With Valentine’s Day almost here, it seems appropriate to focus on love and romance and lighter fare. Here are some notes on TV viewing, recent reading and a restaurant (new to us) that would fill the bill for a delicious meal.
ON THE SMALL SCREEN: Love and Lust
Everyone learns early on that Henry VIII had six wives and that they all came to unpleasant or untimely ends. Historian Lucy Worsley, both author and TV presenter, is our guide and expert host for a look at his queens, Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Catherine Parr, from the women’s perspective. Animated and knowledgeable, Worsley is ever present in this dramatization. Her showing up as a lady-in-waiting with a wink to the at-home audience is a dramatic device I found more annoying than enlightening. Nonetheless, this is an almost saucy take on the king’s roving eye and his desperate drive for a male heir. Entitled, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, this three part series is on PBS.
ON THE PAGE: Hearts & Flowers
Sometimes one craves chocolate or a bonbon. And sometimes I need a break from more literary fiction to read a novel that is engaging, has a complement of romance, and requires no mental strain. Novels like this present problems—tangled family relationships, secrets that are hurtful, failed marriages—but in the end, things slot into place for a happy ending. Not a messy or twisted resolution like real life, but satisfying in a way that lets you, the reader, forget politics or the petty annoyances of your own life.
Susan Wiggs writes this kind of women’s fiction and her ongoing series, Lakeshore Chronicles, set in the Catskills, follows the trials and tribulations and loves of the various members of the extended Bellamy Family. The most recent novel, Starlight on Willow Lake, deals with a widowed caregiver who, struggling to make a life for her two daughters, takes on the care of a prickly demanding quadriplegic whose son has been both physically and emotionally distant. It’s a good read. 
ON THE PLATE: Tampa Table
We went up to Tampa the other night for an alumni event at a local restaurant and were pleased to be introduced to Grille One Sixteen. An attractive open space done in dark wood with white chair seats and a very long, white bar, this dining room delivered on the food. The Chief Penguin sampled the shrimp and grits and I enjoyed the glazed salmon served on a bed of succotash. The Caesar salad to start was a generous portion and nicely, but not overwhelmingly, garlicky. Pre-dinner nibbles at the table included dumpling bites and long strips of Nueske bacon (my favorite!) in a tall glass. Dessert was little glazed doughnuts, a house specialty. The full menu also includes a range of steaks, baby back ribs, meatloaf, and burgers. Based on this meal, I’d happily return!
Header photo: Painting by Carmen Herrera photographed at the Whitney Museum. Hearts are free clip art from the web.
