Books on Walking

The Power of Walking: 5 Must-Read Books on Walking, Connection and Wellbeing

Walking: A Path to Connection, Wellbeing and Community In today’s fast-paced world, the simple act of walking is often overlooked, despite its immense benefits for both physical health and mental clarity. Walking isn’t just about moving from one place to another; it’s an opportunity to connect—whether with nature, others, or

Thanksgiving Books

Top Thanksgiving Books to Share with Your Family This Holiday

As Thanksgiving approaches, many of us begin to think about family, gratitude and the timeless traditions that make this holiday so special. While the food, football and festivities often take center stage, Thanksgiving also provides a wonderful opportunity to pause, reflect and appreciate the connections we share with others. It’s

How the Movies Communicate the Heart of Tea

    I recently watched Miss Potter for the first time. Enjoyed the movie, thoroughly (Ewan McGregor sings, how could I not?). A classic story of English aristocracy, this interpretation of Beatrix Potter showcased many of the values I hold dear. These included: a commitment to creative work despite the

Awesome Tea Menus For Summer

  Here in Kansas,  it has been over 100 degrees for nearly 2 weeks.  Summer is HERE with a vengence. If you are ready to plan some “summer fun” then you need some original ideas for an awesome tea menu.  Here are some of my top picks for MUST HAVE tea books.  If

Addiction, Exploitation and Empire – A Book Review

Despite the increasing popularity of tea, few good books exist on the history of tea trade. Roy Moxham’s book, Tea – Addiction, Exploration and Empire, offers an interesting examination of the subject. Moxham, author of several historical books, recently retired from the University of London. As such, the story is

Books and Tea ~ Creating a Literary Tea Party

Is there anything quite as comforting as curling up with a good book and a cup of tea? Doing it with a group of friends! Hosting a book tea party can be a great way to experiment with some cozy teas and share some great books. You can have a

Tea Mystery Books You May Have Missed

    I admit it.  I tend to like the television series that do not get picked up.  You know, the 8 episodes that are pulled from the channel due to lack of interest.  Yep.  Those are my favorite.  So it is no real surprise that I am in love

Do You Need Some Summer Inspiration?

    Maybe you’re already able to easily transport yourself to the relish the gifts of summer. I’m sure someone somewhere has already said that summer is a state of mind. If I had to only rely on my childhood memories of summer, I would remember 7am swim practices at

Add to Your Tea Party Library This Summer

This afternoon finds me on my back deck with the temperatures in the low 80s. The children are occupied, the neighbor’s sprinkler and birds mask the barking dog, and the butterflies and dragonflies occasionally flit by to see what I’m up to. It’s easy to be thankful today for life

Real Men Drink and Quote Tea

“My dear, if you could give me a cup of tea to clear my muddle of a head I should better understand your affairs.” –Charles Dickens I think I’m going to start quoting this to my husband who gets up each morning before me. “For if I could please myself

Tea Party Girl’s Top Ten Favorite Tea Reads (So Far!)

This week’s theme at Gracious Hospital-i-tea (click the image above to meet our hostess and learn more) is to share tea from a perspective of literature or to share a favorite tea book! If I didn’t write a blog about the tea party, I would probably write about books. I

You ARE Watching Masterpiece Theatre Aren’t You?

Every Sunday evening for the next three months, your local PBS station is airing new and old adaptations of Jane Austen’s work plus a biopic on her life. I just needed to make sure you knew. Visit the main site to learn all the ins-and-outs of schedules, stars, etc. If

Who Else Wants Some Great Books with Their Tea?

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

A Beautiful Description of the English Afternoon Tea

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

The Way to Tea–A Book Review

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

A Few Inspirational Tea Quotes for Your Weekend

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

A Touch of Beauty for Your Friday

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

How to Take Tea with Jane Austen

Read the book by Kim Wilson or Take the Tea in London Tour with Denise LeCroy Granted, Austen did not live in London but her brother did and this allowed Jane to take advantage of London’s shopping! You could do the same. Denise LeCroy, the tour’s director, having lived and

‘Tea’ is for Hobbits

One of the incredible pluses of schooling my children at home is taking the time to read novels aloud. I try to incorporate them with the time of history we’re studying, but feeling a little tired of Ancient Egypt and Greece stories, we decided to switch gears and read The

A Few Weekend Tea Discoveries

Life is full, my dear friends, very, very, full. I need breaks for tea more than ever. It didn’t happen today except early morning, but time for tea at three remains my plumb-line. If too many pass by without time for tea, I know life is definitely “beyond the boundaries”.

Time for Tea: Tea and Conversation with Thirteen English Women

Little inspires me more to take the time to plan a tea party than reading beautiful books about the tea party. One of my earliest blogging favorites, Sherry of Semicolon, loves to read and write about what she reads. Her question during my comment contest was: “My question is, however

What Could Blogging and the Tea Party Possibly Have in Common?

Instead of forging ahead with planning the August Tea Party Event, I thought I’d take a short break and answer the above question. (Thank you for all the comments yesterday! I am thinking through some menu adjustments and I’ll be sure to let you know what I decide.) I’m meeting

Is it a Party with Tea or a Tea Party?

Lara (no url) left an encouraging comment this morning after reading Steps to Creating a Tea Party Menu with a few questions. Here’s a copy of the comment: Great job! That was a wonderful, comprehensive article and exactly what I think a tea party menu should consist of. However, I’m

Know Your Tea Party Experts #2

Elizabeth Knight–Ms. Knight calls tea “the original comfort food” and her website Tea with Friends is a delight to visit. She is worth looking up if you are in the New York area, as her latest book: Tea in the City: New York (co-authored with Bruce Richardson) has led to

Two Packages of Tea Party Supplies!

In one day! As I ran off to beautiful Sierra County last Friday, I received not one, but TWO packages filled with surprises for Tea Party Girl. The first came as a result of participating in my first swap through The Partea Planner. My new blogging friend, Robin of Pensieve,