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Archive for the ‘YA Books’ Category

MK Reed, Jonathan Hill–Americus (2011)

Posted in #10yearsof01, Canadian Music, Constellation Records, First Second :01, Fly Pan Am, Free Speech, Funny (ha ha), Graphic Novel, Jonathan Hill, Le Fly Pan Am, LGBTQ, Library Related, M.K. Reed, Marriage Trouble, Military, Morality, Parenting, Religion, Set at School, YA Books on February 24, 2016| Leave a Comment »

americusSOUNDTRACK: FLY PAN AM-Sédatif en fréquences et sillons EP [CST011] (2000).

330px-SedatifsEnFrequencesCover This is an EP that works as a kind of remixes and deconstructs further the debut. There are three songs, the first is fourteen minutes, the second is 11 and the final is 4.  As the Constellation site describes the disc:

This 3-song EP of fractured, tape-infested experiments is an intransigent slab of self-referential auto-criticism. The band was sticking to its agenda of acutely self-conscious musical manipulations, re-working its own materials and assumptions to yield new compositions of uncompromising formalism. Side A is a medley of sorts, consisting of phrases and fragments reconfigured and replayed from their self-titled debut (Fly Pan Am). Various melodies are reassembled and played off of one another, creating an extended live remix with blissful passages of layered guitars, drones, sampled backing vocal lines, and the requisite incidental noise break in the middle of the piece. The result is something like a ‘Stars On 45’-style musical encapsulation of the entire debut record.

“De cercle en cercle, ressasser et se perdre dans l’illusion née de la production de distractions et multiplier la statique environnante!” (“From Circle to Circle, Rehash and Get Lost in the Illusion Born of Production and Increase the Static Distractions Surrounding!”) opens with the sounds of machinery rumbling and then slowing to a stop. The song proper opens with a rapid bass line and squalls of feedback.   Some beautiful guitars play over the noise. More guitars come in along with all kinds of crazy noises—scrapes and scratches, radios and distortion.

The propulsive music stops around 3 and half minutes in and the noise takes over. There’s loud noises and static and all kinds of things. Then the noise shifts to what sounds like someone emptying a bag of ball bearings onto a metal table.  And then maybe making microwave popcorn.  About five minutes later (seriously) a drum starts playing in the background and then a guitar line that references the debut album starts up.  It sounds a bit like the two note guitar from “Dans ses cheveux soixante circuits” with the voices from “Nice est en feu!” thrown on top.  And then at 11:20 that two note half-tone thing from “Dans ses cheveux soixante circuits” resumes, but it’s only for 20 or so seconds before different sounds come to take away the repetitiveness (although the guitars do continue that until the end of the song).  It seems like the band wanted to revisit their debut but also wanted to make sure that it was properly buried under chaos as well.

The second song “Éfférant/Afférant” (“Unrelated / Related”) (11 minutes long) is described as “somnambulist clockwork repetition.” The bass and drums are kinda funky with some simple guitar chords playing in the background. While things do change somewhat throughout song (including notes that seem inappropriate at times), the main source of change is the weird electronic sounds that play over the top. The noise starts to grow louder and louder around 9 minutes and just when it gets unbearable it fades out to the end of the song.

“Micro Sillons” (“LPs”) is only 4 minutes long and it opens with static and noises—different ones in each ear.  After about three minutes of that, the noise mutates into a kind of machine-like hum.

This is definitely a challenging listen.  There are rewards to be had, and it s amazing what good songwriters these guys are, if they’d ever let their songs stay unmolested.

[READ: December 17, 2015] Americus

I didn’t really have any idea what this book was about–the title Americus evokes many different things.

So imagine my surprise to find out that this First Second graphic novel [go First Second!, #10yearof01] tackles the idea of banning books in schools.  It looks at religion, freedom of speech and middle school.

The story is about Neil Barton, an unpopular kid who loves fantasy and books, especially the Apathea Ravenchilde series (such a great name). Neil and his friend Danny race to library after school because the latest volume is out.  Neil is bummed that his library could only afford one copy of the book (budget cuts!) and Danny gets it first.  And as he starts reading, the artistic style switches to the Ravenchilde world (I loved that).

