Books and tea go together. I know this and I’m guessing you do, as well. Celestial Seasonings has also figured it out, with their multi-million dollar ad agency learning that 70% of tea drinkers consider “reading books” as a favorite pastime. In fact, part of their new marketing includes giving you a book club guide and providing a website for a virtual discussion if you purchase their teas and Random House books. Hmm…I bet they spent a lot of money to set that all up. I’m pretty skeptical when it comes to Big Business trying to grab the market-share. As I commented at Tea Guy Speaks this morning, it reminds me of the prizes offered in cereal boxes. After all, bloggers can set-up a book club anywhere with whatever tea they want, we don’t need Celestial Seasonings to spend all that money to do it for us. But that’s another post…

Amy at Earnest Parenting tagged me for a Book meme earlier this week. I don’t always participate in these fun, community-building blogging activities, but since books and tea do go together, I thought I’d share. And since I had to look it up, I thought I’d let you know a meme (pronounced meem) is defined as a a cultural item that is transmitted by repetition in a manner analogous to the biological transmission of genes. Now you know. Watch, I may tag you at the end.

1. How many books do I own? Hundreds. In reality, I have no idea, but books are in almost every room of our house, despite my clutter phobia. I give lots of books away. I sort through my books at least once per year. But we’re a homeschooling family and consider reading in the top three of our family’s recreational activities.
2. What was the last book I read? Probably a better question for me is what was the last book I finished. I just finished the book I wrote about recently, Rebecca, and loved it. (Did you know Alfred Hitchcock made a movie of Rebecca, his only film that won Best Picture? I must try and see that). The last book I read was this morning, The Message// Remix: Solo: The Uncommon Devotional. This book, my first cup of tea, and I try and start our day together without the children; something I really, really need to keep centered and focused.
3. What was the last book I purchased? The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. I had to wait an extra few weeks for it to arrive from Amazon, because I wanted a version that didn’t have the words “Oprah’s Book Club” on the cover so my man would read it. Shhh…don’t tell Plays with Fire it’s an Oprah choice. We always exchange books at Christmas. I love this little rhyme about gift-giving and try to follow it:
   • “Something to eat, something to read, something to play with, and something they need”
4. What five books are the most meaningful to me?
   1. The Book of Job
   2. Gift from the Sea
   3. Wuthering Heights
   4. The Journey of Desire/New Way to Be Human
   5. A Severe Mercy
5. What is my most obscure favorite book? Miss Rumphius. It always amazes me how many lovers of literature have never heard of this children’s book. It is my absolute favorite.

Do you read while you drink tea? Even if I don’t tag you, I would love to hear your answers to some of these questions in the comments below. And remember, if you want to learn more about my favorite TEA-related books, be sure to visit my “Tea Reads” page.

Let’s see, I tag: Stephanie at Steph’s Cup of Tea, Jamie at Tea on Tap, and Karen at Scraps of Mind.

And think of Mz. Rita tomorrow, hosting her tea for 50 women! She left a great comment on this post outlining the games she has planned. Good for you, Rita!

I hope you are finding time to read a good book during these short almost-winter days with a cup of tea in hand.

From my current read, Rebecca, a Gothic Romance written in the 1930s. The heroine, banished from her former life for reasons still unknown, reminisces about the rituals of old.

“Here I think of half-past four at Manderley, and the table drawn before the library fire. The door flung open, punctual to the minute, and the performance, never-varying, of the laying of the tea, the silver tray, the kettle, the snowy cloth. Those dripping crumpets, I can see them now. Tiny crisp wedges of toast, and piping-hot, flaky scones. Sandwiches of unknown nature, mysteriously flavored and quite delectable, and that very special gingerbread. Angel cake, that melted in the mouth, and his rather stodgier companion, bursting with peels and raisins.” (Du Maurier, 13).

Where I live it is pitch dark by 5:30pm with the temperature dropping toward the 30s. I am thrilled to snatch a half hour in my tea corner these evenings, savoring my recently chosen noshes, and getting lost in a well-written book.

Tea Party Girl can be found this week at the following carnivals. Be sure to stop by and check out all the great postings or in Lara’s case, feel free to join the fun!

• Talk about Tuesday at Lara’s Lazy Organizer
• The Centennial Edition of the Home School Carnival at Mom is Teaching
• Make It from Scratch Carnival at Stop the Ride!

May you find a cozy corner for a few moments of reading and tea whatever today may bring.

I first learned of Jennifer Sauer’s book subtitled: “Your Adventure Guide to San Francisco Tea Culture” days after returning from my own San Francisco walking-tea tour. I would have really enjoyed using this book as my guide instead! Ms. Sauer’s book adds to the needed portrayal of the best tea culture has to offer, especially in the United States. The Way to Tea is “…an invitation to America’s new tea culture, which is brewing at its aromatic best in the Bay Area.” (10). She accomplishes this primarily through her photography; and it is the breath-taking photos that make this book most appealing. As a writer, I also appreciated her introduction that included her “tea story” and the foreword by James Norwood Pratt who’s also from San Francisco.

Any tea party lover would appreciate this book whether they might have the opportunity to visit the venues reviewed or not. Spanning Chinese, Japanese, and British customs, the eighteen chosen offer a wide variety of all the forms “the tea party” can take. Tea parties, or the tea ceremony, are NOT just for retired ladies wearing red hats or Zen Buddhist monks, for that matter. (Obviously, as Poleng Lounge, a tea nightclub is included). Tea universally offers, “a gracious respite from banality and daily routine.” (13). And since Tea Party Girl focuses almost primarily on the European influence on tea culture, I especially appreciated Sauer’s description of Britain’s contribution. “English salons offer refinement, repose, and connection.”

