Thursday Tea

Thursday Tea is a weekly feature hosted by Anastasia at Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog.

" To play along, all you need is some tea, a book, and the willingness to answer some very simple questions: What tea are you drinking (and do you like it)? What book are you reading (and do you like it)? Tell us a little about your tea and your book, and whether or not the two go together."

The tea:

Yunnan Black Tea. Described on the packet thus: "Smooth, sweet honey flavour with an elegant flowery aroma. Highly prized by tea connoisseurs."

The book:

The Disappeared by Kim Echlin (2009) 235 pages HC

Set in Montreal and Cambodia during the 1970s, this love story plays out during the post Pol Pot era when Cambodia was getting back on its feet after terrible years of war and brutal oppression. The outside world was just discovering the extent of the deaths from the killing fields and democratic process was being promised but was not being delivered in any serious ways. Anne goes to Cambodia to find her boyfriend Serey after his return to his country and a silence of years that she has never been able to accept or understand. They were in love so what happened to him? Did he find any of his missing family? Is he even alive? Her heart tells her that he would never have deserted her if he could have returned to Canada. She will fight against a uncooperative bureaucracy that has much to hide, with nothing but her persistent love for this man. And she will find him but things do not always turn out quite the way we hope. A haunting tale, The Disappeared "is a remarkable consideration of language, truth, justice, and memory that speaks to the conscience of the world, and to love, even when those we love most are gone."

Do they go together?

A dark tea, Yunnan Black seemes appropriate to this story with its heartbreaking questions, deep loss and shadows of the past.

What are you drinking/reading today?

Previous Posts:

Library Loot

Haiku Friday

Review: The Echo Maker by Richard Powers

More Thursday Tea

Thursday Tea

Thursday Tea is a weekly feature hosted by Anastasia at Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog.

" To play along, all you need is some tea, a book, and the willingness to answer some very simple questions: What tea are you drinking (and do you like it)? What book are you reading (and do you like it)? Tell us a little about your tea and your book, and whether or not the two go together."

The tea:

Apricot Peach Oolong. Described on the packet thus: "Oolong tea, peaches (peaches, cornstarch), orange peels, salflower petals."

The book:

Asta in the Wings by Jan Elizabeth Watson (2009) 314 pgs. pb.

I saw this book mentioned on a book blog but do not remember which. This story is narrated by a child who together with her brother was terribly neglected and keep away from school and indoors with only an occassional television show to give them an idea of the "outside". Asta is seven, smarter than she's taken for, resourceful and curious. She remains loyal to her family even when separated from them and trying to work life out for herself. Navigating the uncertains seas of adult whims is never easy, but when you've had little or no social exchange, even with those your own age, uncertainly about what to say or how to make friends is deeply-rooted. But our little Asta has lots to say and think about in her head and we are privleged to hear it all. It's a good story, an easy read, I am more than half way through and anxious to see how things go for her.

Do they go together?

The apricot peach oolong is really lovely, so is the aroma which is exactly what you would expect it to be with a name like that. Our weather has finely warmed up today and it feels like spring for the first time. The scent of the tea reminded me that the first tree to bloom on our farm was always the apricot tree just outside the kitchen window. We had apples, cherries, grapes, etc. but that lone apricot tree was always first to open its blossoms. My father loved the fruit on it. My own childhood was very difficult in some ways and reading this novel has taken me back to some of the nicer things. So yes, the tea seems perfect for this story.

What are you drinking/reading today?

Thursday Tea

Thursday Tea is a weekly feature hosted by Anastasia at Birdbrain(ed) Blog.
"To play along, all you need is some tea, a book, and the willingness to answer some very simple questions: What tea are you drinking (and do you like it)? What book are you reading (and do you like it)? Tell us a little about your tea and your book, and whether or not the two go together."
The tea:
Nuwara Eliya "floating over the clouds" (Ceylon Orange Pekoe). Described on the label as "The 'champagne' of Ceylon teas. Highly aromatic, delicately & tangy. This is a perfect afternoon tea uniquely enhanced by a slice of lemon or milk."

The book:

The Blue Fox by Sjon (2008) 112 pgs. pb, translated from the Icelandic

This is a beautifully told story that opens with a man tracking a blue fox through the snow in Iceland. The vixen temporarily escapes into a sudden blizzard but the man will persist for two days until he finds her again. Then it shifts back to a day or two to before the hunt, to the town where he lives and gives the surrounding story that shows us through the eyes of others what kind of man he is and what led up to his winter trek. A captivating story that I found unable to put down. The descriptions are lyrical and vivid, the characters well drawn and believable. We are then returned to the icy slopes where the hunt itself precipitates an unexpected turn of events and the struggle between life and death takes on a whole new meaning for our hunter. It is a lovely afternoon's read. I highly recommend what the publisher rightly calls "this spellbinding fable that is part mystery, part fairy tale."

Do they go together?

Hot tea always goes well with a story set in the snow. But I feel this was an appropriate drink for this book if only because the main character in the town is an herbalist and early in the story he makes tea for a grieving man who hasn't tasted it before. The tea set and the making of the tea are described while the man tells his guest about the tea-pickers on the slopes of Darjeeling in some of the loveliest prose I've read recently. Me and my tea felt right at home. 

What are you drinking/reading today?

Others who reviewed The Blue Fox: 
Claire at Paperback Reader
Tony at Tony's Reading List  
Eva at A Striped Armchair

Recent Posts:
Library Loot
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"25 Books That Caused a Commotion"
Weekly Geeks 13 (haiku poetry)

Giveaway: The Girl Who Stopped Swimming (until April 19)

Thursday Tea (Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf)

Thursday Tea

Thursday Tea is a weekly feature hosted by Anastasia at
Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog.

" To participate, all you need is some tea, a book, and the willingness to answer some very simple questions: What tea are you drinking (and do you like it)? What book are you reading (and do you like it)? Tell us a little about your tea and your book, and whether or not the two go together."

The tea:
I'm drinking " Hanwal 2nd Flush Assam Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe". It's described on the packet as " A first class Assam that combines all the features of a high class Assam Tea. This is a very strong spicy distinctive tea." This is one of a gift pack of assorted teas recently given to my friend Debbie D.

The book:

I am reading Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf, online at The University of Adelaide, Australia (http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/).

I was looking for something that might qualify for the Classics Reading Challenge without having to slog through 19th century fiction, which is not my favourite. I am also reading it for the 1% Well Read Challenge.

Jacob's Room was an experimental book for Woolf in 1922 but it certainly stands the test of time for good literature, and is generally an easy read. I lost my way once or twice about who was speaking or how much time has passed but not as much as I thought I might and quickly picked up the thread again. Her writing is quite vivid. I could see, hear, and smell everything.

[later] The Hanwal Assam kept me going (never start a book at midnight) and I finished it. The story follows a young man through his life in the early part of the twentieth century leading up to the first World War. I enjoyed it and though the ending seemed abrupt, I believe that was the point about life in general. I can certainly recommend it . It is also one of the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die and I can see why. I have enjoyed Woolf's non fiction, essays, and A Room of One's Own tremendously but never got around to her fiction, except for Orlando, which is very interesting. I will be reading more of Woolf's fiction very soon. Four and a half stars out of five.

Do they go together?

It was my first taste of this tea which is stronger than I normally like but since it was late and I wanted to finish Jacob's Room it seemed appropriate to the occasion. I think this tea is probably better as something to spice up with a little rum or something and have given to my husband for that purpose.

What are you drinking/reading this Thursday?