Read It and Eat It: A Truly Horrid Latte

What is better than a book? A latte with a book! And these lattes, inspired by Katrina Leno’s Horrid, are sure to put you in a cozy reading mood. Be warned though, while the lavender latte is probably safe, the roses are usually a bit more… well, horrid!

Ingredients

1 cup milk, steamed or frothed

2 oz espresso

lavender or rose syrup to taste

Directions

Take one cup of milk and steam or froth until you have about an inch of foam on top. If you do not have a frother, I suggest you get one – it’s honestly life changing. You can find ones for about $20 at most stores selling kitchen and home goods.

Then pour in 2 oz of espresso.

To make a lavender latte:

Add lavender syrup to taste. I recommend using Monin or Torani, which you can order online. When adding the lavender syrup, I recommend adding a teaspoon at a time, stirring and then tasting. Lavender can be quite a strong taste, so until you know how much you like add the syrup incrementally.

Garnish with culinary lavender.

 To make a rose latte:

Add rose syrup to taste. Again I recommend using Monin or Torani, and adding the syrup incrementally.

Garnish with culinary rose petals.

 Add sugar to taste after adding in the syrups. I find that rose and lavender are strong, but the syrup is occasionally not enough sweetener for my tastes. So I add additional sweetener if needed!

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HORRID

BY KATRINA LENO

Following her father’s death, Jane North-Robinson and her mom move from sunny California to the dreary, dilapidated old house in Maine where her mother grew up. All they want is a fresh start, but behind North Manor’s doors lurks a history that leaves them feeling more alone…and more tormented.

As the cold New England autumn arrives, and Jane settles in to her new home, she finds solace in old books and memories of her dad. She steadily begins making new friends, but also faces bullying from the resident “bad seed,” struggling to tamp down her own worst nature in response. Jane’s mom also seems to be spiraling with the return of her childhood home, but she won’t reveal why. Then Jane discovers that the “storage room” her mom has kept locked isn’t for storage at all—it’s a little girl’s bedroom, left untouched for years and not quite as empty of inhabitants as it appears….

Is it grief? Mental illness? Or something more…horrid?