Eureka! Harry Potter Dream Party

My inner child is currently pining over this party theme...

Visit Tradewind Tiaras for more pictures of the

Harry Potter Dessert and Candy Table and Mock Classes.

Credit: This was first spotted at lilsugar.com.

Taking About Labor Day the Movie

I'm late with this info but I just had to share it. It appears Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin have been signed to appear in the film version of Labor Day by Joyce Maynard. The other good news? It will be directed by Jason Reitman (best known for his work on Juno and Up in the Air). I was really moved by Labor Day and can not wait for this movie. I think it is because I have a tender place for stories with wounded souls that find peace and home in one another.

Have you read it? What do you think of the casting? Click here for my review of Labor Day.

Side note: I love this cover but I can not look at it without mentally singing "Peaches" from the band The Presidents of the United States of America (1995). Remember that band?

Well Said: Cookie Feelings

"In this way Penelope's happy and sad feelings got all mixed up together, until they were not unlike one of those delicious cookies they have nowadays, the ones with a flat circle of sugary cream sandwiched between two chocolate-flavored wafers. In her heart she felt a soft, hidden core of sweet melancholy nestled inside crisp outer layers of joy, and if that is not the very sensation most people feel at some point or other during the holidays, then one would be hard pressed to say what is."

-The Mysterious Howling (The Incorrigble Children of Ashton Place) by Maryrose Wood

Yes my darlings, I am (yet again) quite guilty of early holiday dreaming...but can you blame me? While this isn't per se a holiday tale, I am currently at the Christmas part and this passage is quite scrumptious.

Well Said: Helping Hand

"I had tried to help the bluebottle, but it wouldn't let me. And then I felt sorry for God because I understood how it must be frustrating for him. He offers people a helping hand, but it often gets pushed away. People always want to help themselves first."

~ The Book of Tomorrow (by Cecelia Ahern) isn't Christian Fiction and the main character is a bit of a potty mouth, but this observation is so spot on. Click here to read the passage in full.

A Quote About Running

IMAGE TAKEN BY AND PROPERTY OF TALES OF WHIMSY.COM

"It doesn't matter what people tell you. It doesn't matter what they might say. Sometimes you have to leave home. Sometimes, running away means you're headed in the exact right direction." ~ Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

Happy Monday chickadees! How did you spend the last weekend of summer? We strolled a couple of festivals, took the long way back to the city (where I stopped to shoot this picture), and then spent Sunday relaxing.

Contest Winner: Murder by Mocha

I'm tickled to announce the winner of my Murder by Mocha contest is: Carolyn Sharkas! Congratulations Carolyn! Enjoy devouring your new signed hardcover of Murder by Mocha. I will be contacting you via email for your mailing address. The winner was selected with help from Random.org. Three cheers for the lovely and gracious Cleo Coyle for making this contest possible!

Click here to order Murder by Mocha from Amazon.

Click here to visit Murder by Mocha on Goodreads.

To learn more about Cleo, the book, or her series visit CoffehouseMystery.com.

Click here for a PDF of Cleo Coyle's Aphrodisiac Brownies recipe.

If you love cozies, you must visit Mystery Lovers' Kitchen.com.

Wishin' and Hopin': The Queen on Kentucky

The queen of my new state? Say no more! I'm in!

Goodreads Blurb: "Fourteen-year-old Kentucky girl Ricki Jo Winstead, who would preferred to be called Ericka, thank you very much, is eager to shed her farmer's daughter roots and become part of the popular crowd at her small town high school. She trades her Bible for Seventeen magazine, buys new "sophisticated" clothes and somehow manages to secure a tenuous spot at the cool kids table. Caught between being a country girl and wannabe country club girl, Ricki Jo begins to forget who she truly is: someone who doesn't care what people think and who wouldn't let a good-looking guy walk all over her. It takes a serious incident out on Luke's farm for Ricki Jo to realize that being a true friend is more important than being popular."

The Queen of Kentucky by Alecia Whitaker is due out January 2, 2012

Morsel and a Snap: Homemade Latte & When Autumn Leaves

"I know when people don't make their own decisions it's usually because they don't reckon they're smart enough or good enough to make the right ones. But everybody gets it wrong sometimes. That's just part of life. We have to be strong and give it a go anyway."

"The past can be a demon, the past can get inside and change you for the worse."

When Autumn Leaves by Amy S. Foster

{PHOTOGRAPH CREDIT: IMAGE TAKEN BY AND PROPERTY OF TALES OF WHIMSY}

Yackety-yak: Dreaming a Little Dream of Fall

I'm craving fall. The falling leaves, the vivid autumn colors, the pumpkins and gourds, the long sleeves, the knit caps, the warm cider, the fuzzy socks... *le sigh* I feel the tingle.

So while I wait for the summer days to wane, I'm wondering do you have any fallesque books you can recommend me? Even something Thanksgiving related would help.

Photo credits: 1, 2 unknown, 3

Well Said: Old Enough

"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again." ~ C.S. Lewis

Isn't this image fantastic? Doesn't that quote ring true?

The print is available for purchase from Les Soeurs at at Etsy.com.

Morsel and a Snap: Bookshop Wisdom

"I cannot live without books" ~ Thomas Jefferson

Until I read this plaque, I had no idea I had anything in common with our third president.

{PHOTOGRAPHER CREDIT: TALES OF WHIMSY}

Contest: Murder by Mocha

Love chocolate?
Love cozy mysteries?

Then you have got to enter my contest.

The super sweet Cleo Coyle is giving 1 of my U.S. readers a signed, personally inscribed, hardcover of Murder by Mocha!!! All you have to do is
comment with your email address below.
Contest ends midnight September 15th.
Good luck sugarcakes!

Goodreads Blurb: "Clare's Village Blend coffee beans are being used to create a new java love potion: a "Mocha Magic Coffee," billed as an aphrodisiac. The product, expected to rake in millions, will be sold exclusively on Aphrodite's Village, one of the most popular online communities for women. But at its launch, one of the website's editors is murdered. Clare is convinced a bitter killer wants the secret formula. Can she catch who's gone loco for mocha?"

Click here to order Murder by Mocha from Amazon.

Click here to visit Murder by Mocha on Goodreads.

To learn more about Cleo, the book, or her series visit CoffehouseMystery.com.

Click here for a PDF of Cleo Coyle's Aphrodisiac Brownies recipe.

If you love cozies, you must visit Mystery Lovers' Kitchen.com.