Enjoying a Spot of Tea with Mabel Beaumont

 I just finished reading The Last List of Mabel Beaumont.  I did a lot of reading while on vacation recently and ran out of material.  I went onto my library app and downloaded this novel that they recommended based on other choices I have made.

This novel, set in England starts with the sentence "I've been standing by this kettle, making tea for Arthur and me, for sixty-two years".

It goes on to explore this union of 6 decades between the protagonist, Mabel, and her husband, who dies shortly after we get to meet him.  Arthur was a list maker and after his death, Mabel finds a list that had been started that only contains Find D.  

Arthur was best friends with Mabel's brother, Bill, who was dating Mabel's best friend, Dot.  The four of them were together constantly and it was presumed that Bill and Dot would marry one day.  Bill passes away unexpectedly at the age of 25 and the other 3 are completely devastated.  They spend a year supporting each other in a fog, and when the fog starts to lift, Arthur asks Mabel to marry him.  

Mabel agrees but Dot disappears before the ceremony and does not respond to any of the letters or contact attempts made by Mabel.  Eventually, Mabel stops looking and life goes on.  Now, Mabel wonders if Arthur, feeling his end was near, was going to try to Find Dot, so that Mabel would not be so all alone.

Mabel decides that she will attempt to find Dot and this leads her to meet and allow others into her solitary life, sharing tea with each as they enter into her loneliness. 

Heather of Based on a True Story, hosts a group called Foodies Read, and decided to try a new theme for our group by making a Bingo board for us to fill out. Regular readers of this blog are very familiar with Foodies Read as I link up to it several times a month. 

I thought that I would have to read a book set in a coffee shop to mark off the Features Coffee or Tea square but, as it turns out, this read was perfect for that category.  Tea is featured in nearly every chapter and plays a very important role.

I am having fun with this challenge. To date, I have shared the following recipes and reviews:

•  Bisquick Cookies from a Library Book
•  Lemon Pepper Potato Wedges from a Cookbook 
• Navajo Green Chile Stew from a Historical book
• Venison Banh Mi Burgers from a book about Restaurant Life
• Hot Honey Caramel Sauce from a book set in a Foreign Country
• Gnudi from a book that is Part of a Series
• Apple Pie Cookies from a book that Has Fruit on the Cover
• Lobster Salad from a book that was Published Before 2023

Stop by and see what the other Foodies are reading this month.......