Great May Diversions

What to add to your rotation right now.

From the issue: May 2011

Our "Listen" pick of the month.

READ

Dive into a lake and a great book this Memorial Day weekend. The Weird Sisters, a first novel by Eleanor Brown, has been hailed by readers and reviewers alike as both moving and hilarious. Daughters Rosalind, Bianca and Cordelia were named after three of Shakespeare’s heroines by their English-professor father. As adults, Bianca and Cordelia return to the Ohio college town where they were raised to help their older sister, Rosalind, care for their mother who has breast cancer. Together again, the three book-loving sisters know each other so well that they drive each other crazy as they take stock of their complicated lives and loves surrounded by eccentric hometown characters.

-Maureen Millea Smith is a librarian at Edina Library and a Minnesota Book Award-winning novelist.
--Available at Edina Library, 5280 Grandview Sq.; 952.847.5425

DRINK

Whether you’re firing up the grill for a Memorial Day get-together or brunching it for a Mother’s Day celebration, you and your company deserve a fab wine for sippin’. Crisp, snappy whites and soft, earthy reds fit either occasion perfectly—both with personalities that adhere to the idea that summer is just around the corner! For meals like a plate of soft poached eggs atop a braised country ham biscuit, or a char-smoked rib eye straight off the grill, the key to capturing those voluptuous flavors of the food means reaching for a fleshy red wine. Toad Hollow ‘Erik’s The Red’ ($15), from Paso Robles, Calif., is a combination of 18 (yes, 18!) different grapes. With a range of flavors from cabernet to grenache, this wine is chewy, yet dark and elegant, and a perfect choice this month.

-Leslee Miller is a certified sommelier, owner of Twin Cities-based wine consulting firm Amusée, and everyone’s favorite “go to” wine gal. Learn more at amuseewine.com.
--Available at all municipal Edina Liquor locations.

LISTEN

You might remember five-time Grammy-nominated Oleta Adams from her hit “Get Here,” which was popular during the 1991 Gulf War. It served as an unofficial theme song for families as they sent their loved ones off to war. Fast-forward 20 years, and Oleta has a gem of a record with her R&B/jazz album Let’s Stay Here. Her fans know her for her big soulful voice and her meaningful lyrics. This record has 10 beautifully crafted songs that will inspire you, but also make you move. And what’s more, portions of this record were made right here in the Twin Cities.

-Paul Peterson is an award-winning local musician and educator. Learn more at paulpeterson.com.
--Available at Best Buy, 3200 Southdale Cr.; 952.925.4425; and at oletaadams.com.

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