By William I. Lengeman III
By Laura Child
Given the popularity of mysteries and the increasing interest in tea and tea culture, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that some enterprising author would combine the two. Oolong Dead, released earlier this year, marks the tenth in Laura Child’s Tea Shop Mystery series. The series, which follows the misadventures of tea shop owner Theodosia Browning, kicked off in 2001 with Death by Darjeeling.
By Elizabeth Knight
Elizabeth Knight’s Tea With Friends was a slim volume that offered her readers a number of ideas for themed teas. Her somewhat more robust Celtic Teas with Friends covers similar subject matter, but this book focuses on tea traditions that are specific to Cornwall, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Chicken Soup for the Tea Lover’s Soul: Stories Steeped in Comfort
By Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patricia Lorenz
The popular Chicken Soup series of books, which was launched quite a few years ago by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, probably needs no introduction. Chicken Soup for the Tea Lovers Soul, co-authored by Patricia Lorenz, joins similarly-themed spin-offs in this series which are aimed at wine, coffee and chocolate lovers.
Tea Art: A Modern Look at Vintage Tea Graphics
By Gregory R. Suriano
As the publisher puts it, Suriano’s look at vintage tea graphics is “a historical survey of wonderful images associated with tea over two centuries and a modern guide to collecting tea graphics.” The book includes more more than 160 images of rare items, including postcards, prints, posters, sheet music, book illustrations, periodical advertisements
Little Giant Encyclopedia: Tea Leaf Reading
By Jacky Sach
By Jacqueline Towers
If you’re looking to improve your tasseography (tea leaf reading) skills, here are two books that may be of some use. Sach’s Little Giant Encyclopedia devotes approximately half of the 500 plus pages to information about tea and the rest to tea leaf reading. A less weighty volume, Towers’ book sticks mostly to the topic at hand.
