Book Review: The Color of Tea by Hannah Tunnicliffe

Title: The Color of Tea

Author: Hannah Tunnicliffe

Publisher: Scribner

Pub date: 6/5/2012

Source: The Library








Goodreads summary:

Macau: the bulbous nose of China, a peninsula and two islands strung together like a three-bead necklace. It was time to find a life for myself. To make something out of nothing. The end of hope and the beginning of it too. After moving with her husband to the tiny, bustling island of Macau, Grace Miller finds herself a stranger in a foreign land—a lone redhead towering above the crowd on the busy Chinese streets. As she is forced to confront the devastating news of her infertility, Grace’s marriage is fraying and her dreams of family have been shattered. She resolves to do something bold, something her impetuous mother would do, and she turns to what she loves: baking and the pleasure of afternoon tea.

Grace opens a cafÉ where she serves tea, coffee, and macarons—the delectable, delicate French cookies colored like precious stones—to the women of Macau. There, among fellow expatriates and locals alike, Grace carves out a new definition of home and family. But when her marriage reaches a crisis, secrets Grace thought she had buried long ago rise to the surface. Grace realizes it’s now or never to lay old ghosts to rest and to begin to trust herself. With each mug of coffee brewed, each cup of tea steeped and macaron baked, Grace comes to learn that strength can be gleaned from the unlikeliest of places.

A delicious, melt-in-your-mouth novel featuring the sweet pleasures of French pastries and the exotic scents and sights of China, The Color of Tea is a scrumptious story of love, friendship and renewal.

My review/thoughts:

Grace Miller and her husband, Pete, are living in Macau, China for Pete's work. After they find out they can't have children, Grace opens a cafe called Lillian's where she makes macarons and serves tea. Grace makes friends with people she wouldn't have otherwise known after she opens Lillian's. We meet Marjory, Rilla, and Gigi just to name a few women that Grace becomes close to. Gigi is a feisty character that I liked reading about and was very memorable. This is the first time I've read about China so that was cool since I've never been there. Grace has a lot of issues but she works through them in the book. Overall, this was a light and fast read. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. It was a fabulous read. As soon as I finished, I wanted a macaron.

Stacking the Shelves

I ordered these book from the library.

 

 

Book Review: Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secret I Learned While Living In Paris by Jennifer L. Scott

Title: Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris

Author: Jennifer L. Scott

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pub Date: 11/6/2012

Source: Edelweiss








Summary from Goodreads:

Bring home the chic Parisian world of style and charm  When Jennifer Scott arrived at the doorstep of a grand Sixteenth Arrondissement apartment as a foreign exchange student, she was greeted by the woman who would become her mentor and the inspiration for the way she lived long after her time abroad was over. Madame Chic took the casual California teenager under her wing, revealing the secrets of how the French elevate the little things in life to the art of living.

Each chapter of Lessons from Madame Chic reveals a valuable secret Jennifer learned while under Madame Chic’s tutelage in Paris—tips you can incorporate into your own life, no matter where you live or the size of your budget. Embracing the classically French aesthetic of quality over quantity, aspiring Parisiennes will learn to master the art of eating (deprive yourself not), dressing (the ten-item wardrobe), grooming (le no-makeup look), and living à la française. From entertaining with easy flair and formality to cultivating allure while living an active, modern life, Lessons from Madame Chic is the essential handbook for anyone wanting to incorporate that Parisian je ne sais quoi into her daily life.

My review/thoughts:

This book by Jennifer L. Scott is about how to incorporate french values into your everyday life. When I was reading it, I was like I know about this and I've never been to Paris. It reinforced things my mom already told me. It's a great book for people that need a little help on style, entertaining, being organized, being positive and to always look presentable, even while asleep. My favorite part of the book was when she gave stories of when she was in Paris since I've never been. I also like the Le Recap of each chapter. This book is great for people who love French culture or want to learn more about it. The author also has her own website: The Daily Connoisseur. This book was a fabulous read. It's full of wisdom and great advice.

Stacking the Shelves

I got these books from the library and e-library.

Follow Friday

Question: When you step out of your USUAL genre what do you like to read? Best books in genre?

My usual genre is Chick Lit fiction. I like mysteries, foodie lit, memoirs, nonfiction. The genre I've been dipping into lately that's really not my usual is YA and YA dystopian. Favorite books in this genre for me is Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth and Don't You Wish by Roxanne St. Claire.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MzB from Should Be Reading.

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 My teasers:

No one at Whitney Young High School would have thought we'd end up friends. I matriculated as an unapologetic band geek, playing adequate if uninspired second-chair flute, dating other band geeks for the convenience of it.

p.20, "Off the Menu" by Stacey Ballis

Teaser Tuesday

 Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play long just do the following:

• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page
• Share 2 teaser sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include any spoilers so to not ruin the book for others.
• Include Title and author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR piles.

 My Teasers:

"Bookshops, we call them here." He popped himself in the mouth. "Sorry, bad habit of mine, correcting people's English."

Pg. 208, Killer Librarian by Mary Lou Kirwin

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following: • Grab your current read • Open to a random page • Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page • Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others.

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following: • Grab your current read • Open to a random page • Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page • Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others.

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following: • Grab your current read • Open to a random page • Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page • Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others.