“There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that did not tell stories.“

— Ursula K. Le Guin

@tea__Reads

At the beginning of the year, I wrote about finding balance. While I did find my footing throughout the year, it wasn't exactly the type of balance I had planned. But isn't that how it always goes? Hey all ✌🏻 It's been a minute! After a long heatwave, I've been enjoying the cooler, cloudy mornings we've had for the last couple weeks. While they make for more difficult lighting situations for photos, these calm, breezy mornings are perfect for tea by my porch door. Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the Tea Open House at @mintoislandtea and picking up some of the first spring flush! It's so exciting tasting tea that's grown only 15 minutes from my house and, I've gotta say, the team has absolutely knocked this first flush out of the park. The steamed green is one I'm going to have to treasure while it's here... because, between me and my partner, I think we'll drink it down before second flush arrives 😅 Hey everyone! 👋🏻 It's been a minute! Today marks the first day of 2024 and my blogs second anniversary! While I'm grateful for all the support I've gotten running Tea Reads, the new year offers us an opportunity to reflect on our current goals and lifestyles. Tea Reads has always been fun, but I have to acknowledge how much work it takes to write, read, and keep up a social media presence while balancing my other life goals. So, to tip the balance back in my favor, I've decided to take a step back from the blog this year. You can read more about the decision through the link in my bio or in my stories!

Latest Posts

  • Reflecting on a Year of Tea

    I started learning Japanese this year on a whim. I’d been thinking about matcha, looking up chawans on the internet, and decided, heck, why not? I’d love to visit Japan one day. So I dove in, downloading Duolingo, signing up… Continue reading

    Reflecting on a Year of Tea

  • Book of the Month: How to Do Nothing

    Something strange happens between 11:59 PM and 12:00 AM on the night of Thanksgiving. Immediately, every brand and store in America becomes laser-focused on Christmas. Black Friday deals, Christmas trees in every window, holiday music blaring on loudspeakers. Any store… Continue reading

    Book of the Month: How to Do Nothing

  • Braiding Sweetgrass: Reflection

    Some loves are born out of necessity. As one of four children in a one-car household, I walked everywhere I could: elementary, middle, and high school; my first job; friend’s houses; dates. It didn’t matter if it was a block… Continue reading

    Braiding Sweetgrass: Reflection

  • Originality; or, Story Telephone

    Everyone has a story they want to tell. For most, it’ll percolate in the back of their minds for most of their lives, drip-drip-dripping on long flights, empty commutes, and while doing the dishes. It rarely moves past the idle… Continue reading

    Originality; or, Story Telephone

  • Tea Reflection: white2tea’s 2020 Demon Slayer

    It’s 1973. You’re on a red-eye flight to Boston from LA, and the flight’s been delayed for half an hour. Something on the tarmac. Something with an engine check. You try to rest your eyes, but the in-cabin lighting stays… Continue reading

    Tea Reflection: white2tea’s 2020 Demon Slayer

  • Book of the Month: Braiding Sweetgrass

    This Halloween, I gave out candy to more trick-or-treaters than ever. Princesses in pink tutus, mummies in toilet paper, anime characters with lopsided wigs, and movie villains with bright orange buckets lined up at my doorstep. I commented on my… Continue reading

    Book of the Month: Braiding Sweetgrass

  • The Sympathizer: Reflection

    “I am a spy, a sleeper, a spook, a man of two faces. Perhaps not surprisingly, I am also a man of two minds. I am not some misunderstood mutant from a comic book or a horror movie, although some… Continue reading

    The Sympathizer: Reflection

  • Should You Join NaNoWriMo?

    Humans love to engage in challenges. When we’re small, we race down the block or count to ten to see who’s the fastest. As we get older we join sports, form clubs, and enter contests to compete, learn, and grow.… Continue reading

    Should You Join NaNoWriMo?

  • What is Gongfu Cha?

    If you were born and raised in a country proliferated by tea bags, your introduction to gongfu brewing might have looked similar to mine. There I was, scrolling Instagram tea blogs and looking at pretty tea cups when, suddenly, I’d… Continue reading

    What is Gongfu Cha?

  • Book of the Month: The Sympathizer

    TeaReads has been up for nine months. I’ve written for this blog in snowstorms, in torrential rain, on sunny spring days, and on warm summer nights. The leaves are changing now, and the nights are getting longer. My morning walks… Continue reading

    Book of the Month: The Sympathizer

Meet the Blogger

Copywriter by day; fiction-writer by night. Cyndy is an avid reader, writer, and tea drinker with a passion for the written word. When she doesn’t have her head in a book, you’ll find her hiking waterfall trails, spending too much money in craft stores, or replaying her favorite RPGs to unlock new endings. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her partner, Alex, and her dog, Sylvia.