Kayla and Taylor discuss the themes and major beats of Xochitl Gonzalez’s 2022 novel Olga Dies Dreaming. Topics include rich white people, the “American Dream”, and how little we actually know about Puerto Rico.

This week’s cocktail: Pina Colada via Difford’s

INGREDIENTS

2 oz Bacardi Carta Blanca light rum

1 ½ oz Novo Fogo Silver cachaca

3 ½ oz pineapple juice (fresh pressed)

¾ oz cream of coconut (e.g. Coco Lopez, Re’al, etc.)

½ oz lime juice (freshly squeezed)

¼ oz single cream/half-and-half

1 pinch salt

DIRECTIONS

Blend all ingredients with 6oz crushed ice and serve with paper straws

Current Reads and Recommendations

Anything my Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa (translated from the Japanese by Louise Heal Kawai)

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Join us next week as we discuss The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Here is the cocktail recipe for next week’s episode if you want to drink along with us!

Bramble via liquor.com

INGREDIENTS

2 ounces gin

1 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed

2 teaspoons simple syrup

½ ounce creme de mure

Garnish: lemon half-wheel

Garnish: fresh blackberry

DIRECTIONS

1. Add the gin, lemon juice and simple syrup into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.
2. Fine-strain into an Old Fashioned glass over crushed ice.
3. Slowly pour the creme de mure over the top of the drink
4. Garnish with a lemon half-wheel and a fresh blackberry.