Sips and Stories: Perfect Drink and Book Pairings
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Christmas time is the best time to indulge in a nice hot beverage and a good book. In this quick guide, I’ll give you the best drink and book pairings.
By Jayne Turner – Staff Writer
Peppermint Mocha
If your go-to holiday beverage is a peppermint mocha, you’re classic, sweet, and always festive. You should pick up a contemporary romance novel to go with it! Authors like Emily Henry, Casey McQuiston, and Abby Jimenez dominate this genre.
My personal favorites are Red, White, and Royal Blue, Happy Place, and One Last Stop.
Popular holiday romances include Lovelight Farms, Window Shopping, and In a Holidaze.
Apple Cider
If you enjoy a hot and spicy apple cider, you’ll also enjoy a mystery novel. Whether it’s a murder mystery, disappearance, or crime, you’ll be hooked on these books.
Holiday mystery novels like Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, Sugar Cookie Murder, and The Mistletoe Mystery are good options to get you in the holiday spirit.
I also suggest The Yellow Room, The Black Curtain, and The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.
Mulled Wine
Mulled wine is an alcoholic beverage made from red wine that is spiced and sweetened. Cinnamon, clove, honey, and citrus are typically added to enhance the flavor. If you like this mature, fragrant drink, check out a period romance.
Period romances typically encompass themes of forbidden love, historical context, class, and courtship. Books like Gone With the Wind, Jane Eyre, and Wuthering Heights may interest you.
Learn more about why physical books are better than digital formats here.
Eggnog
Eggnog is a rich classic, often served at holiday parties. It evokes a sense of tradition! If you’re sipping on eggnog, pick up a classic novel. Bonus points if it has holiday themes like Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol!
Other classics for the holidays include Little Women, Emma, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. This list by Penguin Random House contains 100 options!
If you don’t have time for a long novel, check out a timeless holiday short story like The Gift of the Magi, The Nutcracker, The Little Match Girl, or A Christmas Memory.
Hot Cocoa
If you’re cuddling up with a mug of cocoa, you should read a childhood favorite! Hot cocoa is a staple holiday beverage that is comforting and great for adults and kids alike. It can be garnished with marshmallows, candy canes, or whipped cream.
Think Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or The Secret Garden. Anything that gives you the feeling of nostalgia. I’d personally go with any Roald Dahl book: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, or The Witches.
Pro tip: add cinnamon to your hot cocoa for a spicy Mexican hot chocolate!
Gingerbread Chai
If you reach for a gingerbread chai, you’re up to date on the current trends, but remain unique. If this sounds like you, you’ll like reading a modern fantasy novel.
With their creative plotlines and fantastical worlds, you’ll fall in love with this genre. A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Song of Fire and Ice, and The Magicians Trilogy may intrigue you.
Some holiday-themed fantasy novels are Wolfsbane and Mistletoe, The Elven Days of Christmas, and The Very Secret Society or Irregular Witches.
Check out this ranking of Starbucks holiday beverages!
Choosing a book to read can be overwhelming. There are so many good options, it’s nearly impossible to narrow them down. Hopefully, with this guide, you’ve chosen a book to sink your teeth into this winter.
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Author: Jayne Turner is a freelance writer from Orange, California. She has a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience with an emphasis on language and cognition. She has ten years of musical theatre experience and a lifelong love of reading. Utterly excited by the brain, she brings a fresh Gen Z perspective to the topics that intrigue us most.
