Summary: “With a rewarding career as a teacher, a near flawless husband, and the perfect house in the suburbs, 33-year-old Nicky Fowler thought her whole life was mapped out. When she and her husband experience fertility issues that lead to a devastating tragedy, their marriage crumbles and Nicky is left with the inability to cope with her ever-changed life. Desperate to flee from her current situation, she accepts a volunteer teaching position at an orphanage in Kenya, but finds that her new life is more difficult than she was expecting; drought has forced the country into famine and violence is everywhere. When she learns that the orphanage director takes her hatred for the world out on the orphans, Nicky seeks the aid of her host mother, Mama Bu. Over cups of chai tea, Mama Bu offers perspective and Nicky realizes she must not only teach the orphans, she needs to save them. This is a journey that explores the resilience of the heart, and the determination for finding good in the world.”
Summary: “When she has a deadly vision about a librarian who is then murdered, psychic Sunshine Meadows becomes the prime suspect in the murder investigation after the police deny her abilities.”
Summary: “While on a girls getaway to London, Lucy Stone investigates the murder of their tour guide, Professor George Temple, who died mid-flight after suffering a supposed asthma attack.”
Review: “In Meier's sprightly 17th Lucy Stone mystery (after 2010's Wicked Witch Murder), the intrepid Tinker's Cove, Maine, reporter joins a tour group sponsored by Winchester College for her first trip overseas. Soon after the group's plane departs Boston for London, their affable guide, Winchester professor George Temple, dies of an apparent asthma attack, but the plane continues across the Atlantic. When attractive Quentin Rea, a former English professor of Lucy's, replaces Temple as the group leader at short notice, Lucy is dismayed to find the incorrigible flirt still smooth talking the ladies. Meanwhile, Lucy senses that others on the tour, despite their nonchalance, have something to hide. Eventually, Lucy realizes that everyone had a reason to want Temple dead. Though patches of travelogue tend to overshadow the mystery solving, the unusual ending will leave readers much to debate. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.” – Publishers Weekly
Summary: “A comprehensive guide to non-herbal tea, the plant Camelia sinensis. Text and photographs create a tour of the world's tea growing countries: China, Japan, Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam and East Africa.”
Summary: “Counselor Tina Milano, a regular at Milly's tea shop, is approached by Milly and asked to help a friend who needs advice about his teenage children. The friend turns out to be a farmer, single and handsome.”
Summary:"Emotionally wounded single mom Sarah Price has come home to Serenity, South Carolina, for a fresh start. With support from her two best friends - the newest generation of the Sweet Magnolias - she can face any crisis. But sometimes a woman needs more than even treasured friends can provide. Sexy Travis McDonald may be exactly what Sarah's battered self-confidence requires. “
Review: “Woods chooses a whimsical, sweet scenario for her sixth Sweet Magnolia contemporary romance (after 2010's Home in Carolina). Travis McDonald, a ladies' man and washed-up ballplayer, lights in Serenity, S.C., one day and decides to stay. He buys a radio station and, charmed by the friendly chattiness of Sarah Price, a recently divorced mother of two, lures her to become his morning DJ. Sarah, still fending off her belittling ex, Walter, impulsively agrees. Woods spends some time catching up with the robust cast developed in earlier books, and Sarah and Travis frequently play second fiddle to Walter's self-discovery, unexpected pregnancies, the local real estate market, and other smalltown dramas. For longtime fans, however, the digressions have their own charm, and Woods never fails to come back to the romantic point. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved” – Publishers Weekly
Summary: "A guide offering concise, authoritative advice on understanding, buying, and enjoying the six classes of tea, with identification and location photography throughout"--Provided by publisher. Review: Making the perfect cuppa is not as easy as it may sound. How hot should the water be? How long should the tea steep? What kind of tea should be used in the first place? All pertinent tea-making questions are answered in knowlegeable, bouyant prose in this handy guide. The authors take readers along as they explore the world of premium tea ; premium tea, once unknown in the West, is now very popular in the U.S. ( Tea, by the way, is the most widely consumed beverage on the planet after water and still proudly maintains its title as the world's oldest beverage. ) Guidance is extended to purchasing and steeping tea, but the in-depth discussions of the properties and particular pleasures of the six classes of tea dominate most of the book's pleasurable pages. Information on tea storage and a glossary round out this excellent introduction to a special world.--Hooper, Brad Copyright 2010 Booklist
Review: “Kaufman, the winner of the PWA Best First Private Eye Novel Competition, introduces an unusual PI, a former foster child, in his impressive debut. Too often in mystery fiction a character's difficult upbringing is tacked on, but Willis Gidney bears emotional scars from being abandoned that are both convincing and relevant to the story line.ÅJazz great Steps Jackson, a friend of the D.C. gumshoe, hires Gidney to locate his long-lost daughter. Gidney, who normally serves subpoenas, attracts the interest of a creepy private security firm and an ambitious right-wing politician.ÅAfter a lead takes him to Colette Andrews, the wife of the former Virginia state attorney general, Colette turns up shot to death, and the police suspect Gidney of having pulled the trigger.ÅWhile one coincidental developmentÅwill raise eyebrows, Kaufman, a director and cameraman who twice won the Gordon Parks Award for cinematography, pulls off a taut, compelling tale of violence and corruption. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved” –Publishers Weekly Note: “Willis Gidney Mystery”
Summary: “Traces how the author, having been rescued and resuscitated by Himalayan villagers after a failed attempt to climb K2, worked to build schools that would benefit the young girls who were forbidden an education by Taliban restrictions.”
Review: “Once again, Precious Ramotswe uses her insights into human nature to unravel problems big and small in Smith's charming 10th novel to feature Botswana's No. 1 lady detective (after The Miracle at Speedy Motors). Leungo Molofololo, the owner of the Kalahari Swoopers, a local soccer team with a lot of athletic talent, suspects a traitor on the squad is deliberately sabotaging games for an unknown reason. Despite her complete ignorance of the sport, Mma Ramotswe agrees to look into the matter. She and her prickly assistant, Grace Makutsi, attend a match and begin interviewing the players in an effort to solve what amounts to the book's main mystery. The soccer inquiry, though, is secondary to a major event in Mma Ramotswe's life-the impending demise of the little white van she's used for many years that's much more than a machine to her. Fans can look forward to the debut of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency on HBO on March 29. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved” – Publisher Weekly Series: The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
Summary: “In Tea and Cookies, acclaimed cookbook author Rick Rodgers celebrates this time-honored combination of beverage and dessert, offering delicious hot and cold tea varieties as well as sweet things to nibble on between sips. Rodgers starts with tea, revealing its rich history and demystifying the process of preparing the perfect cup—from choosing the right tea leaves to the proper steeping times for every flavor. Here, too, are an array of recipes, from the indulgent Orange Spice Tea and Rooibos Hot Cocoa to the refreshing Mango Tea Slush and Peachy Iced Tea Cooler.” Amazon
