I listened to this book and Mia Barron’s narration is very good.  Lorrie Moore’s A Gate at the Stairs is a provocative book that gives the reader a lot to think about.

Back in 1974 Muhammad Ali fought Joe Frazier in the Rumble in the Jungle in Zaire, as documented in When We Were Kings.   Hugh Masakela convinced promoter Don King to include a music festival as part of the show, featuring  James Brown (wearing a hilarious costume), BB King, the Spinners, Celia Cruz, the Commodores, Bill Withers, and more.  Soul Power documents this.

Big Black contributes a jaw-dropping hand drum solo.  Brown is, well, James Brown, higher praise than which I cannot provide.  King performs “The Thrill Is Gone.” Miriam Makeba steals the show with the Click Song. The African acts tend to be drummers and costumed dancers, and mostly get  short shrift.  There’s also a bit too much footage of promoters and lawyers, but this is mostly good stuff.

The majority of the story takes place in rural Suffolk during World War II, where La, (short for Lavender) Stone, retreats after her marriage fails and assault on London begins in earnest.  La joins the Women’s Land Army and begins to her integration into the rural neighborhood.  La starts an orchestra drawing from townsfolk and the nearby airbase.

If you enjoyed The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society I think you would like La’s Orchestra too.

Daugherty’s Metropolis Symphony was inspired by his childhood love of Superman comic books. It’s an energetic work that balances  modernism and explosive rhythms with lovely melodies. I’m especially drawn the last movement titled Red Cape Tango. Fire and Blood, a work for violin and orchestra, was commissioned by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and was inspired by murals about the automotive industry by Mexican artist, Diego Rivera. Daugherty’s latest work, Letters from Lincoln, is a very human portrait of Abraham Lincoln. It was just released on CD after it’s world premiere performance by the Spokane Symphony Orchestra with soloist Thomas Hampson, baritone.

So what’s the connection to Cedar Rapids? Well, I was surprised to find out that  Professor Daugherty (he teaches music composition at the University of Michigan) grew up in Cedar Rapids. According to the Michigan Muse, Fall 2009 issue, he led a rock-jazz-funk band that played at weddings, proms and dances all over Eastern Iowa when he was in high school.

Written and Directed by Pixar vunderkin Pete Doctor, the man behind Monsters Inc. , Toy Story,  Mike’s new car, and Wall-E, Up is classic Pixar.  With  real characters, and a real story with all the twists, turns, and fantastic animation we’ve all come to love from a Pixar film.  And the animation itself was amazing.

Up is the story of Carl Fredricksen.  A shy young boy with dreams of becoming a famous explorer like his idol Charles Muntz.  Carl meets his match in Ellie, a young girl determined to see the world.  In a dialogless  sequence we see Carl and Ellie grow up, marry, and build a life together.  A life with all sorts of ups, downs, and adventures.  We see them grow old together, and see Ellie pass away.

Now Carl is left a lone, an elderly man, set in his ways.  Determined to spend his days in the house he and Ellie built, as the world changes around him.   When he’s forced out of his home and into a retirement home, Carl comes up with a way to have one last great adventure – and take his house with him.

As he’s plotting his escape, Russell appears on his doorstep.   Russell is a young boy trying to earn his “assist the elderly” badge for Adventure Scouts, and has decided to help Carl, even though Carl neither wants or needs help.

When Carl sets off on his great adventure to find the Lost Paradise Falls,  Russell accidentally  comes along.  Together they make their way to  South America, where they meet a giant bird Russel names Kevin.  They are befriended by a large dog who, thanks to his amazing collar,  is able to talk to humans.  His name is Dug, and it turns out his evil owner is none other than missing adventurer Charles Muntz.

Muntz has spent his lifetime trying to find a bird like Kevin, and will do anything he can to capture Kevin – dead or alive.  Carl and Russel battle Muntz first to save Kevin and then to save themselves.

Up is a great movie in may ways.  The animation is fantastic, and the adventure will suck you in.  But what I liked best is the relationship that builds between the elderly Carl and the young Russel.  As they are forced to rely on each other, they being to respect and care for each other as well.  And in the end we see how truly close they have become.

