We’re headed into Spooky Season and what better way to celebrate than a series of Underrated Stephen King Titles and Drink Me! Tea Room teas to pair?!
For this online style book club, we’ve partnered with Podcaster Kim C. of The Year of Underrated Stephen King on Spotify. Each week we will release a new Stephen King book title. Next, grab the books and enjoy reading with a corresponding tea at Drink Me! Tea Room, or purchase the tea at our shop to enjoy at home while you read. Next head to the @underrated_sk_podcast on Spotify to listen to a discussion on the book!
1. Joyland (2013): listen to the The Year of Underrated SK Podcast: Joyland
This underrated diamond of a King story allows the reader to meet college student Devon Jones at the start of summer in 1973. With a newly broken heart, he heads to the North Carolina coast with a seasonal job at the Joyland theme park where he makes new friends and a few new enemies as he learns the ropes of carny life and tries to put himself back together. This is a short and powerful book with a ton of heart, a little mystery, a smidgen of ghost story and even more nostalgia. This is one of my all-time favorites from King.
(Pair with Monk’s Blend: Candy aroma. Soft Cherry Vanilla finish. Tastes like a Carnival!)
Shop the tea here: Monk’s Blend
2. Duma Key (2008): listen to the The Year of Underrated SK Podcast: Duma Key
Say Goodbye to Summer with this underrated 2008 Gothic Beach novel where the shores of Duma Key, Florida contain more than ocean breezes and beautiful sunsets. Walk the sands with Edgar Freemantle, a former Minnesota contractor turned painter who is in recovery after a tragic accident nearly took his life. Watch Edgar gain strength on his daily beach walks and discover the grand estate of Elizabeth Eastlake who is the last surviving member of the Eastlake family and perhaps the only one to outrun the curse on the Key. For fans of the dark feminine, the seaside, and the healing power of art, check out Duma Key.
(Pair with Tropical Green and taste all the Island fruits!)
Shop the tea here: Tropical Green
3. Revival (2014): listen to the The Year of Underrated SK Podcast: Revival
This 2014 underrated powerhouse crackles and sizzles. This story is about rock music, religion, grief, drug abuse and how to wrangle life and death with the raw power of electricity. Jamie Morton is 5-years-old when he meets Methodist minister Charles Jacobs. After tragedy forces Jacobs out of town and out of Jamie’s life, Time & Fate bring them back together when they’re both in desperate need of a friend. This narrative is a turbulent storm of a book that will engross you until the very last electric page!
(Pair with Earl Grey Cream: A timeless classic with the comforting flavor of sweet cream; perfect for the looming sounds of rolling thunder…)
Shop the tea here: Earl Grey Cream
4. From a Buick 8 (2002): listen to the The Year of Underrated SK Podcast: From a Buick 8
For those looking for a Stephen King masterclass, check out the strangely philosophical and engaging title, From a Buick 8. In 1979, a mysterious, pristine blue 1954 Buick Roadmaster was abandoned at a rural Pennsylvania gas station. The local police department take the Buick to their headquarters and for the next 30 years, they encounter several wild and unexplainable phenomena that confirms the car is definitely not a car but something from another world. This novel is for Christine Fans, the Sci-Fi genre and those who love a good mystery!
(Pair with The Violet Fairy: Sweet, Berrylicious and Intriguing like the Purple Light that often Bursts out of the Buick!)
Shop the tea here: Violet Fairy
5. Firestarter (1980): listen to the The Year of Underrated SK Podcast: Firestarter
Burn It All Down with 8-year-old Pyrokinetic, Charlie McGee. You’ll feel the firepower in Stephen King’s 1984 firecracker of a Chase Novel where Andy McGee will do anything to protect his daughter from a dangerous government sector known as, The Shop. The father/daughter duo must not only evade the Shop but assassin John Rainbird–a cunning war veteran who wants to capture the immensely powerful Charlie as a prize. This page turner is soaked in suspense, fast-paced adventure and it’s the Glory of the 80s wrapped up in one fireproof package! Check it out if you’re keen to observe King’s 2nd Destroyer Goddess (Carrie was 1st) in Action!
(Pair with Lapsang Souchong: A Campfire in a Cup! Smoky, Earthy, and Mysterious!)
Shop the tea here: Lapsang Souchong
6. Doctor Sleep (2013): listen to the The Year of Underrated SK Podcast: Doctor Sleep
Are You Ready to Return to the Overlook? This 2014 title brings back the character of little Danny Torrance from the Shining into modern day where the demons of his father Jack have caught up to him. While trying to rebuild a life in the midst of his dark gift, Danny meets a young girl named Abra Stone with incredible psychic powers that rival his own. Abra is in grave danger from a ruthless pack of Immortals called the True Knot who feed on children who shine and Danny is the only one who can help her. Check out Doctor Sleep if you’ve recently finished the Shining (or if you’ve previously read it) and if you’re fan of all things Vampire.
(Pair with Harvest Blend: The flavor of Warm Vanilla and Maple is Autumn in New England where Adult Danny is outrunning the past.)
Shop the tea here: Harvest Blend
7. Misery (1987): listen to the The Year of Underrated SK Podcast: Misery
Annie Wilkes is Paul Sheldon’s Number. One. Fan. This 1987 Psychological Terror Fest is NOT for the faint of heart. Best selling novelist Paul Sheldon thinks he’s invincible and takes to the snowy Colorado roads after one too many glasses of celebratory champagne. After crashing his car in the woods, Paul is taken in by a forty-something woman named Annie who claims to be a nurse and a huge fan of his work. Paul is seriously injured and crippled by pain but the woman named Annie won’t call for help, she won’t let him use the phone, she won’t let him leave the room… this is my pick for the most unsettling and frightening Stephen King books of them all. If you’re ready to start Halloween early and read a story you will never forget as long as you live, pick up Misery.
(Pair with Tralee Whiskey: The rich Irish whiskey scent and flavor will calm your frayed nerves!)
Shop the tea here: Tralee Whiskey
