Milk Tea and Coffee Book Tags

A brief history of tea in Hong Kong. Once upon a time, we were hardcore and drank tea straight and bitter from the teapot. Then the British came with milk and sugar.

Since then, Hong Kong has perfected the art of making milk tea, a blend of black tea and condensed milk. It's practically a staple of local restaurants, and today, I'm taking it apart to make a book tag. Because why should only coffee and chocolate and western delicacies be immortalised as books?

Tea: the foundation of your reading life

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events definitely shaped my reading tastes a lot. Lots of murder, lots of madness, and the bittersweetness of the entire series. It's also a very realistic take on the typical missing-YA-parents syndrome — instead of going on adventures, the Baudelaire siblings are packed off to one guardian after another, each more incompetent.

Plus, secret organisations and bookworms and poetry. What's not to love?

Milk: a rich, smooth book

No one who knows me will be even vaguely surprised to see V.E. Schwab's A Darker Shade of Magic here. With absolutely breathtaking prose, intricate worldbuilding and the most fantastic characters ever, ADSOM practically taught me the meaning of perfection.

I flailed about ADSOM with Christina in a joint review and did a little guesswork about the sequel, too.

Sugar: a book you love but is controversial

You'd think people would like sugar in their milk tea. But a shocking percentage of people decline sugar. A Feast for Crows plays that role in ASOIAF.

PEOPLE ARE SO DIVIDED OVER THIS ONE. ASOIAF fans are hardcore, but so few people are behind this one. There's no Tyrion, or Jon Snow, or Dany. There were no dragons. There was just lots and lots of description, and not enough people died.

BUT. But I still liked it! This was the book that made Sansa Stark my favourite character. This was the book that showed me Cersei Lannister didn't deserve the hate from the fandom. This was the book not just about war, but about the scars of war.

Ice: a book just for fun

Don't get me wrong, iced milk tea is wonderful especially in summer. But if you want a little more milk tea, just ask for light ice and you'll get more actual tea. So ice is more of an optional enjoyment.

Brazen by Katherine Longshore is equal parts historical fiction and romance. Now, you'd think the romance would make this a not-for-me, but the relationship was (a) sweet and (b) very hot. It melted even my inner Vulcan, so that's saying something.

It's set in a very popular time for historical fiction, the Tudor era, but our focus isn't one of the big-name royals, but Mary Howard, a lesser known cousin of Anne Boleyn. The way Mary wrests power even as an underdog made for a very enjoyable afternoon read.

Silk stocking: a book that's much better than it sounds

Silk stockings are integral to milk-tea making. You burn it as a sacrifice to the gods. ... Or rather, a stocking-like strainer is used to make the tea, and so milk tea is also casually called silk stocking milk tea. It may sound ridiculous, but it makes the tea that much better.

The Alchemist was one of these reads. It's basically a spiritual book about a shepherd boy who travels from Spain into the desert. I read maybe two pages and told my dad, "Look, the book you rec'd me? It's not my type. Nothing's gonna happen in this book."

Then one day I actually finished it. And oh my goodness. It was still really heavy on the aesops and allegories, but the story was just somehow compelling. The characters, the big concepts in small words, they just hooked into my mind and wouldn't let go. I never would have guessed.

Yinyang: a book with foreign influence

Yinyang is a drink in Hong Kong which mixes milk tea with coffee. It's a curious little fusion beast but quite enjoyable.

Memoirs of a Geisha is one of the most well-researched books I've read, period. I literally felt like I was living in Japan for those moments. The author did his work, and it shows. Geisha are actually portrayed as entertainers instead of prostitutes. The plot and characters weren't the best, but the breathtaking setting makes up for it.

