“Eulalia!” by Brian Jacques

Continuing on our adventure through the Redwall series, here we have returned to characters from Salamandastron. The Badger Lord Asheye has had a vision that a new badger will be coming to the mountain soon to take his place, so he sends out the young hare Maudie to find him and bring him back. Unfortunately Maudie has a run in with some Brownrats who decide to take Redwall Abbey. And meanwhile said badger Gorath has been captured by Sea Raiders who are heading towards Redwall Abbey to take it as well. Oh boy.

I know that I tend to go on and on about how sick I am of the tropes in this series (we haven’t had a quest to somewhere other than Redwall in a while and I’m getting a little tired of everyone attacking the Abbey) but I’ll try to keep my moaning to a minimum since I did really like this story. I mean sure the plot has been done before (literally they try to dig under the Abbey wall and that has definitely been done before like come on), but let’s move on from that shall we. Because there is tons to like here, mostly the characters.

First of all there’s Maudie. I’ve always been fond of the hares with their amusing way of talking and tendency to have good senses of humor, but she’s excellent as a character. Always ready to defend herself and others, and make a huge meal along with it. Of course she’s also able to talk herself out of trouble all the time.

On the other side, there’s Gruntan Kurdly, the leader of the Brownrats. Most of the bad guys in this series start off sane and slowly descend into madness, this guy starts off bonkers and only gets worse! It’s really funny to read about how he’s lecturing the rats on eggs or how he insists that he’s the biggest animal out there, therefore all badgers are actually tiny.

While we’re at it, having two groups of baddies attacking the Abbey is a little out of the ordinary and rather inventive since you can see how they destroy each other. They also chase each other around for some time which is always entertaining, especially since the heroes can see all that’s going on from the top of the Abbey wall.

Another plotline that I really liked and thought should have gotten more attention was Orkwil Prink’s. He starts off as a thieving hedgehog who is kicked out of the Abbey, but then finds Gorath and ends up saving the day in the end. I would have loved to have seen more of his development throughout, the spotlight was usually off of him and on the badger since they were always together.

Despite the fact that this book relies on tried and true plot lines, there are some incredible characters whose antics are hilarious. Which is what this series really is for, you don’t read it for the plot since we all know how it’s going to go, you read it to hear of heroic hares and brave badgers.

“The Man of Legends” by Kenneth Johnson

This book is unusual for many reasons. First of all, we have no idea who this “man of legends” really is until about 3/4 of the way through the novel. Second, it is positively brimming with a really unique mix of historical allusions and religious references. Third, it works to dismantle organized religion, but in a way that promotes goodness and altruism in its readers. (On second thought, it isn’t that unusual, but the method Johnson uses is pretty wacky.)

There’s no real way to talk about the book without spoilers. You have been warned.

So as I said earlier, the reader has no idea what is happening until they are a substantial part of the way through the book. It is pretty hard to keep a reader’s attention while they don’t understand what’s happening, and Johnson appears to be a master at this because I couldn’t put the book down. The key is that all of the confusing events make sense all together, as in Will continually helping others in astonishing ways. He does this over and over again, but since these events make coherent sense together (they are all variations on a theme) it keeps the reader interested until the truth is revealed.

Contributing to this is just how compelling all of the characters are. We meet several minor characters that only come together at the end, and I found myself rooting for them throughout the story, even if we only meet them briefly. A prime example of this is Tito, a teenager who loves spray painting across New York. I loved his contributions to the story, even if all we got was the briefest of glimpses into him looking at the Met for the first time.

This story also has a very interesting narrative structure. The book is framed as a journalist’s telling of these real-life events through the perspectives of everyone who was there at the time. So sections are headed by the narrator’s name, and told in their own dialect. This means that for sections the narrative can swap back and forth rather quickly, or stay with one character for the majority of the chapter. This flip-flopping never detracts from the telling though, as events are never given twice from two people’s perspectives, enabling the plot to proceed smoothly.

To get to the more juicy stuff now, this “man of legends” is in fact the Wandering Jew from Christian mythology. I had never heard of him either, but the legend goes that a man who insulted Jesus as he walked to his crucifixion was then cursed to walk the Earth forever until the Second Coming of Christ. Funnily enough, there’s a lot of discussion in the book about how the Catholic Church has distorted the nature of Jesus after he died in order to make money, but this myth never popped up until the 13^th century. That aside, it’s a very interesting take on the idea of immortality and what to do with your life if you must life forever.

The only aspect of this that I had a problem with was the people that this guy had met. We seem to have this crazy idea that if you live forever you meet everyone important and somehow affect them all. I mean really? There’s no way that you are able to do all that, especially if you are like the wandering Jew and cannot visit the same place for 333 years as part of your punishment. Just once I want to hear about someone immortal who has the worst luck in the world and misses everything important historically. I know the author is trying to make a point about his character, but that makes it seem as though we would have never had any progress without him, and there have certainly been great men and women throughout history who progressed entirely independently. I don’t know, these things just bother me.

