THE PHILADELPHIA JUNTO.: Books Received

Tuesday, 1 February 2011

Books Received

Stuffed Animals, Mean Streets

By Annie Weiss
[Harper Collins Publishers]

The third book in Tim Davys’ Mollisan Town quartet, TOURQUAI ((Harper/HarperCollins Publishers; $19.99/$25.99 Can; ISBN 13: 9780061797453; on-sale 2/15/2011) follows the fictional neighborhood of the same name, which is inhabited by stuffed animals that are neither cuddly nor sweet. Oswald Vulture, a rich and powerful finance mogul, is one of these stuffed animals. When he is found beheaded in his office, it sets off a chain of events for the stuffed animal citizens of Mollisan Town that questions whether they are free or whether they are ruled by destiny.

In TOURQUAI, Superintendent Larry Bloodhound is the keeper of the peace and ruler of the streets. But what he soon learns is that some rich stuffed animals–animals whose place amongst the elite wield them power and money-are often above the law. The day Oswald Vulture is found headless in his pristine office on the top floor of the most impressive building in Mollisan Town, Bloodhound knows this will not be a normal murder investigation.

Along with his team-Anna Lynx and Falcon Ecu–and with the help of his closest friend and private investigator Phillip Mouse, Bloodhound must infiltrate the world of the privileged, face his own weaknesses, find Vulture’s head, and solve the case. But which animal could have removed the head so precisely if no one was seen entering or leaving Vulture’s office? The suspects start to build up including Vulture’s slithery and sexy secretary Emanuelle Cobra, his seductive mistress Jasmine Squirrel, and Igor Panda, a stuffed animal whose gambling debts may have pushed him to do the unthinkable.

Like Davys’ previous novels, TOURQUAI weaves together an intricate plot and tackles problems–such as class issues, drug problems, and unrequited love—that reveal greater truths about the world of humans.

About the Author:
Tim Davys is a pseudonym. He or she is the author of Amberville and Lanceheim, the first books in the Mollisan Town quartet, as well as the forthcoming final book, Yok.

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BROADSTREETREVIEW.COM INDEX

Articles by Richard Carreño
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Matisse and Barnes: A tale of two museums October 04 2011 Henri Matisse was one of the three great revolutionary artists (with Picaso and Duchamp) of the early 20th Century; Albert Barnes was a brilliant collector of revolutionary art. They made a great team until Barnes’s insufferable personality drove Matisse away, with consequences that still reverberate today.

‘Picasso and the Paris Avant-Garde’ at the Art Museum February 23 2010 Curator Michael Taylor has unveiled, for the first time in recent memory, the astonishing range, depth, and quality of the Art Museum’s Picasso holdings. But his show falls a few bricks short of an Anne d'Harnoncourt blockbuster. “Picasso and the Avant-Garde in Paris.” Through May 2, 2010 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th St. (215) 763-8100 or http://www.philamuseum.org/.

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‘American Stories' at the Met in New York October 18 2009 “American Stories,” currently at the Met in New York, reveals an indebtedness to Philadelphia's artistic patrimony. Almost the whole show could have been assembled from Philadelphia holdings or works by Philadelphia artists. So why is the Art Museum so modest about its contributions? “American Stories: Paintings of Everyday Life, 1765-1915.” Through January 24, 2009 at Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth Avenue and 82nd St., New York. 212-535-7710 or http://www.metmuseum.org/. Art

Museum’s admission hike June 29 2009 The Art Museum recently raised its admission fees, a fund-raising model that is strictly 20th-Century. Then it hired as its new director Timothy Rub, a successful advocate of the 21st-Century model: free admission. Does the Art Museum’s left hand know what its right hand is doing?

Venice: Nice place to visit, but…. March 31 2009 There’s no place like Venice to jump-start your romantic gene. But before you move there, remember: The plumbing stinks. And try schlepping groceries, or hauling a suitcase, or finding a doctor or a decent restaurant or a neighbor who’s under 50.

Newspapers and the Internet March 03 2009 In the Internet age, what will happen to fact-based journalism as daily newspapers fold? Contrary to what you hear from print journalists, the quality of coverage could improve. Which would you prefer: The Inquirer, or a Philadelphia edition of the New York Times?

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Sarah Palin and the ‘C’ word September 13 2008 Thanks to Sarah Palin, the 800-pound gorilla is out of the cage. The 'C' word— class— is the one word in the American lexicon that's even better hidden in polite public discourse than race. And it has little to do with money.

Alfred J. Munnings at Brandywine Museum July 29 2008 A remarkable new show at the Brandywine River museum is a tribute to the great sporting artist Alfred J. Munnings and also to the private collectors of Chester County who’ve accumulated his works without fanfare.“Alfred J. Munnings From Regional Collections.” Through Sept. 1, 2008 at Brandywine River Museum, off U.S. 1, Chadds Ford, Pa. (610) 388-2700 or http://www.brandywinemuseum.org./

The horror of globalization February 16 2008 What is a German discount food chain doing in Philadelphia, pampering its customers and employees alike and otherwise violating cherished local customs? Don’t these foreigners know what we Americans did to the Hessians the last time we got really angry?

George Stubbs paintings at Penn April 17 2007 The English painter George Stubbs is largely forgotten outside racing stables, geezer men’s clubs and faux clubby steakhouses. But he transformed the way artists depicted horses and sporting scenes. Equus Unbound: Fairman Rogers and the Age of the Horse. Through June 15, 2007, at Kamen Gallery, U. of Pennsylvania’s Van-Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, 3420 Walnut St., first floor. Free and open to the public; photo ID required. (800) 390-1829.

Christie’s and ‘The Gross Clinic’ January 03 2007 As a leading art auction house, Christie’s well understands the role of a dummy bidder in jacking up the price of a work. In Jefferson University's recent sale of The Gross Clinic, Christie’s consultants apparently found an unwitting dummy in the Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton. Has Philadelphia’s art community learned anything from this $68 million lesson?

What price admission to the Barnes? August 12 2006 Hefty admisssion increases are the new order of the day at New York's Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum. Derek Gillman, new chief of the Barnes Foundation, may be tempted to follow suit. Here's one hard-nosed reason why he shouldn't.

Celebrating ....

Tuesday, 1 February 2011

Books Received