Tea + Books = Paradise!

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Tea + Books = Paradise!

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1PensiveCat
Dic 28, 2007, 5:12 pm

We've had a topic on tea books here already, but here's another angle. What books, not on the subject of teas, are best read with your favorite cup of tea? In other words, which books are the scones to your Earl Grey?

2digifish_books
Dic 29, 2007, 12:06 am

For me, its the book I'm currently reading - Excellent Women by Barbara Pym. A matching teacup and saucer is mandatory ;)

3Marensr
Dic 29, 2007, 5:06 pm

Oh, Excellent Women is a great book for that digifish.

I recently read Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Island That is also great with a cup of tea because he is continually commenting on how Brits believe anything can be made better with a cup of tea and always sy "oh lovely" when offered a cup.

4Eurydice
Dic 29, 2007, 5:35 pm

Excellent Women - indeed, any Barbara Pym - is an ideal accompaniment for tea!

You're right about the cup and saucer, too!

I had wicked fun with a cup of Taylor's of Harrogate Spiced Christmas Tea* and Cautionary Tales for Children, yesterday. The "very British" tone, the black humor and irony, the marvelously elegant, dark whimsy of the drawings by Edward Gorey - made it perfect with a long-drawn-out afternoon cup. Choose something in the Earl Grey or citrus-scented range for best effect.

* lemon and orange rind stand out more than spicing, which is mild, cinnamon-y

5Eurydice
Dic 29, 2007, 5:38 pm

Actually, it'd be great with good green tea, or Darjeeling, but citrus seems like the thing... a winter wiping-away of stress. Revivifying.

6PensiveCat
Dic 31, 2007, 1:13 pm

I just purchased Excellent Women recently - looking forward to reading it (if I ever get past my TBR pile). Notes from a Small Island was fantastic with a mug of English Breakfast. Must read Cautionary Tales.

7Eurydice
Dic 31, 2007, 1:15 pm

Ladygata - it goes quickly. Don't pass up making it an 'in-between' read! :)

8Eurydice
Dic 31, 2007, 1:19 pm

Oooh.... >6 PensiveCat: reminds me: I'm visiting a friend, soon, who has a copy of Jeremey Paxman's The English, which I started and failed to finish on a previous visit. That, or some English history (I say, as if I'm really going to spend the time) would be excellent... with same, or a good, period Bohea, or a bit of Darjeeling, if we go late enough....

9bookbesotted
Modificato: Dic 31, 2007, 3:18 pm

Any book goes well with tea; however, these are the books that “cry out” for a cup of tea (and a biscuit, toasted cheese, a boiled egg, a slab of cake, or buttered toast….hmmm I have to stop now, my stomach is rumbling)
Barbara Pym, Miss Read, E. F. Benson (Mapp and Lucia books), Laurie Colwin,
Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe Series (Cornwell does a grand job of describing food in his Sharpe books and the main character, Richard Sharpe, and his Riflemen are always brewing a cup of tea, usually from loose tea found in their ammo pouches that is mixed with gunpowder), Elizabeth Gaskell…. and of course many, many others that I am now too famished to recall…..I am dashing off to grab a book, a cup of tea and leftovers!
Touchstones not responding properly.

10OliveBlack
Gen 10, 2008, 7:04 am

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. It's a comfort read for me, so it goes perfectly with a cup of tea and a blanket.

11Allama
Modificato: Gen 17, 2008, 2:50 pm

For some reason, historical fantasy novels seem to me to go beautifully with a hot cup of tea. Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon and the prequels that she wrote in the years afterward just fit perfectly, though it's been quite a few years since I read them. A more recent success for me was trying it with Notes From Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky; I swear tea enhances your perceptive abilities.

Lately I've noticed that I most enjoy the combination of books and tea when reading non-fiction. Philosophy and tea especially seem to blend well, their respective haughtiness melding to produce an odd form of hubris, lending one the sensation of being the most important person alive, all curled up in your armchair alone.

12diajoy Primo messaggio
Gen 17, 2008, 4:03 pm

Anything long and rambling; Jane Austen's an obvious answer, but so is a truly great fantasy /SF series, Rosemary Kirstein's Steer'swoman series. Earl Grey, Raspberry Royale and Constant Comment are my choices for tea; the latter especially good in winter.

