The first week of the month means that once again lovers of tea and books gather at the West Branch to indulge in these two passions for an hour.

This month’s tea was pomegranate green, which was served iced.

For a full list of books and news discussed by library staff, check out the July Literatea Newsletter.  Of course, things really got interesting when the ladies of Literatea started discussing their recent book recommendations.

In the world of book news, one of the hot tidbits is still the upcoming release of Harper Lee’s new book, Go Set a Watchman (released in 7 days… but who’s counting?).  One participant suggested that book lovers may want to check out the new American Masters biography about Harper Lee that will be on PBS this coming Friday, July 10th.

Meanwhile, until you can get your hands on Lee’s new offering, you may want to check out these other titles suggested by the voracious readers at Literatea:

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walters

 

 

 

Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan

 

 

 

The Supreme Macaroni Company by Adriana Trigiani

 

 

 

Love, Loss and What I Wore by Ilene Beckerman

(This novel was adopted into a play with Nora Ephron)

 

A Touch of Stardust by Kate Alcott

 

 

 

Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland

 

 

 

Dead Wake by Erik Larson

 

 

 

The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street by Susan Jane Gilman

 

 

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

(also recommended was the TV adaptation of this book series)

 

 

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

(If you have read or read this one and enjoy it, note that the sequel was just released: The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy)

 

Broken Harbor and other novels by Tana French

 

 

 

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf

 

 

 

Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

 

 

 

The Fifth Gospel by Ian Caldwell

 

 

 

The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman

 

 

 

Invisible City and Run You Down by Julia Dahl

 

 

 

Under Orders and other novels by Dick Francis

 

 

And that fellow bibliophiles, should keep you happily reading until the first of August when we return with more books and tea that you won’t want to miss.

Last Tuesday, a group of tea and book lovers gathered at the West Branch Library for what quickly turned into a literary tea party.  It was the first meeting of Literatea, a new monthly event that allows readers to sample different loose leaf teas and chat about books.

First, the tea.  This month’s tea selection was Earl Grey Creme.  Adding a touch of vanilla to the traditional Earl Grey tea lends a nice, creamy taste to this British favorite.  The ladies and gentlemen of Literatea give this tea an enthusiastic endorsement, both for its flavor and its delightful and welcoming aroma.

To learn a bit more about Earl Grey Creme, check out the Literatea June Newsletter, which also includes all the staff recommended titles for the month of June, some news from the literary world and five books that pair especially nicely with our tea selection of the month.

As our tea party progressed, things got even more interesting as the talk turned to the titles that the bibliophile library patrons suggested.  Some of the new and new-to-us titles mentioned include:

Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James, featuring Jane Austen’s much loved characters from Pride and Prejudice.

 

Once Upon a Time in Russia by Ben Mezrich, is the latest novel from this prolific, but not always well known author.

 

 

Palace of Treason by Jason Matthews is another new release attracting the attention of our readers.

 

 

The Trouble with the Truth by Edna Robinson is a tale with an interesting backstory of its own.  Robinson’s novel was originally accepted for publication in 1960, but was never released because its publishers believed it shared too much in common with To Kill a Mockingbird (also released that year).  Robinson’s daughter was determined to see it in print and managed to have it published after her mother’s death.

The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows is causing significant excitement amongst fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (and really, who isn’t a fan?),  since Barrows was one of that charming book’s co-authors.

 

In the Woods by Tana French gets accolades from self-described fans of “creepy” fiction.

 

 

Then our discussion turned towards some perennial favorites.

Anything by Alexander McCall Smith, especially the books in the The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series.

 

 

In the Company of Sherlock Holmes, which is a collection of short stories written by authors who took their inspiration from Sir Arthur’s legendary character.

 

The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman.  Is there anything more intriguing than a book that no one can agree on?  Even those who love Alice Hoffman couldn’t agree on whether to love or hate this one.

 

Less controversial and much loved is anything by Adriana Trigiani, including The Shoemaker’s Wife and The Supreme Macaroni Company

 

 

If you’re a fan of literature that makes you hungry, even as it feeds your mind and soul, our book lovers suggest checking out The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

 

 

If you still can’t get enough books about food, including some tempting recipes (not Weight Watchers approved), our readers suggest you take a look at Delicious by Ruth Reichl, a fictional tale, and also the author’s food related memoirs, Garlic and Sapphires and Tender of the Bone.

Our bibliophiles final suggestion for June was The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.  And if you love it, keep an eye out for Morton’s newest release due out in September.

 

 

The next Literatea event will be Tuesday, July 7th at 10am.  Feel free to join us in person for even more from the world of books and tea.