After reading the book, I’m especially eager to visit Modern Tea and the Secret Garden Tea House. Modern Tea received a glowing report not just from Ms. Sauer, but Anne Evans of Teaching Tea, (Hi, Mom!) whose stamp of approval I highly revere. Modern Tea only serves “organic, fair-trade, seasonally rotating teas in a light-filled, airy and comfortable restaurant that feels like part summer-camp dining hall and part contemporary art museum.” (89). The photographs taken at the Secret Garden Tea House I find enchanting, especially now that I believe in fairies. “From the Royal Albert bone china to the gingham and rose fabric tablecloths and silver place settings, not a detail has been spared in the creation of a fantasy afternoon tea.” (81)

It’s still relatively rare to find a tea book that has beautiful photographs AND spans the different tea cultures. Normally, Tea Party Girl doesn’t recommend “coffee” table books, but I do recommend this one as such. I rotate this book with a few of my other favorite display books; books I hope my guests will pick up and thumb through. My other tea display books currently include:

• Tea with Jane Austen
• Tea with Presidential Families
• Victoria The Pleasures of Tea: Recipes and Rituals

Monday, I’ll be posting my Christmas presents recommendations for the tea lover and plan to include this book. Who in your life would enjoy a Tea Read this Christmas? Why not check it off your list right now?

A special thanks to Jennifer Leigh Sauer for providing me with a copy for this review!

Last night, I crawled into bed close to 11:30pm. I curled up with my book-light and latest Tea Read, Tea Celebrations by Alexandra Stoddard. Mrs. Stoddard’s written many books about personal style, beautiful living, and the art of everyday graces. Here’s a few of my favorite quotes from her chapter on tea parties.

“Just as a friend is a gift we give ourselves, so is tea. It is good to turn our attention to beauty and ritual and grace. It is a form of thanksgiving to plan ahead and invite friends to a tea party.”

“The tea ceremony is the way to serenity, but only if you play by a few rules. You don’t heat up water in a microwave. The ritual is all we have.“

I’m married to a climber and I think I gave birth to one who take their climbing pretty seriously. I don’t claim to totally understand it. But the following quote relates the tea party to my boys’ favorite sport.

“When we focus on efficiency in our leisure and pleasure time as well as in our business life, we are making a big mistake. The whole idea of tea is to slow down. If you wished to get to the top of the mountain fast, you could get there by helicopter. To be at the summit wouldn’t have the same meaning as if you had climbed the mountain one step at a time. The steps we take intensify our reference for life.“

I am anticipating crawling under the covers after hosting a small family reunion Saturday evening. The season of juggling the immense amount of details will finally see a respite. I will breathe deeply, inhaling the lavender tucked in my pillowcase and spend a few moments of thanksgiving before drifting off to sleep. And the next morning, I will awaken to a new day to time for an un-rushed ritual of tea.

I read a book this week to my two youngest children (ages 6 and 9) with illustrations that took my breath away. Even with the limitations of blogs when it comes to sharing art, I wanted to share some of it with you.

I found the illustrations in the book Cupid and Psyche by M. Charlotte Craft and illustrated by Kinuko Y. Craft. Here’s an example of one of them, used at the end of the story when Jupiter, father of all (Greek) gods summons Psyche before the entire heavenly assembly because he’s so thrilled Cupid’s been caught in love by his own mischief.

Page after page is filled with these incredible illustrations. My son and daughter both responded with wide-eyed wonder each time I showed them a picture, stopping their play and holding their breaths. That is the response I’m looking for as I seek to educate them in objective beauty.

Some people question why our family spends so much time educating the children with myths, fantasy, and fairy tales. Isn’t this counteractive to our Christian faith? Not at all. In fact, it is BECAUSE of my Christian faith that we spend time, for example, on the Greek gods and the culture of that day.

As the children grow, they will better understand the world Jesus was born into, what came before him and what came after. They will understand the philosophies, cultures, and other leaders in history’s entire context and why Jesus was so radical. But for now, I read them stories from different cultures and philosophies to expose them to the best these cultures had to offer. I do this because I believe that all truth is God’s truth and all beauty is God’s beauty. And it’s true that the Greeks knew how to tell and paint beautiful stories. In my opinion, K. Y. Craft’s illustration demonstrate this beauty well.

This is the season for my two youngest children, especially, where I believe FEEDING their imaginations with story and beauty in the context of history is critical to their mental development. It’s one of the reasons we school them at home, so we have plenty of time for it.

What does this have to do with tea? Nothing. The Ancient Greeks didn’t know the Ancient Chinese were hiding this great secret and drank lots of wine instead. But I share it with you because part of my mission at Tea Party Girl is to help you open your life more and more to beauty. (And now maybe the Christians and the home-schoolers will let me in their carnivals, heheh). Along with tea and other things, Cupid and Psyche helped our family do that this week.

Do you agree or disagree with our philosophy of beauty? Do you see value in a Christian family exposing their children to other cultures’ myths, stories, and philosophies? Why or why not? Please feel free to share your opinion in the comments. And if your family does read the stories of the Greek gods, be sure to add this book to your library.