13coloradoreader
Gen 18, 2008, 6:42 pm

The only thing I would add to this equation is a "blankie"! And I'm longing for all three! It's cold and snowy here and I would love to curl up with a book and a cup of tea. Sadly, I've been missing that time lately---this mom surprised the family with a new puppy for Christmas! What was I thinking? I had fantasies of the dog curling up WITH me while I read a good book. I'll have to wait until he can resist EATING the book!

14Eurydice
Gen 21, 2008, 1:49 am

Questo messaggio è stato cancellato dall'autore.

15chamekke
Gen 21, 2008, 2:26 am

The January gales are howling outside my window.

At such times, I find that Shirley Jackson goes very well with a hot cup of tea and a fleecy throw to wrap around one's legs. May I recommend We Have Always Lived in the Castle? (Just don't take any sugar in your tea ;-)

16Eurydice
Gen 21, 2008, 2:33 am

Sigh. It seems my long post disappeared. As for recommendations: you may, and I will take it under advisement! :)

17Wosret
Gen 21, 2008, 2:03 pm

Any book in which the characters are having tea is one in which I'll inevitably find myself following suite. These days it's The Keys to the Kingdom by Garth Nix, and prior to that it was The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly.

The Hobbit and other Tolkien, as well as Anne McCaffrey's Pern, Little House on the Prarie, and any "cozy" books tend to do it, too.

18Eurydice
Gen 21, 2008, 4:01 pm

Okay. I can't cope. Back to The Meaning of Everything, thoughts of the OED, and tea! ;)

19Karen5Lund
Gen 22, 2008, 12:16 pm

We've been having some cold weather here (as I believe much of the country has). So any book and a cup of tea, curled on the couch.... better yet, make a pot of loose leaf tea and spend half the day!

Which reminds me, I promised to look over a 50+ page document for someone at my volunteer job. She said she hoped it wouldn't be too much trouble, and I told her I would read it while lounging at home with a cup of tea and it's no trouble at all. But I'm only half-way through it. Time for some serious lounging! I think Earl Grey would be just the right balance of relaxing and mental stimulation.

20Schotzy
Gen 22, 2008, 2:54 pm

Anthing British does it for me- as I am now rereading Lynn Kurland's A Dance Through Time I need to remove myself from this chair and attack the sofa, with mug, a bit of shortbread, and a cozy throw. I'm off!

21PensiveCat
Giu 4, 2008, 2:10 pm

I'm reading Anthony Trollope for the first time right now, and must say he goes well with Earl Grey.

And now I've revived a dormant thread!

22krishh
Giu 4, 2008, 2:38 pm

Take a look at the end of nearly dormant thread Tea message board: http://www.librarything.com/talktopic.php?topic=31
ptero27 put a book and tea pairing list and Eurydice added touchstones.

23Eurydice
Giu 5, 2008, 9:38 pm

I finished Elizabeth Taylor's In a Summer Season last week, and for that kind of perceptive, light-infused, sparkling British author I certainly recommend Darjeeling. It's a good choice for hot tea in... well, dare I say 'a summer season'?

24Medellia
Giu 5, 2008, 10:36 pm

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. But you have to time your tea-drinking carefully, so as not to spit it out while chortling!

25norderhoull
Giu 7, 2008, 12:15 pm

I'm currently reading (Spilling the Beans) by ((Clarissa Dickson Wright)), which goes well with a cup of Scottish Blend, as the author now lives most of the time there. She is also now tee-total so what better drink than tea!!

26mstrust
Giu 7, 2008, 4:41 pm

I Capture The Castle with a tiny cup of English Breakfast tea because the Mortemains were so poor.

27Eurydice
Giu 7, 2008, 7:17 pm

Yes. And, if you like milk - go lightly!

28Eurydice
Giu 7, 2008, 7:20 pm

Just adding touchstones to these:

Spilling the Beans by Clarissa Dickson Wright with Scottish Blend or Scottish Breakfast

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith with small cups of English Breakfast, light if any milk, and no sugar!

29jgreerw
Giu 12, 2008, 12:31 pm

Rather than specific "tea books," this post puts me in mind of several things I've read where my tea drinking played a part in the overall experience. The common element in these books is, I think, length. I think that tea is most required when you've got a book your going to be living with for quite a while - long hours for long days for weeks at a time. I rememeber a lot tea during Proust and a lot during Tolstoy. These are books that aren't hard, per say, they're actually a lot of fun, just long. The kind of book that will take over a little section of your life and define it. Also the type that lends itself to a read-a-little, drink-and-reflect-a-little approach. These happen to be my favorite kinds of books anyway and tea happens to be my favorite drink/hobby/past-time. Lucky me.