NOTE:  as with any other good comedy, stay for the credits.  It’s not really a gag real, but through photographs and post cards, you’ll see that this wasn’t actually the last adventure for Carl, Russell and Dug.

This is an album for the long dark winter months – lush soundscapes of fingerpicked guitar, dramatic piano, found sounds, and complex percussion. These instruments serve as backdrops that emphasize the multi-tracked arrangements of his unique voice. A more instrumental second half of the album highlights Stith’s falsetto crooning. In the album’s climax, “Braid of Voices”, Stith sings a round based on the lines, “From the back of my head/tied/to the back of my head” over a background chorus woven of his own howling and sighing. What sticks with me the most from this haunting album is its ability to channel an abundance of creativity into a cohesive audio experience.

If you’re a student/younger/budget traveler, Rough Guides or Lonely Planet will probably suit you pretty well. Both of them are solid, no-nonsense guides with low and mid-range budgets in mind. They are practical, have a nice focus on nightlife and social scenes, and review many lodging options, including budget hotels and hostels. These are the guides I used when I traveled in my twenties…the Europe on a Shoestring guide is a solid (and heavy) book, and it was the only guide I needed for a two-month trip. Lonely Planet can also be a good guide for more adventurous travelers who are going to unusual places, as they cover some destinations that other guides don’t, and they contain extensive information on current political conditions, health concerns, and any necessary legalities.

Maybe you want something a bit more comprehensive, that contains some cultural and historical information, and is somewhat more discerning in it’s reviews and recommendations of hotels and restaurants. Frommer’s and Fodor’s would both make good choices; they both give good background information and highlight national and regional characteristics and sights. Frommer’s seems to be aimed at a slightly older crowd, with detailed, time-saving walking tours all planned out, and reliable, sensible recommendations. It was also the original budget guide, and still has a bit of that flavor. Fodor’s also has walking tours and no-nonsense information, but also mixes in recommendations for out-of-the-way sights and unusual experiences. I used a Fodor’s guide on my last vacation, to New York, and found it to have a nice mix of history and photos, basic recommendations as well as splurges, and nice maps that were actually useful.

Say, however, you’re palate is a bit more refined, or you prefer to motor your way across the French countryside on your own, staying in and dining at high-end places…then go Michelin. These are aimed at a more discriminating traveler, someone who wants to spend a lot of time in a unique place, discovering everything about it and learning all there is to know. And someone who is willing to spend a bit of money along the way, as well. The Green Guides are the touring, see-the-sights guides, the Red Guides review and rate hotels and restaurants (although newer Green Guides also contain a few, very select food and lodging recommendations). I’ve never used a Michelin guide in my travels, but I know a few people who do, and sometimes they speak to me in public.

Of course, there are many other titles that I haven’t mentioned, but which are also useful… Off the Beaten Path , Moon Handbooks, National Geographic Traveler, Rick Steves and Insight Guides are all good guidebooks, and they all have something to offer. The best idea, I think, is to grab several of them before your next trip, browse them to see what appeals to you, and then take the best one or two on your trip. And don’t forget to send the Library a postcard!

Provenance is the true story of John Drewe, a con man who entangled innocent friends, strangers, an impoverished painter, and art dealers, museums and archivists in his art fraud crimes.  The story reads like good detective fiction:  I quickly was invested in the characters and couldn’t wait to learn what happened next.  Even though you know from the beginning of the book that Drewe is the culprit, there is a good deal of suspense as you see him yet again slipping through the fingers of the law and the members of the art world who are beginning to catch on to him.

The reader learns much along the way about art auctions, museums and their archives.  Art forgeries are nothing new and may be more common than most people think.  What made Drewe’s crimes so insidious, though, was his corruption of archival histories to establish fraudulent provenance of the forgeries he was trafficking.

Unlike most fictional detective stories, the ending of this story is not so tidy.  In the epilogue, the authors provide satisfying summaries of where these real-life characters are in the years after Drewe’s trial and conviction.  Disturbingly, however, we learn that John Drewe–thief, pathological liar and possibly a murderer–is free on the streets again.