corner⁠

It's 1666 in a small Puritan village. An ancient being has been awakened to destroy the humans that have defiled the surrounding forest. But this being is not sure who he is and as he struggles with finding out, he meets a villager with troubles of her own.

Shelly's tea: The Edenton Tea Company Orange Cinnamon

Candy's tea: Adagio Tea Ghoul Gulp

Brom interview

Slewfoot Biblical Meaning

Hartford Witch Trials

Difference Between Pilgrims and Puritans

The Thursday Murder Club is back in action when someone from Elizabeth's past asks for her help. Stolen diamonds, drug dealers and a senseless attack on one of the club members are all part of this murder mystery by Richard Osman.

Shelly's tea: TeaSpot Lady Lavender

A recipe for a London Fog latte.

Candy's tea: a delicious surprise tea from her friend Dodie

Dodie's photographs on Instagram @creatingmybestlife72

Digital Spy

It's time for The Perfect Blend mid -year book superlatives. Shelly and Candy ask each other 10 questions about the books they have read so far this year.

Here are the questions:

Which characters would you like to invite to dinner?

Which characters would you like to introduce to each other?

Best character to take on a road trip.

Best recipes.

Which book/characters most  inspired you?

What have the books we read inspired you to do or try?

Book that took the longest to finish.

Most surprising book.

Most likely to reread.

Most tormented character.

Best dressed cover.

Book setting you’d like to visit.

To find out what Shelly and Candy chose for each, listen in! Hopefully you'll find a book you'd like to read and maybe you'll visit their podcast about that book.

As always,

Read and sip on!

Dorothy Wetstra faces a decision that may change her town forever, and her gift for shaking things up comes in handy.

Charlene Ann Baumbich

Shelly's Tea: Earl Gray from The Tea House

Candy's Tea: Snarky Tea's Chocolate Covered Strawberry

Loss of Farmland in NC

In a world devastated by a lethal fog, an isolated island stands as humanity's last refuge. Home to 122 villagers and three scientists, this idyllic sanctuary thrives under strict rules and nightly curfews, ensuring harmony and survival.

Tragedy strikes when one of the scientists is found brutally murdered. This shocking crime triggers a catastrophic failure in the island's security system, which had been the only barrier keeping the deadly fog at bay. Now, the islanders face a dire ultimatum: solve the murder within 107 hours or succumb to the encroaching fog.

Stuart Turton

Shelly's Tea The Tea Spot- Morning Mojo

Candy's Tea Lipton- Ginger Green Tea

Links of interest:

AI's Next Frontier: Are Brain-Computer Interfaces The Future Of Communication?

Shelly's playlist for this book