30PensiveCat
Giu 12, 2008, 1:49 pm

#29 - Well put!

31EstherD
Giu 16, 2008, 3:16 pm

In my latest favourite book called Elegant als een egel, translated "elegantly as an hedgehog" (I think), there is lots of talking about tea, especially about Japanese tea and ceremonies and the book by Kazuko Okakura. So the best cup of tea to drink while reading that fantastic book would be green tea or perhaps jasmine. But to be honest, I believe every cup of tea would go well with a book...

32caitemaire
Giu 16, 2008, 3:23 pm

any good book, with any good tea.

33Wosret
Lug 9, 2008, 1:43 pm

I've noticed that there's a definite theme to the list of Most Commonly Shared Books on the main group page. It seems that most of us are fantasy fans! Harry Potter (all seven!), The Hobbit, and then a couple of historical "romances" (Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice).

I haven't read the last two, but the first two are high on my list of books to enjoy a cuppa over. Both of them have that cozy British feeling (for me) that could be described as nostalgic if I'd ever lived in England. ;)

34Eurydice
Lug 13, 2008, 2:59 am

It has that effect on a lot of us, I think. :) Quasi-nostalgic affection.... and connotations of at least emotional comfort.

35mstrust
Gen 24, 2009, 10:58 am

As a non-fiction read, I've just started the guidebook London: Tea in the City which describes all the famous or small places one can get a proper cup of tea. Beautiful little photos of Harrod's and Fortnum's tea offerings.

36ronincats
Modificato: Gen 24, 2009, 12:32 pm

Tales of Beedle the Bard with English Breakfast.
Regency romances by Georgette Heyer with Earl Grey.
Anything by James Joyce or W. B. Yeats with Irish Breakfast.
Passage to India with Darjeeling or Assam

What would be a good tea to read Dylan Thomas or The Prydain Chronicles with? (Welsh)

ETA correct touchstones.

37Eurydice
Gen 24, 2009, 12:49 pm

Probably a very strong English Breakfast or Ceylon-Assam mix. (I'm guessing.) With a bit of something 'warming' in it, at least for Thomas, I would think. Whiskey, rum?

38abookofages
Gen 30, 2009, 4:36 pm

I didn't like tea much until I tasted it with milk on my first trip to England. I've drunk five or more cups per day ever since. Often with a book or the New Yorker. Off the top of my head, here are a couple of tea-related anecdotes from A Book of Ages: Paul Revere dressing up like an Indian to dump tea into Boston harbor (age 38) and Julia McWilliams meets Paul Child on the verandah of a tea plantation in Ceylon (she was 31.)

39Karen5Lund
Mag 23, 2009, 9:54 pm

Diajoy (12) is quite right: Jane Austen demands tea, almost any variety you like, but it must be in a cup or at worst a ceramic mug. No paper, plastic or (ugh!) styrofoam!

I drank an international variety of rooibos, Assam, and several Chinese varieties through The World is Flat and Hot, Flat and Crowded.

40soniaandree
Mag 24, 2009, 4:36 am

Nice cup of tea and a sit down by Nicey - so that you can use the book for practical examples of biscuit testing/tasting and ratings, dunking or not, discussions about teapots, etc.

41CliffordDorset
Mag 24, 2009, 5:26 am

How about Peter Ackroyd's The Great Fire of London with a pot of Lapsang Souchong?

One of the most entertaining authors around today, and a fascinating subject!

That might work for you even if you hate the tea!!

42Karen5Lund
Mag 24, 2009, 9:43 am

Clifford (41), if you don't like lapsang souchong you could steep a cup in the background for atmosphere while reading The Great Fire of London, and drink something else.

43lahochstetler
Mag 26, 2009, 10:59 pm

Or you could light a fire in the fireplace and drink another kind. I must admit, I'm not so fond of the Lapsang Souchong (love reading about 17th c. London, however).

44Karen5Lund
Mag 29, 2009, 10:37 pm

Don't have a fireplace, so lapsang souchong is safer. And I enjoy drinking it.

