by WTN Staff 

The kids may have gone back to school – or are about to, depending on where you are – but there's still a month of summer left, including Labor Day, to catch up on your tea reading.

Three new books about tea include two about entertaining, and one about tea's international cultural meaning.

"The Meaning of Tea: A Tea Inspired Journey," by Scott Chamberlin Hoyt, is an edited compilation of 50 interviews done around the world with people who grow, harvest, sell, trade, study and drink tea. If the name sounds familiar, that's because it's essentially the book version of Hoyt's film, "The Meaning of Tea," released last year.

Phil Cousineau edited the interviews and provided commentary on them . Talking Leaves Press published the book, which sells for $24.95. Interested retailers should call Tea Dragon Films at (212) 691-8899.

Harvest House Publishers in Eugene, Ore., have released two books this summer. One is a re-issue of a book originally published in 1996, "An Invitation to Tea," by Emilie Barnes. This small gift book provides an introduction to basic tea service, with six chapters that cover increasingly elaborate occasions, from tea for oneself to a spring garden tea party.

"Tea With a Twist: Entertaining and Cooking With Tea," by Lisa Boalt Richardson, offers a more contemporary and in-depth look at entertaining with tea. Richardson devotes each chapter to a themed tea experience, such as a flower power tea party, a Mexican fiesta tea party and Indian Chai high tea.

The book retails for $24.99, and more information on it is available at http://www.lisaknowstea.com.