Coffee Blog

Coffee and book reviews?

Writing Sparkle

Welcome to book review twenty-four of fifty-three for this year’s virtual coffee shares. I’ve picked books related to the theme here at Brewing Coffee, Twisting Words & Breaking Pencils—coffee, books, and puzzles.

Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe
Author Jenny Colgan
Published in April 2011
Publisher is Hachette
Available in eBook, Audiobook, Hardcover, and Paperback (456 pages)
Workplace Processes & Infrastructure | Romantic Comedy (Kindle Store) | Literary Fiction eBooks

I was excited to read Meet Me at the Cupcake Café. The title is adorable, and the cover has an eye-catching quality. However, when I was reading, I couldn’t get into the story. It isn’t a comment on the book, but me as a reader. Sometimes a book doesn’t resonate the first time I pick it up. You can find my full review on Goodreads: the review.

There is a second book in the series called Christmas at the Cupcake Café.

If we were having coffee, I would share a picture of the most recent puzzle I finished. I thought the puzzle was over, but with all the smoke, we have been under an air quality advisory. So, I’m indoors. Anyway, this puzzle is a 1000-piece Buffalo Games puzzle titled “Sights of Venice.” It’s from the Night & Day series.

The sky is expressive. In this picture, the sky is a combination of storm clouds (we never got rain) and smoke. I think it makes an eerie story prompt.

If we were having coffee, I would share a writing update. I have written seven chapters for my new book. It is a blend of the urban fantasy and the cozy mystery genre. For this first draft, my chapter length is between 1200 and 1400 words, which is reasonable. I’m not in a hurry to write it and I haven’t set a release date. Are you working on a writing project?

If we were having coffee, I would share that I have been giving thought to what my 2026 weekend coffee shares might look like. Have you been enjoying the book reviews I open with? I’m considering doing something similar next year.

By Shari Marshall – 2025

14 thoughts on “Coffee and book reviews?”

  1. I’ve read a few of Colgan’s books but not that one. I love that Venice puzzle. We have had a bit of haziness in our skies but nothing as bad as what you’re experiencing.

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    1. Thanks for stopping in, Joanne.

      It’s been raining here the last couple of days, which has lowered the air quality to low risk. The rain is welcome and needed.

      Happy Saturday.

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  2. That’s a nice puzzle. Last week we had one day of poor air quality due to the smoke but not as bad as what you’re experiencing. Thank you for your weekend coffee share.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. I’ve read a couple of books by this author but not the Cupcake Cafe books. It’s a very cosy title, that would draw me in. How errie is your smoky photo. Well done on your writing.

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  4. With what the smoke has been like here, I can’t imagine how bad it is out there! Yuck. I hope it doesn’t get worse for you as the season moves along! Nice to be writing not under pressure 🙂 Enjoy your weekend and have a wonderful week.

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  5. I find smokey and cloudy skies to be so fascinating. Eerie, too, yes. But the layers are beautiful until I remember why they’re playing against each other. I hope it all calms down soon, fire season is no fun for those of us who live in fire prone areas, nor for those in the smoke plume paths. At least writing and puzzling can happen while you’re hunkered down! Stay safe out there!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. If you write a story using the picture as a prompt, I would love to read it. You can pop back and leave the link on one of my Coffee Share posts, Ju-Lyn.

      Thank you for stopping in.

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