Grandma & Her Iced Tea...

Do you have that one thing that makes you think of a grandparent?

Ice tea makes me think of my grandmother.

Born in South Carolina in 1922, she was a woman not to be trifled with. The family story lives on that at around the age of 2, she packed a suitcase and tried to run away from home, although not making it much farther than halfway down the street as 2-year-olds are not known for their foresight. She showed her spunkiness from a young age.

She was an early wearer of pants - scandalously donning them after WWII before she was even married. In the 1950s, she coached a teenage boys' church league in a time where only men were coaches, and until the end she always had a Readers Digest in her purse ready to quiz you on the meaning of a word, or drop a new medical study on you.

Even though her father moved the family to Detroit in 1924, when she was only a few years old, to chase the American dream of working for Henry Ford in the automotive industry, my grandmother never lost her love of southern sweet tea.

Red Rose was the brand she always drank, pouring packets of Sweet'N Low into each glass.

As a child, I was fascinated by the little figurines that came in each box. She had each figure placed out of reach on a shelf similar to this one. She would let us play with the duplicates when we would come to visit. Those little figurines became treasured reminders of our visits together.

She passed away the first day of my sophomore year of college, in 2001. I still miss her. I think she would have loved reading The Literary Assistant newsletters. She would have written me letters pointing out anything I missed, or feistily challenging me on a topic.

What's that one thing that instantly brings back memories of someone special in your life?

Are feeling in the mood for an iced tea while you read a book, I am! Right now thru June 1st, when you shop my link you can save 25% off of all Fresh Brew Iced Tea from Harney and Sons. I’m planning on stocking up on the Watermelon Mint and trying their Organic Black Tea. 🫖

In honor of my grandmother, Constance Louise Nunley Dahlman (pictured on the left), I have 5 book recommendations for you today based on the topics… life in the Southern United States, the automotive industry, and tea. Enjoy!

As the world's most popular beverage, tea has fascinated us, awakened us, motivated us, and calmed us for well over two thousand years.

A History of Tea tells the compelling story of the rise of tea in Asia and its eventual spread to the West and beyond. From the Chinese tea houses of the ancient Tang Dynasty (618-907) to the Japanese tea ceremonies developed by Zen Buddhist monks, and the current social issues faced by tea growers in India and Sri Lanka—this fascinating book explores the complex history of this universal drink.

This in-depth look illuminates the industries and traditions that have developed as tea spread throughout the world and it explains how tea is transformed into the many varieties that people drink each day. It also features a quick reference guide on subjects such as tea types, proper terminology and brewing.

Whatever your cup of tea—green, black, white, oolong, chai, Japanese, Chinese, Sri Lankan, American or British—every tea aficionado will enjoy reading A History of Tea to learn more about their favorite beverage.

Check it out HERE.

Set in the shadow of Biltmore Estate, a poignant tale of friendship, restoration, and second chances.

Seven years ago, a hidden betrayal scattered three young friends living in the shadow of the great Vanderbilt mansion. Now, when Biltmore Industries master weaver Lorna Blankenship is commissioned to create an original design for Cornelia Vanderbilt's 1924 wedding, she panics knowing she doesn't have the creativity needed. But there's an elusive artisan in the Blue Ridge Mountains who could save her--if only she knew where to begin.

To track down the mysterious weaver, Lorna sees no other way than to seek out the relationships she abandoned in shame. As she pulls at each tangled thread from her past, Lorna is forced to confront the wounds and regrets of life long ago. She'll have to risk the job that shapes her identity, as well as the hope of friendship--and love--restored.

Check it out HERE.

Go inside the horrifying walls of a 1920s New York asylum as a wrongly imprisoned woman fights for what is most important to her—and meet the young woman confronting the pain and mystery of her own family’s mental illness two generations later.

Ten years ago, Izzy Stone’s mother fatally shot her father while he slept. Devastated by her mother’s apparent insanity, Izzy, now seventeen, refuses to visit her in prison. But her new foster parents, employees at the local museum, have enlisted Izzy’s help in cataloging items at a long-shuttered state asylum. There, amid piles of abandoned belongings, Izzy discovers a stack of unopened letters, a decades-old journal, and a window into her own past.

