Book Riot has run a couple of posts (Part 1 and Part 2) on pairing brews and books. It was quite a creative idea pairing different beers with different titles (for example, Dogfish Head Higher Math with The Martian). That is, if you are a beer aficionado, which I am not. I really cannot explain the difference between an IPA and a pilsner. When someone comments that a particular beer is “hoppy” I nod knowingly while in truth am clueless what this means. I know imperial stouts have higher alcohol contents and are served in smaller glasses. These days, there are almost as many beers as there are books, and so the possibilities are endless–for those in the know.

It seems that one could do this with a variety of drinks–wines, mixed drinks, types of coffee and tea. I actually have the same problem in Starbucks as I do in the local beer emporium. The variety of coffee drinks can be bewildering. Occasional I’ll venture out and order some special drink, usually what they are featuring. But my default is the default, a Pikes Place black coffee. I know, b-o-r-i-n-g!

But this got me to thinking about the fact that one of the pleasures of reading is to do it with a beverage at hand–a sip of this, a page of that. It may seem pretty prosaic, but the simple pleasure of any good book with a good beverage is enough to reassure me of the basic goodness of life.

I do a good deal of my reading in the early morning hours with a fresh mug of coffee at my side. Savoring ideas and savoring the taste of the coffee go together. Later in the day I might switch over to a cup of decaf or some chai tea. Or in the summer, a glass of lemonade or iced tea would be the perfect accompaniment for me, sitting by our front stoop on a summer evening.

I guess for me, beer and wine are social drinks (what do they say about drinking alone?). Truthfully, if I had an alcoholic drink while sitting alone with a book, I’d be snoozing! But that’s just me.

So, do you like to read with a beverage at hand? What is your beverage of choice? And do you have any creative book-beverage pairings to propose?