Nothing goes with a good book like an elegant wine. At least that is the theory behind Drink Books, the innovative wine and book pairing shop in Phinney Ridge.
"The way I talk about wines that I love is very similar to the way I talk about the books that I love," explained Drink Books owner and operator Kim Kent. "Thinking about atmosphere and tone and how a book and a wine are both a living object... You can't quite enter them the same way twice."
Before opening Drink Books, Kent had a thirst for literature. She pursued a master's in creative writing and worked at restaurants throughout her graduate program, through which she also developed a palate for natural wine. She finally decided to merge the worlds of fine wine and classic literature by starting a small book club, which provided a space for Kent to discuss the connections between the two.
"I hosted [it] out of Molly's Bottle Shop in Sunset Hill," Kent said. "I started that in October of 2019... to bring those two creative energies together and then really enjoyed it...
"I have a lot of folks who have done it since the beginning..., and it's become a consistent group ...who come in on the second Sunday of every month to discuss the books and the wine. [It's] been great to see people form friendships, hang out, come back, and ...have a larger conversation, too."
Opening her own store
As more and more people reached out to Kent to join, she realized she would soon need to expand.
"I had the opportunity to open the brick-and-mortar in November [2021]," she said, "and that has been fun, because it also brings in my hospitality and hosting."
Now, Kent can showcase wine and book pairings, host community events, and continue the book club out of her own space.
"Something I'm most proud about with Drink Books is that it's become a little community space where people can come and hang out and have fun and talk about books," Kent said. "We still do the book club out of here, but even folks who don't participate in that come in."
While other stores may carry more titles than Drink Books, the shelves' contents are expertly chosen. "All the books on the shelves I've read," Kent explained. "The idea is that the entire store is a staff recommendation. The wine, too. I've tasted them all, and I have an employee who's working her way through the books and the wines, too, and has her favorites. It's been fun to see how that changes. Right now, I'm the main curator."
Because she's enjoyed every title in the store, Kent can connect with the people who come through the space. "If someone is like, 'Oh I love that,' I can get into it, or someone else in the shop who is browsing around will have read it. It's been a sweet, nerdy community, and I'm grateful to be a part of it."
Shelves of books for whites and reds
Each book in the store is paired with a fine wine to accompany it. Kent feels that the language of the books she reads describes a wine she has encountered.
"It generally is a book first, and then I let the book tell me what wine might pair well with it or mostly what wine you want to drink while reading it," Kent explained. "Though I've had a couple that have happened the other way, where I'm like, 'Oh, this wine is making me want this type of book,' but [it's] generally book first."
The books are categorized in the store based on the beverages they pair best with. "For the most part, I organize by wine," Kent explained. "That's the main shelf — it goes white to red, and I mix in the books as suggested. We have another wall of featured reads that are ever-changing. Right now, I have a bunch of chilled reds and books to pair with them."
"We have some books that have been classics ...since we opened," Kent added, "both because I love them and because people keep gravitating toward them, so we keep carrying them."
Some of the most popular titles at Drink Books include Carmen Maria Machado's In the Dreamhouse and Elif Batuman's The Idiot. The stories Kent carries are ones that will make readers ponder and reflect. Many have a distinct aftertaste that will linger long after the final page has turned.
Kent believes that books, like wines, can go with the seasons. Right now, she's into broody rosés and dark reds.
"With that, I've been into reading books within books or books about books," she explained. "That's been the start of the summer obsession."
LGBTQ+ books
People looking for silly beach reads won't find them at Drink Books. "People often ask for romance. It's not a genre I have a lot of in the traditional way," Kent said. "I think Thirst for Salt by Madeline Lucus has elements of a traditional romance but is also very drippy with nostalgia in the best way. It's a book about longing even more than romance, and that's been a fun summer read."
Despite the specific selection offered at the store, Kent carries many LGBTQ+ books. "That's important to me. It's also something I'm interested in reading," she said. "I have quite a lot of LGBTQ authors and subject matter."
For the SGN's Summer Book Club readers, Kent recommends My Autobiography of Carson McCullers. "I just reread this book, so it's been on top of my mind. ...I've been into this faux biography. It's very tender. It's about this young writer who is in grad school and stumbles across Carson McCullers' archives. This young person is a writer, and she's reading all these letters that she wrote, and she's like, 'Oh, this author was Queer, and it's not in her narrative.'"
The book parallels the experiences of author Jenn Shapland with Carson McCullers while also exploring Queerness and chronic illness. "It's a quiet and forceful read. It's a good summer one, because it's very spacious. It's the kind of book you could read all afternoon at the park or take your time with it," Kent said.
Closing soon, then pop-up events
Readers interested in exploring Drink Books should stop by the store sooner than later. The brick-and-mortar location will not only close at the end of the summer, but the building is set to be demolished.
"The space has always been slated for demolition" Kent explained. "The time for the physical space is coming to a close, but I think it's been a cool opportunity to develop different events and things. And the club will continue, as well as the events and possibly another shop down the road."
Kent hopes to find another location for Drink Books to call home, but in the meantime, she will return to small pop-ups and maintain the digital bookstore she started before the current physical location.
Luckily for her, pop-ups are something Kent is used to hosting. Since opening the brick-and-mortar store, she has hosted several and organized community events for local readers.
"We've been doing a quarterly story-time series that's just a great book-and-wine party," she said. "At some point, I read a short story on the theme. Last winter, I started doing a pastry pop-up in the morning with Sophie Bay Biscuits, which is rad... The final evolution is doing pop-ups outside the shop, so I've been doing a 'date your book' event at St. Bread and [am] hoping to do more of those there and elsewhere."
Those interested in joining the Drink Books Book Cru should wait until September, once the store has adjusted to a new platform. For anyone interested in exploring the gorgeous physical space Drink Books inhabits, the store at 5817 Phinney Ave. N will remain open Wednesday through Sunday for the rest of the summer. The website is https://www.drink-books.com