READ
"Heating & Cooling" by Beth Ann Fennelly
As the days get shorter and fall routines get entrenched–children back at school and parents busy at work–reading for pleasure can fall to the wayside. Beth Ann Fennelly’s Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro-Memoirs is for this time of year.
A poet and a professor at the University of Mississippi at Oxford, Fennelly wastes no words. She recounts the Chicago Blizzard of 1979 in five brilliant pages, married love in one sentence, and a fellowship year in Madison, Wisconsin in thirteen paragraphs. Like the late Nora Ephron, Fennelly makes the reader both laugh and think. The book can be packed into a pocket or a purse. A fast reader could be done with it in an hour and willingly re-read it the next day. It will be published in October.
Look for this title at Barnes and Noble in the Galleria or here on Amazon.
Article author Maureen Millea Smith is a librarian at the Edina Library and a Minnesota Book Award-winning novelist.
DRINK
Crisp, juicy red wine: Domaine La Manarine’s "Le Carignan"
The wines I crave this time of year generally tend to carry ripe juicy red fruit, grapes like Pinot Noir, Grenache and Zweigelt. Wines that are crispy, yet juicy – structured, yet alluring. While Pinot Noir is still one of easiest grapes to pluck from the shelf in this category, I love another grape from this medium-weighted category: Carignan.
Most notably known as Cariñena in Spain, this grape is grown in many places, from the U.S. to Italy. It is one of southern France’s most lovable grapes. As you travel up into the Rhone Valley, Carignan often finds itself blended with other grape varietals like Syrah and Grenache.
For me, I love Carignan as a wine all by itself, like this month’s pick: Domaine La Manarine’s ‘Le Carignan’. From the southern end of the Rhone Valley, this juicy red is a delightful treat, offering notes of freshly picked summer strawberry, wild raspberry, lavender and white pepper. A perfect pairing to the early stages of our Minnesota fall.
Look for similar selections at Edina Liquor and France 44.
Article author Leslee Miller is a certified sommelier and owner of local wine consulting firm, Amusee.
LISTEN
Alex Rossi
Alex Rossi is a dynamic guitarist and singer who loves R&B so much, he quit high school in 1999 to “gig” full time. When asked who influenced his soulful style, he quickly answers, “It’s Jimi Hendrix’s fault.” He also credits the work of George Clinton, Stevie Wonder, Prince and Tower of Power. Rossi has shared the stage with many national artists, including Dana White and Kid Rock.
But one of his most humbling and memorable moments happened when he and his band mates of Root City played a show for U.S. troops at a military base in Qatar. He says they will never forget that evening.
Most recently, Rossi released a new CD titled Echoes From The Arches. One of the songs on his disc is R&B–no surprise? The entire CD incorporates Rossi’s signature style that makes you want to move. Legendary producer, John Fields, produced the new CD and also had a hand in Rossi’s first music video. Jesse Larson, a finalist on NBC’s The Voice, is currently writing and performing with Rossi. They will release their first single together titled, Hollywood Haze. Looks like the Twin Cities has another budding star. Congrats Alex!
Visit Alex Rossi's website here or click here to order his latest CD trhough Amazon.
Article author Patty Peterson is an award winning vocalist and Jazz 88, KBEM radio host.
