Selected titles, attached wines, and with the notes I made to myself. Here's the program.
The valley of the moon by Melanie Gideon, as colorful as the Rugosa Rosé. I found the language well- and carefully-crafted, perhaps the most elegant of the books in this list. The multiple narrators and multiple time periods will make this appealing to a wider range of readers. While dealing with some difficult life issues, the book reads as delicate, the characters as alive, so I matched it with the versatile, light Rosé. I have added this title to my own To-Read list.
The last bookaneer by Matthew Pearl, to read while drinking Sangiovese. The language in this historical fiction has a pleasant period feel, and readers will like learning a bit about this historical footnote. The Sangiovese is both savory and sunny so is a good match for this title, described as balanced.
Second life by Paul Griner, dark like the Cabernet Sauvignon. I was stuck by this book’s lack of quotation marks—usually a flat-out book-slamming no-go for me, but it is amazingly combined with very wide margins to create a narrow, tight text column which hurries the eye down the page. A unique reading experience! Described as a “deliciously dark” read, it’s an obvious match for the darkest, savory red.
A borrowed man by Gene Wolfe, matched with the Tempranillo. The wine’s notes include bright, flashy, and balanced; my notes for the book are elegant, lively, multilayered, and deceptively simple. I have added this title to my own To-Read list. I like, and think others will be interested in, how the story/world seem light but suspenseful. I chose this as the “sci-fi that’s not a sci-fi”—yes, it’s set in a future time period where people have technology we don’t have today, but the book is about a person and a mystery and issues of legal identity—things everyone can understand.
Landline by Rainbow Rowell, to enjoy with Dolcetto. This wine is light and easy-drinking, perfect for the “zippy, fun, fresh” New Adult-ish book which was described as being like listening to your best friend. I’ve flipped through several Rainbow Rowell books and would personally like something with a little more elegance and a little more depth, but her fans are legion.
I had originally included Rosalie Lightning by Tom Hart, to pour over when Malbec is poured. My original note: I have read this before. I matched this book based largely on the wine’s description as “not too polished” which I thought a perfect complement to the dark, rough pencil-y sketches that make up this graphic novel. Another reviewer described this book as raw, efficient, direct, and unmanipulated (this is from my second-hand note, I don’t have that review handy), which seemed both accurate for the book and comparable to the wine.
However, my reader requested a substitution. Although she personally enjoyed the book, she didn't feel able to promote it to a large group of readers. So we substituted with Dinner with Edward: The story of a remarkable friendship by Isabel Vincent, a memoir that reads a bit like A man called Ove.
The valley of the moon by Melanie Gideon, as colorful as the Rugosa Rosé. I found the language well- and carefully-crafted, perhaps the most elegant of the books in this list. The multiple narrators and multiple time periods will make this appealing to a wider range of readers. While dealing with some difficult life issues, the book reads as delicate, the characters as alive, so I matched it with the versatile, light Rosé. I have added this title to my own To-Read list.
The last bookaneer by Matthew Pearl, to read while drinking Sangiovese. The language in this historical fiction has a pleasant period feel, and readers will like learning a bit about this historical footnote. The Sangiovese is both savory and sunny so is a good match for this title, described as balanced.
Second life by Paul Griner, dark like the Cabernet Sauvignon. I was stuck by this book’s lack of quotation marks—usually a flat-out book-slamming no-go for me, but it is amazingly combined with very wide margins to create a narrow, tight text column which hurries the eye down the page. A unique reading experience! Described as a “deliciously dark” read, it’s an obvious match for the darkest, savory red.
A borrowed man by Gene Wolfe, matched with the Tempranillo. The wine’s notes include bright, flashy, and balanced; my notes for the book are elegant, lively, multilayered, and deceptively simple. I have added this title to my own To-Read list. I like, and think others will be interested in, how the story/world seem light but suspenseful. I chose this as the “sci-fi that’s not a sci-fi”—yes, it’s set in a future time period where people have technology we don’t have today, but the book is about a person and a mystery and issues of legal identity—things everyone can understand.
Landline by Rainbow Rowell, to enjoy with Dolcetto. This wine is light and easy-drinking, perfect for the “zippy, fun, fresh” New Adult-ish book which was described as being like listening to your best friend. I’ve flipped through several Rainbow Rowell books and would personally like something with a little more elegance and a little more depth, but her fans are legion.
I had originally included Rosalie Lightning by Tom Hart, to pour over when Malbec is poured. My original note: I have read this before. I matched this book based largely on the wine’s description as “not too polished” which I thought a perfect complement to the dark, rough pencil-y sketches that make up this graphic novel. Another reviewer described this book as raw, efficient, direct, and unmanipulated (this is from my second-hand note, I don’t have that review handy), which seemed both accurate for the book and comparable to the wine.
However, my reader requested a substitution. Although she personally enjoyed the book, she didn't feel able to promote it to a large group of readers. So we substituted with Dinner with Edward: The story of a remarkable friendship by Isabel Vincent, a memoir that reads a bit like A man called Ove.
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