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We’ ll Drink to That
Five perfect book and beverage pairings.
BY ELIN WOODS
A trend I’ ve been seeing across the book-tracking apps I use lately is readers pairing their books with specific drinks. Sometimes it’ s just them sharing their go-to drink, like an iced coffee, with whatever they’ re reading, while others take the idea to a whole other level. I wondered if I could do the same here and inspire you all to not only pick up some good books, but also pair them with a delicious beverage to boot. Challenge accepted! Below you’ ll find a selection of five books with the drink I think would go best with each of them. Enjoy.
The Nakano Thrift Shop
By Hiromi Kawakami
Perfect pairing: A hot matcha latte, with just a bit of honey
I have fallen in love with Japanese literature. I’ m not sure how it happened, but I’ m all the better for it. I particularly enjoy the Japanese cozy genre( characterized by comforting, slice-of-life stories), and books like The Nakano Thrift Shop are one of the reasons why. It’ s just the perfect book to get cozy with. Celebrating the ordinary lives that venture into the thrift shop, it’ s not overly sensational and there’ s very little action( as in nothing blows up). Instead, it’ s a sweet story about Hitomi, a young woman who takes a job at a small secondhand shop run by the eccentric Nakano family. Each chapter focuses on quiet moments between coworkers, customers, and the things they’ re buying or selling, and there’ s even the tiniest touch of romance. There’ s beauty to be found in the everyday, and this little book will have you feeling just as warm as the matcha latte will.
The Leopard
By Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa Perfect pairing: A glass of Nero d’ Avola wine
The Leopard is one of my absolute favorite films( although I have yet to watch the recent Netflix adaptation) and books of all time. The historical novel, set in 19th-century Sicily during the Italian unification, follows Prince Fabrizio di Salina, an aging aristocrat who struggles as power changes hands from the nobility to the people. He observes the changes and the passing of time, much like he observes the stars, and debates on where he stands and possibly where he should stand as Italy is born, as well as how much of himself and his family will have to change with it. I’ ve paired this with a favored wine from Sicily, which is bold, much like the aristocratic family and Sicily itself, with fruit-forward flavors and sometimes a hint of some spice and tobacco— a dramatic wine for a sometimes dramatic book.
The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron
By Howard Bryant
Perfect pairing: A cold beer during baseball season
Baseball is my favorite sport, and there’ s a wealth of baseball history in Georgia. None better, perhaps, than Hammerin’ Hank Aaron. This book is more than just the known stats and facts about the Atlanta Braves slugger; it’ s a whole story of who he was before any of us knew him, who he was as a baseball player, and why his off-the-field stories truly cement him as a legendary figure. Most of us know about his historic run to pass Babe Ruth’ s home run record and some of the struggles he faced in doing so. Still, we might not understand why Aaron has remained one of the greats, not just because of
10 | NW GEORGIA LIVING MARCH / APRIL 2026