A Book and A Brew 🍵

Sometimes there is nothing more you want to do than curl up under the blanket with a book in your hand, the AC blasting, and a pot of tea at your side. Or maybe you want to take an iced beverage and read your newest book at the beach? No matter where you like to spend your time reading, the question stands: what book should you choose? We suggest following your cravings! This comprehensive guide will help you pick a book that matches the vibe of your favorite tea.

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Hi everyone! I'm Grace, the 2024 summer editorial intern here at Islandport Press. I've always had a love for tea, but three years at university in the U.K. may have turned my love into somewhat of an addiction... nevertheless, the way I relax is with a book in one hand and a cuppa in the other. I've also starting making my own mugs, as I picked up pottery earlier this summer. I was even a bartender during my studies, and could whip up a mean hibiscus margarita! All that being said, consider me your tea leaf sommelier.

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The Last Summer Before Whatever Happens Next

by Bee Burke

The Last Summer Before Whatever Happens Next is a hibiscus lemongrass tea. Tart and refreshing lemongrass mixed with the hydrating properties of hibiscus makes this the perfect summer pairing with Bee Burke's adventurous young adult comedy.

The surprising minty aftertaste of this tea will be no shock after reading the hijinks main character Claire Hart gets up to after befriending the ultra-wealthy Toohey family.

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Moon in Full

by Marpheen Chann

Moon in Full is a butterfly pea flower tea. Representative of this contemporary coming-of-age story, butterfly pea flower has the ability to change from blue to light violet once something acidic, like lemon, is added to the mix. This tea perfectly shows Chann's growth while overcoming deep-seated challenges.

Chann, a second-generation Asian American, recounts what he has learned, what he has lost, and what he has found during his evolution from a hungry refugee’s son to religious youth to advocate for acceptance and equality.

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Take It Easy: Portland in the 1970s

by John Duncan

Take It Easy is an earl grey tea. As the name suggests, this warm bergamot blend will help you take it easy. Not only does the tea's grey color match Duncan's nostalgic black and white photographs, but earl grey reflects the comforting

and homey feeling of the book as an ideal cold remedy rich in Vitamin C and zinc. Personal and intimate, Duncan captures a trendy city and turns it into something quiet and striking.

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Just Up The Road

by Chelsea Diehl

Just Up The Road is a matcha latte (or if milk isn't your thing, a Japanese sencha). Green tea, especially in large quantities of finely ground powder, is moderately high in caffeine, giving you the energy boost you'll need to explore all the places featured in Diehl's comprehensive travelogue of Maine. Whether you like your matcha hot or

iced, you can take this beverage to-go as Just Up The Road separates each

adventure by season. Through candid, humorous, and personal accounts, readers will follow along on Diehl's trail of stays, discoveries, hikes, and meals—all while meeting some of the people that make them possible.

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We're Going Home

by Cynthia Thayer

We're Going Home is an Irish black tea. A hardly blend with more Assam than English Breakfast tea, Irish black tea is strong and malty. The intense, down-to-earth flavor is not unlike this memoir, which tells the story of Thayer's life, Darthia Farm, and the community the she and her husband, Bill, built together.

A beautiful true love story, Thayer's reflection on life and death after bringing Bill home from a life-altering accident is heart-warming to the core.

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When the Sky Is Like Lace

by Elinor Lander Horwitz, Illustrated by Barbara Cooney

When the Sky Is Like Lace is a lavender chamomile tea. Both natural sedatives with soothing aromas, this tea compliments the haunting and dreamlike qualities of this classic children's picture book. Venturing into a night on which anything can

happen, three girls listen to otters sing, eat spaghetti with pineapple sauce, and watch trees dance. Barbara Cooney completes the magic, using wispy and shadowy watercolors that will put you to sleep.

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A Full Net

by Sue Daignault

A Full Net is an oolong tea. Taking a bottle to-go or prepping an iced version of this tea, you'll want to follow Daignault's footsteps and spend a summer fishing after reading her fun and inspiring memoir. High in the amino acid L-theanine, oolong tea is thought to improve brain activity, sleep quality, and reducing stress and anxiety.

Much like the relaxing act of fishing, you'll be entranced by Daignault's stories of success, failure, and friendship to where you'll be as stress-free as this tea.

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Hector Fox Series

by Astrid Sheckels

The Hector Fox Series is a chai. A chai is a complex blend of flavors, a balance of black tea leaves and different spices of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and cloves. This group of spices works in harmony to create a sweet, nutty finish,

just like Hector and his merry band of woodland friends. In these stories, beautifully and intricately illustrated across four children's books, five friends set out on various quests of discovery and, in the end, always find each other.

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Salt and Roses

by May Davidson

Salt and Roses is a rosehip and vanilla tea. Although rosehip matches the name of this essay collection, it is also the perfect tea for someone who appreciates the simple, sweeter things in life. In Salt and Roses, Davidson encourages readers to appreciate life and find value in the people and places around them with stories

that touch on the beauty of human relationships, the playfulness of animals, and the

charm of Maine's landscape. Alongside Davidson and her husband, Jim, you can sip your tea while learning priceless lessons about giving life your all.

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At One: In a Place Called Maine

by Lynn Plourde, Illustrated by Leslie Mansmann

At One is a Moonlight white tea. This children's picture book is the perfect calming bedtime story that serves as a welcome reminder of all that Maine has to offer. Syrupy and smooth, this tea tastes of sweet hay and honey. Unique, yet

beautifully soft and appealing, this is the perfect tea to explore the inspirational depictions of animals, mountains, snow, and adventures under moonlight.