A book about life and coffee, what isn't there to like. For me, I wish there was more chat about local coffee joints around the places she went to. Reading about all the different careers she has had over the years and what she liked and didn't like helped me with a few choices of my own.

Thank you Concierge Marketing Inc., and NetGalley for this advance read

Being an avid coffee drinker myself, Wendy Bornstein's book immediately caught my attention. And yes, I absolutely agree with her that there's more to coffee than just drinking it. Bornstein's introduction to coffee started in childhood when her mother finally got her to drink milk by adding coffee to it, and she's been drinking it ever since.

Dividing her book chronologically, Bornstein gives her readers a detailed description of how coffee has played a part in her life throughout the years. As she details these parts of her life, she gives us an insight into the connections, conversations, and life experiences that she's made (both personal and professional) over that initial cup of coffee. My only criticism is that I would have liked to have some of these stories fleshed out a bit -- it left me wanting to know more.

This is a quick and fun read, and I love the fact that Bornstein has also given her readers some tips on coffee brewing (especially on how to do the pour-over method), which I will definitely try in the near future.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this electronic ARC of #CoffeeConnections for review.



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An interesting, short read. I enjoyed the recommendations of various cafes that the author visited. The recipes at the end are also useful as a guide to any newbie to the coffee scene. It was fascinating to see the evolution of the author's reflections change as her coffee consumption did too (from momma's lattes to the straight up French Roast IV). This read definitely highlighted the market need that a certain coffee chain exploited in the 1990s to present in the US. The prevailing amount of two decades seemed to focus back on this one fast-beverage chain. A pleasant, little something to mull over while sipping your brew at a corner cafe.

This ended up being a very quick read--indeed, one I read in just two sittings!

I'm a big fan of all things coffee, even more so now that I no longer drink alcohol. For that alone, I really appreciate Bornstein's book and how she uses coffee as a way to network, build relationships (whether personally or professionally), and simply enjoy life! It's quite the contrast to the larger narrative prevalent in society of "I'm an adult/new graduate/XYZ=thing-warranting-celebration, ergo I drink."

For the book content itself, it reads primarily as memoir to me, and less of translatable "action items" (aside from drinking coffee for #allthethings, which I certainly can get behind!). I can't say I learned much "new," per se. (I'll also admit I got quite a few chuckles as a Washingtonian well versed in all things Starbucks ... I realized how much of a coffee snob I've become. :D) But, I definitely echo Bornstein's sentiments of Starbucks as familiar (-but-different, when we go outside the US), comforting, and a kick-starter of the coffee culture in America, for which I am eternally grateful.

Recommended for those who would like to read about one woman's experience implementing coffee connections in her own life. It's a solid springboard; I just would have enjoyed seeing more "now what" questions to elevate it to the next level.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.