Valentine’s Day warms the cold month of February with romance. For many of us, romance leads to marriage, the subject of two recent novels. Minneapolis novelist Mary Francois Rockcastle’s In Caddis Wood looks at a long marriage that is shaken by the serious illness of an architect husband and the appearance of infidelity on the part of his beloved wife Hallie. Pulitzer Prize winner Jeffrey Eugenides’ novel The Marriage Plot opens in the early 1980s at Brown University. While Madeleine Hanna’s close friend Mitchell Grammaticus secretly pines for her, Madeleine falls in love with the troubled but handsome Leonard Bankhead. The tensions of this triangle play out long after graduation.
-Maureen Millea Smith, librarian at Edina Library and Minnesota Book Award-winning novelist.
--Available at Edina Library, 5280 Grandview Sq.; 952.847.5425
DRINK
February is a lovely month to share a great bottle of wine with someone special, because love is absolutely in the air. While a number of wines will be recommended for this month dedicated to L-O-V-E, I’m a much bigger fan of finding a wine that will electrify the senses and evoke conversation this particular time of year. The Numanthia Termes (tempranillo) from the very small region of Toro, Spain, is just that wine ($35). The nose gives scents of dried violet, dark chocolate, peppery dried meats, with a hint of candied spice. The mouth is intense with mouth-watering blackberry, cherry and stewed marionberry fruit combined with firm, yet velvety tannins. Ridiculously sexy! If this doesn’t spark a lively conversation, you may not have the right date.
-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 Edina Liquor locations
LISTEN
Fellas, let me give you a piece of advice. If you want to set a romantic, classic tone for Valentine’s Day, put on Old Blue Eyes. Sinatra: Best of the Best is a romantic and swingin’ collection of songs from the Capitol and Reprise years that will take you back to a time when suits and ties were the norm, and live music was at its height. Standouts include the beautiful and haunting “In the Wee Small Hours Of The Morning,” the incredibly swingin’ opener “I’ve Got The World On A String,” and the Valentine’s Day theme song “My Funny Valentine.” This disc is a perfect compliment for a romantic evening.
--Paul Peterson is a local musician, producer and composer.
--Available at Target, 7000 York Ave. S.; 952.925.4610
