by George Giannakos and Robyn Yager | Slowing down a little and breaking out a good book is never a bad idea. But what to read? You could walk into any bookstore and roll the dice on a recent release, but here’s another option: pick up a book that you last put down 5, 10, or 20 years ago. For the next book in Scout’s Read It (Again) series, we’ve picked Louisa May Alcott’s 1880 classic, Little Women.

Why You Should Read It Again: At first read, the book comes off as a typical coming-of-age book for young girls. It follows young Jo March and her sisters Meg, Beth, and Amy in their journey to womanhood. It’s also about challenging expected societal roles, with Jo aspiring to become a writer (an occupation largely reserved for men at the time) and turning down a proposal for marriage. Little Women is an ode to keep going after what you want despite what others may say about your status in the world.

Pair It With: Although the March sisters were likely not the type to drink beverages of the alcoholic variety, we’re going to go ahead and assume that if any of them were to drink (when they came of age) they would probably go for something along the lines of L’Abattoir’s Clover Club Refashioned. The drink is made of raspberries, sweet vermouth, mint, fresh lemon and gin – sweet and refreshing with a little sass, just like Jo.

OTHER CLASSIC PAIRINGS