Beautiful flowers in bloom, the lull of distant lawnmowers and the sweet scent of barbecue—summer is here. So break out the patio furniture, mix your favorite iced chai and soak up some good reads and summer sun with us. Check out some favorites here:
1. Bark – Lorrie Moore (2014)
This collection of short stories is perfect for summer because you can pick it up at any time. Experience love, friendship and betrayal, and the passage of time and all its ups and downs—Bark is about being human. Moore’s stories are about the everyday experiences of life, layered with her signature touch of humor.
Pair this book with our Vanilla Chai Tea Latte Concentrate. It’s simple, with a hint of vanilla.
2. The Goldfinch – Donna Tartt (2013)
The 2014 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Fiction, The Goldfinch is a story of a 13-year-old New Yorker taken in by a wealthy family after the death of his mother. It’s smart and touching, the kind of book you won’t be able to put down.
Pair it with our Mocha Latte Espresso Concentrate to help you stay up all night.
3. Let’s Just Say It Wasn’t Pretty – Diane Keaton (2014)
Actress Diane Keaton writes about aging, the conception of beauty and how to stay true to yourself in her memoir, Let’s Just Say It Wasn’t Pretty. Keaton reveals her insecurities while questioning our obsession with beauty in a book that is both empowering and entertaining.
Pair it with our Sugar-Free Original Chai Tea Latte Concentrate for a no-nonsense mug of tea.
4. The Complete Peanuts 1950–1954 – Charles M. Schulz
Sometimes we just need to feel like kids again. The Complete Peanuts, a collection of Charles M. Schulz’s dailies and Sundays from 1950 to 1954, is the perfect mix of nostalgia and surprise. It’s a rare chance to see Schulz refining his comic strip in its early years.
Pair this collection with another classic, our Original Chai Tea Latte Powdered Mix.
5. Frog Music – Emma Donoghue (2014)
Frog Music is a mystery thriller about the unsolved murder of professional frog catcher Jenny Bonnet in 1876. Donoghue pored over historical documents to write this fiction novel, which is her imagining of how the never-solved murder could have happened.
Pair it with one of our exciting Oregon Café flavors, like the Caramel Latte Espresso Concentrate.
6. Leaves of Grass – Walt Whitman (1855)
Whitman explores humanity, the inner being and the sensual pleasures of life in his poetry collection, Leaves of Grass. Whitman is a romantic and his love interest is the world. This collection will lift your spirit and fill you with happiness.
Pair it with our Original Chai Tea Bags, which contain a worldly collection of magical spices like ginger, clove, cardamom and cinnamon.
7. The Faber Book of Murder – Simon Rae (1994)
The Faber Book of Murder is an anthology of some of the greatest writers of all time who write about a topic that has always fascinated us: murder. The compilation includes excerpts by Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, Dorothy L. Sayers and George Orwell.
Pair it with our Dreamscape Herbal Chai Tea Bags to help you get to sleep.
8. The Thorn Birds – Colleen McCullough (1977)
The Thorn Birds is a three-generation saga about family struggles, forbidden love and dark secrets set in the Australian Outback in the early to mid 1900s. It’s the perfect book to dust off the shelf, take to the beach and dive into its rich storyline once again.
Pair it with an iced chai using our Original Chai Tea Latte Concentrate to stay cool at the beach.
What summer reads are we missing? Add your favorites in the comments below.