Is being a reader part of your identity?

Do the books you read shape you and teach you about your place in the world?

Do you hold a thousand lives in your heart from all the stories you’ve read?

I know what you mean.

I believe that the right books can capture your heart and allow you to live life with a sense of wonder.

I believe that for people like us, reading isn’t just another thing we “should be doing” because someone on a TED talk told us to. For people like us, books are necessary. And when we neglect them and fall into the mindset that we don’t have time to read, we lose a part of ourselves. Reading is a passion we need to keep alive, even though life is busy.

Imagine finding new books that give you that same happy, incandescent glow you felt when you first discovered a favourite novel.

Imagine never losing your reading momentum again, because you’ve cultivated a rich and satisfying reading life.

Imagine having other bookish people to talk to, who love discussing heroines and plot twists and themes, and geeking out when their favourite classic book gets made into a movie.

When you become a member of the Tea and Ink Society, you’ll discover new zest for reading and find a community of kindred spirits who love books as much as you do!

Hello! I’m Elsie, your hostess for the Tea and Ink Society.

I’m a lifelong bookworm, but I went through a literary dry spell in my early 20s. It was just after college, when all the busyness of adult life crowded in. Many days I’d have the intention of getting some reading time in, but when evening came I defaulted to Netflix because I simply didn’t have the energy to read.

When I became a mom, I realized my life was only going to get busier. I could either continue pushing books to the back burner, or I could make a vow to rekindle my love of reading and reclaim something that was deeply important to me. I made the vow.

I put my background as a former English major, librarian, and English teacher to work and started re-reading old titles I loved, and finding new ones to get excited about. Now, most evenings you’ll find me curled in the cat-scratched blue armchair, wrapped in my favourite blanket, buried in a book. Frequent, regular reading nourishes my mind and soul. My life is still full (in fact, we’ve got four kids now!), but I’m a bookworm again, and nothing’s going to change that.

What other Tea and Ink Society readers are saying:

“I am already quite smitten with your lovely writing and society. You are spurring me on to more great reading, re-reading in some cases. Thank you.”

“I am excited to have a little corner for some literary me time!”

“I love your blog! This is a treasure trove of good book recommendations. It’s so hard to find literature that I feel good about having my teen girls read! THANK YOU!”

“I’m so excited to be a part of the Tea and Ink Society! I believe that books change the world and I can’t imagine what people who think reading is boring do in their spare time. I also think that every person is capable of falling in love with a book, some just haven’t found the right one yet.”

To hear when new content is posted to the blog and to get bookish musings, quotes, movie recommendations, and more, sign up for the Tea and Ink Society newsletter.

In the meantime, steep a cup of tea and dive into these blog posts to get started:

Reading habits

The Fastest Way to Get Back into Reading Books

12 Ways to Make Your Reading Life Better

Choosing a book

101 Classic Books to Read in Your Lifetime

17 Classic Novels to Read Based on Your Mood

8 Quick Classics for Busy Adults

Books to read based on your Hogwarts house: Ravenclaw | Gryffindor | Slytherin | Hufflepuff

Bookish inspiration + fun

How to Be an L. M. Montgomery Heroine in a 21st-Century World

30 Things Only True Book Nerds Will Understand

Hilariously Bad Book Covers of Your Favourite Classic Novels

Quiz: How Well Do You Know These Famous First Lines?

I love hearing from you! Tell me about your own reading journey or about the books that send you over the moon because you love them so much. My email address is elsie[at]teaandinksociety[dot]com