Debo Band

It begins with a slow shimmer, a quiet build akin to an orchestra tuning up in which hints of the whole subtly make themselves known. That subtlety though, lasts a mere ten seconds before the funky fusion, or what might best be described an an ethnic musical party kicks in. This is the Debo Band and they are certainly not the authors of any sort of book.

They are of course, musicians and their excellent self titled album is one of the first pieces of music I have checked out of our CD collection. Call it a fortuitous occurrence or the benefits of a quickly scan-able collection, but howsoever you describe my rather random selection of this album, the one adjective phrase that must be applied is great grooves.

Based out of Boston but primarily drawing on traditional and modern Ethiopian music, the Debo Band is a highly eclectic group of 12 different musicians that pull together a disparate mix of jazz, funk, folk, brassy swing, Celtic melodies, klezmer, and most importantly, Ethiopian influences. Led by Danny Mekonnen, an ethnomusicologist born in Sudan but raised in the U.S. as well as French raised Ethiopian Bruck Tesfaye who sings in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, the Debo Band in a mere 11 tracks, somehow manages to make the exotic sounds of a place far away sound not just accessible, but fantastic.

While strong original songwriting combined with unique reprisals of a broad range of traditional Ethiopian songs is a major reason for this success, it is the seamless and adventurous blend of so many different styles and instruments that makes the Debo Band's self titled album a great listen. In the first four songs alone the audience is exposed to psychedelic guitar riffs, sweaty nightclub speed percussion, an accordion solo, tinny horns, the deep pounding of a sousaphone, the unique riff of an electric violin, and the whispered croon of a great voice. Oh, and the album is only just getting started.

The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit

Like my former smaller and younger self, I am still a tremendous fan of picture books that are full of whimsy, beautiful illustrations, and fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants rapscallions. Thus, also like the younger me, I still adore Beatrix Potter's tales of Peter Rabbit. You can imagine my excitement then, when a few months back, I heard that the actress Emma Thompson would be authoring a modern addition to this series entitled "The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit." Now, with said addition in hand, or rather in both hands as it is far larger than the palm sized originals, I can proclaim my enthusiasm thoroughly fulfilled.

Written some 80 years after the last entry in the fantastic original series, Thompson's tale begins with a droopy eared Peter Rabbit squeezing under Mr. McGregor's garden gate to "steal a lettuce" in an attempt to cheer himself. Once in the garden, Peter's nature gets the better of him when, tempted by the smell of onions wafting out of a interesting basket, he climbs in, gobbles the "excellent sandwiches of cheese and pickle" found within and promptly falls asleep.

With the set-up now complete, the tale truly begins as the napping Peter is whisked off to Scotland where he meets a massive black rabbit in a kilt, dines on a giant Radish, and becomes involved in a Scottish game of strength involving heaving the same giant radish among other adventures. Sound like a marvelously fun caper? It is.

Yet the appeal of "The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit" does not emanate simply from a fun story. While I am sure Emma Thompson's prominence was a major reason for her authorial choice, her panache, cheekiness, dry-wit, and ability to invoke a Potter-esque Victorian voice give this modern adaptation much of its life. Top that off with, yes, the further addition of Eleanor Taylor's charming illustrations and you have a divine book perfect for the young and young at heart.

All of that being said though, while "The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit" is most certainly a fun and wonderful addition to the Potter canon, it's focus is indeed fun as it does stray away from the depth of lesson and reality that some of the works in the original series brought forth. However, with a final sentence that hints at the possibility of further, further adventures, this sort of depth may very well come.

Gran Cocina Latina

I have caught the cooking bug. It began with my designation as the official pie maker of the family Thanksgiving meal.  After whipping up my favorite, a pumpkin pie, I decided to get a tad crazy and try my hand at a bacon, apple, cheddar pie. It was to die for. Literally and figuratively. This was just the beginning though. 

Before I knew it, I was off and running creating meringues, Christmas cookies, and scones galore and then, right when I was hitting my stride, my wife laid down the gauntlet. No more desserts and no more butter. Fortunately, a new cookbook arrived at the Library just in the nick of time.

A massive tome, Gran Cocina Latina attempts to bring together in one work, the food of all of Latin America. Although an undertaking of such size sounds destined to fail, author Maricel E. Presilla is no ordinary foodie. A Cuban American with a doctorate in medieval history, it is Presilla's rigorous approach as scholar and historian as well as cook that shape this work and make it utterly absorbing as well as exquisitely delicious.

Indeed, Presilla starts the book with a discussion of what Latin America is and what can be found in its kitchens and on its tables before turning to the Latin tradition of layering flavors all before getting to the bulk of the book 157 pages in. Yet even when Presilla turns to recipes for good, a history lesson or story is never far off. Take for example, the meal I made the other night.

Having lived in Chile briefly, when deciding upon what to cook, a Chilean empanada sounded perfect. Despite my best intentions, before I knew it, I was engrossed in a discussion of the Galician region of Spain and found myself attempting a traditional olive and tuna empanada baked in this region for hundreds of years. It was fabulous and I was even able to bore my wife with the history of the meal while we ate.

If all of this tradition and history sounds a little overwhelming, don't worry. Presilla also wisely includes modern varieties and discussions of variations that aid both those short on time and those short on traditional Latin American ingredients. It is this all-encompassing nature that led one reviewer to call it the "bible" of Latin American food and truly, the combination of history, culture, people, places, and great recipes makes Gran Cocina Latina a treasure trove.

Starry River of the Sky

Grace Lin's 2010 Newbery Honor book "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" was my favorite chapter book aimed at 8-12 year-olds to come out in 2010. So when I discovered that Lin was working on a companion novel, "Starry River of the Sky," I was both utterly excited  and a tad bit nervous.

