Every year my school runs Book It, a 12-hour reading marathon. It is a true nerd haven, with nerds and closet nerds convening for 12 straight hours, unapologetically being themselves. Through my high school years, I’m not sure there’s an event that has shaped my experience quite the way Book It has. It’s been a time to hang out with friends, eat without thinking about calories and celebrate the dorkiest part of ourselves. Though my confidence has increased, and I have become less ashamed of what I love, when I began in grade 9 I was awkward and uncomfortable, and just desperately wanted to be accepted.  Book It was invaluable, a place where I could be myself in a school atmosphere. I met kids in other grades that I had no idea liked reading. As an extremely shy, anxious child, I was able to have a conversation with these “deities” and make a connection with people that I never would have been able to talk to otherwise. Over the years, Book It has been the birthplace of some of my favourite memories. Loopy at midnight, we seem to make some interesting decisions- here’s a few:

Possibly the best Freudian slip I’ve ever seen

Mind you, this doesn’t include the times when my friend wrote ‘send nudes’ on her double chin, or when another friend messed up her knee, despite it being a reading marathon or any videos from book trivia. To say the least, people get competitive. This year, there was an error with one of the questions, and I believe the lady that made the game feared for her life as the nerds encircled her, angered that they lost points for saying that Tris had seven fears, not six, in Divergent (Tris, once overcoming a fear, would be known as Six, a comment made by Four).

At my first Book It I finished four books- two repeats (Harry Potters) and two new. Both of my new books were Rainbow Rowell’s; my first exposure to her writing. Between Eleanor and Park and Fangirl, I found an author that seemed to understand me to my soul for the first time in a long time. Chubby ginger girl trying to navigate school? yep, sounds familiar. A socially anxious girl obsessed with books trying to figure out the world?  Nahhhhhh, I’d neverrrr heard of that before.

This year was my final Book It, and I decided to re-read Fangirl. Through the last few years, I’ve reread it a couple times when handling difficult times(living in South Africa for three months, for example) but really liked the idea of reflecting on it with my perspective now, contrasting it with my perspective from the first time. I won’t bother you with an entire post about how I’ve grown and changed, and my realizations throughout the re-read, but let’s just say it touched on a few topics I am much more personal with now (leaving for university, relationships) and made me recognize that age itself can make a huge difference in perspective, particularly with books(I also re-read the first Percy Jackson, and my god, I forgot Percy and Annabeth were fetuses).

ANYWAYS, I’M GOING TO TURN DOWN THE SAP NOW.

One of the hallmark parts of Fangirl is Levi’s job at Starbucks-and the various drinks (ahem Pumpkin Mocha Breve) that appear in the books. As the Pumpkin Mocha Breve seemed complicated AF, and apparently an eggnog latte reminds Cather of snot, I decided to come up with a recipe for the gingerbread latte. So here’s what I think Levi’s gingerbread latte would be like- heavy on the gingerbread, light on the sugar.

Ok, if you don’t know what fanfic is, or know the terminology, I’m sorry. I hope you can still enjoy this recipe.

Levi’s Gingerbread Latte

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tbsp molasses
• 1.5 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 cup coffee or double shot of espresso
• 3/4 cup skim milk

1. Get the book you’re currently reading, and proceed to attempt the recipe one handed.
2. In the bottom of your mug, stir together the spices. notice there’s no salt in the recipe, so if you’re reading The Art of Racing in the Rain, or The Outsiders, try to keep your tears out of your cup.
3. Whisk in the coffee/espresso, ensuring any clumps are broken up. The coffee may appear like a swirling blackness and may resemble the darkness your OTP has had to face, but fear not- it will not stay like that.
4. Slowly pour in the molasses. Whisk. Add 1 tbsp maple syrup, stir again. Remember, if you declare that the maple syrup isn’t yours before you use it, it’s not plagiarism. (or stealing).
5. Steam/froth the remaining skim milk. I like to add the additional 1/2 tbsp maple syrup as the milk heats, but you can just add it straight to the coffee, either work.
6. Pour the milk into the mug, and top with the thick milk. Sprinkle with spices or a drizzle of maple syrup. If you like it, congratulations! Glad you enjoyed the canon version of my gingerbread latte! If not, feel free to write fanfiction for my recipe, and let me know in the comments about your AUs and OCs