Then we meet Neil’s and Danny’s families.  Neil’s parents are divorced.  He lives with his mom who is harried and exhausted.  Danny’s family is an intact nuclear family, with two younger siblings.  And we learn soon enough that his mother (and father to a degree) are very Christian. (more…)

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Greg Means, MK Reed, Joe Flood–The Cute Girl Network (2013)

Posted in Akron/Family, Constellation Records, Do Make Say Think, First Second :01, Funny (ha ha), Graphic Novel, Greg Means, Joe Flood, Lullabye Arkestra, M.K. Reed, Romance, Sex, Sexism, Skateboarding, YA Books on February 18, 2016| Leave a Comment »

cute girlSOUNDTRACK: DO MAKE SAY THINK-Other Truths [CST062] (2009).

DMST-OtherTruthsCST062Other Truths is (so far) Do Make Say Think’s final album (they have been on hiatus since).  I’ve mentioned this album before, but here it has context with the others.

There are only four songs on this disc and it really feels like a culmination of what they have been exploring with their more recent output.  There is still experimentation (the shortest song is 8 minutes after all), but there aren’t the really strange sections like on the previous album (no weird drop outs or deconstructions).  And, in fact, they have embraced more of the catchiness that the last album hinted at.  The first song, “Do” (each song is named after one of the words in the band’s name) is one of the catchiest things they’ve done.  It’s easily my favorite song from them

I love the guitar lick that runs through “Do” a series of two note patterns that are surprisingly catchy.  The drums are wild throughout as the rest of the song chugs along nicely.  It’s 10 minute long though, and the whole thing is not that pattern.  About 2 minutes in the bass takes over, playing a similarly interesting riff before some dissonant guitars ring out and the band resumes with a new section of the song.  Some voices (from Akron/Family and Lullabye Arkestra) enter the song singing gentle ah’s as the song progresses.  The introductory riff resumes with some great additions.  Then the horns blow over the top–making the song soar higher and higher while the rest of the band plays in the background.  Around 7:30 the music all drops away except for some washes of keyboards.  The song continues like that with some quieter washes until the end.

“Make” is a 12 minute song which has tribal drums and simple guitar lines to start with.  The singing comes in around 2:30.  There’s some great moments in this song where the guitars play simple riffs that grow and build and then the horns come in again.  It’s a wonderful song with moments where the whole sounds of the song sounds so big and jubilant yet slightly menacing at the same time.  By about 9 minutes tape manipulation glitches it to a halt with the drums getting slower and slower and deeper and the guitars expanding out as slow as can be.  The last two minutes resurrect some ringing guitars and horns which grow and grow seem to be playing an elegiac coda for this song, It’s really beautiful, and it’s recorded so well it’s like you can hear the air being blown into them).

“Say” is also 12 minutes long.  It opens with what sounds like foghorns, or tubas getting distorted almost by a Doppler effect.  Then comes the rim shot drums and interesting effects sprinkled over the top.  At about 2 minutes another great, simple guitar riff comes in–DMST  has a way with making the simplest riffs sound great.  The whole band kicks in and plays along with the riff.   The song builds and ebbs, with the horns making the song feel huge.  For a brief middle section the song get quiet with a fast-picked guitar section and strings.  The end of this song (the last 2 minutes) also has a coda with horns but this one is mournful and quiet.  The chorus joins in again.  First with ohs and then with words.

“Think” ends the disc at a scant 8 minutes. It’s the quietest and most mellow song on the disc opening with jazzy drums and simple chords.  The slow guitar riff is lovely and there are dark voices humming along behind them.  Then you hear people talking in the distance, (I can’t make anything out) while a series of bass notes move the song forward.  By 4 and a half minutes a new guitar line comes in and the song gets a little bigger but it’s still slow.  The song never builds like the others; it stays quiet and slow, regretful and thoughtful, until it rings to a close.

This is a wonderful album full of all the great sounds of post-rock.

[READ: January 20, 2016] The Cute Girl Network

Imagine if you were a girl who moved to a new town and learned that there was a network of girls, cute girls, who kept tabs on all of the boys in town.  And the network was in place to keep you informed of what a doofus jackass your new boyfriend was.

