O, the Places You’ll Go!

At St. Augustine’s newborn sweet shop, Fiction Donuts, owner Danielle Broderson wants you to have it all: good book, good donut, good time. You bring the book, they’ll do the donuts.

It’s a bright, casual, airy space, with lots of small tables and bar seating by the large windows. The longest wall is festooned with a mural of book spines–lots and lots of book spines–on an imaginary bookshelf. See if the artist drew your favorite tome there. (I saw about six just flipping through the Facebook pics.)

A Brave New World is dawning for donuts, but when it comes down to it, it’s all about the base. Fiction’s cake dough has a bit of nutmeg pizazz–so good you could forego the toppings. There’s a good gluten-free base, too. I sampled a gluten-free blueberry cake donut and couldn’t tell the difference! The raised yeast dough is delectable. Fiction Donut’s yeast is one great donut.

Now the fun part, the stuff that packs a Bunyanesque punch: glazes, toppings and tinges of spice. Amaze yourself with a creamy, tangy goat cheese glaze, blackberry jam slung artfully on top. Or scarf a cake donut covered with a chocolate glaze, decadently deepened with a light coffee dusting. Summon your inner Sherlock and savor the flavor of a bergamot orange in donut form, with an Earl Grey glaze (topped with a thin biscotti for extra fun). Charlotte wouldn’t approve of the maple bacon donut at Fiction, but Templeton would.

The King and I tried the Peanut Sriracha yeast. This piquant donut has a Pad Thai attitude with Uriah Heep’s warmth. It’s no Chicken Soup for the Soul, but it earned a Red Badge of Courage.

I didn’t really try every kind to find my personal Great Santini. The raspberry datil-filled yeast donut won my heart for its local inspiration. There’s something satisfying about a jelly-filled donut. Like, no Grapes of Wrath were used in its creation.

Atlas may have Shrugged, but not at a combo of coffee and donuts; Fiction has teas and coffees for a Breakfast of Champions (no Fried Green Tomatoes–yet!). Open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; no Hunger Games if you hurry.

Order a single donut ($1.25 & up); plain, glazed, powdered, chai or sugared. It’s Cheaper by the Dozen; a box of hot or assorted is $14, so take a box to Franny and Zooey and maybe even Esmé.

At Fiction, it’s easy to O.D.; I got a dozen when I meant to order six. Oops.

The Count of Monte Cristo himself would have escaped prison to discover these donuts so give up your One Hundred Years of Solitude and head to Fiction Donuts!

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If you have a recommendation, shoot me an email at [email protected].