Back in balmy Baltimore after a weekend trip to Denver, it's odd to see that city covered in snow. When  I left Monday, the weather was perfect: sunny and in the 70s. (Though just an hour away, in the mountains, it was in the 30s, and skiers were already hitting the hills at Arapahoe Basin.)

If you haven't had a chance to visit Denver, put it on your list. Its fine indie bookstore, Tattered Cover, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. I usually stop in to pick up a book by a local author or one about Colorado.

I didn't make it to the store on this trip, but I did notice a quirky literary promotion while driving in the Capitol Hill area: a vehicle plastered with photos and info about "Cheap Cabernet: A Friendship" by Cathie Beck. Even the license plate -- CHEP CAB -- fit the motif. And on Beck's website, she advertises Balistreri Vineyard’s 2008 Signature Cheap Cabernet Vino (with a $2 discount). Now that's modern book-selling!