Stories for Coffee's BLOG
Food and Fiction: Simon Vs. the Oreo Cake
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda | Chocolate Oreo Cake
In Becky Albertalli’s novel, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, the main character Simon is obsessed with Oreos. It is his favorite snack and he loves to talk about them with his crush, Blue. So when I decided to make an Oreo Cake, I had to relate it back to this heartwarming novel. More
Favorite Villain Quotes
If you know me, you know that I adore villains. I love how cunning they are, and I love learning about what pushes them over the edge enough to turn their back to the world and cause chaos. Villains are always the most complex characters in a storyline, so in honor of their cryptic motivations, I wanted to share my favorite lines said by some of my favorite villains.
My Writing Playlist
Inspired by Sudio‘s Reagent headphones that I got recently, which are AMAZING, wireless, incredibly comfortable, and play music so well, I wanted to talk about my writing playlist with you all! (If you are interested in Sudio’s headphones, use my coupon code: STORIESFORCOFFEE to get 15% off your order!)
Music is a great tool for writers to use to help them dive into the story that they’re working on. It has helped me get into the minds of the characters I’ve created and immerses me into my story. I believe that having a playlist for your work in progress is a great way to help you write more vividly, so in lieu of that idea, I wanted to share my writing playlist and give you a little bit of insight into the songs I’ve chosen.
A short, somewhat vague summary of my WIP: A girl is escaping her past. A boy is trying to disentangle himself from the life chosen for him. There’s Vegas nightlife, tons of mobsters, and a potential war between families.
I haven’t made a true order to this playlist because I tend to listen to it on shuffle, so choose how you’d want to listen to it. More
The Girl With the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke (Review)
DIVERSE READ: #Ownvoices Jewish MC* + Romani MC
Rating: ★★★★★
Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Summary: When sixteen-year-old Ellie Baum accidentally time-travels via red balloon to 1988 East Berlin, she’s caught up in a conspiracy of history and magic. She meets members of an underground guild in East Berlin who use balloons and magic to help people escape over the Wall—but even to the balloon makers, Ellie’s time travel is a mystery. When it becomes clear that someone is using dark magic to change history, Ellie must risk everything—including her only way home—to stop the process.
My thoughts: The Girl With the Red Balloon is officially one of my favorite novels of 2017. I didn’t realize how much it would impact me, but it managed to find a place in my heart through its powerful message and heartwarming characters that I never wanted to stop reading about. This fantastic story follows 3 POVs*, two taking place during 1988 in East Berlin, and the other taking place during 1942 in a ghetto in Poland. Majority of this novel focuses around Ellie, who accidentally time travels back to East Berlin with the help of a magical red balloon, but it also follows a character living in a ghetto in Poland during WWII. Both narratives are so well written and deliver a powerful story showcasing the horrors of WWII and the equally troublesome times that followed after the war ended. More
Journey to Bethlehem, PA
Travel Diary: Bethlehem, PA | December 28-29, 2017
A few days after Christmas, in 2017, my family and I drove into Pennsylvania on another short trip. We spent two days in Bethlehem, PA, a quaint town only a few miles big that is bustling with adorable boutiques, a lovely book shop, and historical houses that have now turned into museums.
Rest, Relax, Recharge
Simple Self-Care Tips For Bad Mental Health Days
Sometimes the weight of living gets so heavy that your mind gets overwhelmed and the thought of getting out of bed feels like an impossible task. I tend to feel this way whenever my anxiety spikes and it leaves me in bed all day, wasting hours on my phone, scrolling through social media to distract myself.
In an effort to care more about my mental and physical health, I wanted to share some simple things to do during bad mental health days which will leave you feeling a bit better. These are things that don’t require a lot of energy and can be done at home because I know how the hard days can suck the energy right out of you and small tasks can feel daunting. More
The Punisher| TV Show Talk
The Punisher (2017)
IMDB Summary: After the murder of his family, Marine veteran Frank Castle became a vigilante known as “The Punisher” with only one goal in mind – to avenge them. With his revenge now complete, Frank’s war-time past comes back to haunt him.
Creator: Steve Lightfoot
Starring: Jon Bernthal, Amber Rose Revah, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ben Barnes
Genres: Action, Adventure, Crime
Content Warning: Murder, guns, gore, bombs, knives, abuse.
Who Tells Our Stories – Megan
Here’s another installment to my Who Tells Our Stories photo / interview series highlighting diverse readers and the diverse stories that represent their identities! Today I’m interviewing Megan about diverse literature and how she connected to the book she has chosen to be photographed with.
(A FULL EXPLANATION FOR THE PHOTO SERIES IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS INTERVIEW.)
Click here to see all the Who Tells Our Stories interviews!
Name: Megan
Book title: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Social Media links: Twitter
Megan’s Interview
Love on my Mind by Tracey Livesay | Review
DIVERSE READ: Interracial couple, Black MC, Asperger’s rep.
Rating: ★★★★★
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Synopsis: Successful PR executive Chelsea Grant is one assignment away from making partner at her firm and nothing will stand in her way. Her big break? Turn a reclusive computer genius into a media darling in time for his new product launch. He may have been dubbed the “sexiest geek alive” but he has no patience for the press—and it shows. Piece of cake, right? Only problem is… his company doesn’t want him to know they hired her.
After a disastrous product launch two years ago, tech CEO Adam Bennett knows the success of his new device depends on the media’s support. When a twist of fate brings the beautiful PR specialist to his door, Adam hires Chelsea to help turn his image around. Their attraction is undeniable and the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to keep things professional.
But when Adam discovers Chelsea’s deception, will she risk everything for her career or is love the real thing on her mind?
Journey to Jim Thorpe, PA
Travel Diary: JIM THORPE, PA | November 10 – 12, 2017
FRIDAY, NOV. 10
On Friday, my parents, brother, and I drove a few hours to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania for the weekend. We have visited this quaint town before but wanted to visit it again because there were a few more things we wanted to see that we didn’t on our first trip.
Jim Thorpe is a lovely town tucked deep into the mountains of Pennsylvania and provided me with that warm, cozy feeling that made me feel like I was on the set of Gilmore Girls. This town reminded me of the show because it is tiny, full of quirky independent shops, and welcoming people who made our stay that much better.