A novel way to spend National Hot Tea Day: Sip and shop at Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble Magazine section includes TeaTime and current issue features BTS

Although every day here at BTS is hot tea day, January 12th is the perfect day, on a chilly Michigan afternoon, to honor our favorite drink and we found a most  delightful way to celebrate  by sipping a cup of Earl Grey while scouting some favorite reads at Barnes & Noble.

The Barnes & Noble in Rochester is an amazing bookstore, filled with an enormous selection of magazines and books for every taste and a café with tasty treats for every palate. Since today was Hot Tea Day, I ordered up a tall Earl Grey and began my traditional route through the bookstore: magazine section, cookbooks, world history, biographies and a certain amount of time  allotted to the gift section.

Michigan magazines at Barnes & Noble with another BTS feature

Tea in hand, as I started perusing the periodicals, I was happily and excitedly reminded that two magazines which currently grace the shelves at Barnes & Noble have BTS connections! Our article on the Venice tea room, Caffe Florian, is featured in the January/February issue of Tea Time Magazine, and our interview with writer Julie Ford is included in Michigan Home and Lifestyle's Winter issue, (So, if you haven't picked up your copy of either, you know where to go 😉)

Aside from the food and Michigan mags, there's a wide and deep selection of journals devoted to a variety of interests including those for writers, crafters, motorcyclists and travelers. The latter category is another favorite of mine and I just had to pick up the latest edition of "Britain", because not only is it their "Castles Special" featuring "fairytale turrets and medieval moats", but it also boasts a free 32-page Cotswold guide. Too much to resist, for sure.

Barnes & Noble booty for Hot Tea Day 

Next stop, cookbooks and did I get a find: a new printing of Pride and Prejudice accompanied by recipes for "modern teatime" from -wait for it - Martha Stewart!! (A review of which is coming soon to BTS' Tuesday Tea and Tomes, so stay tuned). Another entry into today's shopping cart.

In the world history and biography sections, I jotted down three more books for my wish list (there's an April birthday coming up!) or next visit to Barnes & Noble:  Daughters of the Winter Queen, Inside Victorian Homes and Royal Pains.  Talk about tasty treats!

Finally, as my son, Matt, who accompanied me on this treasure trove of tomes trip, found me in the gift section with his arms full of his own "catches" of the day, I scooped up one last find which was a perfect accompaniment to my new book - a Jane Austen mug.  But not any Jane Austen mug (as I do have a few). This one sports a tea bag that exclaims: "I would rather have nothing but tea".

And, that my friends, is how one celebrates Hot Tea Day!

*tea bag drop*

Happy National Hot Tea Day to all and to all a good night!