Iceberg Tea
Iceberg Tea is a collection of 50 personal stories about life in the Canadian North written over the 22 years I lived in a cabin in the woods outside of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, with my husband, Bill, and a series of dogs. During those years, I spent many hours sitting around, preferably in my pyjamas, and thinking (and writing) great thoughts while Bill did all the chores. The stories in Iceberg Tea grew out of reflections such as these: How can you be spiritual when all you want is a fancy red car? Why are Northerners so possessive about mosquitoes? Why would men rather think about gas fittings than the meaning of life?
This is a book that will make you laugh, cry and feel better about the world.
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Praise and Press
“In Iceberg Tea, Annelies Pool blends memory with imagination as she recounts unusual everyday routines punctuated by encounters with the exceptional moments of midlife. She draws readers into the warmth and familiarity of each of her 50 compact narratives with playfully poignant prose.”
– Daron Letts, Yellowknifer
“Iceberg Tea—what a marvellous collection of vignettes for the soul! What a feast, meditation and celebration of the many lives we live in this one.”
–Richard Van Camp, author of Night Moves, The Lesser Blessed and The Moon of Letting Go
“This book is a must read for any city person who thinks they know the north through books, but doesn’t. With insight and detail, Pool shows the magnificent life up in Yellowknife. What comes off at first read as quirky, funny stories about life in the bush, later shows reflective detail into the lives and loves of Northern people. Writing while out in her cabin in the Arctic woods, Annelies Pool puts Thoreau to shame!”
–Cathleen With, author of Having Faith in the Polar Girls Prison
“Annelies has a very reflective personality and there is a sense of ongoing personal growth that runs throughout her memories. And instead of pondering heavily on those around her, she more often focuses on her place in the universe. Fortunately, Annelies waxes philosophical while contemplating more down to Earth pursuits like lottery tickets and Facebook. She’s a student of Tai Chi but she also admits to insecurities.”
–John Mutford, The Book Mine Set
Are you a retailer? Visit my Prelude Books page for information on carrying Iceberg Tea.