It’s not a bad idea.  In fact a lot of good could come from it.  But sometimes informed choices have to have some personal experience as well.

And that’s where Jane and Jack come in.

Jane is new to Brookdale  Jane is pretty bad ass–she rides a skateboard and does amazing tricks.  She also works in a skate shop  She meets Jack when she wipes out in front of his soup kiosk.  He helps her out with a bottle of iced tea for her ailing coccyx and then just hopes that he’ll see her again.

Jack lives with Gil and Ruth.  Gil is a lunkhead who has been on a lot of first dates but few second ones.  Ruth hasn’t been on too many dates herself.  They both know that Jack is lazy (his previous wrote a song about him called “Layabout”) and a little dopey but he’s nice and kind-hearted and that’s what matters. (more…)

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Richard Sala–Cat Burglar Black (2009)

Posted in #10yearsof01, Adventure, First Second :01, Gangsters, Graphic Novel, Richard Sala, The National, Tiny Desk Concert, YA Books on February 11, 2016| Leave a Comment »

catblackSOUNDTRACK: EL VY-Tiny Desk Concert #505 (January 29, 2016).

el vyMatt Berninger of The National and Brent Knopf from Menomena joined together to form EL VY.  I’m not sure what the band sounds like on record, but for this tiny desk, it’s just piano and voice.

It’s always interesting to see a singer with nothing else to do.  Berninger doesn’t really do a lot when he’s singing with the National, so here, he just stands with his hands in his pockets, singing his intensely personal lyrics.

In “No Time To Crank The Sun” Berninger’s voice is higher than usual.  It’s quite nice.  I especially like the piano melody and the way he created some really unexpected notes in the transition from verse to bridge (or whatever parts they technically are).  This song feels a little long at 5 minutes but there are a lot of parts to it.

Berninger’s speaking voice is quite deep, and that’s the way it sounds on the second song, “Careless.”  he introduces it as “another sad love song.”  Lyrically it’s a little obvious, especially given that there’s not much music to hide behind.  But it is a nice ballad.

My favorite of the three songs is the third one, “Need a Friend.”  Berninger is a fun performer, commenting, “Happy New Year and thanks for having us.”  Then looking at the audience and saying “Could you keep it down back there?”  This song is a bit more bouncy in the piano.  A little more upbeat, which is nice.

After most shows, the audience claps, and maybe you hear people chatting.  At the end of this one, people clap and there’s some silence and you hear Berninger joke, “Awkward,” before the show cuts off.

[READ: December 10, 2015] Cat Burglar Black

I’ve been reading so many graphic novels recently, that I haven’t had time to post about some of the ones I read a while back.  But since this is First Second’s #10yearsof01 month, now’s the time.

I wasn’t sure what to make of the title of this book until it was used in context–the girls are wearing “cat burglar black” to sneak around.

K. is a teenager.  She is an orphan and had been living in an orphanage until her Aunt learned about her and invited her to the Bellsong Academy.  She doesn’t know this Aunt and is a little apprehensive.

When she shows up there, things are mighty weird.  There are only four girls in attendance, the headmistress is scary (I hate the drawing style of her, although the other characters are pretty interesting), and there’s a ton of unusual things going on.  The most notable thing is that whenever anyone speaks their speech balloons are filled with ellipses, making it seem like they are hiding something….which they are. (more…)

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Raina Telgemeier–Drama (2012)

Posted in Biography, Funny (ha ha), Graphic Novel, Humiliation, LGBTQ, Musicals, Raina Telgemeier, Romance, Set at School, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Theater, Tiny Desk Concert, YA Books on December 24, 2015| Leave a Comment »

dramaSOUNDTRACK: SHARON JONES AND THE DAP-KINGS-Tiny Desk Concert #497 (December 21, 2015).

sharonTo end out the Tiny Desk Christmas season, I chose this year’s entry.  And for this year’s Christmas show, they went all out.  There’s lights strung around the office, there’s twinkling gold tinsel behind them, presenting a wall of glitter, and a sign that says Dappy Holidays.