I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about Hong Kong cuisine! And since this is a book tag, after all, here are my wonderful nominees:

Aimee @ Deadly Darlings // Aimee @ To the Barricade! // Alex McCarron @ Third Star to the Right // Beth @ The Quiet People // Cait @ Paper Fury // Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity // Christina @ fairy skeletons // cw @ Read Think Ponder // Heather @ Sometimes I'm A Story // Opal @ Opal Swirls // Shar and Shanti @ Weaving Waves Words (congrats on the blogoversary, by the way!) // Shelumiel @ Bookish and Awesome // Taile @ Twist in the Taile // Topaz @ Six Impossible Things // Vlora @ Reviews and Cake // and you, dear reader!

Just to remind you, here are all the central components:

• Tea: the foundation of your reading life
• Milk: a rich, smooth book
• Sugar: a book you love but is controversial
• Ice: a book just for fun
• Silk stocking: a book that's much better than it sounds
• Yinyang: a book with foreign influence
• and feel free to use the tag image!

Now spread on the milk tea love! (If you aren't a tag person, though, no pressure.)

Since I'm sure you're all still thirsty, I was also tagged for the Coffee Book Tag by Aimee, Anah, and Shelumiel a really long time ago. Here we are, finally!

BLACK: A series that’s tough to get into but has hardcore fans.

Lord of the Rings, definitely — Heather blogged about her reading process here, and I have to admit I gave this a second chance before it earned its special place in my heart.

PEPPERMINT MOCHA: A book that gets more popular during the winter or a festive time of year.

The Winds of Winter, the sixth book in A Song of Ice and Fire ... oh WAIT. We're still waiting for that. This has more or less become the Black Widow movie of the book universe.

HOT CHOCOLATE: A favorite children’s book.

... I'm a child. All my books are children's books. But because I am not a nice child, I would say Lemony Snicket's A Lump of Coal. The blurb speaks for itself:

This is a story about a lump of coal who can think, talk, and move itself around.

Is there a more charming holiday tale to behold? Probably, but Lemony Snicket has not written one.

DOUBLE SHOT OF ESPRESSO: A book that kept you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

The Winner's Curse — you can read my full review on Literoses, but suffice it to say I stayed up to 1 AM reading it. And I sleep at 10 on a normal schoolday.

STARBUCKS: A book you see everywhere.

Queen of Shadows: It's not released yet, I don't even know what it's about, but every giveaway and then some is for this book's preorder. Pretty impressive for an unreleased book.

THAT HIPSTER COFFEE SHOP: A book by an indie author (a shoutout).

... So, I do read a good number of indie or self-pub books, but none that have really knocked my socks off. But I AM waiting on Topaz Winters' Frozen Hearts, and her other writing definitely deserves a shout out.

OOPS! I ACCIDENTALLY GOT DECAF: A book you were expecting more from.

A Court of Thorns and Roses, definitely (again, full review on Literoses). This was my first SJM read, and unfortunately it turned out disappointing given all the hype.

THE PERFECT BLEND: A book or series that was both bitter and sweet, but ultimately satisfying.

A Darker Shade of Magic. Excuse me, let me say that again: A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC. I literally cannot wait for the sequel (next year!! And a scant four days before my birthday!!!)

GREEN TEA: A book or series that is quietly beautiful.

Station Eleven, absolutely. It won quite a few awards, but it's quiet in the way that there are no explosions or chaos or even that much action: only Shakespeare, and the quiet madness in the silence of a world ending.

CHAI TEA: A book or series that makes you dream of far off places.

... you do realise that my "far-off places" are probably in your neighbourhood, right?

But probably I would go with Vicious by V.E. Schwab, because it makes university sound so thrilling (and also mad and murderous but clearly that is a good thing). And even though I'm in high school, uni still seems quite distant.

EARL GREY: Favorite classic.

Hamlet by the wonderful William Shakespeare definitely takes the crown — this play really enamoured me more than any of his other works. I am in fact planning to do this for my extended essay next year. YAY FOR CLASSICS.

Okay, that was a really long post. Tell me if you share any of my opinions, or tell me a couple of books you'd pick! ALSO, more importantly: What is your opinion on milk tea?