This story does have the incredible message that we all need to live by the Golden Rule (treat others as you would like to be treated) and that we need to do so actively, with our heart fully into the deed. It is not enough to simply go through the motions, you need to actively seek out your enemy and squash him with your love. Only then will there be hope of redemption.

“The Hidden Life of Trees” by Peter Wohlleben

This book is a quick read, but very eye-opening and easy to comprehend. Wohlleben’s main objective here is to chare what he has learned as a forester in Germany about the incredible lives of trees, and how this conflicts with our common misconceptions of them. In particular, he has some insights into how we harvest wood and grow trees for wood that directly conflicts how trees want to live and grow.

For example, the book discusses how trees can communicate with each other, and even send each other nutrients to help with growth. We often assume that trees are loners, or if anything, solely compete with each other for space. But that’s not the case, a tree growing in a forest among other trees of the same species will do better than a tree surrounded by strangers. There are even trees that become friends and don’t compete with each other for space, instead finding a harmonious equilibrium.

Building off of that, there are many examples of trees having individuality. This primarily shows in one telling example of how trees decide when to let their leaves fall. More cautious trees drop their leaves earlier, while the daring ones wait. Wohlleben found 3 identical trees growing close together (therefore under the same environmental conditions) and observed how year after year, one tree’s leaves would change color before the other two. They all shared the same environment, so this difference could only be due to the individual tree’s preference.

The way we harvest wood today is by planting a ton of trees, and then forcing them to grow at alarming rates while they are young. They are then cut down after several years and the process starts over again. Time and time again though, we are shown evidence that trees naturally grow slowly and stably, otherwise they are at risk for attack from insects. In fact, older trees are often shown to be growing more than the younger ones are, since they already have an established root structure and a thicker trunk to support extra weight.

This was a very cool book that was revealing into both how trees live and how we treat them. It calls into question some of our assumptions about the nature of life and what makes something alive. We know that plants live, yet we rarely treat them as such. Recent research demonstrates how wrong we may be, and a rethinking of how we treat the nature around us is in order.

“Rakkety Tam” by Brian Jacques

So I have once again ended up going back to the Redwall book series, to read the ones that I never quite got around to in my childhood. This one was an interesting one to start with, after not having read any of the books in quite some time.

Rakkety Tam is more or less a stand alone story of the Redwall world. As far as I can tell, there aren’t any real concrete references to other books in the series, no characters that bridge the gap to any previous ones. Having said that, the best characters in this book are two completely new ones: the warrior squirrels Tam and Doogey. Tam is from the Border while Doogey is a Highlander, and they both wear kilts. You see where this is going? Jacques nails the accent in their dialogue, and the fact that he dreamed up Scottish squirrels is pretty hilarious.

The big bad this time is Gulo, a wolverine from the north who is the first of his species in the series. His followers are ruthless, and even eat their enemies (another first for the series). He is hunting for the Walking Stone, which his brother took from him before departing into Mossflower Wood.

As far as the plot goes, I think it was just a little too much. The forces split several times, meaning that you have to keep track of where the Redwallers, Long Patrol hares, and Guosim shrews are all at once. It can become a little too much, with characters popping up seemingly out of nowhere. Although it is good to have familiar faces such as the Long Patrol and the Guosim around, consolidating them all would make it a little easier.

This story also relies on a lot of tropes, such as two Redwall maids getting captured and then rescued by the heroes, riddles leading to treasure, evildoers eventually going mad, and fighters becoming peaceful once the fighting is over. With such creative characters, it would be nice to see more creative plot lines as well. There are also several questions never answered, such as what the significance of the Walking Stone is (and for that matter why the dying wolverine told two Redwallers where it was). Honestly since the motivation for the bad guys revolves around this, you would think that it would have some meaning behind it.

So in the end, this is your typical Redwall story that utilizes its tried and true tropes. There are inventive characters and ideas, but they deserve a little better than the story surrounding them.

“I Me Mine: The Extended Edition” by George Harrison

I read the original version of I Me Mine over a year ago now (see here) and remember feeling slightly disappointed with it. It’s mostly images of the lyrics written out by Harrison, and not so much about his life. However it is the closest that we will ever get to his autobiography, and having his notes on how he wrote several of his songs is invaluable.

For the extended edition, there is an introduction by Olivia Harrison that really sets the book up well. She also points out some details that I noticed the first time around but didn’t quite process, like the fact that one of the pictures is captioned as George eating a cheese sandwich, when it’s really just a picture of him with a guitar. The lyrics also now cover the entirety of his career, so there are plenty of songs that we don’t have his insights into, but simply have the image of the words written out.