I don’t love Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings (I often feel like I am the only person who doesn’t).  I’m not a big fan of the blues or of soul music, so there is that.  But then I heard her blues version of “Silent Night” and it is a travesty.  “Silent Night” is a beautiful tender song.  If done right, it can make you cry.  But this is just dreadful. You don’t make “calm” a ten syllable word.  You don’t sing “talkin ’bout a Silent Night.”  You don’t make this song fun.  You don’t show off you crooning skills with this song.  You just sing it.  Perfectly.

When she’s not tinkering with classics, though, Jones has some good fun with two originals.  The first is the fun “8 Days of Hanukkah” She sings about all the things they’ll do on each day–spin the dreidel, roll out the latkes, and the best: “we’re cooking up the brisket the kosher butcher sold my uncle Saul,”  It’s a lot of fun (when the horns launch into the dreidel song amid their jamming it’s a good time).  This is the kind of soul that I like–lots of swinging horns and good times.

And Sharon herself seems like a fun person–she asks for help remembering the lyrics to the final song and plays it off in a fun way.

“Big Bulbs” is another original.  It’s also funny with the lyrics, “Baby you got them big bulbs flashing in your windows tonight.”  IT seems like it’s a double entendre but I don’t really think it is, it’s just fun.

Despite my aversion to the first song, she totally won me over with the second two songs, and I’d happily add those to any holiday mix.

[READ: December 10, 2015] Drama

I really enjoyed Telgemeier’s Smile and Sisters.  But I enjoyed Drama even more.

This story is an ode to everyone who works behind the scenes at the drama club.  But it’s also a chance for the stars to shine and the shy kids to come out too.  All done in Telgemeier’s delightfully simple yet effective drawing and storytelling style.

Callie is in love with the drama club.  She works late on sets, she loves seeing things come to completion.  She also knows she has no talent to be on stage.

And things are good.  Until the drama arises.  Greg and Matt are her friends.  Greg is a little older and Callie has a crush on him.  When Greg tells her that his girlfriend Bonnie broke up with him, she is pretty excited.  And they share a kiss.  But from that moment on, not only does Greg avoid her, but Matt is a jerk to her, too.  Not bad for the first few pages. (more…)

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Hope Larson–Chiggers (2008)

Posted in Canadian Content, Graphic Novel, Hope Larson, Kacey Musgraves, Oni Press, Romance, Summer, Summer Camp, Supernatural, Tiny Desk Concert, YA Books, Yuck! on December 5, 2015| Leave a Comment »

chigerSOUNDTRACK: KACEY MUSGRAVES-Tiny Desk Concert #463 (August 20, 2015).

kaceyKacey Musgraves is probably the most country country singer that I really like.   She makes a lot of music that is really really country–the kind I typically dislike, and yet her lyrics are just so good that I can look past the country sound that I dislike so much (and even start to enjoy it).

I love that she plays with all of the country cliches—her backing band is decked out in matching sequined suits, there’s whoops, there’s a ton of slide guitar.  And yet her lyrics question convention (and have wonderful word play).

She plays five songs (so many more than most people!)

She’s super fun and chatty, making lots of jokes and introducing her band.  She also says she’s not going to leave, which is okay with the crowd.

“High Time” is a fairly conventional country song.  It’s not as funny as some of the others and it has a real slide guitar thing going on.

“Family Is Family” is the first song I’d heard by her and I loved the words then and I still love them.  They are funny without being novelty.

“Late To The Party” is a more traditional song.  It’s a sweet ballad.

“Pageant Material” is another funny song, mocking the conventions of pageantry and poise and beauty.

Bob asks for a suit (they light up!) and she says okay but we’ve never actually seen him in one….  We also learn that the bassist plays the spoons and the spoons that he uses are ones that he whittled himself.

On the day that Musgraves played, the Supreme Court had legalized gay marriage across America mere hours earlier.  She played “Follow Your Arrow,” the most anthemic go-your-own-way jam on Musgraves’ 2013 debut album.  She says that her sister had called her earlier that day just ugly crying out of happiness.  Everyone gets into the song in the office.  It was a feel good moment of the year.

[READ: June 21, 2015] Chiggers

I’ve enjoyed Larson’s work in the past, and I was happy to read this book too.

