10 Refreshing Book Recommendations Based on Our Go-To Café Order

June 20 2019
Share 10 Refreshing Book Recommendations Based on Our Go-To Café Order

Not only will we be lugging totes full of books to our local beaches this summer, we’ll also be hitting up our favorite cafés, where we’ll undoubtedly spend hours enjoying air conditioning, comfy sofas, and our current read, all while sipping on our go-to drink order. In case you were wondering, here’s what we’re ordering and the books we’re recommending to go with them.

One Hundred Years of Solitude
by Gabriel García Márquez

Colombian drip coffee 

Perhaps it’s a little too on-the-nose, but why not curl up with a cup of Colombian coffee while you enjoy a masterpiece from one of Colombia’s greatest writers? ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE is a multigenerational epic swirling with magical realism and subtle nuances in language, character relationships, and repetition. Like a good cup of black drip coffee—no cream, no sugar—it’s a reliable classic worth savoring.

— Emily

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo iBooks logo
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Gabriel García Márquez

“Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.”

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

Lingering Last Words: 8 Of The Best Book Endings We’ve Read

By Off the Shelf Staff | March 9, 2020

10 Refreshing Book Recommendations Based on Our Go-To Café Order

By Off the Shelf Staff | June 20, 2019

9 Enchanting Books for Readers of Magical Realism

By Sarah Jane Abbott | May 2, 2019

17 Amazing Books Featured in the “Fahrenheit 451” Movie

By Sarah Jane Abbott | July 19, 2018

9 Books to Escape to Central and South America

By Caroline Giddis | July 14, 2018

No Time Like the Present: 10 Books We’ll Finally Read in 2016

By Julianna Haubner | January 7, 2016

Close
Dark Matter
by Blake Crouch

Black Coffee

DARK MATTER tackles scenarios I didn’t think were possible to express in written form, nonetheless flush out into an exciting, mind-bending narrative—like encountering other versions of yourself, life on other planes, the depth of love and the need for other humans. Like a jolt of black coffee, this book awakens all the senses, providing an experience that will linger throughout the day and settle into the strangest corners of your overthinking mind.

—Sarah

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Dark Matter
Blake Crouch

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

12 Immersive Reads About Families: the Good, the Complicated, and the Crazy

By Sarah Woodruff | August 26, 2020

10 Refreshing Book Recommendations Based on Our Go-To Café Order

By Off the Shelf Staff | June 20, 2019

9 Books That Completely Blew Our Minds

By Off the Shelf Staff | June 19, 2018

6 Fantastic Books New in Paperback This March

By Meagan Harris | March 19, 2018

14 Books to Read in Between Episodes of Your Favorite TV Shows

By Tolani Osan | November 3, 2017

Close
An Unkindness of Magicians
by Kat Howard

Iced Strawberry Green Tea

What an interesting flavor combination, strawberry and green tea, just like fantasy thrillers. Iced, unsweetened green tea is the perfect chilled drink for any thriller fan. It’s cold, a little bittersweet, and has just enough caffeine to keep you up at night. But when you add in that little strawberry twist, you get the perfect amount of whimsy that comes along with a dark fantasy thriller. AN UNKINDESS OF MAGICIANS is just that, as it tells the story of a young magician, Sydney, who has a rare ability that may be able to destroy the darkness that is threatening magic. This supernatural fantasy thriller is set in a magical version of New York that is sure to hook you right away.

—Maddie

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo
An Unkindness of Magicians
Kat Howard

“A remarkable writer.” —Neil Gaiman, bestselling author of American Gods

An Alex Award Winner

There is a dark secret that is hiding at the heart of New York City and diminishing the city’s magicians’ power in this fantasy thriller by acclaimed author Kat Howard.

In New York City, magic controls everything. But the power of magic is fading. No one knows what is happening, except for Sydney—a new, rare magician with incredible power that has been unmatched in decades, and she may be the only person who is able to stop the darkness that is weakening the magic. But Sydney doesn’t want to help the system, she wants to destroy it.

Sydney comes from the House of Shadows, which controls the magic with the help of sacrifices from magicians.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

The Best of 2020: The Top 10 Book Lists of the Year

By Off the Shelf Staff | December 29, 2020

Indie Bookseller Recommends: 7 Escapist Reads That Fill Me With Joy

By Nicole Brinkley | July 28, 2020

Librarian Picks: 10 Books I Would Prescribe to Cure the Blues

By Beth Mills | April 6, 2020

10 Refreshing Book Recommendations Based on Our Go-To Café Order

By Off the Shelf Staff | June 20, 2019

Close
Supermarket
by Bobby Hall

Dark Roast with Almond Milk

SUPERMARKET made the cuts of my book selection for this pairing because, like a dark roast coffee, it is robust and packs a punch. The novel gets real with the reader in the way it sheds light on mental illness through the main character, Flynn. This psychological thriller gets as dark as the coffee, but the dash of comedy and romance in the novel offsets it, as does the almond milk. Regardless, with either pick I’m buzzing by the time I reach the end!

