Today’s Notes From My Library pairing is of Karen Thompson Walker’s debut novel, “The Age of Miracles”, with Summerland Winery’s Bien Nacido Pinot Noir.

This book is about Julia, a teenage girl who wakes up one day to find that the rotation of the earth has begun to slow. As the days and nights grow longer, gravity is affected and as the world begins to fall apart, Julia struggles to navigate her own ever-changing everyday life.

Although Julia’s story about teetering on the threshold of adulthood takes place at a time when the world is crumbling around her, I found her personal catastrophes and triumphs much more monumental than those bringing about the end of the world. What I loved is that through Julia’s eyes, Walker so perfectly captures the realities of life as a middle schooler – a time when life seems filled with world-shattering moments: the loss of a seemingly best friend, or a glance from the cute skater boy. Reading this book was like reading an apocalyptic Judy Bloom story.

“In the hours that followed, we would worry and wait. We would guess and wonder and speculate. We would learn new words and new ways from the scientists and officials who paraded in and out of our living room through the television screen and the Internet. We would stalk the sun across our sky as we never had before.” 

This story pairs beautifully with Summerland Winery’s Bien Nacido Pinot Noir. For me, this wine is one of my absolute favorites and if my world as I knew it was slowly coming to end, I would make sure that this wine was included in those final memories and moments. This wine also embodies an elegance that is reminiscent of Walker’s storytelling style: exquisite balance between light and dark notes, yielding a depth and charm that lingers on your palate. This wine’s aromas of clove and forest floor give way to juicy plum and bright cherries, blackberries and spice will leave you wanting more.

So go grab your glass of Pinot, and enjoy this book trailer, as a tasty little morsel of this story: