Tea & Books - What are you reading?

1992 Replies
AJ said

A Full Cup, by Michael D’Antonio.

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David and Goliath, by Malcolm Gladwell.

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Matu said

“The Cash Nexus: Money and Power in the Modern World, 1700-2000” by Niall Ferguson.

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mtchyg said

Cross Posting with hopes of suggestions from the book loving crowd.

My tea book club is reading The Mists of Avalon this month. Per usual, I’d love to hear everyone’s suggestions on a tea to pair with this book.

Ideas?

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Drinking WPT’s Dark Roast Anxi Tieguanyin and reading David Foster Wallace’s “The Broom of the System.”

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I just finished “The Masked Truth” by Kelley Armstrong and it was quite riveting.

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Matu said

Reading “I am a Cat” by Natsume Soseki. It’s a novel set in early 20th century Japan told from the viewpoint of a cat living with an English teacher (who doesn’t speak English very well). So far it’s absolutely hilarious. One of the funniest books I’ve read. Those who like cats (and many who don’t) would likely find it enjoyable.

Heading over to Amazon right now.

Matu said

I’m only about 40 pgs in right now, but being a cat-lover, this book is one of the few which has made me literally laugh out loud repeatedly. It’s good stuff.

I’m a cat lover as well. Just ordered this and I’m really looking forward to reading it. I love a book that makes me laugh.

Roughage said

Another cat lover here. That one is now on my Amazon wish list along with ‘The Good, The Bad and The Furry’ by Tom Cox. Have either of you read that one? I’ve heard mixed reviews but his blog is entertaining so I have hopes of the book.

The Tom Cox is mildly amusing, but I borrowed it from the library and then after reading it was glad I had not paid for it.

Matu said

Haven’t read it, and I don’t think I’ve seen his blog either. I’ll check em out, thanks.

Hope you enjoy it, Whiteantlers :)

Roughage said

I hope you enjoy it, Matu. I follow him on Twitter with his @MySadCat handle.

Thanks for the comment on Tom Cox, Whiteantlers. I might do the same. It’s not like I actually have space in my house for many more books anyway. Must be time to move to bigger premises!

mtchyg said

I am also looking it up right meow

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LOL! Geeks and connoiseurs of alcoholic tea.

Rasseru said

I wonder, what is the correct terminology? We are steepsterites yes, but not every connoisseur of tea is a steepsterite.

I had a google and apparently there isnt a term, maybe in chinese they have one…? sommelier is apparently not it, according to what ive read, online only though

@CWarren-I will PM you!

@Rasseru, you are correct, as is Google. Perfume connoiseurs/collectors have no formal name. A lot of them call themselves ‘perfumistas’ but I dislike the term and it also tends to be feminine, even though there are hoardes of male perfume lovers/collectors.

‘Tea sommelier’ has become an accepted term, but it makes me think of a skinny guy with a pencil mustache, slicked back hair, a tux and a fancy tea bag on a huge gold chain hanging down his front. Somebody needs to come up with better nomenclature for us.

Rasseru said

Maybe someone who knows chinese can let us in on what we are called there, seeing as thats where the earliest recorded camellia was found?

camelliaista

doesnt quite roll off the tongue, and barista is only people who serve, apparently. Our knowledge is deeper..

camellialier is even worse :D

Rasseru said

I so want to invent a word though lolol

cha-something?

Y’know, I do like camelliaista. From now on, I am going to list that when asked about hobbies and pastimes.

Cha-ster? Cha-ji? Cha-mon?

That is nicely minimalist and succinct.

Rasseru said

I was also thinking teahead, teaholic, teadrunk have been used but they arent likely to get into the english language dictionary any time soon, plus all are centering on the addictive or psychoactive nature, not the study of tea. ‘And I may be a tea drunk now, but tomorrow I will be sober. And having another cup, so what will I be then’

Roughage said

Teathusiast?

You might also describe someone as Teapotty: adj. In a state of being a teathusiast.

Teaspionage: the act of replacing sub-par tea in the office kitchen with good quality tea.

Rasseru said

Teaem player: office buddy who covers for you during an act of teaspionage- ‘oh no, that was always wuyi rock oolong in that tin, never earl grey’

Teanacy: similar to lunacy, its when you go crazy due to lack of tea, and/or during special times like flushes

Roughage said

Ooh, I like Teanacy. That sounds like the frenzy that overtakes me when YunnanSourcing announces a sale.

Tea-m mate: your friend who always shares a cuppa with you. Is probably also a teaem player.

Rasseru said

Teamancer: A subset of mage where the practitioner specialises in tea, not other hot beverages :D

Ah, yes, good example of a chachotic/teachotic episode

Roughage said

:D

Teanancy Agreement: that agreement whereby the shop owner guarantees you your usual seat every time you go.

Realitea TeaV: a high quality programme about brewing and drinking tea.

Marxism: a politeacal position toteally opposed to high quality tea, because all proper tea is theft.

… I’ll get me coat …

Rasseru said

haha I love TeaV

I love all of them-except TeaM. Reminds me too much of American offices where you are encouraged to abandon your identity and become one of the faceless, group think mob. Why be confined to just one? I feel like a Teamancer this morning.

Thank you both for a good laugh on a rainy Tuesday.

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Vanyahiril said

Let’s see. Lately I’ve read the newest Patricia Briggs “Fire Touched,” “Niko” by Kayti Nika Raet, & “The Screwtape Letters” by C.S. Lewis. Currently, I’m rereading “The Hero and the Crown” by Robin McKinley, & “Omega” by SM Reine. My hubby bought me a few books while we were out grocery shopping, so I’m a happy girl!

Shae said

The Hero and the Crown looks interesting! Is it the first in a series or is there another written before it?

Vanyahiril said

Technically, it is the first, but it’s more set in the same world, than following the same story line. The next one is called “The Blue Sword.”

Shae said

I’ve added this one to my wish list. Thank you!

Lynxiebrat said

The hero and crown is excellent, though I think it would have worked better stretched out in a 3 or 4 book series. I like Blue Sword, but in many ways it doesnt seem much coonected to Hero.

I read the Blue Sword first and it stands on its own well. It was written before the Hero and the Crown. I think it’s probably my favorite of McKinley’s books.

Vanyahiril said

I think I need to dig through my boxes, and add Blue Sword to my to-read pile. Some day,that’ll all be unpacked…

Lynxiebrat said

I’ve read a couple SM Reine, Both Preternatural Affairs and The Descent Series. I liked both, but more likely to read the next couple of books in the Preternatural series, As Descent is just a little too grim and it took me an insanely long time to work my way thru the 1st 3 books. I discovered both sets of books thanks to Bookbub.com. Both sets (I think.) were free. It was the 1st 3 books in both series. Every so often I comb thru the free ebooks on Amazon, since right now I’m to broke to buy any books.

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It seems I have decided to reread all of Iain Banks’s SF from front to back. I’m getting near to being done with Consider Phlebas, which I read once, and then started reading again a couple of times. I found out just before starting it that it was his first SF novel, and the first Culture novel.

Trying to put myself in the mind set of someone who’d never read a Culture story, and seeing this one told almost from start to end from the POV of an enemy of the Culture, has been interesting.

I had to buy copies of Feersum Endjian and The Algebraist from abebooks because I never owned them… there must be a lot of people out there who cannot bear to throw away a book, because you can buy used ones with free shipping at a price that I can hardly imagine to be profitable.

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