Happy Halloween, Dear Ones! As I type this, I am enamored by the leaves outside my window in their muted shades of yellow, orange, and brown. That means it is autumn, specifically October. It being Halloween, my book and tea picks for this month are spooky ones.

This month I read The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. I recently read another one of hers (The Night Watch) and was drawn in by its character development, which prompted me to give this one a read. The Little Stranger is set in post-World War II England in rural Warwickshire. The protagonist, Dr. Faraday, is called to Hundreds Hall, an aging Georgian estate, to see after a patient. Faraday was at the house before, when he was a boy and his mother worked there, and this is his first trip back to the home and to the family inside of it.

His visit to the home reveals a crumbling home and the Ayres family struggling to keep the estate afloat. This predicament was not uncommon then, as the country was shifting away from a society of wealthy families lording over large manors with households of staff. This book depicts a society in decline.

The story follows Faraday’s slow, steady inclusion into the Ayres family. In time, he finds himself invested in the welfare of the family and the house. Creepy things start happening to the house and to its residents – and Faraday finds himself questioning whether the Ayres family is simply experiencing severe mental stress or if something spooky is actually going on. It all comes to a conclusion that I did not find as satisfying as I had hoped it would be, but I will let you decide for yourself. I won’t give anything else away, as I want you to read this book. The book was also made into a movie, which I’ve yet to see. Books are always better than the movie though.

What am I drinking? Something equally spooky. Just kidding. I’m drinking Magic Potion from David’s Tea. It’s a fruit infusion laced with currants, apples, berries, kiwi, a hint of stevia, and a special ingredient that gives this tea its name. Once brewed, the tea starts out a striking indigo color. Add lemon juice and its turns a vibrant violet. That special ingredient that makes that magic happen is butterfly pea flower. The aroma reminds me of tart berries, which makes sense given the ingredient list, and its taste is very much blue raspberry, like the label promises, with a faint sweetness thanks to the stevia.

SPOILER AHEAD

Skip this paragraph if you don’t want to see a smidgen of a spoiler from The Little Stranger. I need to rant for a quick second about how frustrating I found Dr. Faraday. He’s a clueless man in so many ways. Of course as the reader, we know that spooky shit is happening in Hundreds Hall and to the Ayres family, and he is so quick to dismiss it all as the family sliding into stress-induced craziness. Most frustrating to me, he is oblivious of the fact that Caroline Ayres has no real interest in him – and his precious ego gets bruised in the process. Even after Caroline puts her foot down and clearly, unmistakably explains to him that she does not really want him “like that,” he assumes she is crazy and weak-minded from all of the family stress. I mean, how could she not want him, right? I naturally had very little patience for him.

SPOILER/RANT OVER

It’s safe and spoiler-free now. What books are you getting lost in at the moment? And what’s that you are sipping in your mug? I’m always looking for suggestions for books and tea!