Poems by Robert Burns with Scottish Breakfast tea. And then when it's long past the breakfast hour, switch to another beverage from Scotland. ;-)

45gmathis
Mag 30, 2009, 2:51 pm

I don't think anyone mentioned No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency with rooibos (bush tea). Precious would certainly approve!

46digifish_books
Giu 5, 2009, 8:20 am

>45 gmathis: Indeed! I love that series. The tea, less so :)

I'm drinking a lot of Twinings "Prince of Wales" tea lately. Which book(s) should I choose?

47tiegster
Giu 5, 2009, 2:58 pm

48chapeauchin
Giu 5, 2009, 4:42 pm

Jerome K Jerome's Three Men in a Boat but th eproblem is you may choke on the tea for laughing.

49CliffordDorset
Giu 19, 2009, 9:53 am

50OwlCat
Giu 19, 2009, 10:19 am

I came across a little paperback that claimed to be the first in a teashop mystery series. It was called Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs. It would have been perfect with Darjeeling, but alas there was none in the house so I made do with Early Grey!
I agree that a good pot of tea is requisite when reading Pym... and I agree with digifish, the china is important. The right cup and saucer are sometimes just as important as the type of tea we put in them!

51gmathis
Giu 20, 2009, 7:30 am

#50, you'll enjoy the tea shop mysteries ... good brainless cozies ... plot is sometimes secondary to the descriptions of the tea shop and its menu. (But I've read 'em all!)

52authorsandraharper
Giu 21, 2009, 12:01 am

You might enjoy my book "High Tea". It's about four gals in an L.A. tearoom. The best part of writing it was the research.... Especially the devon cream. I highly recommend a pot of "mauritius" to sip while you're reading. It's a black tea, slightly sweet with a hint of vanilla.

I've included a great recipe for scones in the book... the buttermilk makes them light and flaky.

Sandra

53alexa_d
Modificato: Giu 24, 2009, 12:53 pm

Unfortunately, I've been reading a lot of noir lately, and there's no two ways about it, those are (black) coffee books. I think after I finish Jinx (currently reading) and Torso (next on the chopping block), I'll take a break and jump back over to YA fantasy.

What would people recommend for The Immortals quartet by Tamora Pierce?

54snickersnee
Giu 24, 2009, 8:28 pm

Patricia Wentworth's Miss Silver always enjoys a cup of tea. And a bit of knitting, in between murder cases.

55mstrust
Lug 22, 2009, 6:59 pm

I'm currently reading Tea with Jane Austen, a well-researched non-fiction book. The author writes that Jane was in charge of making the family breakfast every morning and was responsible for buying the ingredients. She would travel to London to buy tea from the Twinings warehouse and the family only used Wedgewood china. The amount of teas cut with poisonous dyes and foreign matter on the market made it important for Jane to know who she was buying tea from.

56tealady
Lug 27, 2009, 1:09 pm

I thoroughly enjoy the new author Sarah Addison Allen. Two books, "Garden Spells" & "Sugar Queen", they are whimsical & mysterious -- light reads and great to lose yourself in with a great cup of tea!

57twogerbils
Lug 27, 2009, 4:30 pm

I couldn't imagine reading Agatha Christie sans tea.

58gmathis
Ago 2, 2009, 8:59 am

Sigh...I've reached a horrible juncture; dog days of August where hot tea is out of season and just a season of life where it's hard to concentrate on a good book.

No tea, no reading---aaaaagh! Hoping it'll pass quickly!

59CliffordDorset
Ago 2, 2009, 6:29 pm

Tea doesn't have to be cold to be refreshing in hot weather. Quite the opposite, in fact. It does come from hot countries ...

60PensiveCat
Ago 3, 2009, 11:55 am

I do agree, though, that there are moments in summer where it's hard to focus on reading - at least for me, anyway. I can usually fit tea drinking in my day (I kind of have to due to the caffeine addiction), but there's nothing like autumn for a cup of tea and a cozy book. Soon!

61krishh
Dic 11, 2009, 1:41 pm

62krishh
Dic 11, 2009, 1:45 pm

"Spend teatime with CS Lewis, Rita Mae Brown, Alice Hoffman, and more as they share their thoughts on the delights and comforts of tea and books on each individually printed tea tag. Novel Teas contains 25 teabags individually tagged with literary quotes from the world over, made with the finest English Breakfast tea."
http://bagladiestea.com/novel-tea.html

US only :-(

No connection.
KH

63jwillis
Dic 13, 2009, 4:52 pm

If you are looking for a book to have with your tea, how about a book that tells about the biscuits you are having with your tea ?

