READ
Dog stories—Sounder by William Armstrong, The Call of the Wild by Jack London, and Old Yeller by Fred Gipson—are books that bring readers to tears. In Cathleen Schine’s novel, The New Yorkers, dogs bring their humans and their neighborhood together through love and death. The memoir Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog by John Grogan takes the dog tale into the true-life genre with humor and hankies. Gordon Korman sums up canine fiction in the title of his great teen novel, No More Dead Dogs. This June, walk the dog, then read the book.
—Maureen Millea Smith is librarian at the Edina Library and a Minnesota Book Award-winning novelist.
DRINK
Animal labels. Almost a decade ago, they sat among the influx of inexpensive and sometimes, not so tasty, Australian ‘jug wine’ sections. Media, soon thereafter, named this genre of cute and cuddly, the Critter Wines. Associated with a revolution that was taking the world by storm with their screw-cap mentality and easy-drinking juice for under $10, Australia and its koala huggin’ and kangaroo hoppin’ vino pushed more juice into the United States that any other country at the time. While many purists of the industry stuck their nose up at the Critter Label Revolution, begging consumers to avoid anything with a furry, cuddly, four legged animal upon the label—consumption was swallowed wholeheartedly, making wine a subject that was ‘approachable’ and ‘fun’.
As the years passed, the animal labels tapered off and other markets took over the “cheap & easy” wine categories. From South America, to parts of the United States and Europe—critters on a label no longer mean “jug” or “undesirable”. Today, as more wineries compete aesthetically for the consumer’s eye, we are seeing almost any label succeed—including animals and holograms. So take the “critter label goggles” off, and try them all. Instead of judging a wine by its label, consider evaluating a wine for its value. If the wine matches the price you paid for it, then and only then is it worth the dollar you spent on it.
“Salut” to one of my favorite animal label sippers … Pavão Vinho Verde from Portugal. Slightly effervescent with notes of fresh squeezed lime, lemon and white flower. Tangy, refreshing and absolutely delicious for only $8. A real summer crowd pleaser, enjoy! ($7.99; Edina Muni at 50th and France)
—Leslee Miller
LISTEN
This is a perfect record to start out your summer. The New Primitives have been around the Twin Cities area since 1999, and have successfully combined Reggae, Calypso, R and B and Ska, putting them into a well-rounded package that is American Nomad.
The first song Didn’t I Tell You starts the record with a funky R and B groove, followed by Reggae influenced Must be Love. The record was co-produced, tracked and mixed by Edina educator Brian “Snowman” Powers (Minneapolis Media Institute). Other standouts are Average, Give it All Away and Rogues Moon.
Listening to this record, it’s no surprise the New Primitives have won the “Best Reggae Band” award five years in a row at the Minnesota Music awards.
—Paul Peterson
