27 October 2011

Thursday Tea: All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

The Book: I recently finished listening to Book 7 in Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire series (aka the Sookie Stackhouse books). All Together Dead was a bit different from the others because a lot of it took place not only outside of Louisiana but outside of the South. Quite the adventure for Sookie, who had never been that far away from home before.

In this outing, Queen Sophie-Anne hires Sookie to accompany her to a meeting of the major vampire bigwigs who have two principal items to discuss: How to deal with the anti-vampire Fellowship of the Sun group and what to do about all the vampires displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Sookie's job is to probe the humans' minds and inform the Louisiana vampires of any foul play.

On the personal front, Sookie is forced to see the vampire who shall not be named (Bill) and must pretend she doesn't care about Eric. At the same time she is determined to convince the shape-shifting Quinn--and herself--that their relationship is ready for the next step. Between murders, bombings, and mixed-up love, Sookie has her hands full. This was one of the better novels in the series, and I can't wait to see how Sookie is going to resolve her inner conflicts.

I listened to the unabridged audio edition (Recorded Books; 9 hr, 48 min) read by Johanna Parker. Parker did her usual great job of portraying the spunky Sookie Stackhouse. Audio is a great way to read this series.

The Tea: This year's cool, damp fall is perfect for tea. And I was fortunate to taste a completely new-to-me tea this week, thanks to the generosity and kindness of Heather from Raging Bibliomania. I was so excited when she offered to pick up some teas for me at an organic cafe and teashop called Infusion Tea. Heather turned to the clerks for help and asked them to recommend one of their favorite teas and "an unusual tea."

I decided to start with the staff favorite. As soon as I opened the bag, I had a feeling that Almond Amaretto was going to be a winner. I just loved the aroma. Here's the shop's description: "Combining savory almond slices with the bright, full taste of Ceylon black tea, this tea is a great stand alone drink as well as the perfect dessert complement." The almond is subtle enough to not be overwhelming, but the flavor is easy to pick up on. I drank it black, and I plan to order more when the bag is empty. Thank you, Heather!

The Assessment: First off, we know the vampires aren't drinking any tea. Body-temperature blood or True Blood is all they care about. Sookie definitely drinks tea, but her choice is likely grocery store brand with lots of ice and sugar. On the other hand, Sookie spent some time in a fancy hotel north of the Mason-Dixon line. I'd like to think she may have been exposed to luscious Almond Amaretto. If so, I bet she liked it as a treat, but I don't see her buying any to take home.

What About You? Almost everyone in the Northern Hemisphere is starting to feel the cooler weather and perhaps considering a hot cuppa once in a while. Those of you on the other side of equator might be thinking more along the lines of something cool and refreshing. Either way, let me know what's in your mug or glass, and I'd love to know what you're reading.


Thursday Tea was the brainchild of Anastasia at Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog.

Published by Penguin USA/ Ace, 2008
ISBN-13: 9780441015818
Source: Bought (see review policy)
Rating: B

Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)
FTC: I buy all teas myself, I am not a tea reviewer.

8 comments:

Zibilee 10/27/11, 9:43 AM  

Oh, I am so glad that you liked the tea! I had a feeling when I read the description that it would be like a sweet treat!

I need to start this series! I have the first book just sitting by it's lonesome on my shelf making sad eyes at me for ignoring it, and I know that my mother is thoroughly engrossed in Sookie's continuing adventures too. She keeps spurring me forward, and I keep resisting!

Daryl 10/27/11, 12:00 PM  

Read the first Sookie book and enjoyed it .. the second in my opinion was much like the first just as the Dexter series started off well and became the same story with different villians .. stopped reading them both .. what am I reading now ..The Snowman by Jo Nesbo .. a good read and I am drinking PG Tips ...

Wrighty 10/27/11, 1:06 PM  

I need to get back to this series. I read the first two and liked them. Since you enjoyed listening to them I think I'll give that a try! Great idea! :)

Barbara 10/27/11, 3:13 PM  

I'm not a Sookie fan but I love Charlaine Harris' other series. As for tea, I'm only just discovering Earl Gray. Never thought about trying any new teas before I started following your blog. Thanks for leading me to something new for chilly afternoons.

bermudaonion 10/27/11, 3:47 PM  

I really do need to try Sookie again.

Heather's so sweet - I just love her. I actually got some lemon blueberry passion tea today - it's probably run of the mill for you, but I'm excited about it.

Vasilly 10/27/11, 4:38 PM  

The Almond Amaretto sounds so pleasant. I just finished reading The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt, which I loved. Once again, thanks for spotlighting it.

Julie P. 10/29/11, 10:58 AM  

Almond and amaretto are two of my favorite flavors. I'm drinking a Lemon Meringue herbal this week. INCREDIBLE!

Michelle 10/29/11, 6:37 PM  

I can't quite put my finger on it but I've been unable to get back into these books after the third.

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