PageFiftyNine

We are doing a deep dive this week. Things are getting dark and startling at PageFiftyNine. The Pairing Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and Cocobon Dark Red Blend It's the end of July- blazing hot and sticky humid- so what we need is a very deep hole to hide away in where we can be cold and creeped out. Enter Gillian Flynn. If you haven't read Gone Girl , then I don't even know what to tell you. It's one of those books that gives you a general "oh, now I know what's going on... wait WHAT?!" feeling throughout. And while you will cringe quite a bit, the positive is that you will look at the people around you more tenderly because at least they aren't that crazy. For such a book we need a deep-hole-?!-cringe wine to pair. Enter Cocobon Dark. The "dark" part of this wine doesn't make it heavy or thick or anything like that. It's a red blend that gives you a general "oh, now I know what's going on... wait WHAT?!...

We're home! After touring ten colleges around the Philadelphia area and a brief frolic through downtown, we have returned to our cats and our couch. (And I'm back amid my wine and my books.) Since I wasn't quite ready to return to reality, I've picked a pairing to take me back on another journey- one that's familiar and strange all at once. The Pairing The Beauty and the Beast by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villaneuve and Princesse Joyeuse Vin Blanc Spoiler alert... Disney didn't get it quite right. However, on the most important detail, they didn't change a thing: Beauty (aka Belle) is a kind, headstrong, optimistic bookworm. And, just like the movie, she ends up a princess, so only a royal wine will do.  The reason this wine is a perfect match for this story has to do with the core of each. At the center of the TBATB is an unlikely love story. An extraordinarily attractive and smart and and benevolent woman falls in love...

We are on the move again soon, this time heading north to complete our compass rose of summer travels. Before we head to Philadelphia, I have had time to browse my favorite wine and book stores. I love coming across something that makes a pairing click into place. It reiterates that this project, pairing books and wine together, is something I could happily do for a long time. When I saw this week's wine bottle, it was like 25 books came jumping out at me. The Pairing A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton and A to Z Wineworks Pinot Noir This wine will never be the perfect pair since Sue Grafton very tragically passed away before writing the final book of the series. There is not an A to Y winery, though. I checked. If you're not familiar with the series, here is my best synopsis: Kinsey Millhone is a PI who solves the s*** out of mysteries. A is for Alibi is a cold case re-examination where it seems like the suspects are everywhere. There are scenes that will get your he...

This past weekend we were out of town visiting friends, and once again were without internet. A few years ago, this may have given me crippling anxiety, but lately it has been a gift. We are free to be in the moment, to leave our phones behind, to enjoy company over Instagram. This trip was to our friend's farmhouse, complete with horses and chickens and late nights. However, the no-internet thing is not so great when you're trying to keep up a weekly blog... I was able to snap some pictures with my pairing, but the post was delayed until my return home. Oops! The Pairing Less by Andrew Sean Greer and La Marca Prosecco 1) I apologize that it took me so long to pair with a Prosecco 2) I love Prosecco 3) I love this particular Prosecco 4) Maybe all pairings from here on out should be Prosecco? 5) Bubbles! Now that that's done, I can talk about Less. Andrew Sean Greer recently won a Pulitzer prize for this novel. I don't know much about the qualifications...