Read
Few contemporary authors write so beautifully of Africa and of outdoor life as does Alexandra Fuller. Her first memoir, Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood, is seen from her point of view as colonial Rhodesia crumbles and her parents struggle against their changed world. Fuller’s follow-up memoir, Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness, centers itself around her fiery mother Nicola, who was born in Scotland on the Isle of Skye and raised in Kenya. Fuller’s passion for the African landscape, her fearless pursuit of sports, and her love of animals are woven into the history, wars and upheaval of the African continent. —Maureen Millea Smith is a librarian at the Edina Library and a Minnesota Book award-winning novelist.
Available at: Barnes & Noble, 3225 West 69th St.; 952.920.0633
Edina Library, 5280 Grandview Sq.; 952.847.5425; hclib.org
Drink
Outdoor activities is one of Edina Magazine’s themes this month, and I have just the vino for outdoor adventurers: A wine made by a family who created one of the world’s most famous adventure snacks, The Clif Bar. Yes, you read right: The makers of The Clif Bar snack are now in the business of making wine. With the same adventurous spirit that started their line of heart-healthy snacks, the Clif Family Winery creates a variety of super sip-able wines for the on-the-go wine drinker. While they also do make wine in a glass 750mL bottle, one of the best uses of packaging they’ve utilized for their red and white wines is a 1.5L wine pouch (it even comes with a handle). Named for its courageous spirit, The Climber Cabernet is a perfect wine for your next outdoor occasion, whether it’s a fun spring bike ride with a picnic along the way, or a paddle down Nine Mile Creek. This easy-drinking California cab has a super-juicy, lush personality for right around $17 per two-bottle all-in-one earth-friendly, easy-carrying package. —Leslee Miller is a certified sommelier and owner of wine consulting firm Amusee
Available at:
Edina Liquor, 5013 Vernon Ave.; 952.903.5741
Listen
There are a select few CD artists that I buy no matter what, and Sir Paul is one of them. Kisses on the Bottom (MPL Communications Inc., February 2012) is absolutely romantic and beautiful. Tommy LiPuma (Diana Krall, Barbara Streisand) has gathered the best of the best to support McCartney as he interprets the songs from his father’s era. He didn’t pick the most obvious songs, but some will ring a bell. The lush arrangements and emotional vocal delivery really bring a sentimental feeling to this whole record; it’s incredible to hear McCartney’s retrospective take. My favorites are the forgotten “More I Cannot Wish,” written originally for the movie Guys and Dolls but that only appeared in the stage play. Another favorite is his original “My Valentine,” written for his wife Nancy while on holiday. —Local musician, producer and composer Paul Peterson shares his CD picks each month on these pages.
Available at:
Target and Best Buy, or online at ITunes