It’s set at summer camp and while it deals with jealousy and other teenage problems, there is a supernatural element well, which is pretty cool.

Abby is excited to go back to summer camp.  She can’t wait to see her camp friend Rose and some of her other bunkmates from last year.

But this year Rose is a Cabin Assistant.  And while she is the CA for Abby’s cabin, it is also means that Rose is really busy with real things (and had less time for chatting).  Some of the other girls seem to have grown up too.  One has a boyfriend and she is getting her ears pierced (like the woman in the band Spite Storm).  She and her boyfriend are even going to start their own band Glittergloom.

Suddenly Abby doesn’t feel as cool as she did last year.  And she has trouble falling asleep at night.

Then it turns out that one of the girls in her dorm has to go home–and the rumor is that she got chiggers! (more…)

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Jasper Fforde–The Eye of Zoltar [The Chronicles of Kazam Book Three] (2014)

Posted in Death, Fantasy, Funny (ha ha), Jasper Fforde, Kurt Vonnegut, Lost in the Trees, Magic, Supernatural, The Flaming Lips, Tiny Desk Concert, Unfinished series, YA Books on October 29, 2015| Leave a Comment »

zoltar SOUNDTRACK: LOST IN THE TREES-Tiny Desk Concert #82 (September 23, 2010).

itt I thought I knew what Lost in the Trees sounded like, but this Tiny Desk Concert changed everything I thought I knew about them.  Band creator Ari Picker studied film scoring which must explain the cinematic scope of the band.  For this set the band includes, a violin, two cellos, two brass instruments, accordion and percussion as well as Picker’s acoustic guitar.   There’s 7 people in the band altogether.

I love the way “All Alone In An Empty House” builds several times and comes crashing to an abrupt hall before starting again.  I also love the hauntingly beautiful operatic backing vocals from the accordionist.  Lyrically, the song is creepy and compelling (“where’s the baby, I must be crazy”).  I love how the strings take the lead at one point and then the horns take over and back again.  It’s very dramatic and it runs to nearly 6 minutes.

“Song For The Painter” opens with gentle acoustic guitar and pizzicato cello strings.  Then there’s some dramatic violin and delicate xylophone.  This song is also rather dark (“to the painter with no arms… if I ever find my heart darling, I promise to come home again”) but the music is so uplifting.

“Time Taunts Me” has a sing-a long part (he says they want to reenact a Flaming Lips concert that he went to recently, although they don’t have a screen with a rocket ship blasting off.  This song is mostly string based with great dramatic flourishes and runs almost 7 minutes.  It is just wonderful the way it builds.  And the singalong is amazingly catchy.  I definitely need to hear more from them.

[READ: October 27, 2015] The Eye of Zoltar

Book Three was several years in the making, so I’m kind of glad that I only finished book two a few months ago.

Although Book Two seemed to wrap up pretty nicely, there were of course several unresolved threads.  But Book Three is more or less its own entity.

In fact, our heroes leave Kazam and the Kingdom of Snodd for most of the book.

The book opens with Jennifer Strange talking about having to capture a loose Tralfamosaur (love the nod to Vonnegut there).  Seems that Kazam’s magic caused the walls of the containment cell to fall apart meting this most ferocious beast loose in the city.  They capture it with the help of The Magnificent Boo, who always wants to help animals if she can.  She decides to transport the Tralfamosaur to the Cambrian Empire, where “danger vacations” are a big business.  And one of the most lucrative is Tralfamosaur hunting.

In the previous books, some characters were killed (and some are in this one as well), but to start with, a new character is added.  Jennifer is invited to castle Snodd where King Snodd (not a nice guy) and his wife Queen Mimosa (a super nice lady) are waiting.  They have a task for Jennifer–turn their snotty nosed, spoiled rotten princess into a respectable human being.  And the Queen assures that this will be done by doing mind swap on the Princess and having her switch places with the handmade Laura Scrubb.

Soon after, Jennifer is given the titular plot of the book.  The Mighty Shandar comes out of his granite hibernation once in a while for important business and this here is such a business. He tells Jennifer that her work with the dragons (in previous books) has caused him embarrassment and financial hardship.  He has half a mind to kill those last two pesky dragons.  But he says he won’t if she is able to find the mythical Eye of Zoltar–a super powerful gem that can turn the possessor into lead.

