Carl Deuker -- Books, Movies, TV

 PBS performance during pandemic.  No live audience, filmed in a warehouse.  Entire play was good, but the standout was Jessie Buckley as Juliet.  Great performance.

Read this because Phillip Roth and Robert Gottlieb both called it her "masterpiece." Written when she was in her 80's. Opening was terrific, and most of the material in Ireland was excellent. The plot involves a Serbian mass murderer appearing under a false identity in a small Irish village. What unfolds includes grisly (and I'm not squeamish) events described in excruciating detail. <br /><br />The confidence man is found out; our heroine (Fidelma) has had an affair with him and she too is found out. Plot involves her coping with her disgrace.<br /><br />Derby Girls far superior for this reader <

Janine thinks her second graders can succeed at egg drop.  They build contraptions to land their eggs, but all the eggs crack. Tears.  She tries to tell them that they tried and that's good enough and they didn't fail.  Tears.  Shortcomings of "no one fails" methodology humorously exposed.

 Follows Sadie and Sam (Mazer) from childhood to mid-thirties when both are feeling old and a bit out of it in the gaming world.  Characters are well-rounded, develop throughout the novel in interesting way.  Plot is involved but sensible.  Not a single, "Oh, come on!" moment.  The book could have been faster paced. Odd, since the main topic is video games which are not for their speed of engagement and Gabrielle Zevin clearly knows her video games. Recommended by Michael Connelly in an interview.  He also has Bosch pick up the book in his novel, Resurrection Walk, as Bosch tails a possible witness to a crime as she moves through a bookstore. Sadie and Sam do not get together at the end, which is good.   Marx killed by homophobic nutcase who really wants to kill Sam, but Sam isn't there. Marx is father of Sadie's child. 

recommendation from Marian. Defense atty, tired of defending deadbeats, turns in his resignation.  But . . . one more case.  Confessed low-life murderer was read his Miranda Rights improperly (no mention of right to remain silent). This means the confession will be suppressed.  He won't get off, but attorney thinks he should be able to bring the charges down to manslaughter. Low-life's girlfriend shows up, curses atty, says he works to lock people up and that her boyfriend (of 11 months) couldn't have done the murder.  Yeah, right, our atty says . . . but, I suspect, Yeah, right will be the end. 

 Great Performances on PBS Christopher Plummer was terrific.  All ends (reasonably) well, even for the traitors.  The play ends with a "look" between Caliban and Prospero which implies some sort of softening on Prospero's part, even a recognition that what he did to Caliban was wrong.  Ariel also freed. Prospero to leave the island, destroy his magic books, his magic staff, give up his power, reconciled with his brother . . . sort of.