Racking up the Reads: January
Hey friends, happy 2024!
For those of you who do not know me, I’m Paige, the Events Manager here at Hardywood. If you're anything like me, right now you’re setting a lot of goals for yourself for the 2024 season, with the REAL intention of only sticking with one or two- that’s okay, we alllll do it!
As we move into 2024, one thing I really want to stick with is making time for me, myself, and I after work, and the best way I’ve found to do that is to escape into a book - or watch reality TV, but that’s a whole other post. (Drop a comment if you think we need to chat Bravo on the blog, because I’m happy to go there!) So, as the self appointed readie (is that even a word, going for foodie, but like for books) around here, I thought maybe we could start a little book club of sorts, and combine our love of books, with what I assume is our main mutual interest- a love of beer!
I’m sure you’ve all asked yourself, “Wow, I wonder what book goes best with a Tropication?” or “Can you pair a thriller with a Gingerbread Stout?” and I’m here to help answer those questions, with my expert (read: without any qualifications) thoughts on the matter. Follow along with me each month, as we chat good beer, and great books I’ve been reading that hopefully you’ll like too!
Starting off strong this month with a fan favorite, Hardywood Pils: clean, crisp, and incomparably quaffable. This classic pilsner matures into a beer that refreshes the palate and satiates the soul… kind of like my top three picks for this month.
#1: The Reunion by Kayla Olson
A fun little rom-com inspired by our love of revivals, this book plays right into my Dawson’s Creek, 90210, and One Tree Hill loving hands. When two child stars are brought back together after 20 years to shoot a reunion season of their series, will sparks fly? Talk about incomparably quaffable, I could NOT put this book down. While nothing will ever make me feel the way I felt knowing Pacey painted “Ask me to stay” on Joey’s wall, this book understood the assignment, and just like a Pils, satiated my soul.
#2: Black Girls Must Die Exhausted by Jayne Allen
For the thirty something girlies who are wondering if they’re doing it all right or doing it all wrong in this thing called life. BGMDE follows the story of Tabitha, a 33 year old woman who wants to “have it all” and is starting to realize it might be an impossible standard to live up to. With the help of her best friends, and her grandmother, she works through a major setback that has her reevaluating it all.
#3: On Fire Island by Jane L. Rosen
This pick is a little emotional, but was exactly what I thought of when I thought of refreshing the palate. This story follows what happens to us if we could choose one last place to visit before we set sail into the afterlife. Julia Morse, a talented author, dies at 27, and instead of going into the light, goes to her summer home to spend one last summer watching over her loved ones. While warning, YOU WILL CRY, there is so much magic to be found in young love, grief, and the joy that is summer.
Didn’t see a book you loved this month, that’s okay, (I still loved them all), but join me next month where we may cover something dark, something bready, or something with just the right amount of haze. And in the meantime, stop into either of our taprooms and grab a Pils - available year round!
Paige Kinder is Hardywood’s Event Manager and handles all private events - large and small! She’s a graduate of Christopher Newport University with a degree in History. She loves a good Pils and her dog son Ben.