—Nick

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo
Supermarket
Bobby Hall

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The stunning debut novel from one of the most creative artists of our generation, Bobby Hall, a.k.a. Logic.

“Bobby Hall has crafted a mind-bending first novel, with prose that is just as fierce and moving as his lyrics. Supermarket is like Naked Lunch meets One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest—if they met at Fight Club.”—Ernest Cline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ready Player One

Flynn is stuck—depressed, recently dumped, and living at his mom’s house. The supermarket was supposed to change all that. An ordinary job and a steady check. Work isn’t work when it’s saving you from yourself. But things aren’t quite as they seem in these aisles. Arriving to work one day to a crime scene, Flynn’s world collapses as the secrets of his tortured mind are revealed. And Flynn doesn’t want to go looking for answers at the supermarket. Because something there seems to be looking for him. A darkly funny psychological thriller, Supermarket is a gripping exploration into madness and creativity. Who knew you could find sex, drugs, and murder all in aisle nine?

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

10 Refreshing Book Recommendations Based on Our Go-To Café Order

By Off the Shelf Staff | June 20, 2019

Close
Jaws
by Peter Benchley

Sweetened Iced Tea Lemonade

Iced tea is my go-to drink year-round, but it’s particularly refreshing in the hot summer. And few novels transport you to those dog days of summer as effortlessly as Peter Benchley’s classic thriller, JAWS. The book that will make you afraid to go into the water, JAWS is an electrifying wild ride, with one of the scariest first chapters in modern literature.

—Kerry

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Jaws
Peter Benchley

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

10 Refreshing Book Recommendations Based on Our Go-To Café Order

By Off the Shelf Staff | June 20, 2019

Come On In, the Water’s Fine

By Kerry Fiallo | July 6, 2016

Close
Beautiful Ruins
by Jess Walter

Iced Caramel Macchiato

Oh, iced caramel macchiato. The sweet, oh-so-decadent dessert of a drink that keeps me feeling refreshed even with its indulgence. It’s my summertime go-to from Starbucks. And its perfect literary pairing is BEAUTIFUL RUINS by Jess Walter. There’s nothing like reading about a romance between an actress and an innkeeper that starts on the Italian coastline while sipping one of the richest and fullest sweet drinks out there. If you’re looking for me, I’ll be drinking one in my large hat, near a river, pretending I’m someone who lives in Cinque Terre and reminisces about my youthful and passionate loves. Ciao!

—Hannah

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Beautiful Ruins
Jess Walter

Hailed by critics, loved by readers of literary and historical fiction, and featuring what is arguably one of the most iconic covers of recent years, Beautiful Ruins is the story of an almost-love affair that begins on a rocky patch of the sun-drenched Italian coastline in 1962. Funny and romantic, the beauty and wisdom of Jess Walter’s writing in the last chapter alone will leave musical lines of prose engraved in your memory.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

7 Dreamy Novels Set in Italy 

By Kaitlin Olson | April 6, 2022

Author Picks: 6 Books That’ll Fly You Away to Distant Lands

By Rebecca Serle | February 21, 2022

Book Destinations: 10 Bellissimo Novels That Will Fly You to Italy

By Maddie Nelson | August 25, 2020

10 Uplifting Reads to Get You Through the Depths of Winter

By Keturah Jenkins | February 5, 2020

10 Refreshing Book Recommendations Based on Our Go-To Café Order

By Off the Shelf Staff | June 20, 2019

8 Great Books to Read When You Need a Break From Politics

By Julianna Haubner | October 16, 2018

Close
The Night Tiger
by Yangsze Choo

Soy Matcha Latte

Whatever the weather, I like to start my day with some matcha. While the rich green color is alluring and the beverage can be enjoyed hot or cold, matcha has a powerful aromatic flavor, and it’s the perfect source for caffeine that won’t make you jittery. Add the sweet creaminess of some soy milk and a touch of vanilla flavor, and this latte becomes deliciously complex. The perfect pairing is Yangsze Choo’s multi-layered novel THE NIGHT TIGER. Set in 1930s colonial Malaysia, this novel follows Ji Lin, who stumbles upon a mirror world of secrets and superstitions—after a dance partner leaves behind a “gruesome souvenir”—and 11-year-old Ren, who is on a quest to find his master’s missing finger and bury it with him so that his soul won’t be doomed to wander the earth forever. A cultural, multigenerational, historical, magical read for the summer? Matcha-pproved.

