Books > Book Hauls > Coffee & Trees
Reading About Coffee & Trees This Week
No matter where I’ve lived around the world, I always seem to find a library. Books everywhere, people curious about random topics, stories from every walk of life — libraries are my idea of heaven. My daily routine wouldn’t be complete without reading at least a few pages of some book. Well, here are the books on my nightstand this week!
Caffeinated: How Our Daily Habit Helps, Hurts, and Hooks Us
by Murray Carpenter (2014)
Hardcover / Paperback / Kindle
For nearly thirty years, journalist Murray Carpenter has been under the influence of a potent, unregulated drug—and chances are, you are too. In Caffeinated, Carpenter pulls back the curtain on America’s favorite fix, tracking caffeine’s hidden reach from morning lattes and energy shots to chewing gum and fruit juice. Traveling from Guatemalan coffee plantations to synthetic factories in China, he blends cutting-edge science with eye-opening investigative reporting to reveal how this bitter, powerful substance boosts focus and athletic performance while quietly driving health concerns like anxiety and obesity.
This Is Your Mind on Plants
Michael Pollan (2022)
Hardcover / Paperback / Kindle
In This Is Your Mind on Plants, Michael Pollan examines three powerful psychoactive plants—opium, caffeine, and mescaline—to expose the fundamental strangeness and arbitrariness of how society defines a “drug.” Blending history, science, memoir, and participatory journalism, Pollan explores our universal attraction to altered states of consciousness, questioning why making tea from tea leaves is a morning ritual while brewing tea from opium poppies is a federal crime. By experiencing these plants firsthand across various cultural contexts, he shines a fresh light on our deep connection to the natural world, holding up a mirror to human desire, mind-altering chemistry, and the complex laws we create to control them.
Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest
by Suzanne Simard (2022)
Hardcover / Paperback / Kindle
In Finding the Mother Tree, pioneer scientist Suzanne Simard brings readers into the intimate, interconnected world of forests to reveal a groundbreaking truth: trees are not mere timber, but cooperative, social creatures linked through vast underground networks. Blending cutting-edge science with deeply personal memoir, Simard shares her journey from a childhood in the British Columbia rainforests to her revolutionary discovery of “Mother Trees”—the powerful, central hubs that sustain and communicate with the surrounding forest. Inspiring and deeply illuminating, this captivating story shows how trees learn, adapt, and care for one another, holding up a mirror to human society and fundamentally reshaping our understanding of our place in the natural world.
Momfluenced: Inside the Maddening, Picture-Perfect World of Mommy Influencer Culture
by Sara Petersen (2023)
Hardcover / Paperback / Audio
In Momfluenced, Sara Petersen delivers a sharp, empathetic, and deeply resonant critique of how Instagram turns the private work of mothering into a multi-billion-dollar public performance. By contrasting the serene, linen-clad aesthetic of momfluencers with the isolating, unsupported reality of modern motherhood, Petersen explores why we are so drawn to the commercialized dream of the ideal “mama.” Drawing on pop-culture analysis, expert interviews, and her own relationship with momfluencer culture, she unravels how these savvy content creators sell far more than bamboo diapers and radish-printed crib sheets—they sell an idealized vision of motherhood tangled up in capitalism, whiteness, and impossible standards. Perfectly suited for fans of Jia Tolentino and Lyz Lenz, Momfluenced is a compelling examination of how we can define motherhood for ourselves in a culture obsessed with defining it for us.
Brew: Better Coffee at Home
by Brian W. Jones (2016)
Hardcover
In Brew: Better Coffee at Home, coffee expert Brian W. Jones demystifies specialty coffee for everyday enthusiasts who want café-quality flavor without professional training. If you’re tired of expensive morning coffee runs, this approachable guidebook walks you through selecting the best beans, investing in essential equipment, and mastering popular slow-coffee methods like pour overs, French presses, and moka pots. Packed with insider techniques, troubleshooting tips, and dozens of inventive coffee-based drinks and cocktails, Brew transforms your kitchen into a personal espresso bar. Fast-paced, practical, and deeply encouraging, it’s the ultimate guide to elevating your daily caffeine ritual at home.
Coffee Shop at Home: The Ultimate Guide to Making Your Favorite Coffee Drinks
by Katerina Diaz (2026)
Hardcover / Kindle
In Coffee Shop at Home, popular content creator Katerina Diaz shares her friendly, foolproof guide to ditching expensive daily café runs and mastering café-quality drinks in your own kitchen. Designed specifically for beginners, this approachable handbook breaks down intimidating coffee lingo, bean selection, and brewing equipment while meeting you with whatever gear you already own. Featuring 60 mouthwatering recipes—ranging from Honey Lavender Lattes and Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espressos to seasonal favorites like Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and make-ahead syrups—Diaz empowers you to make personalized, eco-friendly, and delicious drinks for a fraction of the cost.
OVerall…
Just a few books to read this week! What are you reading?
Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to check out my latest video on YouTube!
Jenny Claire is an award-winning educational materials writer, travel journalist, and food critic, formerly based in New York City and Taiwan. She calls a cute cabin in the woods of rural North Central Florida home, but lately she’s been spending most of her time cruising and traveling. She also was a secret travel critic and writer — but her lips are sealed on those details!
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