This is a fun way to get to know the basics of wine. Vaynerchuk’s enthusiasm shines, his suggestions for wines are interesting, and the information included will start you on your way to being a wine geek extraordinaire. Perfect Pairing: Anything and everything. This is all about experimenting with flavor, so try SOMETHING NEW!

This one’s for those of us who are vegetarian (or, like me, ,mostly-veg). Café Flora is a classic Seattle restaurant. Their cookbook is a celebration of vegetarian food, with several over-the-top fancy recipes. Perfect Pairing: Make their famous Portabello Wellington and serve it with a California Cabernet Sauvignon.

(I could have included any of Jasper Fforde’s books here). Scifi meets literary parody in a style that hasn’t been seen since Gulliver’s Travels. This is a great send-up of literature and literary discussions, and it’s also a rip-roaring adventure done cyber-style. Perfect Pairing: this needs something with a sense of humor – perhaps a New Zealand sauv blanc with that hint of cat pee?

Sit and watch in amazement as the host crawls in and out of spaces that you would never even consider entering. When he shovels compost (or much, much worse), raise your glass and toast his bravery. Gain an appreciation for those who do the jobs the rest of us avoid. Perfect Pairing: Pinotage from South Africa. You can smell the garbage can and then take a sip of dark, fruity goodness.