A spot of tea on a cold winter’s day hits just right. From herbal concoctions to green and black varieties, there's a flavor of tea for everyone. In addition to the purported health benefits, a hot cup of tea soothes the soul, can wake you up or calm you down, and warms you from the inside. Even a die-hard coffee fanatic like myself appreciates the occasional cup o’ chai. Curl up with your tea of choice and relax with these tea-themed novels.
High Tea and Misdemeanors, opens a new window by Laura Childs
The next installment in Childs’ cozy Tea Shop Mysteries series, opens a new window featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston. Theodosia and her tea sommelier, Drayton Conneley, are setting up to cater the wedding of Bettina and Jamie when they hear a sudden crash. The greenhouse roof has collapsed, trapping the bride and groom. Jamie survives, but Bettina does not, and Theodosia suspects murder.
Death By Bubble Tea, opens a new window by Jennifer J. Chow
This clever new cozy mystery series features Yale Lee and her cousin Celine, an unlikely pair coerced by Yale’s father into running a food stall together at the Eastwood Village Night Market. Yale, a newly unemployed bookseller, and Celine, a social media influencer visiting from Hong Kong, seem as different as night from day. But their business takes off--that is, until one of their customers turns up dead. Thanks to the gold flakes Celine added to their bubble tea, the cousins become prime suspects. Now they must work together to find out what really happened to the victim before they’re serving time, not tea.
A Tempest of Tea, opens a new window by Hafsah Faizal
In the first of this fantasy-adventure duology, scrappy Arthie Casimir opens Spindrift, a tearoom by day and illegal bloodhouse for vampires by night. Arthie and her staff mine their wealthy patrons for secrets, a currency used to better their own lives in White Roaring, the impoverished capital city of Ettenia. When Arthie learns the monarchy’s armed guard plans to shut down Spindrift, she’s presented with a deal to save her establishment: locate a stolen ledger capable of destroying the guard and possibly bring down the monarchy itself. While the themes of found family, adventure, and revenge might not be new, Faizal’s gorgeous writing and unique plot make this a can’t-miss tale.
A Cup of Silver Linings, opens a new window by Karen Hawkins
Ava Dove, renowned landscaper and tea blender, faces a crisis. Her teas are behaving erratically--sleep teas are causing nightmares, romance teas are spilling secrets, and happiness teas induce mirror-gazing. Meanwhile, her new employee, Kristen, grapples with her grandmother's arrival and the looming search for her biological father. Ava, convinced Kristen holds the key to fixing her teas, unexpectedly finds herself drawn into Kristen's journey, forming an unlikely alliance with Kristen and her grandmother. Together, they embark on a quest for healing, friendship, and family.
The Secret Service of Tea and Treason, opens a new window by India Holton
Agent A, the top spy for the Agency of Undercover Note Takers (a name that belies their impressive espionage skills), can handle anything, from deceitful witches to bored aristocrats stirring up trouble. Her next mission: thwart an assassination plot by going undercover as a married couple with her arch-rival, Agent B. Together, they must infiltrate a pirate house party while maintaining a professional facade, which proves difficult, especially as a forbidden attraction threatens to derail their mission and potentially endanger them both.
Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop, opens a new window by Roselle Lim
Vanessa Yu can see people's fortunes in tea leaves, a gift she desperately tries to suppress. But she keeps blurting out fortunes, complicating her life and those around her. In addition, her non-existent love life leads her parents to hire a matchmaker, an encounter that reveals a terrifying vision of death. Seeking a way to rid herself of her unwanted abilities, Vanessa accepts an invitation from her eccentric aunt to go to Paris. There, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery, learning that knowing one's destiny isn't a curse, but being powerless to alter it is.
Explore the art of tea, opens a new window at Central Rappahannock Regional Library this winter, including a Valentine’s Tea Tasting, opens a new window presented by Belle Grove Plantation. Visit librarypoint.org/events, opens a new window and search keyword “tea” for event locations, dates, and times.
Tracy McPeck is the Director of Adult Services at Central Rappahannock Regional Library. This column first appeared in the Free Lance-Star newspaper.
