Whodunit?

Athleticism and Art

 

Athleticism and Art

 

Have you noticed how much athleticism is involved in the arts lately? For years now every political candidate shown on t.v. is shown running up or down steps. We never see anyone walking. Well, we need strong political leaders.

 

But book reviewers, opera stars, hamlet??

 

Canton 's showing of the Metropolitan's production of 'Lulu' was spectacular, as are most of its productions. This includes a lot of running around. No wonder the action starts with Lulu's husband, the physician, having a heart attack.

 

An audience of about 1,000 was charmed by Doug Lipp's explanation of Disney University's leadership training. This program was brought to us by the Audrey Lavin (yes!) authors speak

department of the Stark Co. public library . Lipp works out every day to prepare for the physical intensity he pours into his talk.

And maybe Hamlet isn't the introverted prince many of us met in high school and college, but wow !

Benedict Cumberbatch's visceral interpretation can be exhausting. Actually, I liked it. 

I think these  interpretations point in a new direction for public performances. Let's all be prepared to think in this new light.

 

With this I say Goodbye to all of my readers. Thank you so much for your support and comments over the years I've been publishing this blog in The Repository, my web page, and other sites. It's been fun.

 

Audrey Lavin

 

 

 

 

Related articles

Cumberbatch mania help boost Barbican to best year ever

11 Classical Music Highlights From the NYPL Digital Archives

leisure time: two movies, two novels

Leisure Time: 2 movies, 2 novels

 

two of the good movies I've seen recently are adaptations of well known works of fiction, which is about all they have in common. in fact, they seem to have come from different worlds: one from the future, one from the past, 'the martian' and 'otello.'

 

'the martian' starts in the future with the premise that astronaut/botanist mark watney has died on mars. but mark (matt damon, who turns out to be a terrific actor) surprises everyone by being very much alive. this story of how he survives, enlivened by his sense of humor, makes a surprisingly fascinating tale.

 

'otello' is Verdi's 1887 adaptation of Shakespeare's 'Othello,'  produced by the metropolitan opera. I had a slight problem getting used to a rather chunky iago, a villain I had always pictured as skinny.  Look at the name 'Iago.' if Shakespeare wanted him to be fat, he would have named him Iagissimo or something like that.

also the set of glass blocks/walls that confined the characters in their fatal flaws, I suppose, left something to be desired. but the story remains powerful as did the voices that told it. the met's movies of its productions are super.

 

now in the present, we come to adam Johnson's 'the orphan master's son.' this is an astounding novel that takes place in the casual and deliberate cruelty that Johnson shows us is the every day life of north korea.

jun do is the narrator of a world that has been invented by its dictators. sometimes I found myself wondering which worlds were real. as potential readers, you should know that the novel won the Pulitzer prize and that it ends with more, unknown, and worse tortures.

 

I end with a science fiction thriller 'zeroes' by chuck wendig.  the novel starts with the detainment of five low level hackers. they are forced to work as white hat hackers for an  initialed agency of the u.s. government. even though I often had no idea what the characters were up to in their games of cyber espionage, I enjoyed the wars of wits. you'll enjoy it more if you are a science fiction fan.

three sub-titles of the whodunit genre: legal, humor, and puzzle

Although I have often complained about books in series loosing their punch, I am happy to report that I am still reading john lescroart’s novels with enjoyment. I’m not even trying to read the books in order. I just pick up what’s available in the library. The legal thriller I just finished is ‘the keeper.’ So far, I recommend all of the dismas hardy + frannie + the rest of the regulars. Lescroart’s credible characters have legal know how and senses of humor. A pleasure to read.

 

Then there’s simon brett. I picked up ‘mrs. Pageter’s principle’ thinking it was another of brett’s theater productions . not at all. Mrs. P’s principle is to finish all of her late husband’s unfinished business. She seems to have unlimited funds, unlimited help from her husband’s past acquaintances (all underworld, though she chooses not to recognize this), unlimited guts, and kindness. Another novel that’s full of humor and a pleasure to read.

