The fox never found a better messenger than himself. — old English saying
What’s that lovely piece of music I’ve playing in the Library? That’s ‘Toys, Not Ties’ by the Scottish sort of trad group Nightnoise.
I’m playing only that band this afternoon as I go through the correspondence that’s come in to me this past fortnight.
Some of it is from the publicists we deal with who thought I might be interested in purchasing something they were hawking for the Library. If I’m interested, particularly if it’s fiction, I’ll see if there’s sufficient interest among the Estate community, since the purpose of a work is to be read over and over, not sit on a shelf. And some works never garner enough interest to be worth having. For those books, we use the British Interlibrary loaning system.
In between lots of coffee and setting up my ‘office’ which is myself, a large mug of Blue Mountain coffee, a very large and warm cardamon chocolate sticky bun and my iPad, I‘m now down in the Kitchen on the corner bench watching the staff as they talk among themselves as they prepare the evening meal of roast chicken, new potatoes, sautéed corn and peppers, and blackberry tartlets with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Sounds positively yummy!
We’re running a special book review section this time exclusively looking at the fiction set in the Borderland universe created by Terry Windling.
First, read Michael’s incisive look at the series save Welcome to Bordertown: New Stories and Poems which came out after this first ran: ‘There are seven books in all: four anthologies, one solo book by Emma Bull, and two solo books by Will Shetterly. Together, they comprise the down-and-dirty, nitty-gritty, flight-of-fancy grunge-rock-punk ballad known as Bordertown. How can I describe it? It’s a stylized vision of New York in the ’80s, leather-and-lace big-hair bands, and the Wild West, all rolled into one. Youth gangs, runaways, flamboyant rock-and-roll bands, Elven court politics, people seeking their dreams … it was all there. You could find your heart, lose your soul, find your dreams, lose your way, and always come back to the beginning, in Bordertown.’
Cat has a look at Finder which he thinks is the best look at this shared universe: ‘My personally autographed copy of the hardcover edition is subtitled A Novel of The Borderlands, which tells you that it’s set in The Borderland ‘verse created by Terri Windling. It’s not the only Borderland novel: her husband, Will Shetterly, wrote two splendid novels set here, Elsewhere and Nevernever. I, however, think that it’s the best of the three.’
Grey says that ‘The Essential Bordertown anthology (edited by Terri Windling and Delia Sherman) was written to be your first Bordertown friend, the handbook you keep with you until you find your niche — or at least until you get to The Dancing Ferret and have your complimentary first drink. It’s partly a collection of stories told by a variety of the city’s residents and visitors, and partly a really good travel guide — the kind you wished you had the first time you visited a place where you didn’t speak the language.’
Life on The Border was the third and last of the original Bordertown series until The Essential Bordertown: A Traveller’s Guide to the Edge came out some seven years later. It was a fat little paperback with two weird looking individuals, one of whom might have pointed ears. I think they’re meant to be Bordertown elven punks. Iain has a loving look at it here.
Michael also looks at Holly Black and Ellen Kushner’s Welcome to Bordertown anthology, the latest entry in this series: ‘A generation ago, Terri Windling and Mark Alan Arnold introduced us to Bordertown, an abandoned American city sitting on the Border between the “real world” (The World) and Faerie (The Realm). A place where science and magic both worked, if equally unpredictably, it became a haven and a destination for runaways and outcasts of both worlds, a place where humans and the Fae (aka Truebloods) could mingle, do business, eke out a living, and find themselves. It was a place where anything could happen.’
This last novel properly doesn’t belong here. So let’s have Michael tell the tale of why I included it: ‘For all its familiarity, The Last Hot Time by John M. Ford is -not- Bordertown. It’s Bordertown with the serial numbers scraped off and placed in the Witness Protection Program. But it’s also its own creature, and it’s on those merits that we’ll judge it.’
As a woman who grew up snarfing on all sorts of Japanese Kit Kat bars (#HapaLife), Denise decided to see how the other half lives by eating her way through several flavors Hershey’s has on offer in the States. First off, Kit Kat Duos Mint and Dark Chocolate. ‘… this one seems to be the one that would play well even in Peoria. Mint and dark chocolate. Sounds refined, no? Yes.’
Next up, she nibbled on Kit Kat Duos Mocha and Chocolate, which seemed to whet her appetite for a Mocha Frappe. At least for a little while. ‘And yeah, I understand that mocha and chocolate is basically coffee, chocolate, and chocolate. But I’m okay with that.’
Wandering into the world of Limited Edition flavors, Denise decided to try Kit Kat Key Lime Pie, a flavor she had her reservations about, but seemed to be pleasantly surprised by. ‘This particular combo of sweetness, umami-esque lime flavor, and silky texture is a bit too much all in one sitting. But that’s okay. That means I have some for tomorrow. Or later tonight.’
Lastly, Denise decided to try the Kit Kat Cereal Candy Bar, and has been requesting a GMR Purple Heart ever since. (I hate to tell her, but we don’t have those…perhaps Blodeuwedd can work some feline charms on her, and snuggle the pain away.) ‘DAMN this smells like candy plastic. You know what I’m talking about; when a food has so many chemical reactions going on that all you can think of is an ’80s Strawberry Shortcake doll and that “strawberry” smell. But with more plastic.’
