Straight From The Tea
Recent Cup of Tea Blog Posts #8
With life so hectic, sometimes we don’t have the time to visit our favorite website and read the latest happenings from the book world. So, I thought I would create this quick Substack highlighting posts that might have slipped your radar. So, get your favorite cup of brew ready. Here are some blog posts that may have missed your mailbox:
What’s New
Have you ever had an incident or an event that just gave you a new outlook on the trajectory of your life? Something like that happened to me recently. My job as a librarian has been a tumultuous roller coaster over the past few years. Still, these past few months have been difficult, and I am not just talking about feeling and seeing lately the attacks on librarianship and reading as a whole. But I was naive to think that I would not feel that anxiety from my workplace, yet I did. Not going to go too much into it, however, when you feel attacked for doing your job and made to feel worthless and question your job and your self-respect. So since then, I have been looking for something different. It seems like I always say this after a vacation. Still, coming back from Scotland (which I had a wonderful time), I realized that if I wanted to change and start doing things differently, particularly separate from my job, I need to start taking chances on things. It may not lead me to a new job, but at least it will allow me to do something I genuinely love and receive the support I should have.
So, what have I been up to? I am starting to branch out and do author discussions for my blog! I had an excellent beginning with conversations with Sarah Raughley, Celestine Martin and Alison Sampson, and I have a few more lined up. We are looking for more authors and creators, so if you or someone you know would be interested, feel free to email us at events@cupofteawiththatbookplease.com! For Dueling Detectives, we've decided to create an Instagram account! Dueling Detectives is becoming very popular, so we decided to put ourselves out there professionally. If you are on Instagram, make sure to follow us: @detectivevsdetective.
I am heading back to ThrillerFest! I will be on a panel titled: Bookstagram, Booktok or BookTube, talking with other experts about my experience using social media to promote books. I had a fantastic time last year when I attended, and I look forward to being among mystery writers and enthusiasts!
And lastly, after ThrillerFest, I'm heading to the ALA (American Library Association) conference in Philadelphia! I was not planning on attending ALA this year, but I was asked by Skybound, an imprint of Image Comics, to moderate a panel with a few award-winning comic book writers. I am honored that I was asked, and I'm looking forward (and nervous) to participating in this panel.
Panels and author discussions…I am happy I have made that leap towards something unique and different. Just have to make sure those leaps won't leave me with burnout, but with the same passion for books and reading. At the moment, that is what will get us through these uncertain times.
Recent Substack Reads
Check out the latest Substack reads that I highly recommend:
Recent Blog Posts
Upcoming 2025 Releases Perfect For Spring Reading
We may have a couple of weeks left in the spring season, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be still excited about Spring Reading! You may find the perfect book to read for the summer. Whatever the season, check out these highlighted picks you should be excited about!
I also created a playlist on Libro.fm.
Books To Read This Month: May Edition
Looking for a new book to read for the month? Check out what books need to be on your TBR pile for May!
Books to Read This Month: May Edition
Books to Get Out of the UK and Ireland: May Edition
Cup of Tea’s Best Books of 2024
I’ve started listing the books that I found to be the best of the best of 2024! Visit the links below to see what made my lists!
For The Love of Bookshops: Recommended Books That Are Set In Bookshops
In celebration of Independent Bookstore Day, I created a blog post with recommendations for books where the setting takes place in bookshops. Celebrate and support bookshops through reading!
I also created a playlist on Libro.fm.
The Great Jane Austen Read Along 2025
Miss the readalikes that I gave for The Great Jane Austen Read Along 2025 by
, check out the recent recommendations I gave for Sense and Sensibility and Northanger Abbey:Recommended Sense & Sensibility Readalikes
I’m back again with more Austen readalikes, to go along with The Great Jane Austen Read Along hosted by The Austen Connection. We finished reading Sense and Sensibility, so now I am here to list book recommendations if you are looking for something similar.
I am here to list book recommendations if you want
Sense and Sensibility Readalikes: The Great Jane Austen Read Along (Read on my blog)
Recommended Northanger Abbey Readlikes
As I've mentioned in a previous post, I’m thrilled to be part of The Austen Connection’s The Great Jane Austen Read Along as the Read-Along librarian, giving you great book recommendations and readalikes that perfectly match with the Austen novels you will read (or reread) during this read-along! I have a lot of great bo…
Northanger Abbey Readalikes: The Great Jane Austen Read Along (Read on my blog)
I had my first guest Substack post written by
! In case you missed it, read the full post below:Why Storytelling Matters: The Power of Writing in a Digital Age
Today’s post is bringing something unique to my readers. It’s cup of tea with that book, please’s first-ever guest post! Today, we are joined by author Karen Osman, an award-winning author of thrillers, The Perfect Lie and The Home, and a writing coach who helps aspiring writers with actionable items and helpful tips. And also, she is a lovely person!
Currently Reading
Reading is one of the things that is keeping me sane during these crazy times. Thankfully, I am currently reading books that not only entertain and provide comfort but also give me thought provoking insight:
Links direct you to Story Graph.
Burn After Reading by Catherine Ryan Howard - Always a big fan of Howard’s thrillers! The way she keeps a tense and chilling tone with her stories has always been a treat for me to read. And her latest thriller is proving to be another tantalizing read that I have a hard time putting down!
Tomorrow Is Beautiful: Poems To Comfort, Uplift and Delight edited by Sarah Crossan - After having the first half of 2025 being tumultuous and challenging, I thought picking up a poetry collection that I read back in 2021 would provide me with some comfort and serenity. Looking back at these poems gives me a way to deal with my anxiety and fears, but also gives a hopeful and uplifting outlook, which we can all use right about now.
The Boy Lost In The Maze by Joseph Coelho - Apart from Sarah Crossan, Joseph Coelho always brings the emotion and the magic in novel in verse for teens and with this latest emotional read. I also love how Coelho blends together mythology and reality in a tale of a young teenage trying to come to terms with their identity.
In Open Contempt: Confronting White Supremacy in Art and Public Space by Irvin Weathersby Jr. - Just finished this one and I knew it was going to be interesting but didn’t think I would like as much as I do right now. With this thought-provoking read that urges us to take a second a look at the art and public spaces that we have so deeply embedded in our history and encouraging readers to take a deeper glance at what may cause us trauma but a chance for us to learn more for a better future generation. Both dynamic and challenging, a book that everyone should read right now.
The New Age of Sexism: How the AI Revolution Is Reinventing Misogyny by Laura Bates - This has been at the top of my list for a while, and I am thrilled that I am able to start it! Bates writing and insight is always delighted to read but with the rise of technology and AI, both topics that I am interested in, I want to pay close attention to what Bates has to say in this one. I know I am going to be angry and sad, but this topic discuss in this book will be of vital importance.
Upcoming Events
Author Talk with Matt Braly & Ainsworth Lin - Tuesday, May 27 at 3 PM
Virtual Book Tasting - Friday, May 30 at 3 PM
Author Talk with Tillie Walden - Wednesday, June 4 at 4 PM
Dueling Detectives: Author Talk with Joshua Moehling - Tuesday, June 17 at 3 PM
Until Next Time…
Get your beach bag ready! Stay tuned for next month where I will be giving my top 2025 book picks that need to be on your TBR pile for the summer!