Nicey and Wify - Nice cup of tea and a sit down.

http://www.nicecupofteaandasitdown.com/

64pollysmith
Dic 13, 2009, 5:04 pm

these are so cool!

65BooksCatsEtc
Dic 16, 2009, 1:47 am

I'd agree that almost any book goes with tea, but I've found when I really want to relax I settle down with a mystery and a freshly brewed pot.

66NarratorLady
Modificato: Dic 16, 2009, 2:06 am

A full pot of Earl Grey and my favorite re-read Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.

67digifish_books
Dic 16, 2009, 2:09 am

>66 NarratorLady: Nice choice! (although I prefer Lady Grey to the Earl :)

68LA12Hernandez
Dic 16, 2009, 4:29 pm

>67 digifish_books:
I just discovered Lady Grey and love it. What brand do you drink as I have only had the Tetley's bagged tea.

69digifish_books
Dic 16, 2009, 5:40 pm

>68 LA12Hernandez: I drink Twinings Lady Grey (unfortunately I've only found it in teabag form so far... I would prefer tea leaves). It is very much like their regular Earl Grey but with citrus flavours. Don't reckon I've seen other brands of Lady Grey (I'm in Australia, BTW) :)

70LA12Hernandez
Dic 16, 2009, 6:00 pm

Your right it is Twinings I was looking at the wrong box. I agree I wish it came in lose leaf form.

71lahochstetler
Gen 14, 2010, 5:49 pm

I'm also a big fan of Twinings' Lady Grey- it's the only Lady Grey I've tried, but I'm quite a fan. It's also one of the few teas I drink in bagged form.

72IFish
Gen 29, 2010, 6:36 pm

Tea has to be strong - builders tea- PG Tips with a good English set crime Fiction paper back .Peter Robinson for example and Detective Banks The books are set in Yorkshire

73IFish
Gen 29, 2010, 6:36 pm

Tea has to be strong - builders tea- PG Tips with a good English set crime Fiction paper back .Peter Robinson for example and Detective Banks The books are set in Yorkshire

74Bcteagirl
Modificato: Apr 15, 2010, 11:54 am

Not sure which thread this would fit in, so will put it here. Noticed this on the sidebar of recently added books here a day or two ago. The name caught my attention as Darjeeling (More specifically Margret's Hope) is my favourite tea:

The book Dark Road to Darjeeling is not out yet:

http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Road-Darjeeling-Deanna-Raybourn/dp/0778328201/ref=sr_...

Nor is the description posted. Does anyone here know anything?

75sqdancer
Modificato: Apr 15, 2010, 1:11 pm

I think Dark Road to Darjeeling is the 4th in the series of Lady Julia historical mysteries and it is set in the Himalayas.

76RebekahElizabeth
Apr 15, 2010, 5:28 pm

The Other Boleyn Girl goes very well with a cup of Earl Grey. A Farewell To Arms is also a great compliment to some Twinings Orange Pekoe tea with honey on a cool, sunny day :) Delicious.

77vintagesuzy
Mar 30, 2012, 9:01 pm

Books to read with a cup of tea: definitely anything by Barbara Pym, also Elizabeth Taylor, Elizabeth Von Arnim, Miss Read and at the moment Alexander McCall Smith "The Sunday Philosophy Club" - they're all the perfect read to cozy up with a cuppa tea ;)

78Osbaldistone
Modificato: Mar 31, 2012, 4:13 pm

Travel lit such as works by Bill Bryson, H. V. Morton, and Patrick Leigh Fermor. It just seems right to be at home in a comfortable chair with a cup of tea, reading about travel adventures.

Books about books, such as A Booklover's Companion by Matthew Reisz, The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel, and works by Nicholas Basbanes such as A Gentle Madness and Every Book Its Reader.

Os.

79gmathis
Mar 31, 2012, 6:26 pm

Christy or The Tall Woman with sassafrass tea...or anything in the ballad series by Sharyn McCrumb.

80Osbaldistone
Apr 2, 2012, 2:51 pm

Harlan Ellison's Angry Candy with Earl Grey in one hand and Scotch in the other

Os.