The Coffee Book Tag

Since I love coffee – I usually drink espresso in the morning, I thought I would do this fun tag, the creator of which now escapes many people, but I saw it first on this site.

I. Black coffee: a book that was hard to get into, but has a lot of die-hard fans

I have always thought that books by J.R.R. Tolkien have this quality. It is not very easy to get into the world of Tolkien and accept everything unquestionably. I think there are no ambivalent opinions on the books. There are people who do not read them and there are those who are passionate about the story-line and also followed every film. 

II. Peppermint mocha: a book that gets popular around the holiday season

I think Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot’s Christmas is worth a read. It is entertaining enough, and, for the lovers of detective stories – it may be a “must-read” come festive season. 

III. Hot chocolate: your favourite children’s book

I had many favourite books growing up, but the one I recently remembered and thought fondly about was Tri tolstyaka (The Three Fat Men) by Yury Olesha. The title, though, does not sound that offensive in Russian, and, rather, has a more humorous and even sympathetic undertone. The plot is a bit complicated for the minds of the young, but I remember being impressed by the troop of circus workers who try to establish fairness in a country ruled unjustly by three gluttonous men. The genius of the book has to be Suok, a little circus girl, who courageously agrees to “impersonate” a doll and get to the palace of the unjust rulers to free an imprisoned man. When Dr. Arneri could not fix the doll of a young prince, Suok takes its place and it so happens that Suok and the previous broken doll look identical, with the question becoming whether the young prince will spot any difference and raise the alarm. Intriguing.

IV. Double espresso: a book that kept you on the edge of your seat

It will definitely be A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin. I could not believe the twists that I encountered there. The book is an absolute page-turner, and it is partly set in New York!

V. Starbucks: a book that you see everywhere

I see Origin by Dan Brown everywhere these days.

VI. Hipster coffee shop: a book by an “obscure” foreign author that deserves more attention

Zama by Antonio di Benedetto. Even though Zama was published in 1956, it was only in 2016 that the English-speaking world got the chance to read it. You can also check out a corresponding film of 2017 directed by Lucrecia Martel. 

VII. The perfect blend – a book with the perfect combination of bitter and sweet

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again” (1938: 1, du Maurier). Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is the book with a perfect combination of bitter and sweet. It starts on a haunting, melancholy note and ends on one, though it also has instances of pure happiness, for example, when the heroine marries Mr de Winter.

VIII. Oops, accidentally got decaf: a book you expected more from

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio. 

IX. Green tea – a book that is quietly beautiful

Silence by Shūsaku Endō.  

X. Chai tea – a book that makes you dream of far off places

It will not be right to finish this list without mentioning a coffee table book. Map Stories: The Art of Discovery by Francisca Mattéoli makes me dream of far away places, be it scorching deserts or lost cities. The only concerns are that this book provides limited information, sometimes raises more questions and does not have visual guidance to match all of its narrative. However, it definitely makes one wonder and be inspired about travel.