Word: bird
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Richard Powers is out with a new novel, “The Echo Maker.” The cover is deceptively serene—a solitary bird casually flies over an empty field. The book is actually about a truck accident, memory loss, and discovering dark secrets. The amnesic victim, his sister, and a renowned neurologist team up to figure out just what happened. There is no mention of a bird. However, the back flap does list the impressive awards that Powers has won for his past work, which includes eight novels. An innovative plot and a strong authorial track...
...even with all those skeletons lurking below, the cemetery’s well-manicured lawns and gravestones make the place more sedate than scary. But it’s still the perfect destination for a late fall Halloween stroll. And if you’re so inclined, the online birding journal “Bird Observer” says that Mt. Auburn is a breeding ground for a startling variety of birds, including the white-breasted nuthatch and the brown-headed cowbird. Don’t let these candy-ass names fool you, though. Their blood-curdling cries will strike...
...middle of the opening piece, Mozart’s Third Violin Concerto, soloist Jonathan Gandelsman took the classic work in an entirely surprising direction. Instead of playing a traditional cadenza, Gandelsman switched to a distinctly Chinese theme. Playing over a sustained drone from the cellos and pentatonic bird-calls from the violins, his solo was a stark contrast what would be expected. Gandelsman had bent a note here and there during the piece—his first cadenza had sounded slightly odd, though not oriental. These bent notes had the effect of building to this mid-concerto, multi-cultural moment...
...authors favor the all-or-nothing approach used by organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous because of its simplicity. The alcoholic who can learn to drink socially, or the chain-smoker who can puff occasionally, is a rare bird. Dieters can't entirely give up food, of course, but they can draw an uncompromising line when it comes to sugar...
...that the ruthless obsession of the magician’s rivalry is symptomatic of magic’s inherent danger. When Borden’s wife Olivia hangs herself because she can no longer bear his overriding obsession with magic, Nolan depicts her hanging amidst Borden’s bird cages—equating her with the birds Borden secretly kills for his disappearing bird trick...