Honestly, rereading it was still a great experience. His words stand the test of time and speak to the reader with a perfect blend of humor and insight. It’s too bad that we didn’t have more time with him, but we will have to make do with what he left behind for us.

Variations on a Theme: Album Closers

The other bookend to last month’s installment, here we are exploring album closers! These can range from songs that sum up the album (think “A Day in the Life” by the Beatles) to songs that want to leave you with something to think about (think “Save Myself” by Ed Sheeran). Again the album name is in parentheses after the songs. Here’s a compilation of the ones that I enjoy the most!

1. “Don’t Stop” by Fleetwood Mac (The Dance)

A Fleetwood Mac classic to start us off. “The Dance” is arguably their best album, and this is arguably one of their best songs. It’s a pump up song, but one in a way that makes you strut your stuff down the street instead of jumping up and down to wake up your neighbors. It’s a great start to this, so let’s go!

2. “Oh Love” by Green Day (Uno)

This is the only album that has appeared on both of these playlists. As mentioned in the last post, I think that this is an incredibly underrated Green Day album. “Oh Love” was their hit off of this record, so it got some attention, but I rarely hear it anymore. It sounds like the Beatles mixed with The Lumineers with a dash of Fall Out Boy. It’s probably the best song on there.

3. “Gotta Get Away” by The Black Keys (Turn Blue)

The Black Keys are definitely not known for their second album, and for very good reason as well. However, I quite like the closer, which has a good beat and is quite simple really. It also flows very nicely from “Oh Love” in that they’re both more laid back songs with a beat to them, so they keep the pace of the playlist going without freaking out the dancers.

4. “Someone Like You” by Adele (21)

Every once in a while I remember that the names of Adele’s albums are her age when she recorded them and I get real upset. Because I was barely capable of doing my homework when I was 21, let alone creating hits. This is Adele’s most famous song, the one that defined her rise to the top and kept her there for quite a while. Thematically, I find it funny next to “Gotta Get Away” because both songs are about looking for someone and finding no one. I know this song, you know this song, let’s chug along shall we.

5. “A Certain Romance” by the Arctic Monkeys (Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not)

I love this song. I think it’s great smack in the middle of the playlist too. It’s a little unusual in that the song is sandwiched in between these seemingly unrelated guitar riffs, but it works somehow. The repetitive nature of the guitar spirals you out of the song and out of the album into the world, it works really well as a closer. Not to mention the fact that the gritty melody is so classic Arctic Monkeys.

6. “Champagne Supernova” by Oasis (What’s the Story, Morning Glory?)

This is a classic Oasis song. The gently lapping waves that start it off segue nicely from the guitar spirals from “A Certain Romance.” It closed off what is probably Oasis’s most popular album (also containing “Wonderwall” which white boys have done homage to ever since. The gentle melody rocks you off into the waves, creating a relaxing atmosphere in which to appreciate the band’s structure in. Seriously this song has an entire world packed into it.

7. “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance” by Vampire Weekend (Vampire Weekend)

The closer from Vampire Weekend’s self-titled album, this song has a similar laid-back vibe to the previous one, but brings more of a steady beat back into it. Instead of floating along aimlessly, we now have a specific direction to go in. I have always loved Vampire Weekend songs for their ambiguous lyrics and catchy tunes, which is definitely what this song consists of.

8. “Lost in the Wild” by Walk the Moon (What if Nothing)

Walk the Moon’s most recent album ends with this powerhouse. It takes a couple listens to really appreciate what’s going on here, since it doesn’t seem like a great closer at first. Somehow it’s too mellow and slow to really leave a distinct impression. But after listening a couple times, the melody of this song is glorious and it really does take you out into the wild to get lost, and marvel at the immensity of it. It’s rather similar to “Champagne Supernova” in that sense, but it still has the drive of “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance” pulling you in a certain direction.

9. “Let Me Take You Home Tonight” by Boston (Boston)

If only Boston made more music. I could listen to this pump up track all day. The whooping and partying towards the end of the song is so joyful and spontaneous sounding, without losing any of its musicality. It’s a wonderful note to end on, and we are nearly at the actual end of this playlist now.

10. “End of the Line” by Traveling Wilburys (Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1)

Finally there is the true end of the line here. This is one of the band’s biggest hits, saying that everything will be all right, we’re just riding this train to see where we end up. The happy-go-lucky nature of it matches so well with the previous song, and I had to end on a truly final note. And what better way than with an upbeat song about endings?

So that’s all I’ve got for this month! Hope you enjoyed the selection and found some new songs. Next month will feature songs made for belting so I’m almost certainly going to have a fun time with that. Stay tuned, until next time!