8 Coffee Drinks for 8 Gaiman Masterpieces

Original Photo by Brady Hall

The literary community is in luck: Neil Gaiman’s birthday is coming up on November 10! This storytelling genius has produced some of the best books to spirit you away to another world…you know, the kind of book best enjoyed with a blanket, a drizzly day, and a cup of coffee by your side. In honor of his big day, we’ve combined our two favorite things: specialty coffee drinks and books. So what are you waiting for? Pick your preferred poison.

Lavender Decaf Coffee and Sandman

Sandman is all about the adventures of Morpheus, the lord of dreams. Since he controls the dreamworld, it only makes sense to pair his stories with a decaf coffee. Add a heady splash of lavender, which lulls your mind into a state of relaxation, to ensure that you fall asleep that much faster. But be warned: Sandman’s creepy illustrations will haunt your dreams.

Irish Coffee and Good Omens

A book about an angel, demon, and the apocalypse? Hoo, boy. That’s a tall literary order, so you’re gonna need a drink with a kick: an Irish coffee. Besides helping you forget the end of the world, an Irish coffee is a blend of coffee and Irish whisky. We’ll let you determine which part represents good and which one is evil…

Coffee To Go and Neverwhere

Richard doesn’t have time to sit down and drink a cup of coffee! He’s too busy running around the London Underground. That’s why we recommend pairing this book with coffee in a to-go cup.

We might have considered recommending water (for hydration purposes), but that would be, you know, boring.

Star-Stenciled Coffee and Stardust

This book’s protagonist, Tristran Thorne, promises to retrieve a fallen star for his aloof lady love. But Yvaine, the star in question, ends up being a much better match for him. Order a frothy cappuccino or latte, then give it an Yvaine-inspired twist by sprinkling cinnamon or nutmeg over a star latte art stencil.

Oh, and we advise that you add a lot of sugar to this coffee…because the story is pretty sweet.

Triple Espresso and American Gods

This book is all about gods, which means there is a lot of power rattling around in the pages of Gaiman’s beloved novel. In honor of the book’s divine strength and magic, we advise you to drink a powerful coffee with it: a triple espresso. We can pretty much guarantee that by the time you finish American Gods and those espresso shots have taken their effect, you’ll feel like a god yourself.

Hot Chocolate and Coraline

Coraline’s just a kid, so we can’t in good conscience recommend coffee with this book. She already seems to have too much energy as it is! Instead, we think this book is best paired with a decadent hot chocolate. Make it with whole milk and top-quality chocolate if you can. That way it’s rich and dark, just like the story you’ll be reading it with.

Caribbean Coffee and Anansi Boys

The Caribbean features prominently in this work, so we paired it with a Caribbean coffee, or coffee with rum. Since one of the novel’s best scenes features the characters getting ridiculously drunk, we think this coffee is perfect for this novel. To trickery!

Iced Sea Salt Coffee and Ocean at the End of the Lane

It shouldn’t surprise you that we think an iced sea salt coffee is perfect with this bookThe ocean plays such a large role in the book, you know you need a taste of sea salt in your coffee when you read it.

“Sea salt in my coffee?” you may be asking yourself. “Why would I do that?” But don’t get your spine bent out of shape! Mix sea salt with heavy cream, or use a sea salt caramel syrup to sweeten your beverage. Easy. A little salty, a little sweet: perfect for a book about recalling a distant childhood.