Through the work of the remarkable Kevin Zipp, Kazam’s clairvoyant, they deduce that they might get some information about the Eye’s whereabouts if they go to the Cambrian Empre and talk to ex-sorcerer Able Quizzler who is said to have seen it when it was around the neck of Sky Pirate Wolff.  Of course all of the people in question are questionable in their truthfulness (or even in their existence).  But our team decides to set out for the possible fictional Leviathan’s Graveyard to see if Sky Pirate Wolff’s lair is there.

Leviathans by the way are lighter than air beasts who can fly but are the size of whales.  No one is even sure if they exits because they are basically translucent.  Neat.  Oh and since they are heading to the Cambrian Empire, they might want to get the Magnificent Boo out of jail.  Seems that she was arrested for illegal transportation of a Tralfamosaur.

And so Jennifer, Perkins and the Princess set out for the dangerous Cambrian empire.  It is very dangerous but quiet regulated–you will mostly likely be kidnapped or robbed, but your assailants will always explain whey they did it and may even give you a receipt.  Our team will need a guide, and soon enough on turns up in 12-year-old Addie Powell, a powerful tracker with an excellent success rate.

Addie says that they will succeed but there will be a 50% death rate in their party.  Not liking those odds, Addie picks up a few more stragglers–really reprehensible people like Gareth (a guy I thought was just being a jerk because he was really someone in disguise, but no he’s just a jerk).  And his friend Ignatius, a cowardly fool.  And their third friend Ralph.  They were all just looking for adventure and possibly the option to score some hits of magic.  When Ralph starts doing hits of unspecified magic, his life is spared by Perkins, but the only way that can happen is by resetting his DNA–turning him into a caveman,

Since there are always people wandering bout, the party picks up another person–Wilson the ornithologist.  He has a fascinating story to tell about his past which explains why he is here now.

About midway through the book, the real trek begins–they set out for the Empty Quarter, a truthfully named area where there is basically nothing.  But they have had some trouble along the way–Perkins was kidnapped and Addie swore she would get him back.  But they haven’t seen either of them for a few days.

When the newly numbered team arrives in their first destination Llangurig we find a number of strange things afoot–like a war between two railroad companies.  This war has gone on for centuries and has resulted in countless death , all in the hope of winning a lucrative contract with the city.  And the whole town seems to exist only to place bets on who will win.  Oh and the princess (who looks like a handmaiden) was captured, but because her financial acumen is so good (there are hilarious stories of futures and the market) she actually comes out ahead in the deal.

After all is tidied up the screaming members of their party head out for the final leg of the venture–the mountain of Cadir Idris and the possible Leviathans graveyard.

When they finally reach the foot of the mountain they learn a secret about why the top is so hard to see.  They also learn that it is being guarded by drones and that no one has returned alive in years.

Will anyone survive this adventure (the 50% death rate proves to be distressingly accurate) and what about this Eye of Zoltar.  Will they find it?  And more importantly, if they do, hoe will they carry it?

One thing that I love about these books is that Fforde throws in little details throughout the book that seem like they are just funny moments, but they all pay off later on.  The princess’ economic savvy, Ralph’s handbag and the fact that no news is able to travel beyond the borders of the Cambrian Empire.

And then he has little funny details like the Isle of Wight being a drivable island which goes on reconnaissance missions, or that the best way to communicate is through a homing snail.  Or that the dragon is named Colin.

When their quest (it was upgraded to a quest even without telling the Quester’s guild), is finished, there are still surprises waiting for them.  Like remember how the trolls were proven to be not so scary in the last book?  Well, that may have been exaggerated somewhat.  Because the Mighty Shandar has very specific plans ahead.  Plans which means that the princess may have to put her new leadership skills to the test sooner than she could have imagined.

And many other surprises which will be dealt with in Book 4.

