May 2025 Mood Reads

Welcome to the second installment of our monthly Mood Reads series, where you suggest your favorite books of the month and we provide our favorite coffee pairings to match.

There’s a unique comfort in settling down with a story that captivates your mind and a coffee that awakens your senses. The warm glow of your favorite reading spot and the rich scent of freshly poured coffee create a peaceful moment that invites you to pause and savor. Together, these simple pleasures transform an ordinary day into something quietly extraordinary, a gentle escape where imagination and flavor come together in perfect harmony.

Every month, we ask our customers to share their favorite books from the month along with their favorite way to enjoy coffee. These are their picks for May 2025!

1. Vengeful by VE Schwab
   
   1. Summary: Vengeful by V.E. Schwab is a dark, gripping sequel where power, revenge, and ambition collide. Victor Vale fights to control his unraveling abilities, while Marcella Riggins rises as a deadly new force, determined to claim her place among the superpowered. As enemies old and new clash, the line between hero and villain vanishes—and only the ruthless will survive.
   2. Our Suggested Coffee Pairing: Pairing Vengeful by V.E. Schwab with our Costa Rica | San Isidro coffee creates a rich and layered experience. The book’s sharp tension and morally complex characters are well matched by the clean, balanced profile of a Costa Rican coffee, with subtle citrus notes, and a smooth cocoa finish. Just as the story moves between power, revenge, and redemption, the coffee offers its own narrative in the cup: vibrant yet grounded, bold but refined. It's a pairing that heightens every twist of the plot and every sip, perfect for a slow, immersive read where the lines between good and evil blur.
2. Funny Story by Emily Henry
   
   1. Summary: Funny Story by Emily Henry is a heartwarming romantic comedy about two opposites brought together by unexpected circumstances. When Daphne’s fiancé leaves her for his childhood best friend, she ends up reluctantly living with the ex-boyfriend of the woman he left her for. As Daphne and Miles navigate heartbreak and awkward cohabitation, their unlikely friendship turns into something deeper. Full of wit, warmth, and emotional depth, Funny Story is a tale of healing, new beginnings, and the messy, beautiful ways love finds us.
   2. Our Suggested Coffee Pairing: A witty, heartfelt story about love, healing, and second chances is best savored alongside Guatemala Huehuetenango, with notes of bitter chocolate, marshmallow, brown butter, orange, and chardonnay that just like Funny Story, it’s comforting, uplifting, and full of unexpected warmth.                     
3. Terroir Jem Challender
   
   1. Summary: Terroir by Jim Challenger is a reflective exploration of how land, climate, and culture shape the character of coffee. Through personal stories and global insight, Challenger delves into the deep connection between farmers, their environment, and the flavors that emerge—revealing coffee not just as a beverage, but as an expression of place
   2. Our Suggested Coffee Pairing: Pair Terroir by Jim Challenger with an Ethiopian coffee like our Ethiopia | Bekele Belacho Bombe is the perfect companion: its distinctive, creamy body and complex flavor profile of blackberry, desert wine, green melon, honey, raspberry, and jasmine aroma for a truly immersive experience. As the book explores how soil, climate, and culture shape every cup, Ethiopia—widely considered the birthplace of coffee—offers the perfect companion. With its vibrant floral aromas, bright acidity, and complex fruit notes, an Ethiopian brew beautifully reflects the book’s central theme: that every coffee tells the story of its origin. 
4. A Cold and Lonely Place by Sara J Henry
   
   1. Summary: A Cold and Lonely Place by Sara J. Henry is a suspenseful mystery set in the icy Adirondacks. Freelance writer Troy Chance discovers a body frozen in Saranac Lake, someone she knows. The man is Tobin Winslow, the on-again, off-again boyfriend of her roommate, Jessamyn. As Troy investigates Tobin's life and mysterious death, she uncovers long-buried secrets that could shatter the serenity of the small town and many people's lives. Her search for the truth forces her to decide how far her own loyalties reach.
   2. Our Suggested Coffee Pairing: Suspenseful  and bittersweet, A Cold and Lonely Place, much like our Mexico | Oaxaca Eloxochitlán with its balanced sweetness, medium body, and delicate notes of caramel, honey, Earl Grey tea, and peach, 

Thank you all for participating in our monthly Mood Reads! We’re so excited to see what you’ll be reading next month. If you missed this month, subscribe to our mailing list, or share on our latest Instagram post, and we’ll send you a special discount code for your next coffee purchase.

Stay tuned for more book recommendations! and coffee pairings!