 

I’ll finish with an error.  How can I do this? Half way through keigo higashino’s ‘malice,’ I figured out why the cover (a sprig of cherry blossoms) looked so familiar. It was not because we often see anything Japanese  illustrated with a sprig of cherry blossoms.  No, it was because I had, of course, read the book before.  This is a novel for people who like puzzles. The same story is told over and over again by different people, different victims, perpetrators, etc. in the story, resulting in different meanings. You might find it fun. It is quite different from the legal thriller (first book reviewed) and from the humorous crime story (second story reviewed.)

But that is one of the things so much fun about detective stories.

three sub-titles of the whodunit genre: legal, humor, and puzzle

Although I have often complained about books in series loosing their punch, I am happy to report that I am still reading john lescroart’s novels with enjoyment. I’m not even trying to read the books in order. I just pick up what’s available in the library. The legal thriller I just finished is ‘the keeper.’ So far, I recommend all of the dismas hardy + frannie + the rest of the regulars. Lescroart’s credible characters have legal know how and senses of humor. A pleasure to read.

 

Then there’s simon brett. I picked up ‘mrs. Pageter’s principle’ thinking it was another of brett’s theater productions . not at all. Mrs. P’s principle is to finish all of her late husband’s unfinished business. She seems to have unlimited funds, unlimited help from her husband’s past acquaintances (all underworld, though she chooses not to recognize this), unlimited guts, and kindness. Another novel that’s full of humor and a pleasure to read.

 

I’ll finish with an error.  How can I do this? Half way through keigo higashino’s ‘malice,’ I figured out why the cover (a sprig of cherry blossoms) looked so familiar. It was not because we often see anything Japanese  illustrated with a sprig of cherry blossoms.  No, it was because I had, of course, read the book before.  This is a novel for people who like puzzles. The same story is told over and over again by different people, different victims, perpetrators, etc. in the story, resulting in different meanings. You might find it fun. It is quite different from the legal thriller (first book reviewed) and from the humorous crime story (second story reviewed.)

But that is one of the things so much fun about detective stories.

three good reads to ease the end of summer

  to celebrate summer and anything else we can think of. I want to talk about three mystery/detective/crime novels that are particularly well written, and, mainly for that reason, particularly enjoyable to read.

 

First on mylist is an old favorite: janet evanovich's 'top secret twenty-one.' as we have all seen, anyone who writes a series has good days and bad days. This novel was written on a good day for ms. Evanovich. The crazy grandmother mazur,

stephanie plum's partner, the ho,

etc. are all (almost all. We do lose a little sexual tension) fresh. For a laugh on a relaxing summer evening put out $8.99 for the 326pp paperback published by bantam books.

 

New to me is jeanne m. dams and her charming novel 'the gentle art of murder.' it says right on the cover that it is a COMPELLING new dorothy martin mystery. But i've gotten so cynical lately!!

 

surprise.

The novel is compelling and a delight to read I will try others in the series

featuring dorothy and her husband, retired police detective alan nesbitt.this one takes place, for the most part) in the art department of a not-topped-rank university. I can tell you first hand that such a school is a perfect setting for competitive murders.

 

Severn house is the publisher of this 216 pp. Novel

 

today my final suggestion for a book in a series is john lescroart's 'the fall.' I am already reading another in the series. This novel features rebecca hardy in her first case. In the book i'm now reading, the beck (rebecca) is still in law school. Lescroart writes to an intelligent audience. It's a pleasure to be a part of that audience.

 

The chicago sun times calls lescroart 'the master of the legal thriller,' but legalese is not pushed in the reader's face, nor is it used to obscure clues. Really worth reading as are the other two novels recommended (for different reasons) today.