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Jasper Fforde–The Song of the Quarkbeast [The Chronicles of Kazam Book Two ] (2011)

Posted in Clem Snide, Death, Eef Barzelay, Fantasy, Funny (ha ha), Jasper Fforde, Magic, Magicians, Supernatural, Tiny Desk Concert, YA Books on October 28, 2015| Leave a Comment »

kazam2 SOUNDTRACK: EEF BARZELAY-Tiny Desk Concert #81 (September 20, 2010).

eefEef Barzelay is the singer and songwriter for the band Clem Snide.  I’ve never listened to them–I was turned off by the name. But I’m really curious to hear what they sound like because Barzelay’s voice is really quite nice and his song writing skills–both musical and lyrical are really good.

For this Tiny Desk it is just Eef and his guitar (in addition to records with Clem Snide, he has released some solo albums).

The first song “With Nothing to Show Of It” has great lyrics and a wonderful delivery.  I was instantly hooked to Eef after this song started.

The second song, “something Beautiful” has a fun jaggedy melody.  This song is a bit darker, with wry, amusing lyrics.  I enjoy how the verse, which has been a series of “You make me want to…” ideas ends with “You make me want to break… something beautiful.”

During a pause, Bob asks him about his office experience.  He says he never worked in an office but he watered plants in an office (most of his clients were in the Twin Towers–yipes).

“We Are Flowers” is a Clem Snide song that never made it onto a record—he says it’s a deep cut, and a  very NPR kinda song.  Upon hearing this, Bob is concerned but Eef says he means it in the best way. And the lyrics are “we are flowers blooming in the dark…we can save the world in our beds tonight.”

The final song, “Denver” is dark and surprising.  And yet he plays it on a baritone ukulele, which takes some of the darkness out of the music.

Sometimes you can’t judge a band by its name.

[READ: June 1, 2015] The Song of the Quarkbeast

Book One ended with a satisfying wrap-up but left a rather sad moment lingering.

But this book has moved on from the events of book one by…about a week.  So not much has changed since Jennifer Strange became the Last Dragonslayer and averted a huge disaster.

Well, except that she’s not really the Dragonslayer anymore–there doesn’t appear to be a need for one at the moment.  So she is still working at Kazam, trying to keep the wizards in working order.

The book starts off with a suspiciously generous case–the magicians are asked to find a ring for a wealthy person.  It’s an easy gig.  But when they try to get the ring out of the ground, magical forces fight against them pretty hard.  They do succeed (which almost costs Tiger Prawns his life), but Jennifer refuses to give the ring over just yet–something is unsavory about this deal.

At the same time, Lady Mawgon is trying to hack into the Dibble Storage Coils.  They are a storage facility that houses untold amounts of magic.  If the house can access it, they will never have a shortage of magic again.  The problem is that when Lady Mawgon tries to hack in, as soon as she determines the passthought (think about it), a curse immediately turns her to stone.  Rats. (more…)

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Jasper Fforde–The Last Dragonslayer [The Chronicles of Kazam Book One] (2010)

Posted in Alisa Weilerstein, Douglas Adams, Fantasy, Funny (ha ha), Jasper Fforde, Johann Sebastian Bach, Magic, Magicians, Osvaldo Golijov, Supernatural, Tiny Desk Concert, YA Books on October 27, 2015| Leave a Comment »

kazam1 SOUNDTRACK: ALISA WEILERSTEIN-Tiny Desk Concert #80 (September 15, 2010).

alisaI have concluded that the cello is my favorite solo classical instrument and Alisa Weilerstein plays a beautiful cello indeed.

She plays three songs: two pieces from Bach and one from Golijov.

I can’t speak to specifics about Weilerstein’s style or skills, but she plays beautifully.

J.S. Bach: “Bourree & Gigue” (from Solo Cello Suite No. 3)
Osvaldo Golijov: “Omaramor”

[READ: May 15, 2015] The Last Dragonslayer

I have loved Jasper Fforde’s books.  His Thursday Next series is brilliant (and I plan to re-read it someday).

This is the first book of his 4 part (not a trilogy!) YA series (called The Chronicles of Kazam) and it was fantastic.

