Saturday TeaDay 6/5/10 Book 'em ...

[Chip]

Greetings and welcome everyone to TeaDay. I hope you will stop in to TeaDay throughout the day and share what is in your cup.

Yesterday we discussed RTDs. You can still vote and discuss yesterday's topic.

It has been a while since we broke away completely from a tea topic, so a TeaRoom TeaDay seems in order. It has also been quite a while since I asked what are you reading these days if anything ... so what are you reading these days? Genre? Please share ...

I am looking forward to sharing this TeaDay with everyone, bottoms up.

[debunix]

Excellent timing for a random topic. I have just finished reading two books that may be of interest to TeaChatters--All the Tea in China by Sarah Rose, and Country Driving by Peter Hessler. The first is a history of how Robert Fortune acquired tea plants for the British in India, and the second is an account of modern China by a writer who lived in Beijing for a decade, with a focus on the modernization of China: change coming to a traditional village (alas, not one known for producing tea), the development of factory towns, and the changing role of the Great Wall over time. I read the first in between sessions reading the 2nd of these, and there were wonderful resonances between them--everything from the change in industrial espionage from Britain stealing the technology for Chinese tea, to the Chinese factories duplicating European and American machines and products; to the persistent importance of face.

Today's cuppas included Tenryu Misakubo Shincha from Yuuki-Cha, Lao Ban Zhang loose puerh Mao Cha from Norbu, Taiwanese high-roasted Tie Guan Yin also from Norbu, and Yunnan Bao Hong green tea from Yunnan Sourcing.

[dooble]

I've just read a good finnish book about tea, and currently I am reading 'Soul Mountain' by Gao Xingjian. Just finished Heart of Darkness too.

Some Qimen soon.

[aya_s]

Recently completed The Story of Tea by the Heisses, which I really enjoyed. It's the type of book I'll probably refer to now and again when looking things up or discussing tea.

Now I'm delving into a book on (dis)functions on the brain, to be followed by some books on personal finance.

I know when I start full time school/work again I won't have time for personal reading, so I've been packing it in while I am working part-time.

My god the tung ting oolong from Taiwan has been steeped like 15 times. I give up, it's 1:30 in the morning and I'm really awake. You win, tung ting leaves.

[Trey Winston]

I'm currently splitting my reading time between Ian Fleming's Casino Royale and the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov.

The latter is surprising me with its depth and imagination - it is, after all, science fiction written during the forties and early fifties, and having read I, Robot some years ago, my expectations of Asimov's writing were moderate at best. But it's much better than I had feared. His dialogues need work, though.

The former is also most enjoyable, with its wonderful descriptions of what constituted luxury in the fifties. There's also a brief mention of tea, but sadly not sencha, which I'm sipping right now. That got me thinking: In the novels, James Bond prefers coffee, but if he didn't, which tea would he drink? I'm guessing matcha, since in You Only Live Twice, he spends a lot of time in Japan. Surely he couldn't avoid sipping matcha beside all the sake he gulps down.

[Dresden]

I've been in a mood for the classics lately...

Currently re-reading Animal Farm

[olivierco]

During the last two weeks:
The third reich trilogy:The coming of the third reich, the third reich in power, the third reich at war (Richard J. Evans).
Kriegstagebücher (Ernst Jünger)
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (Haruki Murakami)
Molière
Fantômas (Souvestre et Allain)
Some mangas (Doraemon, Ikigami, Blackjack) and cookbooks.

I have just started to read another cookbook and one of my favourite series: Jean Ray's Complete Harry Dickson series. I don't think these books have been translated into English.

Wakamatsu no mukashi matcha this afternoon.

[brad4419]

I've been in a mood for the classics lately...

Currently re-reading Animal Farm

I love that book! Thank you for bringing that up because I forgot about animal farm and now I want to re-read it. "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others" I think thats the famous quote from the book.

[geeber1]

I read mostly non-fiction.

I just finished 'The Double Comfort Safari Club' by Alexander McCall Smith. It's the latest installment in the #1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Now I'm reading 'The Brightest Star in the Sky' by Marian Keyes, which takes place in Ireland.

No tea yet this morning. Better go take care of that!

[artmom]

Two of my fav subjects; Tea and Books.

Skippyandjif kept mentioning rose congou and after tasting the amazing White Rose tea from Victoria , I just had to try a black with rose. I chose Rose Congou Emperor by Culinary Teas. It's a Chinese tea from Fujian Province, and the grade is F.O.P.

It is certainly not the White Rose, but for a black tea, it is very smooth. I even drank it without milk and enjoyed it thoroughly. The scent is full, without being overpowering. A lovely coppery liquor. Very, very pleasing. It will join MF Marco Polo as a staple in my black tea favorites.

Reading now:

The Bosch Series by Michael Connelly -- Mystery novels about an LAPD detective. I'm on the seventh in the series.

Going Rogue by Sarah Palin

I'm re-reading Dreams From My Father by Barak Obama

That's what I love about my Kindle; my library is right in a 10.2 ounce, slim as a pencil, reading device! Sure makes reading more pleasant for my arthritic hands and the ability to adjust the font size helps my aging eyes.

[Skippyandjif]

I'm glad you liked the rose congou, Artmom!

I've been on summer break for the past two weeks, and have used the free time to practically inhale every book that comes my way. I also recently finished reading All the Tea in China by Sarah Rose, and my current reading list is:

Nobel Prize Women in Science by Sharon McGrayne
Wild Swans by Jung Chang
Kokoro by Natsume Souseki
Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert
Various Japanese textbooks (I'm trying to teach myself)
The New York Times magazine, as well as various blogs and fanfictions
A whole bunch of manga (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure by Hirohiko Araki, One Piece, Kuroshitsuji)

Whoa, I just realized how much I read. Fortunately, I also read really fast, so I have time to do plenty of other things as well, like wait with bated breath for the next Haruki Murakami novel to be translated into English. He is awesome.

Chrysanthemum pu-erh this morning...er...almost afternoon (forgot to set my alarm, oops).

[TubbyCow]

I'm working on Serpent in Paradise and just started Vipers' Tangle.

About two pages into the latter, I realised I'm reading two books with snake-related titles that have nothing to do with snakes.

Which means I need a third (or more) similarly-titled book to make it a theme reading. I like reading in books in arbitrary groups.

I'll read pretty much anything - What are your suggestions, TeaChat?

[Victoria]

I have been reading non-fiction. But my long work days leave little time and weekends I'm here when I can. I hope to spend more time reading outside this summer taking my tea tray with me.

This morning again loving the Castleton Moonlight '10 First Flush
from Sarah via Tea Emporium. It's very good.

[Trey Winston]

I'll read pretty much anything - What are your suggestions, TeaChat?

Learning Python: Powerful Object-Oriented Programming*

* Note: Suggestion. Not a recommendation.

[LauraW]

Olivierco, what Molière?

Because work's been stressful and I have so many outside projects, I haven't been reading nearly as much lately - I've been plodding through Crime and Punishment (not plodding by choice, but I keep it at work for days when I can relax during my lunch break - which isn't often!). Several things on the "to-read" list, some of which I have, some of which I don't, and some of which are at my parent's house and I'll try to bring some of those back next time I'm there.

Today, some of Adagio's Oolong #8 while at the salon with my boyfriend.