Published by atria books, 305 pages, the novel sells for $26.95

biggest excitement has more to do with golf than reading or writing

Good news and bad news beyond the usual blog:

I’ll start with the bad news to get it out of the way. I mentioned this in a previous blog, but I owe readers of this blog an apology, though NOT MY FAULT. One hundred twenty comments readers have made were sent to the wrong e-dress. Really sorry, especially to organizations who asked me to speak!! and to people who made complimentary remarks.

Good news is the fun time I had this morning working out with phil mickelson. My workout is so mild that I can do it while wearing sandals. His is a little more strenuous. He’s probably writing about it in his blog right now. There were only two other people in the gym. He’s here for the invitational in akron. I’m here because I live in canton.

Now to some novels. Nicci French’s (two people) novels have been a pleasure to read. The titles follow the days of the week. This summer the Friday story was published, ‘Friday on my mind.’ What a disappointment. The mystery man who freida insists has been following her, killing people for her, and helping her out in other unreal ways turns out to be real. Also, freida is on the run, staying at one after the other hide-outs, which are too carefully described.

I’ll still try the Saturday novel. Let’s hope it goes back to the level of the earlier days of the week.

Friday is 375 pages, published by Michael joseph, and sells for 13 pounds. You can look up the exchange rate.

 

Linda Castillo’s ‘after the storm’ continues the story of sheriff kate burkholder and the ohio amish community. Amazing how much hate there can be between the old amish and the Mennonites.   Woven into the story are the deaths of children for whom kate feels responsible. Take it on the plane with you. This is a quick and enjoyable read, though I’m getting tired of people being pushed into pig pens to be eaten alive by the hogs.

This Minotauer book is 306 pages and sells for $29.99.

I should not have borrowed Daniel Silva’s ‘The English Spy’ from the library. I should know by now that I don’t like spy stories. Too much running around between countries. Too many adventures. Each character is introduced with a complex back story. If you like spy stories, maybe you’ll love this one.

Harper Collins is the publisher of this Gabriel Allon story. I did not finish this 481 page novel. It sells for $27.99

 

 

 

 

grimes and hawkins: two good reads

It’s time to give a cheer for martha grimes. by mistake, i recently re-read ‘vertigo 42.’ because i was not interested in whodunit or character development or england’s ambiance, i paid attention to grimes’s style. she is one clever woman. If not on every page, certainly in every chapter, there is a literary reference and a couple of good puns. by now i don’t even remember the reason for one of the three murders involved, i do remember what a good writer ms. grimes is.

i’ve reviewed ‘vertigo 42,’ a richard jury novel, first time around, but I’ll repeat that scribner is the publisher of this 325 page novel, and it sells for $26.00.

 

I’ll also give a cheer for paula hawkins; ‘the girl on the train.’ If you are like i am in mentally writing scripts about people you pass on the street, you’ll love this book. If two phone lines I call are busy, although the parties don’t know each other, I imagine that they are calling each other and planning a party (or a murder, doesn’t matter!). the narrator, the girl on the train is like that. when she finally meets the people involved, she is about 100% wrong in her interpretations of what she has seen.

riverhead books is the publisher. The novel is 33 pages. It sells for $26.95.

'look who's back' / i'll tell you. it's adolph hitler !

timur vermes' 'look who's back' is not an easy novel to review, though a quick read. in some ways it is reminiscent of 'springtime for hitler,' the main song from mel brooks' 1968 show, 'the producers.' some of the lines from that song are 'the thing you gotta know is/ev'ry thing is show biz.' what brooks and vermes also have in common is treating hitler as a joke. the book has been a best seller in germany, but has also been highly controversial. because, as we know all too well, hitler was no joke.

 

jamie bulloch is the translator and has done an excellent job. i say this without having read the original in german, but the translation doesn't strike any false notes.

