Tea and the various ways it brings people together works well for fiction books. Magic happens over a pot of tea, mysteries are solved, romances blossom, great plans are padded out. It doesn’t really matter if it is tea or coffee, it has the same effect.
Your books about tea must include The Tea Garden
I could not put down The Tea Gardens by Fiona McIntosh. Although not set in or around a tea plantation some of the descriptions transported me there. As a Tea Master a visit to tea plantations in India is amongst my bucket list items. In the meantime the descriptions in this book made me feel I am almost there.
The main character, Doctor Isla Fenwick, determines to follow her mother’s example of working in India. She finds herself in challenging situations but is set for success. Doctor Fenwick travels to a tea plantation outside Darjeeling in her quest to help someone close to her. She is lucky to be there during the tea harvest and learns about the methods used to process it. It made my previous learning on this topic come alive, so detailed is her description.
The novel has heartache and healing, bravery and adventure all wrapped in one.
The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez- could just as easily be tea shop .
Afghanistan was introduced to tea because of its location on the ancient Silk Road, and today is one of the world’s largest tea consumers per capita. The drink is integral to the country’s famed culture of hospitality, with guests offered a cup of green tea – often infused with aromatic cardamom pods, and a piece of sugar on the side -as they enter homes and offices.
The mystique of a cafe in war torn Afghanistan is engaging.
Five very different women come together in the coffee shop as the author weaves her way through their gripping stories.
As these five discover there’s more to one another than meets the eye, they form a unique bond that will for ever change their lives and the lives of many others
Penguin.com.au
Guess who came to tea?
I can not wait to read The Tiger who Came to Tea (by Judith Kerr)to my nearly 3 year old grandson. My son loved tigers when he was a child so I am thinking he will enjoy reading this one to mister almost 3.
The story is funny but the illustrations are wonderful and you can’t help liking the tiger. The tiger is friendly and polite so not at all scary for children. This is despite the fact his visit is unexpected and he works his way through all the food and drink in the house.
The book was first published 50 years ago and is still popular.
For more of my favourite books about tea click here