A little under forty days until....we finally see Mr. Grey!

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Tea + Books = Hot Date...Here are some of the teas that I love to drink while reading

We can all agree that tea and books just go hand and hand. I really love a great cup of tea while reading; in fact I have more than my fair share of tea mugs. (And honestly, if I bring anymore home I think my roommate with kill me). So here are a list of  top six teas that I love...attached with the name of a few books that I read while drinking them.

1) Blueberry Black Tea from The Spice and Tea Exchange (this one is pricey it starts at $5.49) - I drank this while reading Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices # 3) by Cassandra Clare and City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6) also by Cassandra Clare.

2) Berry Boutique Tea (an herbal tea) from The Spice and Tea Exchange (also prices at $5.49) - I drank this one a lot over ice this summer while finishing The Night Eternal by Chuck Hogan and Gulliermo Del Toro. This tea was a nice pairing to this vampire novel. 

3) Tazo Zen (a green tea); I usually pick this up from Target for about three of so dollars. (You can usually catch these on sale). This tea is by far one of my faves to sip on while reading and is my go to tea. I drank this rather heavily while reading Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson. It was an amazing pairing to this really light hearted romance.

4) Tazo Earl Grey (a black tea); this one of the strongest Earl Grey's I have ever had. I needed way to much sugar and honey with just a little lemon. Earl grey was an amazing pairing to Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan Howard. That book was dark, moody and had a lot of dry British wit. I see me reading the rest of the series with this tea on the nightstand.

5) Cranberry Apple Tart from The Spice and Tea Exchange (this one is also priced at $5.49); it was one of those teas that I drank while reading Jesus wants to save the Christians by Rob Bell. This tea was just perfect and mellow and wonderful for fall (which is when I read this book). Its a nice tea to just sit back and sip and reflect on the beauty of your surroundings. 

6) Tazo Pumpkin Chai; the first time I saw these in store was just this summer/fall. I drank this one a lot while reading Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas. It was nice and spicy much like Celaena (the main character of the series).

You can purchase these teas at www.tazo.com or www.spiceandtea.com

Throne of Glass By Sarah J. Maas; a review by the Bookbabe of Delaware

            The beginning of this book brings us to the salt mines of Endovier as the crown prince of Adarlan; Dorian, is coming to retrieve the self proclaimed assassin of Adarlan; Celaena Sardothien. Celanea is told that she will be competing in a competition to become the kings champion; his assassin. Celaena at first is not happy about the competition because the king is a tyrant; at the kings hand anyone practicing magic has either been killed or driven into hiding. The king is also interested in taking over all the kingdom’s around him. While competing in the championship several of the champions begin to die off; and in very horrific ways. It seems like a beast of some sort is loose in the castle and that magic may be what is helping this beast evade detection. This leads Celaena to start investigating the symbols that are left behind at the scene; this in itself is dangerous because if she is caught with knowledge of this kind of magic should could be killed and implicated in the murders of her fellow champions. Celaena begins to suspect Princess Nehemia Yteger of Eyllwe; who knows about the Wyrdmarks and who may even know how to use them. Of course, by the end of the story we know exactly who was yielding the Wyrdmarks  and we even get a glimpse behind who really sit it all in motion. However, the why is still up in the air. So on to book two we go.

What I Loved about this book:

            What I enjoyed most about this book is that the love story took second place to everything else and it also took some time before it launched. Dorian, of course, is the natural on to root for but I (of course) am rooting for Chaol Westfall (the underdog). I also really loved that Celaena was very no nonsense and did not play the victim at anytime through the story. Of course, we see her vulnerable side because she is far from weak and is a fighter. And for the first time in a long time she is a female character that I really find myself loving. The book also has another strong female character in Nehemia Ytger (the Princess of Eyllwe); she was a little bit of a mystery as the story went on and I cannot wait to see what Maas does with her in the rest of the series. Another things to love about this book is the action; there is enough of it that you will never get bored.

What I didn’t like about the book but….:

            What I found a little grating about the book was that it started out a little slow and the first champion did not die for some time. I will chalk this up to the authors need to really build the characters and get the reader invested in the story and to get them to fall for the characters. I know that some authors just rush into the things and the reader can be left thinking “what the hell did I just read” (or at least I have had that issue). Maas character development really is what I loved so much about the book. I feel very happy with the way the first book wrapped up and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Favorite Quotes:

“You could rattle the stars," she whispered. "You could do anything, if only you dared. And deep down, you know it, too. That’s what scares you most.” – Queen Elena to Celaena

“My name is Celaena Sardothien. But it makes no difference if my name's Celaena or Lillian or Bitch, because I'd still beat you, no matter what you call me.” – Celanea to Cain during their duel.

“No. I can survive well enough on my own— if given the proper reading material.”  - Celanea

From the desk of yours truly <3

Dear Bookish Friend, 

Fall is a fantastic time of year for book lovers; we have more excuses  be hold up in our warm reading nooks with our favorite books. For me fall has a particular fondness because some of my all time favorite books where introduced to me during the autumn months. I became friends with Fern and Wilbur and the gang at Zuckerman's farm when I was 8. I traveled to Narnia shortly there after. At 12; I was just finishing a short visit with my friend Anne as she was held up in the Secret Annex in Amsterdam. At 16; I was learning that I was just another girl interrupted and by my 21st autumn I had been to Japan and experienced the life of a very famous Geisha. Fall has introduced me to some of the best and most beautiful stories I have ever encountered. I hope that as the years pass and the seasons turn that we all continue to carry our favorite stories with us; and that we pass them on to those we love. 

Happy Fall Fellow Word Nerds,

Hugs and Lots of love,

The Bookbabe of Delaware 

My life right now....

These are 9 of the 13 digital galleys I received today. The publishers I requested them from have very strict guidelines and I am super blessed to have been given such an awesome chance to read these for My blog, goodreads and tumblr. So big thanks to Tyndale, Random House, Thomas Nelson, Kensington Books, Poisoned Pen Press and Oxford University Press.