For the love of books and coffee

Both of these subjects have been discussed since their conception, people’s love for them is immeasurable. Recently I went to a bookshop that had a café upstairs, arguably one of the most perfect combinations, where I had one of the nicest coffees I’ve had in a long time. It was a chai latte, usually I only ever have the chai frappuccino from Starbucks but I fancied trying the hot version and it was unbelievably nice. I wasn’t able to stop thinking about it. Hence this is a blog post essentially dedicated to how nice it was. Liking coffee and reading isn’t anything revolutionary or new, there are millions of people who enjoy these pleasures. Which clearly stands as testament to how perfect and enjoyable they can be.

Coffee is a versatile drink, it can be enjoyed however you please. Personally I do not particularly enjoy many flavoured coffees, although I do enjoy a chai or an Irish cream coffee. However, the flavour I enjoy depends on the situation. I do also enjoy a frappuccino from time to time, particularly in the warmer weather. It is a drink that has the coffee as a base note but then it comes in so many different flavours and variations that there is almost one that calls for every situation. My sister is not a huge coffee fan but there is still a coffee she can enjoy [either a flat white or a vanilla iced latte] which proves that most people do have a preference. Even one of my closest friends, who is adamant that she doesn’t enjoy coffee enjoyed the sip she had of my chai frappuccino. All of this clearly shows how good of a drink coffee is because there is enough forms of it that it makes it enjoyable for most people. Unless of course people completely dislike the taste of it – I know that I feel a similar way about tea.

People’s enjoyment of coffee gets them through the day. It helps them to work through a tough job, or brightens up the end of their week. It is a treat. One that you can enjoy simply by yourself, with your family or use it as an opportunity to catch up with your friends. It can be supplied in most situations. If you’re feeling a bit down, if you’re cold, if you need a refreshment or offer some form of comfort when you are away from home. It is almost as if it’s versatility knows no bounds. Which is why it creates such obvious enjoyment, why people like it so much.

Books are of course perhaps one of our greatest creations [or rather the printing press] and they can make up a significant part of our lives. Books educate and inform but they also – like coffee – create an extreme amount of enjoyment. Which is why I am so often baffled when someone admits to me that they do not read. I suppose it is sometimes a task setting the time aside and putting the effort in to actually read and allow your brain to imagine the words on the pages. However, if the book is good enough, if it captures your imagination well enough then it feels like no task at all. Like coffee, there is a significant array of books that cater for everyone. Whatever it is you enjoy to read or you are interested in it is more than likely that there is a book out there for you. Crime, fantasy, historical fiction, romance, non-fiction the list goes on and on. Of course I shall not get into the opinions on the genres or the kinds of books I like to read as it a debate for another time and a lengthy one at that. But what is true is that books provide a sense of escapism, for the briefest of moments you manage to escape the world you live in and enter the imagined one on the page. It helps you to understand emotions, to connect with different stories, different lives, different worlds. It is such an enjoyment to be able to capture your own imagination and relax into the book.

Books are such an important part of our lives, of our development, of who we are. They expand our vocabularies, they help us to understand other people’s emotions and they also importantly educate us. This is true in both educational texts and fiction texts as there is usually a subtext in numerous novels that help us to understand the world. Or to be able to experience different societies throughout history and the thought process of those civilisations that came before us. Books are tremendously important and if you don’t read I’m sure that if you look hard enough you will find something that will provide you with the enjoyment and education.

The bookshop and café hybrid that I visited was lovely, it provided me with more books and filled me with the delicious taste of the chai latte. I suppose I have attempted to get across my love for these things – though it is nothing particularly new – as they are so important to most people’s lives. Of course these hobbies, or rather these things that provide joy can become costly. [Look to George Orwell for discussions about the expense of reading]. However, in my mind these things are worth the expense. They are what makes the world enjoyable, they provide us with the spice of life, they fill up our time before we die and to me they are what makes life worth living. As it is so vital to enjoy and find fulfilment in the brief time we have. Even if you don’t enjoy coffee, it is important to treat yourself to a nice drink [importantly prepared by someone else] and a book every now and then. It undoubtedly feels good and fills you with passion.