I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: AMIINA-“Hilli” (2006).

This song (and the single version which features a spoken word track by Lee Hazlewood) was featured in NPR’s 2007 Holiday Music special.  I’m not exactly sure that there’s anything particularly Christmassy or Holiday about it, but it is certainly pretty.

Amiina are an Icelandic band who are known mostly for their strings.  They have played string accompaniment with Sigur Rós on albums and on tour.  I had known about them as a string quartet so I was surprised by this beautiful song which has no real strings (at least quartet strings).  The “strings” sound more like hammered dulcimers and plucked violin strings.  It has a very simple melody played delicately.  And then the voices–layers of sweet female voices–sing notes over the music.  It is calming and a perfect antidote to hectic Christmas time and treacly Christmas music.

I still don’t know if it has anything to do with the holidays, but it’s part of my holiday music collection now.

[READ: December 5, 2013] Mouse Guard Fall 1152

I saw this book in the library and decided to get it for C.  But I also thought the artwork looked amazing so I decided to read it for myself.  I feel like he may be a tad young for the book (it’s kind of slow and vaguely “political”), although I’m sure he’d like the artwork (and some of the fighting).  But I thought the book was absolutely gorgeous and I enjoyed every page of it.

The story itself is quiet simple (and feels like it could be much much longer).  It covers six books (and an epilogue) and is all about the mice of Lockhaven as they struggle for survival in the Fall of 1152.  Now these are normal sized mice—their homes and mansions and everything are hidden from view inside trees and ivy, but their problems are very real.  And very dangerous.

So dangerous that they have formed the Mouse Guard.  The Guard is there not only to fight off intruders but also to assist citizens as they wander through the territories.

This book follows three of the Guard: Lieam, Saxon and Kenzie as they become aware of a traitorous plot that threatens all of Lockhaven.

In Chapter 1 the Guard finds a peasant mouse who has been killed.  And while the snake who killed the mouse is certainly bad news, it is nothing compared to what they find in the peasant’s cart—a map of Lockhaven.  Chapter 2 finds the Guard dealing with a crab (normal sized but giant for them).  Chapter 3 sees one of the Guard accidentally joining the Order of the Black Axe, while the other two are captured by that very society.  In Chapter 4, the Guard find a possible secret weapon.  In Chapter 5 we learn about the history of the Axe as Lockhaven is under siege.  And Chapter 6 is the final battle.

So all in all this big story (the book is surprisingly large for being so short) covers very little time.  There is an epilogue in which Queen Gwendolyn tells us about the future of Lockhaven as they prepare for Winter.  And Winter 1152 is the next book in the series.

While the story was simple enough, the art was really amazing.  Such detail and emotion from little fuzzy dudes with big black eyes.  I’m looking forward to seeing what happens come the wintertime.  And while I feel that my review here simplifies the story too much, it is a simple tale, but it is very engaging.