Debbie took a thorough look at Charles Vess’ The Book Of Ballads And Sagas #1 – 4. ‘Vess, who has a solid reputation for illustrating such works as Neil Gaiman’s Sandman stories (also published in graphic novel form) also loves the ballads and sagas that have been entertaining people for hundreds of years, and in this series of books he has collaborated with some of the best-known writers in fantasy literature, including Gaiman, Jane Yolen, Charles de Lint, Sharyn McCrumb (not a fantasy writer but an author of mysteries with an Appalachian folkloric theme), Midori Snyder, Robert Walton and Delia Sherman (whew!) — I hope I’ve not left anyone out!’
Gary reviews three albums from the 2024 Russian World Music Chart: Ensemble Voskresenie & Nikita Savostin’s Telega, Testo’s Marya.Ivan, and The Unknown Composer’s KOVRЫ (Carpets). ‘The music on Telega bridges the folk music of the Perm region of Russia, modern ethno-folk, and musical theater,’ he says. ‘On Marya.Ivan the Saint Petersburg band Testo goes even further to incorporate global sounds into their Russian ethno-folk music … Vocalist and ethnomusicologist Ekaterina Vozzhaeva is backed by a rotating cast of up to 40 musicians in total, who add rhythms, textures and styles from many genres including jazz, Afro-Cuban, funk, rap, drum-n-bass, and dub. … The Unknown Composer presents the most varied musical pallete, drawing on folk and roots music from all over the world, with a solid base of influence from the old Ottoman Empire. Based in the far northern Oblast of Arkhangelsk, this ensemble has been releasing records since 2014 (KOVRЫ is at least their fourth), and has appeared at festivals around Europe as well as at Womex in 2019.’
He also reviews two Spanish albums from late 2024, Coloma Bertran’s En Moviment, and Carmela’s Vinde Todas. Of the former, he says, ‘Barcelona based composer and violinist Coloma Bertran released this EP of experimental dance tunes late in 2024. It’s a beguiling short album that leaves the listener wanting more. Playing entirely by herself with rhythms supplied in part by two guest dancers, Bertran explores Spanish folk and roots dance forms including rumba, jota, sardana, as well as a waltz and one short Celtic style piece.’ And of the latter, ‘Carmela is the name under which Carme López — a researcher, teacher and performer of traditional Galician vocal music — has recorded her first album Vinde Todas. To describe the album itself makes it seem like solely an academic project. It has 10 tracks, eight songs bookended by two field recordings of interviews. Each of the tracks includes the name or names of women from whom Carmela learned the song. The performances, however, make this more than an ethnographic study, as Carmela brings the songs, most or all of which are associated with traditional dances, alive with a combination of respect for tradition and modern techniques and interpretations.’
While he was visiting Spanish music, he reviewed another new release, Manel Fortià & Libérica’s Alé, which opens with one of Gary’s favorite songs, El Rossinyol. ‘It’s an exciting introduction to this powerful album, which takes us on a musical journey, both geographically through Valencia, Catalonia and Andalusia, and through time as we explore regional folk songs that have been magically translated into the flamenco-jazz idiom.’
From the archives, Chuck prepared a massive omnibus review of the music of Voice of the Turtle. ‘Derek Burrows, Lisle Kulbach, Jay Rosenberg, and Judith Wachs, have been performing Sephardic music as Voice of the Turtle since 1977. All four sing as well as play a wide variety of instruments, ranging from those familiar to Western ears to those of more Middle Eastern or medieval origin. Indeed, the range of instruments that each play make it impossible to even classify any as specialists in any one type of instrument.’ Do check out this review, which was a labor of love.
Judith had a short but sweet review of The Bridge Ceili Band’s album Sparks on Flags. ‘The Bridge is and always has been fronted by five fiddles; for a casual Irish music listener, this means that if you like the sound of the Tulla Ceili Band and its four fiddles, you will probably like The Bridge as well. However, if you’ve been wearing out the grooves on your old Gallowglass LPs, The Bridge will sound different from what you’re used to.’
Patrick gave a glowing review to The King Has Landed: Songs of the Jacobite Risings by various Scottish artists. ‘It’s oral tradition at its best, living history at its most vivid. This concept album, a look at the Jacobite (from Jacobus, the Latin word for James) uprisings, melds traditional songs such as “Ye Jacobites by Name” and “Johnny Cope” with newer compositions like “The Massacre of Glencoe” and “Strong Women Rule us All with their Tears.” The amalgamation is almost seamless.’
Wendy was impressed with the music of the Canadian Celtic rock band Quagmyre. ‘Of Cabbages and Kings, the band’s latest effort, is everything a sophomore release should be: more polished than a debut, yet still fresh and full of surprises. Quagmyre has managed to give us a diverse collection of tunes that flow together beautifully. The band is not one to be easily labeled, and this is true of the CD as well. Their style is firmly rooted in Scottish and Irish Canadian heritage, but has a sound all its own. Some tunes have a very traditional and folk sound, while others feature rock, jazz, and funk fusions.’
Our What Not this outing is the Folkmanis Mouse with Cheese puppet that got overlooked when it came so Reynard gives it a review now: ‘I’ve no idea when it came in for review, nor do I know how it ended up in the room off the Estate Kitchen that houses the centuries-old collection of cookbooks, restaurant menus and other culinary related material, but I just noticed a very adorable white mouse puppet holding a wedge of cheese in its paws there. Somebody had placed it in a white teacup on the middle of the large table so I really couldn’t overlook it. ’
So how about “Yesterday” by The Beatles? The Beatles were driven to CBS-TV’s Studio 50 on the morning of August 14, 1965. Rehearsals took place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., as the Beatles were unhappy with the initial sound balance and continued working until they were satisfied. A dress rehearsal took place at 2:30 p.m. in front of a studio audience of 700, and the show itself was broadcast from 8:30 p.m. So here is as performed there.
