Book Reviews
WRITTEN BY FRANCES BADGETT
Pour a glass and enjoy these wine-inspired reads which will enhance and complement the tannins in your Syrah. True Taste: The Seven Essential Wine Words by Matt Kramer Cider Mill Press
From the author of Making Sense of Wine and columnist for Wine Spectator, this book aids writers and oenophiles alike in the way they describe wine. Every culture has a language, and for wine, the language can be a bit obtuse. What exactly is a wet stone finish, or a mossy mouthfeel? In his book True Taste: The Seven Essential Wine Words, Matt Kramer refines the approach to wine with words like harmony, layers, texture, finesse, and nuance. Will this book revolutionize the way people talk about wine? Probably not. But it’s still interesting to find new ways of exploring the complexity of one of our favorite beverages.
Uncorked: The Science of Champagne by Gérard LigerBelair Princeton University Press
Re-released in 2013 with a new forward by Hervé This, this classic is a must-read for anyone who shares Liger-Belair’s love of champagne. A physicist, Liger-Belair was savoring a beer one night, and became obsessed with the rise and pop of the bubbles. He began photographing bubbles, and studying the science behind bubbly drinks. This work led him on a natural path to studying one of the great bubbly drinks — champagne. Uncorked is a journey through the history, creation, and molecular gastronomy of champagne.
In the Know
LIFESTYLE
August 31, 7 p.m. Open Mic with Laurel Leigh 1200 11th St. Bellingham, WA 98225 villagebooks.com Grab a few of your best efforts, sign up, and join host Laurel Leigh in sharing your work in front of a supportive audience of fellow writers and readers. Poems and stories should be inspired by Whatcom County, but that’s not a requirement.
September 26–29, 11 a.m. Chanticleer Authors Conference & Awards Banquet Bellwether Hotel 1 Bellwether Way, Bellingham, chantireviews.com Learn about book marketing, building a platform and engaging readers, distribution and sales, and more at the Chanticleer Authors Conference. Four days of information on the business end of books, this conference is open to both those who have published, and those who have not.
WHO KNEW? Local Fashion Does our area have a style? We think maybe. Texture Clothing has the drape and softness of bamboo combined with the need for performance in yoga, paddleboarding, yogapaddleboarding. We also have NuuMuu, performance dresses that are both boldly patterned and yet tough enough for the Ragnar.
Lummi Dress? Designer Julienne Weston created the Lummi Dress for Weston Wear, a label carried by fashion mavens Anthropologie. We’re not sure if it’s named for the island or the nation, but either way, it’s described as an “adventurous wink” and a “boho summer staple.” It does not, incidentally, look remotely tribal, nor does it incorporate a fleece vest at all, so we’re still puzzled about the name. It has been discontinued, probably because it didn’t really seem worth $158.
Lummi Dress Redux? A website called MonShowroom also has a dress named Lummi as well. The dress is short, casual, in heather gray with a nice tucked detail. We’re not sure where Ichi (the designer) got the name, but it certainly speaks more to a casual, relaxing weekend on Lummi Island, or a nice afternoon taking in the canoe races at Stommish than Weston Wear’s Lummi.
Actual Lummi Dress In his photo “Lummi Type,” Edwin Curtis captures a Lummi woman wearing a woolen cloak and a lovely star-patterned shirt or dress underneath. In a turnof-the-century photograph of a Lummi family in traditional dress, the patterns are bold and clear. Stars, war paddles, and other iconography of Lummi culture are visible.
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