Arts & Events

Happy New Year! Today I have three mystery/thriller novels for your consideration.

(A) First Lie Wins -- Ashley Elston (five stars)

A superb con-artist thriller set, primarily, in Louisiana.

“Evie Porter” is a successful con-artist with two problems. First, she’s fallen in love with her mark, Ryan Sumner. Second, her very evil boss, Mr. Smith, doesn’t trust her anymore and has destroyed her actual identity. Will “Evie” escape from Smith? -more-

On February 1-3, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra celebrated the rise of coffee house concerts in Europe, most notably in Leipzig, where Zimmerman’s cafe on Catherinenstrasse would host concerts led by composers Georg Telemann and, later, Johann Sebastian Bach. (As we know, Bach was so taken by the popularity of coffee that he wrote his famous Coffee Cantata in praise of this caffeinated drink.) On Saturday, February 2, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra gave two concerts, an afternoon one at 2:30, which I attended, and an evening one at 7:30, both at Berkeley’s First Congregational Church. Given that most of the music performed involved two harpsichords, these concerts were billed as Double Espresso. -more-

Worth Noting:

The February 13 City Council 4 pm special meeting on the Ashby BART Transit Oriented Development is not posted yet. The February 13 Council 6 pm agenda is posted and available for comment with the merger of the Peace and Justice Commission and the Human Welfare and Community Action Commission merger as item 16 under action. Both the Peace and Justice Commission and the Human Welfare and Community Action Commissions meet this coming week.

• Monday:
  • At 3 pm the Council meets in closed session in the hybrid format.
  • At 7 pm the Personnel Board meets in person.
  • At 7 pm the Peace and Justice Commission meets in person.
• Wednesday:
  • At 3 pm the HAC CDBG subcommittee meets online.
  • At 6 pm the Planning Commission meets in person with a hearing on “Middle” Housing.
  • At 6:30 pm the Board of Library Trustees meets in person.
  • At 6:30 pm the Human Welfare and Community Action Commission meets in person.
  • At 6:30 pm the PAB meets in the hybrid format.
  • From 12 – 3 pm appointments are offered to assist with the completion of Displacement Certificate Applications.
• Thursday: At 7 pm the ZAB meets in the hybrid format.
• Friday: At 9 am the Elmwood BID meets in person.
• Saturday: At 10 am the Berkeley Neighborhoods Council (BNC) meets online. On January 13 Berkeleyans for Better Planning presented their ballot initiative for fixing city streets and sidewalks. The alternate ballot initiative presentation on city streets is scheduled for February 10.