Meet Elsie Callender @ Tea and Ink Society

A literary meet-'n'-greet in 10 pictures or less

Welcome back, friends!

If you love classic books and tea, then you need to meet Elsie Callender.

She’s a lover of classic books, mom of four, and creator of Tea and Ink Society, a charming book blog and shop.

And now, I’ll let Elsie take it away!

All About Elsie

I started Tea and Ink Society in 2017 so I could do what I love: READ more books, WRITE about books, RESEARCH authors and literary ideas, and CONNECT with other book lovers!

Because I prefer old books, I primarily discuss classic literature on Tea and Ink, but I don’t limit myself to that. Thank goodness there’s still good stuff being published today, and I like helping readers find those books, too!

My most embarrassing moment? Riding in an ambulance and getting an oxygen mask when I got dizzy at an observatory in Chile. Everyone was making such a big deal over me and I was a high school student who did NOT appreciate the attention!

I manage to read about 50 books a year. Right now, I’m rereading Lilith by George MacDonald.

What advice would I give to someone who wants to read more? To paraphrase A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, “The world is yours for the reading!”

These questions are brutal! 😂

Books that Elsie has written

• The Book Lover’s Companion

• Family Reading Log

• Your Simple Home Handbook

Books that Elsie read and loved

Reading Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens opened up the door to big classics for me and made me fall in love with Victorian literature. The Victorian era is still one of my favourite literary periods!

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury made me realize my tastes spanned a whole spectrum from sweet and cozy (like Little Women) to spooky and haunting.

As for George Eliot’s Middlemarch, Virginia Woolf once said it is “one of the few English novels written for grown-up people,” and I get what she means. Even though I learn and grow from books and characters, usually reading tips more towards entertainment for me. But Middlemarch really prompted introspection in a way not many books have!

• The Wager by David Grann

• There Is Confusion by Jessie Redmon Fauset (Read my review.)

• The Uninvited by Dorothy Macardle (Read my review.)

Here’s how you can connect with Elsie

I hope you enjoyed getting to know Elsie.

Head over to Tea and Ink Society for all things classic books. Check out Elsie’s seasonal tea+book subscription box, and, of course, snag a copy of one of her books.

If you’re not sure what to read next, Elsie will send you her custom “Choose Your Own Adventure” reading flowchart. (I can personally confirm that it’s rad!)

Here’s where you can find her on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.

You can also check out her “anything goes” lifestyle-ish, homemaking blog, Richly Rooted.

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Thank you, Elsie, for chatting books today!

And thank you for being here, readers.

Catch you next time,

Michelle