About time Sufjan

This makes me very excited.

Andrew Peterson and North! Or Be Eaten: A Review

After reading Andrew Peterson's increasingly intense Wingfeather Saga, North! Or Be Eaten one might be able to construct a general list of the books you might find on his own shelf. The Middle Earth Trilogy, The Chronicles of Narnia, and the Prydain Chronicles to name a few. Peterson shares his own love of fantasy; imaginative creatures, perils, places; fierce battles between good and evil, both internal and external; and deep redemption, personal growth, and unconditional love; with all three aforementioned authors. North! or Be Eaten takes a much bleaker angle than Book 1. There are still moments of laughter: Tink's pickpocketing phenomenon, Tackleball, and false Toothy Cow warnings. But overall, the story must progress and the confrontation between the Igiby's and their own birthright, not to mention Gnag the Nameless, must near. In this, Book 2, we are dealt a heavy hand of betrayal, madness, kidnapping, and abuse. As in any novel with moments of these horrible truths, we are also given what we strive to see everyday, in the face of evil: grace, truth, love, hope. Through the reddening eyes of Peet the Sock Man's (Artham Wingfeather) madness, we are shown the lens of truth and forgiveness. Through the darkness and namelessness surrounding the kindly named Fork Factory, we are laden with hope and courage. Out of the pit of hopelessness a main character falls headlong into, we are shown Christ-like unconditional love.

While the book does pull on the greats (Peterson dipping his finger into the companionship shown by the group of friends in Alexander's Prydain Chronicles, or the adventurous trek into unknown lands filled with unknown beasts almost defining the Tolkien novels), it is a far more worthwhile attempt to see this Saga for what it is and will become. Peterson is a fine writer. Having several albums of brilliant music and story filled lyrics to his name, it seems only a short step to writing a novel. The writing is not needlessly difficult, nor is it baby-ish.

It is a good thing to be disappointed when a book is over. Bad books do not leave that flavor in your mouth. Andrew Peterson is off to a racing start in his novel writing career, and as I approach National Novel Writing Month (November), I can only hope to be able to put my own words down and tell a story as forceful and meaningful as he has.

Andrew Peterson's Website

Getting Punched

Can't say it's the funniest thing ever... But it may be close.

Confused?

This is less a post on culture, music, books, etc... and more of a question. It is slightly rhetorical, but I mean it all the same.

How, when on a child, does this -

End up coming across like this -

Maggie could be decked out in pink. Pink sandals with flowers, a pink shirt with flowers, and pink stretch pants, and yet someone inevitably makes the comment, "It's a beautiful boy!" or a passing question: "Look at him run, how old is he?" Inwardly I call down all sorts of curses upon them for blaspheming the sex of my firstborn... outwardly I smile and say politely, "She's almost 15 months," or "She's a little girl, and she is certainly beautiful!" I think that we're beyond the stage when one could be befuddled by her lack of hair (She is wearing pink and carrying a dolly called Tana). So, what is this silliness? Why does this happen? If anyone has any tidbit of political correctness or cultural awareness that they'd like to bestow upon an overly indignant father, please do.

Oh, and the new Wilco album is summer. Not like summer or sounds like summer, but IS summer. Enjoy.

Wilco w/ Fiest - You and I

Quiet as an Avocado

Out of curiosity I picked up a kids book titled Mr. Gum and the Dancing Bear by Andy Stanton. I hesitated because our library only has book 5 of the Mr. Gum series, which disappointed me (only days later did they add a book-on-CD version of You're a Bad Man, Mr. Gum Book 1). However, with a cover like this, how could you not.

I was skeptical at first as the book seemed to be about a depressed bear who wanders into town and is taken advantage of by the scheming Mr. Gum and his sort-of sidekick Billy William the Third. However, I laughed my head off. Alan Taylor, the town's school's headmaster, is, in fact, a gingerbread man. Jonathan Ripples, the towns fat-man decides to go on a world tour of food in a hot air balloon. Sure, it was all nonsensical, but it made me laugh out loud and read passages to Talia. I can't help but use Mr. Gum's "curse phrase": "Shabba me whiskers!" Fantastic! Oh, did I mention that the character Captain Brazil is nuts... actually Stanton calls him a "crazer." And here's an exerpt from my favorite scene... or one of them... Polly and Padlock the bear are stranded on the ocean and are slowly going a bit nuts:

"Thirst and hunger.

Thirst and hunger.

Polly was starting to lose her mind.

Was Padlock really talking or had she only imagined it?

SWWWSSSSShhhhhhhh.

Hundreds of Crunchy Little Leopards floated by in a postman's hat, laughing and splashing each other for fun.

'Look at me,' said Padlock, taking off his head and playing football with it. 'Ha ha ha, hee hee hee!'"

... and it goes on. Here's another. Mr. Gum and Billy William the Third have just jumped in a boat in pursuit of Polly and Padlock:

"'They ain't gettin' away with this!' screamed Mr. Gum, jumping on to a rundown little fishing boat called The Dirty Oyster. Billy hopped in after him and started up the engine, sending billowing clouds of filthy black smoke into the night air, and off the set in hot pursuit.

But luckily the pursuit wasn't that hot after all, because The Dirty Oyster was absolutely loaded with cans of smuggled beer. In less than ten minutes the villains were completely drunk, completely lost, completely going round in circles, completely shouting at each other and completely and utterly useless. Polly and Padlock had escaped!"

Last note on this book: the similes are fantastic and confusing. "as quiet as an avocado," "his chest thrust out like a vainglorious acorn," "fit as a unicorn and twice as real," or "like the world's furriest gymnastics guy." I have a new category of silly turn of phrase. Hilarious.

Change of Pace

I heard a track off the new Dirty Projectors album a couple weeks ago and couldn't believe it. I have only heard of this band in conjunction with art rock and "best album you wish you could like."

They're a hard band to get into because they create intricate and abrasive and sometimes freakish songs. However, Bitte Orca is being hailed as the most accessible of their albums to date. From my end, it's another album to vie for the top of the year end list. Variated harmonies, slippery guitar lines, morphing time signatures, but under it all is a dedication to song-craft and an almost epic sense of the new. The Dirty Projectors have always been at the forefront of new sounds, but it seems that, here, they have the potential to remind/wake up others to the vast array of sounds out there.

Moving is tiring

We just moved and an update is in the works. Until then, go listen to the new Dirty Projectors album, then sip some lemonade and curl up with a good book.

Fletch = Junk

Just gave up on my mystery book. Anyone know of a good one? One where the characters aren't all hideous... even the "good guy."