I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK–KATE BUSH-The Dreaming (1982).

This disc focuses Kate’s intensity somewhat.  I was just reading that it was nowhere near as popular as her previous discs in England (where she had been number 1 many times), although, interestingly it made the charts in the US because of college radio airplay.

The disc is still experimental (there’s all kinds of weird things going around) but it feels kind of claustrophobic.  The disc opens with the manic percussion of “Sat in your Lap” (this song also features the gamut of Kate’s diverse vocal talents: whispered verses, shrieking bridges and bellowing chorus).

“There goes a Tenner” is about a robbery (and is sung with an East End accent).  There’s also the weird and wonderful “Suspended in Gaffa” (recently covered by Ra Ra Riot).  “The Dreaming” is about Australia (and is sung in an Aussie accent).

Meanwhile, “Houdini” breaks briefly from its raging vocals into a mellow string-filled middle piece (with more of that gorgeous fretless bass). The cover of the disc shows a “scene” from the song (she’s slipping a key into Houdini’s mouth).

The disc ends with the outrageous “Get Out of My House.”  It is a scary, crazy song with Kate shrieking like a madwoman and the male vocalist turning into a donkey (hee-hawing as he goes).

I have always enjoyed this disc.  It is a wonderful step between the all-over-the-place crazy of Never for Ever and the gorgeous controlled beauty of Hounds of Love. It’s not afraid to showcase Kate’s crazy side (okay, really crazy side), and yet it still keeps a sense of humor (and has some wonderful melodies as well).

[READ: November 13, 2009] This Book is Not Good for You

I’ve been a fan of the Pseudonymous Bosch books since the beginning.  I love the whole concept of the series (that even the author is being persecuted by the bad guys and can’t give out any real names, not even his own).  This book is no exception.  The mystery concerns the adventure of our heroes: Cass, Max-Ernest and Yo-Yoji in their fight against the Midnight Sun, who….   Well, I have to be honest, I’m not entirely clear exactly what the Midnight Sun are up to.  I’m not even sure that not knowing is a bad thing.  We know that  they are mysterious, that they are all very old (they have gained knowledge of a formula for eternal youth), and they really don’t like our heroines or the Terces Society that they belong to.  But aside from that I’m not sure what their long term goal is.  It may have been mentioned in the previous books, but at this point, I just know they’re bad.

This volume has an added element of fun in that the author himself is under attack from the Midnight Sun in the very pages of the book!  (They drug him and at one point even slip an extra piece of paper into the book (which tells the reader that the Midnight Sun is being misrepresented by Bosch).

But really, the story is all about chocolate.  Bosch himself is a chocolate gourmand (he disdains milk chocolate and especially white chocolate, although he doesn’t have a problem with vanilla per se).  There’s a thorough guide to chocolate in the index.  There’s even chocolate recipes!

For chocolate is the latest way the Midnight Sun plans to keep their organization growing in size but never in age (the founder of the Midnight Sun is over 500 years old!).  And what better way to get new members than through delicious chocolate.

The heads of the Midnight Sun (Ms Mauvius & Dr. L are still in charge) have moved their base of operations to a cacao-producing rainforest.  And they are able to pick the ripest and most succulent cacao seeds (through a combination of child and monkey labor (and the monkey labor…ew!)).  With these beans thy plan to create the most delicious chocolate ever.  But they need one special item to complete the task.

And this item is…a tuning fork (?!).  There is a magical tuning fork that enables any item to taste like the most delicious food in the world.  And if the Midnight Sun can get the tuning fork, well…  they can use their delicious chocolates for their nefarious purposes (which seem to be capturing Cass, but perhaps there’s more).

This book is set in the summer, just like Diary of Wimpy Kid’s Dog Days.  I wonder if winter 2009 is the season for summer books.

Cass, Max-Ernest and Yo-Yoji (which we learn is not his real name although, sadly, we don’t learn his real name) get into all kinds of fun trouble.  (Wait till you see what the chocolate can do!).  And, this time, Cass’ mom gets inadvertently involved in the action.

In the previous book we learned that Cass was adopted.  This subplot is followed up on, too.  Lots of tantalizing secrets are given about her, but as with Yo-Yoji’s name, nothing is revealed.  Even Max-Ernest has a few surprises revealed about himself…in fact the two things that most dominated his character are undermined and called into question!

And…  the book ends on a cliffhanger.  Although the -hanger is not for this story arc (thankfully.  There’s nothing worse than a book that should end but doesn’t because of a sequel).  So this story arc ends, and the final chapter sets us up for what lies ahead.  Since it was fairly obvious that there would be another book in the series, there’s nothing wrong with Pseudonymous setting us up for what lies ahead.  And what lies ahead is…

a Secret.

I’m pretty psyched about it.

If you haven’t read the previous books in the series, then don’t jump into this one!  (He even gives a way a plot point of book 2, so don’t read out of order).  But if you have read the first two, then this is a wonderful follow up.

All of Bosch’s tricks are in full force: Weird chapter titles, chapters that are interrupted by other chapters, passages that are interrupted by Bosch himself, definitions (funny and often quite helpful), and footnotes, lots of footnotes, that are also very funny.

The first book in the series had a lot of puzzles for the readers to figure out.  This book doesn’t really have those (faithful readers will be a little disappointed to hear that); this story is more of a mystery that needs to be solved, but the reader doesn’t have a lot of time trying to figure out anything really challenging.  It takes a little of the fun out, but replaces it with a lot of suspense.

And Bosch is such a good storyteller, that you’ll find it hard to put this down.

I can’t wait for book 4 !