I was enlivened by the possibility of another book that could successfully weave together a protagonist and plot from the long past, traditional Chinese folklore, and a very modern melding of multiple narrative voices and intricate and beautiful images. And truth be told, I was anxious that Lin couldn't possibly replicate such a feat.

My apprehension was of course, unfounded. Not only does "Starry River of the Sky" wonderfully pull together all of these elements, but it does so in a manner that, as a companion should, builds on rather than recycles these features. The Folklore and storytelling for instance, don't just shed light on the main character, but instead become the tools he must use to complete his inward journey. And unlike "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon," "Starry River of the Sky" is predominantly, an inward journey.

The individual at the center of the odyssey is  Rendi,  a sour-puss and stowaway young boy that is dumped in the remote village of Clear Sky. Working as the chore boy at the lone Inn, he is unwillingly drawn into the lives and problems of the Village including a missing moon, feuding neighbors and much more. However, when a mysterious woman with a gift for story telling arrives at the Inn, the truth about Rendi, the sky, and so much more is slowly drawn out and together from a tapestry of stories and folklore altering the Village and everyone in it.

Altogether, Grace Lin's "Starry River of the Sky" is like a fantastic meal. It presents both individual ingredients that beg to be savored as well as a whole that will leave any age satiated and satisfied.

Tale of Sand

I love graphic novels for a whole host of reasons. Mostly though, I love them because a good graphic novel presents the melding of art and literature into an experience that feels like a trip to an art museum and a library rolled into one. What could be better!

Now don't get me wrong, there are plenty of graphic novels that don't come anywhere near managing this feat but "Tale of Sand" is not one of them. Based upon a lost, 1960's-1970's era screenplay by Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl, the two geniuses behind the Muppets and Sesame Street, "Tale of Sand" is a mind bending blend of existential Americana tropes and utterly gorgeous poppy pastels drawn by Ramon Perez.

The plot, if it can be called such, follows the story of an unnamed man who, after arriving in an unknown town with no knowledge of who he is or why he is there, must participate in a strange event in which he is forced to flee across the desert chased by an assortment of villains. Sound strange? It is.

Yet "Tale of Sand" is more an evocation of emotion than a story and its blending of classic cartoon styles and realistic images, wild west and modern movie action, 1950's square culture and the 60's and 70's resistance to this culture all with artwork that is both understandable and yet modern-museum-worthy brings out a whole load of emotion.The most prominent of which is awe. "Tale of Sand" is art and literature that leaves your mouth slightly agape, just like a wonderful library or art museum.

The Case of the Missing Servant

There are two seasons of the year that I am not particularly fond of. Now these are not seasons as officially named, yet all who live through them are well aware they exist and I call them the in-betweeners. We happen to be smack dab in the middle of the first in-betweener which falls just after the enjoyable bits of fall and just before the whites of enjoyable winter. The other in-betweener occurs after enjoyable winter has ended and before green enjoyable spring has begun. The latter is also called mud season. 

During both of these "seasons," the frequent gray skies and cold rain leaves me staring out the window daydreaming of foreign climes. Usually, warmer foreign climes. Alas, due to the constraints of real life, I am unable to take 12 weeks off annually to escape these in-betweeners and therefore, I have to settle for a surrogate. Travel by book is what I call it and Tarquin Hall’s “The Case of the Missing Servant” was the perfect recent vehicle.

Written by a Brit but set in India, “The Case of the Missing Servant” is an absolute riot of a mystery that follows the comical and capable Vish Puri, India’s Most Private Investigator in pursuit of, as expected, a missing and likely dead servant. Like any mystery writer worth his salt though, Hall further weaves in two subplot mysteries that are equally compelling.

Yet, despite an ensnaring plot, or rather multiple ensnaring plots, it is Hall's deft characters, dry humor, and most of all his vivid depiction of contemporary India that are this works greatest strengths as well as the predominant drivers of “The Case of the Missing Servant.”  

Best described as Sherlock Homes meets Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Tarquin Hall’s “The Case of the Missing Servant” is a chariot that will make you chuckle and cheer while carrying you away from a dreary in-betweener November day to a more convivial clime. 

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

Emily M. Danforth's "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" is a finely wrought, emotionally complex, if occasionally a tad mundane young adult coming-of-age novel with one key twist.

Growing up in cowboy country, the plains of Montana, Cameron Post finds herself, just like I did, transforming into a young adult during the 1990s. Unlike my journey though, Cameron's is far more tumultuous. She loses her parents at the age of 12, the day after she kisses her best girl friend and realizes she likes it. As a result of her parents deaths, Cameron's highly religious and conservative Aunt as well as her Grandmother move to Montana to take over her care. This turn of events sets the story on a fairly predictable but still enjoyable trajectory.

As teenage Cameron's identity begins to coalesce, she is forced to hide her budding lesbianism. Like any teenager though, her attempts to at once explore and bury her feelings leads to a series of very different relationships and eventually, to an unceremonious outing. And just as expected, Cameron's sexuality does not sit well with either her Aunt or the community leading to the final ripple in the tale as Cameron's Aunt Ruth decides to send her off to a religious boarding school that promises to cure Cameron of her sinful ways.

Altogether, despite the fact that "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" won't necessarily surprise you with its plot twists, Danforth's patience and just-right prose manages to create out of all of her characters full yet faulted individuals that will capture teens and adults alike. It is this skill that both keeps this tale from feeling either too preachy or predictable while forcing us to understand if not always relate with all of the different characters and their actions. In the end "The Miseducation of Cameron Post's" greatest strength is its reminder that it is what we share, love and loss, rather than where we differ that makes us human.