It is April Fool’s Day 2008, a day like any other for Seattle-based public defense lawyer, Melody Overton. When she’s hit by a craving for Beecher’s famous mac n’ cheese, she hits the streets of downtown Seattle on her lunch break and spies Starbucks’ CEO, Howard Schultz, in the midst of a media blitz. Impulsively, she follows him as he makes his way to the historic Pike Place coffee shop and is bold enough to call out to him as he’s walking through the door. He politely stops and listens as she nervously mumbles something about Starbucks’ new espresso machines. Then, she trots off for her mac n’ cheese.
It’s admittedly an awkward moment, one Overton compares to pulling Superman’s cape. For a rabid Starbucks’ fan, it’s probably a fitting analogy. That initial encounter with corporate greatness fuels her obsession and there is eventual payoff – she is chosen to attend special behind-the-scenes tours and tastings, is invited to celebrity meet-and-greets, and periodically gets the chance to chat up Schultz and other corporate biggies.
TALES OF THE SIREN: A STARBUCKSMELODY follows the travails of Overton, who harbors an obsession for all things Starbucks. This is a world in which baristas are likened to green-aproned “superheroes,” time is measured in steaming cups of joe, and seasons noted by rotating coffee releases. Overton’s intense interest in the coffee giant eventually leads her to establish the blog, StarbucksMelody.com, which she continues to maintain for her own pleasure as well as that of legions of Starbuck aficionados.
There are few lengths Overton would not consider in the quest to quench her thirst for Starbucks. In one tale, she describes driving 700 miles to a store that was test marketing a new smoothie she wanted to try. She drove, she tasted, and then headed home – for most readers, that will register way over-the-top, but it’s the kind of quirkiness that demonstrates the depths of Overton’s Starbucks’ madness. (You may find some irony in the fact that she works in mental health court.) The author even purchases a few shares of the company so she can attend annual shareholder meetings. Once the blog takes root, she finds herself being sought out by journalists and other Starbucks fans for interviews, advice and insider conversation.
Soon, most everything in Overton’s life is driven by espresso, lattes and seasonal releases. Readers are given detailed descriptions of how she snags coveted T-shirts, ink pens and other Starbucks’ bling. She forms friendships based on Starbucks’ bonds, including one with a Japanese man who travels to Seattle in hopes of meeting up with Schultz. It’s a storyline that ends up representing one of the few darker moments in this book. Readers won’t be down in the dumps for long, though – there’s a lot of caffeine pumping on these pages to keep you moving right along. The writing may be jittery, but something’s always brewing in StarbucksMelody’s world.
Overton’s a groupie, plain and simple, and while there are moments when the reader may blush for her as she stalks the sometimes leery and stand-offish Schultz, Overton offers no apologies and is fiercely proud to see the world through Starbucks-colored glasses.
TALES OF THE SIREN: A STARBUCKSMELODY may not be your cup of tea if you have a Starbucks aversion. But even if you’re merely a casual fan of Starbucks, accompanying Overton on her coffee culture romp is fun and insightful. Order up a latte, sit back and savor.
Reviewed by Libby Swope Wiersema for IndieReader.