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Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite
The Barista Diary: Plus 365 Pacific Northwest Daily Grind Recipes by Cynthia Marie and Michelle Murphy is a barista story. Christy is a vibrant woman full of life. She owns a coffee shop called Outpost Espresso, where people from all walks of life and ages come to visit before they hit the slopes or journey toward their destination. Getting up every day is a struggle, but things look better once she gets to her shop. Being a barista opens her mind and heart to a lot of things. She meets all kinds of people; she hears all kinds of things, and those things leave an imprint on her mind. Having OCD and PTSD does not help her case, but a girl has to do her job, right? With her pets as her constant companions, Christy never has a dull moment as she serves people their coffee high up in Northwest Washington.
The narrative style of The Barista Diary is unique and fits Christy’s character incredibly well. Writing a diary-style narrative with timestamps is a stroke of genius, and the authors do the narrative style full justice. Each new recipe, each new anecdote from Christy, and every new character adds something extra to the story. Cynthia Marie and Michelle Murphy share different sides of Christy; she is feisty, a little depressed at times, and sometimes she craves love. However, she knows how to hold herself back, put on a mask and get back to her job. The pace of the story is not fast, but it is perfect for Christy’s growth. She is complicated yet straightforward. She finds solace in her pets; her comfort is her routine, and there isn’t anything she cannot do. The commentary on human behavior fascinated me. The descriptions pull readers in and make them feel like a part of the story. This book is a catharsis that we need to unwind and feel a little bit better.