Young flapper and suffragette Clara Cartwright is caught between her overbearing parents and her desire to be a modern woman. Furious when she rejects an arranged marriage, instead finding love with an Italian Immigrant, Clara’s father sends her to a genteel home for nervous invalids. But when his fortune is lost in the stock market crash of 1929, he can no longer afford her care—and Clara is committed to the public asylum.

Even as Izzy deals with the challenges of yet another new beginning, Clara’s story keeps drawing her into the past. If Clara was never really mentally ill, could something else explain her own mother’s violent act? Piecing together Clara’s fate compels Izzy to re-examine her own choices—with shocking and unexpected results.

Check it out HERE.

In this incredible story of ambition, betrayal, and sacrifice, an extraordinary sixteen-year-old girl in Colonial South Carolina defies all expectations to achieve her dream.

The year is 1739. Eliza Lucas is sixteen years old when her father leaves her in charge of their family's three plantations in rural South Carolina and then proceeds to bleed the estates dry in pursuit of his military ambitions. Tensions with the British, and with the Spanish in Florida, just a short way down the coast, are rising, and slaves are starting to become restless. Her mother wants nothing more than for their South Carolina endeavor to fail so they can go back to England. Soon her family is in danger of losing everything.

Upon hearing how much the French pay for indigo dye, Eliza believes it's the key to their salvation. But everyone tells her it's impossible, and no one will share the secret to making it. Thwarted at nearly every turn, even by her own family, Eliza finds that her only allies are an aging horticulturalist, an older and married gentleman lawyer, and a slave with whom she strikes a dangerous deal: teach her the intricate thousand-year-old secret process of making indigo dye and in return--against the laws of the day--she will teach the slaves to read.

So begins an incredible story of love, dangerous and hidden friendships, ambition, betrayal, and sacrifice.

Based on historical documents, including Eliza's letters, this is a historical fiction account of how a teenage girl produced indigo dye, which became one of the largest exports out of South Carolina, an export that laid the foundation for the incredible wealth of several Southern families who still live on today. Although largely overlooked by historians, the accomplishments of Eliza Lucas influenced the course of US history. When she passed away in 1793, President George Washington served as a pallbearer at her funeral.

This book is set between 1739 and 1744, with romance, intrigue, forbidden friendships, and political and financial threats weaving together to form the story of a remarkable young woman whose actions were before their time: the story of the indigo girl.

Check it out HERE.

Inspiring historical fiction based on the real life of Bertha Benz, whose husband built the first prototype automobile, which eventually evolved into the Mercedes-Benz marque.

"Unfortunately, only a girl again."

From a young age, Cäcilie Bertha Ringer is fascinated by her father's work as a master builder in Pforzheim, Germany. But those five words, which he wrote next to her name in the family Bible, haunt Bertha.

Years later, Bertha meets Carl Benz and falls in love―with him and his extraordinary dream of building a horseless carriage. Bertha has such faith in him that she invests her dowry in his plans, a dicey move since they alone believe in the machine. When Carl's partners threaten to withdraw their support, he's ready to cut ties. Bertha knows the decision would ruin everything. Ignoring the cynics, she takes matters into her own hands, secretly planning a scheme that will either hasten the family's passage to absolute derision or prove their genius. What Bertha doesn't know is that Carl is on the cusp of making a deal with their nemesis. She's not only risking her marriage and their life's work, but is also up against the patriarchy, Carl's own self-doubt, and the clock.

Like so many other women, Bertha lived largely in her husband's shadow, but her contributions are now celebrated in this inspiring story of perseverance, resilience, and love.

Check it out HERE.

We are now celebrating 5 upgraded memberships this month! Our biggest month yet!

As a community we have now donated 16 books to women who need them.💝

Your support means the world to me! For every membership upgraded to $5, I donate a historical fiction or romance book to a local women’s shelter.

The Literary Assistant is Reader-Supported! Please note, all posts are free for everyone to enjoy. Your support helps keep this space thriving for book lovers like you! 😊

Affiliate links are used at no extra cost to you, but they help me earn a small amount—just enough to grab a tea and keep writing! ☕