Summer may be fading away, but that means every reader’s favorite season is right around the corner. Fall, the coziest season of them all, practically begs us to drag our favorite sweaters from the back of the closet, order our first hot beverage in months, and disappear somewhere with a novel in our hands. And, for that beverage, what’s a more fitting accoutrement to reading in September than a cup of tea? With so many novels and teas to choose from, we’ve compiled a list of the perfect pairings to suit your tastes.
The Murder At The Vicarage by Agatha Christie
Every time of year is perfect for a murder mystery, but something about Christie with colorful leaves falling dizzily at your feet just feels right. To be more specific, a Miss Marple Mystery, with her quiet, fumbling discernment, is the ideal way to kick off the fall season. The first in the Miss Marple Collection, The Murder At The Vicarage, kicks off with the vicar of St. Mary Mead’s finding the widely disliked man, Leonard Clement, in the vicar’s study with a bullet in his head. Miss Marple, the village’s amateur, elderly sleuth, gets to work unpacking the mystery, questioning those with motives, and uncovering the truth.
A quintessential English author writing about a small English village deserves the quintessential English drink: English Breakfast Tea. Robust and cut with a malty flavor that is sweet and bitter all at once: a description for the loved national drink and the adored author’s addictive plots. And just like with one cup of Breakfast tea and one Christie read, it’s never enough. You’ll be pouring your second cup and pulling out her next novel in no time.
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
One of our most exciting contemporary writers, Sayaka Murata, creates plots that are as humorous as they are introspective. Light, but with a cutting aftertaste. Winner of the 2016 Akutagawa Prize, The Convenience Store Woman follows Keiko Furukara, a 36-year-old woman who has worked at the same convenience store in Tokyo for 18 years. The tension from her family, “friends”, and society at large to subdue her peculiarities and live a conventional life paints the backdrop to this simple, hilarious, and deeply refreshing novel. Keiko must decide if she is willing to give up a job she truly loves, however undesirable it may seem to others, or conform and lead a life that will keep prying eyes at bay.
Green tea is not only Keiko’s drink of choice at the convenience store, a facet of her “routine” she values so highly, but the ideal beverage to sip as you take in this off-beat read. Green tea, with its delicate, refreshing taste and woody aftertaste, is as subtle, smooth, and surprising as Murata’s knock-out novel.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Looking for a more comforting read enlivened by the curiosity of youth? The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is the book for you. Mary Lennox, an entitled but lonely young girl, is sent to live with her sequestered uncle, Archibald Craven, in the English countryside. Mary is as bored and lonely as ever until she finds a locked and forgotten garden hidden away on the manor’s property. With the help of a robin, Mary enters the garden and begins to nurture it back to life.
A novel about healing, growth, and renewal that soothes the soul should be enjoyed with a drink just as comforting: chamomile tea. Mildly sweet and floral, like the aroma wafting from Mary’s secret garden, with endearing notes of apple and earthiness, chamomile tea is like breathing in fresh, orchard air. Read and sip out by the changing trees and flowers, and disappear into a simpler world.
Bunny by Mona Awad
What would Autumn be without a little dark academia? Mona Awad’s Bunny descends its readers into a Literature Master’s program that is darker and more twisted than you could ever see coming. Samantha feels out of place in her prestigious program, surrounded by her wealthy, privileged peers who have formed an exclusionary, tight-knit group and call each other “Bunny”. Samantha loathes them until she’s invited to one of their inner-circle events. As she becomes rapidly entangled with the Bunnies, she discovers the disturbing undercurrent of their bond.
A novel that requires an acquired taste, complemented with a drink that demands the same: Earl Grey tea. A strong-bodied black tea flavor undercut with an intensely floral yet bitter bergamot orange bite, Earl Grey presents as one thing but goes down as something completely different, much like Mona Awad’s absurd and frightening novel.
Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion
Oh, to be able to read Play It As It Lays for the first time on a park bench with the leaves changing around me. Joan Didion’s most famous novel follows burnt-out B-list movie actress Maria, suffering from depression and a failing, toxic marriage to film director Carter Lang. Numbing herself with drugs and sex with strangers, Maria is desperately seeking a return to herself, whoever that person is. Beautifully written and seamlessly moving from heart-wrenching to exciting to introspective, Play It As It Lays is one of those rare, all-consuming novels that will take up permanent residence in your mind.
Such a bold novel, warmed by Hollywood decadence and the sweltering landscapes of Las Vegas and LA, is perfectly accompanied by a chai tea (a chai latte would be the ultimate elevation). Chai, with its rich, full-bodied base and bursting flavors of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, is the ideal way to wash down this whirlwind of a novel. Stop at your local coffee shop, head to the park, and take in both of these sweet treats. If you finish your cup, go get another. This is a novel you’re going to want to stay sitting for.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid follows Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo as she unpacks her humble beginnings, rise to stardom, and tumultuous relationship with her fame to an unknown journalist, Monica Grant. Evelyn reveals truths long sought after by the press: her glamorous and, at times, scandalous life, her seven marriages, and her one great, forbidden love. A plot that keeps you invested the entire way through, a poignant and beautiful look at the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ individuals in Old Hollywood, and an all-around easy read, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is the perfect book to get you out of a reading slump.
This palette cleanser of a book is best accompanied by a cup of cooling and refreshing peppermint tea: the ultimate reset. Minty with a tinge of sweetness and a tingling finish, as you unwind with a revitalizing cup of peppermint tea, revive your passion for reading with the effortless novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
Tea and books are a match made in heaven. Ease the transition into the new season with your favorite tea and a novel to match. As your mood and interests begin to change with the leaves, try out a new flavor of tea and read, and make sure to reach out on our socials if you have any suggestions for the perfect pairings.
Have more of a sweet tooth? Check out our book and candy pairings suggestions here.
Take a look at our Bookstr Team Recommendations bookshelf on Bookshop to find your next read.
