READ
Charitable fun runs in support of cancer research kick into high gear this month and continue throughout the spring and summer. The recently published and highly acclaimed book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee, will broaden everyone’s knowledge of the illness. Documented as a disease by ancient physicians, cancer lives on in many forms to touch almost every family on earth. As an oncologist, Dr. Mukherjee has written cancer’s story so that readers can understand what it is, how patients have reacted to it, and how their doctors have treated it over the centuries. Charity runners who stop by the yoga tent during runs will also want to read Poser: My Life in Twenty-three Yoga Poses by Claire Dederer, who approaches the ancient practice of yoga with the cynicism of a hip first-time mother in the middle of a spiritual malaise. She tells her story through 23 yoga poses, and fans of Eat, Pray, Love will love it.
-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
With Easter right around the corner, it’s time once again to gear up for another holiday gathering. Whether it’s a celebratory brunch or the traditional Easter dinner setting, there are plenty of wines to fit your table this season—from bubbles to bright whites, your basket brims with wine possibilities. Yet when it comes to ham or lamb as your main course, there is just one that fits the bill perfectly: syrah, as a grape, pairs flawlessly to the nuances of a pineappley ham or even a smoky lamb, but when blended with malbec, it becomes the perfect combo for your Easter table. Brought to you by a local Minnesota family with Argentinean roots (Eugenio and Teresa Meschini, owners of a fabulous Mendoza, Argentina Winery), this Famiglia Meschini malbec/syrah ($11) boasts dark cherry and blackberry fruit flavors with a soft, smoky underbelly. It’s a perfect companion for grilled food or roasted and braised meats.
-Leslee Miller is a certified sommelier, owner of Twin Cities-based wine consulting firm Amusée, and everyone’s favorite “go to” wine gal.
--Available at France 44, 4351 France Ave. S.; 612.925.3252
LISTEN
A year after taking home top honors on CMT’s television show Can You Duet?, the duo of Joshua Scott Jones and girlfriend Meghan Linsey, known as Steel Magnolia, blasts onto the scene with a self-titled soulful country record. From the catchy single “Ohh La La” to the honest ballad “Keep on Lovin’ You,” this duo, like the spring season, is a breath of fresh air.
-Paul Peterson is a local musician and educator.
--Available at Best Buy, 3200 Southdale Cr.; 952.925.4425
