Tea and Books: Winter 2025 Pairings

by Ariana Salvo

I am writing this on a bright sunny winter’s day. The sun is radiant in the blue sky. The blanket of ice crystals on the ground are sparkling. The new year is upon us, but as I write this the last glow of Christmas trees still radiate through windows, covering sidewalks dusted with snow in a warm wash of light, and fairy lights twinkle along rooflines. On the chillier nights trails of smoke twist silver pathways up into the crisp night’s sky.

This time of year I notice myself nestling into a comfy chair with a steaming cup of tea and a good book every chance I get. I’ve read a number of books recently that I’ve absolutely loved, so as you flock to your favourite bookshops in search of the stories and poems that will transport you to other worlds, feed your imagination and help you to dream into the new year, I thought this would be the perfect time to share some of the titles that are going down on my best reads of 2024 list, each one paired with a Lady Baker’s tea that I enjoyed sipping while I read.

1. Orbital, by Samantha Harvey & Golden Monkey

Orbital is written primarily from the perspective of six astronauts living on a spacecraft that is circumambulating planet earth. The structure and content of this novel are inextricably linked. Instead of chapters, the story is divided into ascending or descending orbits which represent the 16 times that their vessel circles planet earth over the 24-hour period during which the story takes place. The individual and collective experiences of the astronauts on board is braided together with descriptions of the parts of planet earth they are passing over, and what is happening on the ground in each of these places. I had the constant sensation as I read that I was floating in space with the astronauts, with regular zoom-in visits to planet earth before zooming back out again. I particularly enjoyed how daylight and darkness were utilized to emphasize the futility of human-made borders, and to obliterate them. I finished this book with a profound sense of the interconnectedness of everything and everyone in the universe, and deep awe at the miracle of life, human capacity, and the power of love.

I would pair this book with Golden Monkey Grown in the high altitude of China's Wuyi mountains, I always find that this bright, coppery tea is always an otherworldly experience for my taste buds. Full-bodied, sweet and smooth, it is the closest a cup of tea can get to how it feels to take a long trip somewhere exotic! This tea is excellent black, but I like a little honey and a splash of milk in mine.

2. Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan & Ginger Peach Twist

This story, set in 1985 in a small town in Ireland in the weeks leading up to Christmas, is a brief glimpse into the life of Bill Furlong. A coal merchant, Bill is a devoted husband, father, and well-respected member of his community. One morning, while delivering coal to a local convent, he makes a discovery that forces him to question the façade of the peaceful and harmonious community that he calls home. This is a story about fidelity to those we love and feel responsible to; the blissful illusion of ignorance; and the impact that one individual confronting uncomfortable truths, recognizing the complicity of silence, and choosing to stand up to injustice has on everyone around them. A short but deeply moving and atmospheric story that will echo through your mind for months after you finish it.

I would read this while sipping a cup of Ginger Peach Twist. With a base of Darjeeling tea from the misty Himalayas, this blend marries the smooth brightness of what is known as the champagne of teas with the sweetness of peaches and the warmth of ginger. I chose it to go with this book because like Small Things Like These, it conveys a powerful sense of place (through flavour), and also because it takes a tea that is generally enjoyed in its pure form, and transforms it into something different—and, I would say—even better!

3. We Solve Murders, by Richard Osman & Roasted Mate Chai

I am an enthusiastic reader of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club mysteries, so I was thrilled to come across the first of what promises to become a second series of murder mysteries in a bookstore in London this past fall. What I love most about Osman’s stories are his characters. They are quirky and real, and inevitably make me laugh out loud without ever distracting me from the plot. We Solve Murders combines the sleepy comfort of Steve Wheeler’s life as a retired investigator determined to stick to a life of predictable routines, with the adrenaline-flooded world of his daughter-in-law, Amy Wheeler, a private, jet-setting security officer whose clients have been turning up dead. Amy turns to Steve for help, and the two are tasked with trying to unravel who is at the heart of the slew of dead bodies, and why all the clues keep leading back to Amy. With a fast-paced plot that keeps you guessing ‘til the end, and characters that you will wish you could meet in real-life, this was my most fun read of 2024!

