“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

  • Tea Reflection: Umi Tea Set’s Colorful Tea

    When I started Tea Reads back in January, the first thing I struck from my vocabulary was the word “review”. I had no interest in placing books on a numerical scale or following standard book review formats. To describe my… Continue reading

    Tea Reflection: Umi Tea Set’s Colorful Tea

  • Book of the Month: The Collected Schizophrenias

    Nonfiction gets a bad rap. When we think of nonfiction, we think of textbooks, flowery essays, and dry biographies of famous dead people, all requiring knowledge of field-specific jargon or a dictionary to decipher. I’m guilty of perpetuating this stereotype;… Continue reading

    Book of the Month: The Collected Schizophrenias

  • On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous: Reflection

    I finished On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous sitting in the passenger seat of my car. The tollway roared beneath me. Closing the book, I looked out over the empty land blurring past my window and said to my partner, “God… Continue reading

    On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous: Reflection

  • Writing “Rules”: Show, Don’t Tell

    New writers are inundated with advice. Whether you’re in a workshop, discussing ideas with a friend, or watching an interview with a famous author, everyone wants to tell you how to write well. Even I, your friendly neighborhood hobbyist, am… Continue reading

    Writing “Rules”: Show, Don’t Tell

  • Brewing Vessels

    Tea has been drunk for hundreds of years. Camellia sinensis is a steady fixture in an ever-evolving world, maintaining its relevance regardless of industrialization, war, or societal drift. What has changed is how we drink it and the culture surrounding… Continue reading

    Brewing Vessels

  • Book of the Month: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

    All language is communication. That may sound stupidly obvious from someone who runs a blog, but it’s good to remind ourselves. Every time we chat about the weather with a colleague, get into arguments with someone who watches too much… Continue reading

    Book of the Month: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

  • In The Watchful City: Reflection

    I jinxed myself.  Contrary to May’s introduction post, this month was more hectic than the last few. I should’ve seen that coming- birthdays and warm weekends make for a packed planner. It made me glad to have chosen In The… Continue reading

    In The Watchful City: Reflection

  • Planners vs. Explorers

    Every book is a journey, from the copyright pages to the acknowledgments. It could be a literal journey, a fictional hero traveling great distances to accomplish their goal like Frodo or Odysseus. Others are more cerebral, characters going on an… Continue reading

    Planners vs. Explorers

  • Making Matcha

    Throughout our tea series, we’ve covered a lot of ground- herbal infusions, loose leaf teas, different processing methods- but fellow tea fans may have noticed a conspicuous omission. This unmentioned tea has had steady market growth for years, once only… Continue reading

    Making Matcha

  • Book of the Month: In The Watchful City

    Exercise, in any form, goes hand-in-hand with rest. No bodybuilder lifts billion-pound dumbbells seven days a week. No marathon runner runs twenty miles every day. Proper exercise involves planning days of lighter exercise between the days when your muscles get… Continue reading

    Book of the Month: In The Watchful City

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.