The story is about Jennifer Strange.  Jennifer is a foundling who has been working for the past four years at Kazam Mystical Arts Management.  Foundlings from The Lobster are sent for indentured servitude for six years.  She has been quite successful at Kazam and when the owner Zanarerilli disappeared several months ago (she wont say how) she has basically been in charge of the building.  Not bad for a 16 year old  (well, she’ll be sixteen in a couple of months).

Kazam is in the Kingdom of Hereford in the Ununited Kingdoms.  Kazam is the home to some of the most powerful wizards alive.  Sadly there aren’t that many left.  Magic has slowly been dying and as the magic goes so goes the fancy titles of the wizards.  And now you have to fill out all kinds of paperwork every time a wizard is going to cast a largish spell.   They are stuck doing basic magical deeds for people–lifting illegally parked cars, magically rewriting houses, etc.

Also in the house is the Quarkbeast–the most ferocious creatures every created. Well, at least he looks that way.  He is actually quite sweet. (more…)

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Jane Yolen–Curses! Foiled Again (2013)

Posted in Betty LaVette, Fencing, First Second :01, Graphic Novel, Jane Yolen, Ringo Starr, Supernatural, Tiny Desk Concert, YA Books on September 1, 2015| Leave a Comment »

yolenSOUNDTRACK: BETTY LaVETTE-Tiny Desk Concert #61 (May 21, 2010).

bettyAnother peculiar Tiny Desk is this one from Betty LaVette.  It’s only peculiar because, for licensing reasons, they can only show one of the three songs she sang.

I don’t know much about LaVette, but I immediately loved her voice–rough and sultry and amazingly powerful.  The only song here is her take on “It Don’t Come Easy,” and it’s really great.

With only her voice and guitarist Alan Hill accompanying her, she manages to bring amazing depth to this song.

The other two songs were: “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” and “Nights in White Satin.”  While I’m not that interested in “Sun,” I would love to hear her take on “Nights.”

The notes say that at this time they don’t have the rights to play the songs.  It has been five years, and I imagine they are not really pursuing those rights any longer.

[READ: July 28, 2015] Curses! Foiled Again

Since I recently posted the Foiled review I had to run out and get the sequel (also on First Second books)

After a quick “Previously,” we get reintroduced to Aliera’s weapon and its glowing gem and we learn that Avery is beautiful on the outside but an actual troll within.   As with the previous book, the panels are all gray scale until she runs into the mystical beasties.

The problem with this book is that Aliera is mad at Avery for secretly being a troll (fair enough), but there is nothing he can do to get her to listen to him.  So it is actually rather tedious that for the whole book he keeps trying to tell her things but she refuses to listen. (more…)

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Rebecca Stead–When You Reach Me (2009) [audiobook 2009–Cynthia Holloway]

Posted in Audiobooks, Cynthia Holloway, Madeleine L'Engle, Rebecca Stead, Sci-fi, Set at School, T., The $20,000 Pyramid, YA Books on August 21, 2015| Leave a Comment »

[LISTENED TO: July 12, 2015] When You Reach Me

wyrmThis book was read by Cynthia Holloway.

Sarah brought this book home for us to listen to.  It is intended for 9 year-olds and yet I thought the book seemed a bit more YA.  Although the story deals very closely with the real day-to-day exploits of three sixth graders, there s a mystical elements that weaves its way through the story.  It also deals with time travel which is what I thought the kids might have the hardest time grasping (it even hurts my head sometimes).  But I think they got it.

The story is told from the point of view of Miranda (named for the Miranda rights).  She is an only child being raised by a single mother in NYC in the 1970s (I wish the date had been given earlier or more clearly in the story).  I loved the conceit of the book that her mother wants to win $20,000 Pyramid.  And she thinks she has a chance as long as her celebrity isn’t as “dumb as a box of hair.”  As a result, all of the chapter titles are titled the way the pyramid categories would be: Things you lose: things you find: etc.  That was very cool.

Anyhow, Miranda’s mom works hard and has  boyfriend.  There’s no trouble there.  The trouble comes from her best friend Sal.

Sal lives in her building.  Sal’s mom is also a single mom.  The moms met when Miranda moved in and she and Sal have been super close ever since–going to day care together, doing everything they could together.  But lately Sal has been a little distant.  And then once the incident happens, thins change for good. (more…)

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