Enjoy this murder mystery with a cup of Roasted Mate Chai. The spices will warm you up, and the maté leaves from South America will keep you alert and focused so that you don’t miss any important details of the story! This is a great tea for moments when you need a natural boost, but without the jitters!

4. The Work, by Bren Simmers & Coconut Bliss

The Work is Bren Simmer’s most recent collection of poetry—a collection for which she won the CBC poetry prize in 2022. The poems explore the ways that love and loss shape our lives—from the ways that memories of her father are juxtaposed over daily life experiences, to witnessing her brother navigate the loss of his wife to a brain tumour, to accompanying her mother through her journey with Alzheimer’s. This book charts Simmer’s journey with processing loss, but it also explores the avenues that she has used to continue to connect with loved ones across space and time—even as, in her relationship with her mother, the bridge of words that she has dedicated her life to building is slowly dismantled. This is a deeply personal collection, and it is the precise intimacy of the details that gently invites the reader to navigate through our own losses—perhaps feeling a little less alone as we do.

Coconut Bliss is what I sipped while reading this book. The blend of green teas from India and China combine perfectly with the sweet notes of coconut to calm the senses and bring about a peaceful feeling of tranquillity that invites quiet reflection.

5. The Heartbeat Library, by Laura Imai Messina & Genmaicha

The Heartbeat Library is a story about an unlikely friendship that develops between Shuichi, a successful 40 year-old illustrator, and Kenta, a lonely eight year-old boy, whose paths cross when Shuichi returns to his mother’s house to sell it after her death. As the story progresses we learn about Kenta and Shuichi’s hearts, the people they have loved and lost, and how every experience has prepared them for the present moment, and the friendship that they both needed. Along the way they visit the library of heartbeats on the island of Teshima, where they make a discovery that will transform them both. This is a story about loss, hope, the transformative power of love, and how an active and limitless sense of imagination can carry us through even the most challenging moments.

Genmaicha is my tea is choice to sip while reading this novel—both because this tea, like the story, hails from Japan; and because Genmaicha, a green sencha blended with fire-roasted rice that looks like popcorn, is, to me, a tea to be savoured in the company of friends, and this is, above all else, a book about friendship!

6. There are Rivers in the Sky, by Elif Shafak & Imperial Earl Grey

I read Elif Shafak’s most recent novel while in London this past fall, which was a treat because two of the narratives in it are set in London, and because the author knows the city intimately because it is her current home. The story is written from the perspective of multiple characters living along the banks of two mighty rivers: the Tigris and the Thames. Each story takes us to a different period of history, but what ties them all together is water—in this case a single drop of water that has traveled through time carrying with it the memories of all the places and lives is has passed through. As Shafak writes, “water remembers. It is humans who forget.” The three main narratives: that of Arthur who is born into poverty on the banks of the River Thames, but whose spectacular memory and curiosity lead him to become an expert on the ancient city of Nineveh; ten year-old Narin whose grandmother’s efforts to baptize her in an Iraqi temple on the banks of the River Tigris before the child goes deaf are being thwarted by regional violence and the destruction of their ancestral lands; and Zaleekah, hydrologist who has recently left her husband and moved into a houseboat on the Thames with the intention to taking her own life, only to find a story about her homeland giving her reasons to keep living—are all tied together by a drop of water that has traveled through time, carrying the wisdom and hope that all the characters need to keep going. This book blurs the lines between the worlds of science and mysticism, giving it a timeless, dreamlike quality that I loved.

I enjoyed this one while sipping a cup of Imperial Earl Grey, which seemed appropriate because Earl Grey is said to have originated in London in the 1830s, and is named after Earl Charles Grey, the Prime Minister at the time. An elevated version of a classic blend, Imperial Earl Grey marries the timeless flavour of oil of bergamot with the vibrant zest of orange peel and the subtle freshness of lemongrass. This is the perfect mid-afternoon pick-me-up on chilly winter days!

If you have any book/tea recommendations of your own, please share them in the comments section below this post so we can all add them to our lists!