 

this is a rip van winkle story. hitler awakens in full nazi regalia. he is in a meadow in germany in 2011. we are never told how he got there. the book is in the first person and adolph talks like adolph throughout the story, which many people find hard to swallow, even though the sub-title on the cover is 'a merciless satire.' he becomes a huge t.v. and you-tube success because he never does step out of character, but also because many people like his message. when the book satirizes manifestations of pop culture as seen by hitler after all of those years asleep, it really is funny and clever.

 

however, it ends with the slogan, 'it wasn't all bad.' is this commentary or is it again a satire on what many germans want to believe. either way, it's more than a tad frightening, but then so is eating babies to avoid the food shortage in ireland.

 

the satire is 365 pages and is published by maclehose press. the copy i have was $24.95, but i'm pretty sure you can find he book for less on the internet.

 

whodunits by two women, mckenzie and gazan, worth reading

kudos to the tuscarawrus writers guild and its leader author cherie kail. first of all, the group is smart enough to ask me to come and speak to them. we had a workshop two nights ago that was very successful because of the enthusiastic participation of the group. btw, if any members find a check made out to me, I seem to have mislaid one for the purchase of my eloquent series.

 

two non u.s. novels (danish and british) readers might like to investigate are 'the dinosaur feather' and 'you can trust me.' 

 

I enjoyed 'the arc of the swallow' so much that I wanted to read the author's first novel 'the dinosaur feather.' s. j. gazan does not exercise the control of plot in this first story (surprise!) that she does in the second, but it's pretty good. in the second book, the story turns on the us of injections to prevent disease or do they? this is still a contemporary topic. in this first novel she uses the do birds evolve from dinosaurs which I think is pretty well established. the book then becomes more involved with feuding academics and with parents and children. a layer of science unites the various plots and characters.

 

worth reading, the novel is 431 pages and was published by quercus. the translator from the danish is charlotte barslund.. the book sells for $24.95.

 

another book worth reading; that is, if you are lucky enough to be sitting poolside or have a flight to make, is 'you can trust me' by sophie McKenzie. i'll tell you right now, you can't trust anyone in this novel except the people you're told not to trust. it is entirely predictable starting with the initial premise in which our heroine finds a friend dead. everyone says it is suicide, but our livy 'knows' it is murder. and she eventually finds out who this murderer is. every story doesn't have o be wildly original you'll enjoy this 326 page novel.

 

it is published by st. martin's press and sells for $24.99.

whodunits by two women, mckenzie and gazan, worth reading

kudos to the tuscarawrus writers guild and its leader author cherie kail. first of all, the group is smart enough to ask me to come and speak to them. we had a workshop two nights ago that was very successful because of the enthusiastic participation of the group. btw, if any members find a check made out to me, I seem to have mislaid one for the purchase of my eloquent series.

 

two non u.s. novels (danish and british) readers might like to investigate are 'the dinosaur feather' and 'you can trust me.' 

 

I enjoyed 'the arc of the swallow' so much that I wanted to read the author's first novel 'the dinosaur feather.' s. j. gazan does not exercise the control of plot in this first story (surprise!) that she does in the second, but it's pretty good. in the second book, the story turns on the us of injections to prevent disease or do they? this is still a contemporary topic. in this first novel she uses the do birds evolve from dinosaurs which I think is pretty well established. the book then becomes more involved with feuding academics and with parents and children. a layer of science unites the various plots and characters.

 

worth reading, the novel is 431 pages and was published by quercus. the translator from the danish is charlotte barslund.. the book sells for $24.95.

 

another book worth reading; that is, if you are lucky enough to be sitting poolside or have a flight to make, is 'you can trust me' by sophie McKenzie. i'll tell you right now, you can't trust anyone in this novel except the people you're told not to trust. it is entirely predictable starting with the initial premise in which our heroine finds a friend dead. everyone says it is suicide, but our livy 'knows' it is murder. and she eventually finds out who this murderer is. every story doesn't have o be wildly original you'll enjoy this 326 page novel.

 

it is published by st. martin's press and sells for $24.99.