It’s hard to find a nice coffee offering in Russia. The statement is sad, but still holds true. I’m a newbie in coffee drinking, but already have my own preferences about it, and apparently there is little to no understanding among the numerous fast-foods and coffee-houses of what a good cup of coffee should taste like.

This is my personal experience, though, I’m not pretending to sound/act as an expert, but here is the top 2 places I would buy a cup of Cappuccino at:

1. Starbucks. If you’re lucky enough to find a Starbucks nearby, then this is a nobrainer – go get it there! The best coffee one can find in Russia is served at this place.
2. Chockoladnitsa (aka Chocolateer). This is surprisingly good place to get a decent cup of Cappuccino. Even though the range of products is not as wide as in Starbucks, the taste still holds close to original.

Now, lets take a look at fast-food offers. Generally, you shouldn’t buy coffee there, it sucks! However, if there is no other place around, take a chance at MacDonald’s or Sbarro. And, please, never ever waste your dimes at places like ‘Rostiks KFC’, ‘Kroshka-Kartoshka’ (‘Little Potato’), ‘Teremok’ and such. You’ll get an over-burned, cheap, sometimes even chemically over-flavored drink, which has no resemblance to anything like coffee, and may be very dangerous to your stomach too!

So, if you want to drink a cup of coffee in Russia, find a Starbucks or a coffee-house, but not a fast-food. Happy Labor Day!

Once again my article is about Audible title. This time it is a comedy genre. I love African Americans (or shall I say ‘chocolate’ instead?), the unique atmosphere they always carry with them, and of course their very natural humour.

Larry Willmore’s “I’d Rather We Got Casinos, and Other Black Thoughts” is not a long listen, but it is a highly condensed, hilarious, smart collection of strange/unbelieveable/mystifying observations of ‘brothers’.

Howcome brothers never see UFOs? Why all brothers talk along while watching movies? Why ‘African American’ brand is no longer cool, and what should it be instead? These are just tips of the broad iceberg of humour in this book. My strong recommendation, the ‘five-star’!

Rip Van Winkle

It’s been a while since I’ve recommended an audiobook to listen to. Well, the time has come, and today’s pick of the week is Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving.

The classics of American fairy tales, this story is both easy to listen and deep to think of. That’s what Audible’s description says:

Rip Van Winkle lives in a nice village at the foot of New York’s Catskill Mountains. One autumn day he escapes his nagging wife by wandering up the mountains. After encountering strangely dressed men, rumored to be the ghosts of Henry Hudson’s crew, who are playing nine-pins, and after drinking some of their liquor, he settles down under a shady tree and falls asleep. He wakes up 20 years later and returns to his village.

This is a relatively short audiobook, so I recommend it for kids, as well as adults. Everyone will find interesting parts about this story.

Today I’m changing my blog’s design (once again), and I also have a Christmas recommendation for you.

Well, this won’t be much of an original recommendation, since it’s an audiobook. But most of all, the title is a very famous one. Never the less it’s a decent one. It’s the fabulous fairy story of Ebenezer Scrooge, the rich and greedy poor fellow, who hates Christmas (and all the other holidays as well).

There are several audio versions of ‘Christmas Carol’ at Audible.com. I recommend the one performed by marvelous Jim Dale. He does a precise and sensetive narration, molding the characters in his own unique manner. My favorite one is the Spirit of the Past.

This audiobook once again reminds me of the spirit and purpose not only the Christmas time, but the whole life.