• Books + Tea,  Elevenses

    Dark Whispers + Ginger Peach Tea

    I have been waiting for this book for a long time. Over a decade, to be exact. When I was in grade school, I was obsessed with unicorns. My best friend at the time shared this passion, and we were always sharing unicorn themed books and playing make-believe unicorn games. There’s a surprising lack of unicorn-related books in the book world, and one of our favorites was The Unicorn Chronicles, by Bruce Coville. We read the first two fairly quickly (review here), and then prepared to wait for the third installment. It never came. I distinctly remember asking about it every time I went to Barnes and Noble. But eventually, I grew up and…

  • Books + Tea,  Elevenses

    The Great Hunt + Montana Skies

    The crisp fall air is filtering through my window right now, and it makes me feel ready to curl up in a cozy sweater, with a blanket, a book, and a cup of something hot. Today, we will be reviewing Robert Jordan’s second installment of the Wheel of Time series, The Great Hunt, over a cup of herbal tea. Tea Review This week’s tea is called “Montana Skies.” It is a black and herbal tea blend with some distinct licorice notes. I’m not a fan of Anise in my tea, but the lightly floral flavor of this mix was surprisingly pleasant. Anise is a mild laxative, has anti inflammatory properties,…

  • Books + Tea,  Elevenses

    Eye of the World + Lavender Tea

    The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan is hands-down one of my favorite book series ever. Which is ironic, considering I haven’t finished it. I think I’ve gotten about as far as book six or seven, but this series is such a commitment to read that I’ve never had the time to sit down and finish it off. Recently, I borrowed book one, Eye of the World, from a friend who insisted that if I was going to reattempt the series, I needed to start from the beginning rather than where I left off. Eye of the World is probably my favorite book in the series (I’ve read it at least 3 times),…

  • Books + Tea,  Elevenses

    The Unicorn Chronicles (Book 1 and 2) + Earl Grey Tea

    There’s a story behind this one. When I was younger, I was obsessed with unicorns. It was hard to find novels that featured them, but I read every one I could get my hands on. The unicorns I read about weren’t dainty, cute, pink maned creatures that pooped rainbows — the kind you see everywhere these days. They were beautiful and majestic, pure-hearted but also incredibly dangerous. I think it was that mix of beauty, purity and ferocity that made them my favorite mythological creature when I was young. At some point, I came across a series called the Unicorn Chronicles, written by Bruce Coville. There were two books, the…

  • Books + Tea,  Elevenses

    Inheritance + Sun Tea

    There’s nothing quite like sitting down with a cup of tea and a good book. To me, books and tea just belong together. There’s something so romantic about the pairing — something so cozy, so quietly peaceful, so perfect and right. In ode to this couplet, I’ve decided to start a new weekly series that will be part tea review and part book review/discussion. I thought it would be kind of fun and unique to structure the posts this way, as well as a great chance for fun themed photos — almost like a mini tea party every week! I’m not usually the biggest fan of black teas when I’m…

  • Elevenses,  Tea

    White Swiss Truffle

    I’ll be honest. I love hot tea all year ’round. But there’s really nothing like a steaming cup between your chilly fingers in the colder months. I’ve never been much of a coffee person. In fact, I’ll only drink it when it has enough flavoring to mask the taste. Tea is much more my thing. And I’m okay with that. There’s something so romantic about a cup of tea. It’s so filled with Victorian elegance, so steeped (forgive the pun) with history, culture, and tradition. Plus there’s the fact that tea and books simply go together, like rain and yellow coats. What’s more comforting than a cup of tea, a…