—Tolani

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
The Night Tiger
Yangsze Choo

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

8 Historical Mysteries to Solve Before the End of the Summer

By Alice Martin | July 22, 2019

10 Refreshing Book Recommendations Based on Our Go-To Café Order

By Off the Shelf Staff | June 20, 2019

Close
Girl in Snow
by Danya Kukafka

Cool Lime Refresher 

Water, ice, magic lime flavor . . . that’s about it, but there’s nothing more instantly satisfying than a Cool Lime Refresher from Starbucks to really beat the heat. Since summer has officially commenced, you can always find me walking down the city streets with a CLR in one hand and a good book in the other, and no book would pair better with this beloved beverage than GIRL IN SNOW by Danya Kukafka. Investigating the ripples tragedy has on a small town, this book is so much more than a typical thriller in all the best ways. Taking simple ingredients from typical thrillers, GIRL IN SNOW finds a way to be startlingly refreshing with unflinching prose and genuinely surprising twists.

—Amy

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo
Girl in Snow
Danya Kukafka

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

Readers’ Choice: Our Top 25 Most Popular Books of the Year!

By Off the Shelf Staff | December 30, 2019

Readers’ Choice: Our 10 Most Popular Books in October

By Off the Shelf Staff | October 25, 2019

7 Domestic Thrillers to Binge-Read Right Now

By Sarah Woodruff | September 6, 2019

10 Arctic Reads to Cool Off with During the Dog Days of Summer

By Alice Martin | August 22, 2019

10 Refreshing Book Recommendations Based on Our Go-To Café Order

By Off the Shelf Staff | June 20, 2019

From Stephen King to Ruth Ware: 12 Edge-of-Your-Seat Reads

By Off the Shelf Staff | January 11, 2019

Close
Trouble Brewing
by Suzanne Baltsar

Caramel Frappe

When you’re craving a sweet, cool treat on a hot summer day, you can’t go wrong with a caramel frappe paired with an equally delicious rom-com like TROUBLE BREWING by Suzanne Baltsar. Craft-beer brewer Piper Williams has a lot riding on her new business, and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to succeed in the male-dominated industry. That includes enforcing a strict no-dating rule with Blake Reed—the owner of a gastropub that’s going to stock four of her brews—until her company’s more established. Of course, that’s easier said than done when the tension between them keeps building. . . . Trust me, you’ll savor every sip of this one.

—Heather

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo
Trouble Brewing
Suzanne Baltsar

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

8 Books That Have Nothing to Do with Politics to Distract You From the World

By Holly Claytor | October 26, 2020

A Boozy Reading List: 5 Books as Classic Cocktails

By Maddie Nelson | June 24, 2019

10 Refreshing Book Recommendations Based on Our Go-To Café Order

By Off the Shelf Staff | June 20, 2019

These 4 Books Make a Day in the Life

By One.More.Page | September 29, 2018

Close
Into Thin Air
by Jon Krakauer

Iced Quad Skim Latte

My mom’s coffee order is an iced venti quad skim latte—that’s four shots of espresso for an extra-jittery caffeine rush!  It keeps her energy up for reading intense survival adventures, like INTO THIN AIR, Jon Krakauer’s breathless (sometimes, literally) account of his harrowing ascent of Mount Everest. It’s a gripping story of strength, determination, and an unforgettable battle against the elements.

—Sarah Jane

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Into Thin Air
Jon Krakauer

Jon Krakauer’s been through the book-to-film process before (2007’s Into the Wild garnered substantial acclaim and award-season buzz), but this time, it’s personal. Into Thin Air details his presence on Mount Everest during the 1996 storm that left eight climbers dead and stranded several others. Adapted under the name Everest and starring Josh Brolin, Robin Wright, Keira Knightley, and Jake Gyllenhaal, it promises to bring the harrowing disaster to life.

Release date: September 25, 2015

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

10 Refreshing Book Recommendations Based on Our Go-To Café Order

By Off the Shelf Staff | June 20, 2019

8 Books We Love Because of Our Dads

By Off the Shelf Staff | June 11, 2018

Rain, Snow, or Shine: 9 Books to Read For Any Winter Weather Forecast

By Erin Madison | February 28, 2018

Bestselling Novelist Lisa See’s 13 Favorite Books

By Lisa See | March 28, 2017

Close

You must be logged in to add books to your shelf.

Please log in or sign up now.