Happy 2021! We hope this has been a good reading month for you, and a good start to your year, despite everything that’s going on in the world. This month, Caitlyn read 15 books, Cossette read 17 books, and Mary read 15 books.
January also marked the official launch of teatimereads, where we read These Violent Delights, and we’re extremely excited to see what’s next in store for teatimereads. For more information about our book club, click here!
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Read moreLove & Gelato meets Don’t Date Rosa Santos in this charming, heartfelt story following a Miami girl who unexpectedly finds love—and herself—in a small English town.
For Lila Reyes, a summer in England was never part of the plan. The plan was 1) take over her abuela’s role as head baker at their panadería, 2) move in with her best friend after graduation, and 3) live happily ever after with her boyfriend. But then the Trifecta happened, and everything—including Lila herself—fell apart.
Worried about Lila’s mental health, her parents make a new plan for her: Spend three months with family friends in Winchester, England, to relax and reset. But with the lack of sun, a grumpy inn cook, and a small town lacking Miami flavor (both in food and otherwise), what would be a dream trip for some feels more like a nightmare to Lila…until she meets Orion Maxwell.
A teashop clerk with troubles of his own, Orion is determined to help Lila out of her funk, and appoints himself as her personal tour guide. From Winchester’s drama-filled music scene to the sweeping English countryside, it isn’t long before Lila is not only charmed by Orion, but England itself. Soon a new future is beginning to form in Lila’s mind—one that would mean leaving everything she ever planned behind.
Like a lot of other people, I hold a lot of nostalgia for Disney — My mom used to work for Disney, and I grew up going to the parks quite frequently (back when I lived in Hong Kong). I’ve made many friends through my love of Disney — Caitlyn and Mary included. In a spout of Disney-nostalgia, I reached out to Mary and asked if she wanted to collaborate on a Book Recs post based off of Disney attractions!
Like many others, Mary and I have also been incredibly frustrated with how Disney has treated their cast members, and wanted to shine a light on Cast Member Pantry, which is based in Florida (venmo: @castmemberpantry, amazon wishlist here), Second Harvest Food Bank Orange County which supports those laid off at Disneyland, as well as these two google sheets – How to Help Disney Cast Members, and Laid off and Furloughed CM Support Sheet.
Without any further ado, here are 10 book recommendations based off of your favorite Disney attractions!
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Read moreMilly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each other, and they’ve never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they’re surprised… and curious.
Their parents are all clear on one point—not going is not an option. This could be the opportunity to get back into Grandmother’s good graces. But when the cousins arrive on the island, it’s immediately clear that she has different plans for them. And the longer they stay, the more they realize how mysterious—and dark—their family’s past is.
The entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn’t over—and this summer, the cousins will learn everything.
Hello tea party attendees! Today, we’re excited to have Thomas Grant Bruso, author of Eye of the Beholder as a guest at our tea party.
In the middle of a psychic session with Madame Petri, David hears a ghostly voice calling his name. But he is not sure if it’s the elderly fortuneteller exaggerating the reading or bizarre grumblings coming from a mysterious old man in a painting hanging in the psychic’s foyer.
When Madame Petri disappears in a ball of flames, David rushes home, terrified. From that moment on, David and his policeman boyfriend, Zane, find themselves trying to solve the series of murders and mayhem that begin to haunt David.
Links for Eye of the Beholder: Goodreads | Amazon
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Read moreBlackbird Fly meets The Farewell in this empowering middle grade memoir from debut author Waka T. Brown, who takes readers on a journey to Japan, where she was sent as a child in the 1980s to reconnect to her family’s roots.
When twelve-year-old Waka’s parents suspect she can’t understand basic Japanese, they make the drastic decision to send her to Tokyo to live for several months with her strict grandmother. Forced to say goodbye to her friends and what would have been her summer vacation, Waka is plucked from her straight-A-student life in rural Kansas and flown across the globe, where she faces the culture shock of a lifetime.
In Japan, Waka struggles with reading and writing in kanji, doesn’t quite mesh with her complicated and distant Obaasama, and gets made fun of by the students in her Japanese public-school classes. Even though this is the country her parents came from, Waka has never felt more like an outsider.
If she’s always been the “smart Japanese girl” in America but is now the “dumb foreigner” in Japan, where is home? And who will Waka be when she finds it?
Read more“She’s the adopted daughter of the Angel of Death. Beware of her. Mind her. Death guards her like one of its own.”
The day Fatima forgot her name, Death paid a visit. From hereon in she would be known as Sankofa–a name that meant nothing to anyone but her, the only tie to her family and her past.
Her touch is death, and with a glance a town can fall. And she walks–alone, except for her fox companion–searching for the object that came from the sky and gave itself to her when the meteors fell and when she was yet unchanged; searching for answers.
But is there a greater purpose for Sankofa, now that Death is her constant companion?
We’re incredibly excited to announce our February book for teatimereads — A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow. With a beautifully written tale about the 3 F’s (family, friends, and food), grief, and an incredibly sweet romance, and you guessed it, tea, we couldn’t be more excited to have chosen A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow for our February pick! We highly recommend you settle in with a warm cup of Vanilla Black (you’ll find out why when you read the book), English Breakfast or a London Fog, paired with some good snacks.
For Lila Reyes, a summer in England was never part of the plan. The plan was 1) take over her abuela’s role as head baker at their panadería, 2) move in with her best friend after graduation, and 3) live happily ever after with her boyfriend. But then the Trifecta happened, and everything—including Lila herself—fell apart.
Worried about Lila’s mental health, her parents make a new plan for her: Spend three months with family friends in Winchester, England, to relax and reset. But with the lack of sun, a grumpy inn cook, and a small town lacking Miami flavor (both in food and otherwise), what would be a dream trip for some feels more like a nightmare to Lila…until she meets Orion Maxwell.
A teashop clerk with troubles of his own, Orion is determined to help Lila out of her funk, and appoints himself as her personal tour guide. From Winchester’s drama-filled music scene to the sweeping English countryside, it isn’t long before Lila is not only charmed by Orion, but England itself. Soon a new future is beginning to form in Lila’s mind—one that would mean leaving everything she ever planned behind.
Content Warnings: family member death, breakups (friendship & romantic), mental health issues, grief, and dementia.
Links for A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | Indie Bound
To find out more about teatimereads please click here. You can also join the server by accessing this link!
Happy reading!
One of my favorite things about starting a new month are the new book releases. There are some truly amazing books coming out this year, my TBR seems to grow every day. As February is Black History Month, I will be prioritizing reads by Black authors. There are lots of great books by Black authors being released in February, and I thought I’d highlight 5 that I’m especially looking forward to!
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Read moreThe author of The Gravity of Us crafts another heartfelt coming-of-age story about finding the people who become your home–perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli
Marty arrives in London with nothing but his oboe and some savings from his summer job, but he’s excited to start his new life–where he’s no longer the closeted, shy kid who slips under the radar and is free to explore his sexuality without his parents’ disapproval.
From the outside, Marty’s life looks like a perfect fantasy: in the span of a few weeks, he’s made new friends, he’s getting closer with his first ever boyfriend, and he’s even traveling around Europe. But Marty knows he can’t keep up the facade. He hasn’t spoken to his parents since he arrived, he’s tearing through his meager savings, his homesickness and anxiety are getting worse and worse, and he hasn’t even come close to landing the job of his dreams. Will Marty be able to find a place that feels like home?