The Book Nerd

No matter if it's a cup of tea or coffee, lemonade or a glass of wine, books and drinks go well together. This universal truth has been discovered not only by avid readers but also writers, some of whom became as well known for their drinking habits as for their literary achievements. Taking advantage of the summer time and the permanent feeling of thirst, we've gathered light-hearted recommendations of 14 well known and read authors and their drinks. Find your match, sip, read, and enjoy the summer reading time. 

Truman Capote called this cocktail his special “orange drink” so if you share his taste for upgraded orange juice, go for a screwdriver drink with one of Capote's books in your hand.

In this profession it’s a long walk between drinks.

 

Truman Streckfus Persons, known as Truman Capote, was an American author, screenwriter and playwright, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) and the true crime novel In Cold Blood (1966)... read more

 

Truman Capote's most popular books on BookLikes:

Ernest Hemingway is known for his love for cocktails: Mohito, Martini, vermouth... Living in Havana, though, must have left a trace in his preferences and we bet Mojito was hight on the author's top drinks list. If it's also on yours, have a sip.

 

Ernest Hemingway's most popular books on BookLikes

 

Asked by a translator to explain his text William Faulkner said:

I have absolutely no idea of what I meant. You see, I usually write at night. I always keep my whiskey within reach; so many ideas that I can’t remember in the morning pop into my head.

If you're fond of whiskey, try Faulkner's favorite drink: mint julep. 

His first poem was published in The New Republic in 1919. His first book of verse and early novels followed, but his major work began with the publication of The Sound and the Fury in 1929... read more

 

William Faulkner's most popular books on BookLikes:

Martini IS James Bond. James Bond IS Ian Fleming. If you like martini, you ARE James Bond for us. 

Ian Fleming's most popular books on BookLikes

 

Cosmo was named the sexiest drink thanks to Candace Bushnell who popularize the drink in her Sex and the City series. If you adore Carrie Bradshaw, the Sex and the City's main character, grab cosmo and read/write on!

Candace Bushnell is the critically acclaimed, international best-selling author of Killing Monica, Sex and the City, Summer and the City, The Carrie Diaries, One Fifth Avenue, Lipstick Jungle, Trading Up, and Four Blondes. Sex and the City, published in 1996, was the basis for the HBO hit series and two subsequent blockbuster movies. Lipstick Jungle became a popular television series on NBC, as did The Carrie Diaries on the CW... read more

 

Candace Bushnell's most popular books on BookLikes

 

If you like Margarita, read Jack Kerouac who developed his love for this drink during his trip through Mexico. 

Jack Kerouac

Don't drink to get drunk. Drink to enjoy life.

Raymond Carver was Hemingway's mate not only in writing but also boozing. Some of the records reveal that Bloody Mary cocktail, which he named "heart starter", made his hangover breakfast. We definitely do not recommend this kind of diet but if you'd like to give the tomatoes a good stir, choose Bloody Mary. 

Raymond Carver was born in Clatskanie, Oregon, in 1938. His father was a saw-mill worker and his mother was a waitress and clerk. He married early and for years writing had to come second to earning a living for his young family. Despite, small-press publication, it was not until Will You Please Be Quiet Please? appeared in 1976 that his work began to reach a wider audience... read more

 

Raymond Carver's most popular books on BookLikes 

 

 

If you like gin and tonic read J.K. Rowling or F. Scott Fitzgerald's. Both authors highlighted this drink as their favorite.

J.K. Rowling

JK Rowling grew up in Chepstow, Gwent where she went to Wyedean Comprehensive. Jo left Chepstow for Exeter University, where she earned a French and Classics degree, and where her course included one year in Paris. As a postgraduate she moved to London to work at Amnesty International, doing research into human rights abuses in Francophone Africa. She started writing the Harry Potter series during a Manchester to London King's Cross train journey, and during the next five years, outlined the plots for each book and began writing the first novel... read more

 

J.K. Rowling's most popular books on BookLikes:

 

 

F. Scott Fitzgerald

First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you.

 

F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the major American writers of the twentieth century -- a figure whose life and works embodied powerful myths about our national dreams and aspirations. Fitzgerald was talented and perceptive, gifted with a lyrical style and a pitch-perfect ear for language. He lived his life as a romantic, equally capable of great dedication to his craft and reckless squandering of his artistic capital. He left us one sure masterpiece, The Great Gatsby; a near-masterpiece, Tender Is the Night... read more

 

F. Scott Fitzgerald's most popular books on BookLikes:

Jane Austen was well known for her feminist life approach, her language was witty, actions full of determination and books ground-breaking. This also refers to her culinary preferences. She adored ices and red wine. 

Jane Austen

But in the meantime for Elegance & Ease & Luxury . . .

I shall eat Ice & drink French wine, & be above Vulgar Economy.

Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature... read more

Jane Austen's most popular books on BookLikes

J.R.R. Tolkien admitted to be a beer lover. C.S. Lewis is known for his love to this golden liquor as well. Not so strange then that those two spent enjoyable time in pubs reading and discussing their writing, having several pints and paying close attention to what they were drinking. Reportedly, Lewis liked a good draft bitter off the wood, disliked bottled and hated canned beer. 

J.R.R. Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion... read more

J.R.R. Tolkien's most popular books on BookLikes

C.S. Lewis

I can't imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once. 

Clive Staples Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year... read more

C.S. Lewis' most popular books on BookLikes

Honore de Balzac'a coffee addiction may be too much even for a hard-core coffee lover -- the author is believed to drink up to 50 cups a day! L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was much more moderate coffee drinker with four or five breakfast cups of sweet white coffee a day. How about you?

Honoré de Balzac

As soon as coffee is in your stomach, there is a general commotion.

Ideas begin to move…similes arise, the paper is covered.

Coffee is your ally and writing ceases to be a struggle.

Honoré de Balzac was a French novelist and playwright. His magnum opus was a sequence of short stories and novels collectively entitled La Comédie humaine, which presents a panorama of French life in the years after the 1815 fall of Napoleon Bonaparte... read more

Honoré de Balzac's most popular books on BookLikes

If you prefer a hot aromatic tea than cocktails or coffee, make sure to follow George Orwell's golden rules of making a perfect cup of tea. 

George Orwell

One strong cup of tea is better than twenty weak ones. All true tea lovers not only like their tea strong, but like it a little stronger with each year that passes.

Eric Arthur Blair who used the pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist and critic. His work is marked by lucid prose, awareness of social injustice, opposition to totalitarianism, and commitment to democratic socialism. Commonly ranked as one of the most influential English writers of the 20th century, and as one of the most important chroniclers of English culture of his generation, Orwell wrote literary criticism, poetry, fiction, and polemical journalism. He is best known for the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) and the allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945)... read more

George Orwell's most popular books on BookLikes

Sources:

http://www.port-magazine.com/feature/combined-measures-great-writers-their-drinks/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1507438/There-would-be-so-much-to-tell-her....html

http://www.openculture.com/2011/12/drinking_with_william_faulkner.html

http://www.foodrepublic.com/2012/10/30/7-things-you-didnt-know-about-ernest-hemingways-drinking-habits/

http://blog.biographyonline.net/2013/01/30-facts-about-jrr-tolkien.html

http://paperandsalt.org/2014/07/07/bloody-mary-cocktail-raymond-carver/

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-a-perfect-cup-of-tea-according-to-george-orwell-191448

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/features/2013/daily_rituals/coffee_from_balzac_to_beethoven_it_has_fueled_artistic_endeavor_for_centuries.html