On the evening of July 17, Auburn Oil Co. Booksellers welcomed book lovers and wine connoisseurs alike to its July Page Pairings, a monthly, ticketed event where guests can enjoy a selection of six different wines that each correspond to a selected novel. This month’s event featured special appearances from authors Daco Auffenorde and Lori Roy.
Located in the hub of downtown Auburn on Magnolia Avenue, Auburn Oil Co. Booksellers is an independent bookstore and coffee shop molded by the spirit of owner Mike Armor’s father. When Armor was a child, his father Murphy Armor owned Auburn Oil Co. and several Phillips 66 service stations, which served as community hubs for the local townspeople. In 2019, Armor decided to create another business, this time with books and coffee, with the same community-focused vision.
In anticipation of the event, a long line of over 40 patrons formed down the sidewalk, chatting with friends, as they slowly made their way into the store. Once behind the doors with brochures and wine glasses in hand, guests were welcomed by warm lights, friendly faces and row after row of shelves lined with books.
Employees manned six different stations, each for one of the six book and wine pairings. The six novels selected for July’s Page Pairings included: “The French Ingredient” by Jane Bertch, “The Medici Curse” by Daco Affunorde, “Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love” by Marianne Cronin, “Pink Glass Houses” by Asha Elias, “The Final Episode” by Lori Roy and “Wayward Pines” by Blake Crouch.
“There's always going to be six different books paired with six different wines, and we really try to make sure that the books pair with the wines really well,” said Mari Wilkes, store manager of Auburn Oil Co. Booksellers. “So if it's a dark book, you're gonna have a darker wine. We always try to make it fun.”
Before Wilkes began her management role with the bookstore, she described herself as a “lifetime” Page Pairings participant, joking that Armor hired his best customer as the store manager. Like many of the customers, Wilkes always leaves the event in a great mood with a great book.
“It's because the books are, kind of, off the beaten path,” said Wilkes, when asked what she loved about the event. “They're not necessarily best sellers. They're not necessarily books that you hear about all the time or that are floating around TikTok, so you get to learn a lot.”
Bertch’s novel “The French Ingredient” is the first in the rotation. The story follows main character, Jane, an American living in Paris who opens a French cooking school with classes in English.
The book's paired wine is Gruet La Fleuriste, a bubbly mixture with hints of lemon and elderberry. Gruet La Fleuriste is also produced by Gruet Winery, which is known for introducing French sparkling methods to the American southwest. Although only wine produced in the Champagne region of France can be considered champagne, this New Mexican wine, sold for $22.95 a bottle, is produced using a similar method.
One of the event's featured writers, Daco Affenorde is an award-winning author of suspense who was raised in Huntsville, Alabama.
Her most recent thriller “The Medici Curse” follows the protagonist Anna’s return to her family’s Tuscan villa, the same villa where her mother died in a mysterious fall and a family heirloom necklace went missing. Unable to remember the night of her mother’s death, Anna must navigate rumors of her alleged involvement to uncover the truth about that night and the missing jewelry.
“It's a story of identity, discovering yourself, trying to figure out what happened,” Auffernorde said. “I’m fascinated to know about my family history. I think everybody wants to know, ‘Who am I? Where did I come from?’”
As patrons work from the lighter to the darker wines, they will encounter Argyle Bloomhouse Pinot Noir, a deep red wine from Oregon paired with “The Final Episode,” a thriller by the event's other featured author Lori Ray. Described as silk and complex with black cherry and forest floor flavors, the wine's dark taste matches the southern gothic setting of the book.
"The Final Episode" is set in the Big Cypress Swamp in Florida, where Roy currently lives. The novel centers around themes surrounding the influence of media, a lack of empathy and evil's insidious nature, as a young woman's tragic childhood becomes the basis for the country's number one true crime docuseries.
Roy’s Kansan roots and love for the southern gothic shine through her writing.
"I love a setting, which is a character in and of itself,” Roy said. “I love the juxtaposition of the South's view with some of its very ugly, tragic past. You've got those two things up against each other, and they each become more poignant and more visible. So, the beauty is more beautiful, and the tragedy and the ugliness is shown for what it is. And I think that's my favorite thing about Southern Gothic, and as a writer, that's what, kind of, gets me through the one or two years it takes to write a book.”
Roy’s inspirations for the novel sparked after watching a true crime series involving children in the ‘80s and discovering one of the victims lived close to her home. Wondering what it must feel like for the victim to see his life portrayed in a television series, she began to think about the broader implications of media on reality.
In her research for the book, Roy also became interested in the legal, ethical and moral responsibilities of true crime series producers. She feels that reading is a tool people can employ to become more compassionate and empathetic towards others.
“[Reading is] the closest we can get to stepping in another person's shoes. Even more so than TV, because you're inside the character's mind, and that has been proven through studies to lead to a more empathetic person,” Roy said.
At Auburn Oil Co. Booksellers, a passion for reading and a love for good wine fosters community and connection at Page Pairings.
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Jennifer Santiago, junior majoring in political science and minoring in history, has been with The Auburn Plainsman since Fall 2024. Santiago previously served as a news writer, and she is currently serving as the Lifestyle Editor.
