Chocolates for Each Book Genre

Cuisine

Apr 15

I love pairing a good book with a good bar of chocolate! Check out your favorite genre below and find some new yummy chocolates to explore. Specific recommendations from Bar & Cocoa, my favorite chocolate site, are linked below, along with book recommendations!

A bitter dark chocolate would be the perfect pairing for a dark dystopian adventure.

For my book The Guardian and others like it, 90% is the ideal blend of intense bitterness with a hint of hopeful sweetness. In a corporate-run dystopian adventure like The Guardian, with twists around every turn, you need the fortitude of a full-bodied dark chocolate!

Try Belvie Noir Dark 90%, Definite Mallano Dark 90%, Domori Criollo 90%, Amedei Toscano Black 90%, Theo & Philo Dark Chocolate 90%, Labooko Bolivia 90%, or Momotombo Dark Chocolate 90%.

Raspberry and chocolate are the quintessential romantic pairing. Nothing says “romance” like a decadent chocolate raspberry treat!

Next time you read a spicy romance book, try enhancing the experience with: Ritual Après Chocolate, Raaka Raspberry Dark Waffle Crunch, or Soma Raspberry Bar.

My current favorite romance books include Love & Other Alien Concepts by Catie O’Neill (also a great sci-fi read), Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood, The Bride Test by Helen Hoang, and Mr. Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer.

Unique and strange combinations would be the perfect pairing for an out-of-this-world sci-fi book.

My favorite sci-fi reads include: Loyalty of Severus by Len Berry, Calculating God by Robert J. Sawyer, and the classic Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.

Check out these unusual chocolate finds to send your tastebuds to another planet of flavor: Mission Chocolate Cupuaçu, Theo & Philo Dark Chocolate with Calamansi, Baiani Dark with Caipirinha, Auro White Calamansi Cheesecake, Fjåk Wild Mushroom, Mission Chocolate Romeo & Juliet, Goodnow Farms Caramelized Onion, Fjåk Brown Cheese, and 20/20 White Chocolate with Beetroot & Lemon. For an especially interesting science-fiction treat, try Naive Molecules Bioactive Chocolate.

Great fantasy books often feature breathtaking worlds and creatures. Chocolate with bold herby or floral flavors would be the perfect treat to enjoy with a fantasy book that takes you to new environments.

My fantasy favs include Once Upon a Realm by C.J. Pearson, The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley, and Heart, Wings, and Fire by Trisha J. Wooldridge.

Try pairing fantasy books with: Ritual Gin Juniper Lavender Chocolate, Mirzam Falooda White Chocolate with Rose & Pistachio, Raaka Rose Cardamom, Pure Chocolate with Lemongrass, Marou Mint & Orange, Raaka Green Tea Crunch, and Crow & Moss Earl Grey Tea.

Milk chocolate truffles are the perfect sweet treat for YA fans. Not too dark or spicy, but still full-bodied and intense in their own right, milk chocolate pairs well with the drama and hopefulness of YA books.

My favorite YA books include Keep Close by Kristen Wade, Across the Universe by Beth Revis, The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper, and Uglies by Scott Westerfield.

Try them with: Domori Classic Truffles, Amedei Pralines, Marana Piura Milk, Fruition Brown Butter Milk, Cacaosuyo Piura Milk, Qantu Creme de la Creme, or Michel Cluizel Bon Bons for a delightful treat.

Want to stay up all night with a mystery book that keeps you on the edge of your seat? You’ll need some strong caffeinated chocolate to keep your wheels turning!

I’m not a mystery reader at all, so I went with a classic many people seem to enjoy: Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.

For coffee chocolates, try: Fjåk Espresso Dark Chocolate, Belvie Coffee Good Morning Vietnam, Domori Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans, Mayana Coffee Break Bar, Pralus Carre de Cafe Noir Bar, Ritual Dark Mocha, Pure Chocolate Dark with Coffee, or Auro Dark Mocha Crunch.

Horror books excite the senses, so a spicy chocolate with chili, cayenne, or cinnamon would be a great pairing to really send your head spinning!

I personally can’t stomach horror books, but I know my friend Trisha J. Wooldridge is incredibly talented! Check out her book, Where Monsters Pray.

And for some spicy chocolate, try: Belvie Chili Pepper Dark Chocolate, Ritual Vegan White Chili, Moka Mexican Spice Milk Chocolate, Theo & Philo Dark Chocolate with Labuyo Chili, or Pure Chocolate with Cinnamon. Take your mind and your tastebuds on a wild ride!

For a grounded, balanced treat, there’s nothing better than a peanut butter cup—or a fascinating nonfiction book! Earthy and practical, peanut butter and chocolate provide a sweet-salty combo that will leave you satisfied. Paired with a great nonfiction book, it’ll elevate and educate your mind and body!

My nonfiction collection is mostly driven by my career as a sociologist, so I have many great book recommendations in that field: Cecilia Ridgeway’s Framed by Gender, Barbara Risman’s Gender Vertigo, Mary Murphy’s Cultures of Growth, Priya Fielding-Singh’s How the Other Half Eats, Emily K. Carian’s Good Guys Bad Guys, Erin Cech’s The Trouble with Passion, Marianne Cooper’s Cut Adrift, Arlie Hochschild’s The Second Shift, Leslie Perlow’s Sleeping with your Smartphone, Kenji Yoshino’s Say the Right Thing, Aliya Hamid Rao’s Crunch Time, and Megan Tobias Neely’s Hedged Out.