American Gods by Neil Gaiman
With authors I love, I always remember the first book I read that introduced me to their work. Much like remembering a first date or the conversation that turned acquaintances into friends, looking back you can see how special the moment really was.
With Margaret Atwood, it was The Handmaid's Tale on the recommendation of a high school English teacher.
With Stephen King, it was my father-in-law's paper copy of The Dead Zone.
With Rachel Gibson, Kate gave me See Jane Score and I laughed out loud, then read it again.
I imagine I'll think of American Gods when I read Neil Gaiman. I fully expect to read his other books, plus anything new he writes.
For certain, I will not forget how I came to read it.
Since I was put on a new team at work, I've been sitting beside a gal named Erin. She's a reader, so much so that she'd brought her brother-in-law's novelization of Halo (you know, the shoot 'em up video game) to work on the day before payday because she was out of new books.
When I first saw her again after she'd made a pilgrimage up to St Louis to go to a book store (we don't have one here. Someone, please move to Farmington, MO to open a book store), she showed me American Gods. I read the back cover. It simply explains how a just released convict meets a mysterious men on his flight home who knows much more about him than he should.
What sparked my imagination was what Erin said. She told me that so far she'd read enough to find out the book is about the gods from the old country who have come to America in the minds of immigrants. Those old gods are fighting against the new gods of television, the internet, and others representing modern life.
On Christmas Eve when Erin went home, she left the book on the desk. With call centers, there is no assigned seating and personal items are best taken home. I figured the best thing to do was to take it home with me. At least then I could be sure it would come back. While I was at it, I had to read it. While this strategy of borrowing to keep an item safe worked perfectly well with a book, be cautious when applying this concept to other items. For example, borrowing a car in order to keep it from being taken by someone else is a bad idea.
From the first few pages, I was taken with the vivid images of Gaiman's gritty tale. Even when the supernatural events begin, the realism never disappears. The book's hero employed by a god to help raise a force to fight the new gods. His dead wife follows him, not her ghost but her actual corpse. Mythological icons from around the globe appear on the backdrop of current day America.
The next day I saw Erin, she asked me between calls if I'd bought it. I smiled and told her that it was her copy. Lucky for me, she didn't mind. That would have been awkward, plus I'd have had to give it back then find another copy to finish. I've even been promised the lone of the related book Anansi Boys. Woo Hoo.
Like most the best books, there is much in this one that defies a simple synopsis. I checked out Neil Gaiman's website before writing this post. I was impressed to find American Gods won both the Hugo Award for science fiction and Nebula Award for both science fiction and fantasy, along with other awards and nominations. The blurb on the back of the paperback edition I read was from Stephen King himself. There is no better endorsement for a story about the dark side of the human imagination.
Trackbacks
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1/24/2008 1:10 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
1/27/2008 10:59 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
1/29/2008 2:13 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
2/3/2008 8:36 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
2/3/2008 8:38 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
2/4/2008 12:45 AM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
2/5/2008 4:14 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
2/5/2008 4:23 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
2/7/2008 11:31 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
2/8/2008 10:41 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
2/8/2008 10:41 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
2/8/2008 11:39 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
2/13/2008 4:43 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
2/19/2008 7:53 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
2/19/2008 11:27 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
2/20/2008 11:27 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
3/4/2008 6:34 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
3/4/2008 6:46 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
3/5/2008 5:07 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
3/5/2008 9:54 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
3/9/2008 9:56 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
3/23/2008 3:20 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
4/9/2008 12:25 AM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and subsequently blog many, many booksHappy Reading, Friends: ... -
5/17/2008 10:33 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
pay per click I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and ... -
6/2/2008 5:30 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
pay per click I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and ... -
6/2/2008 5:33 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
pay per click I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and ... -
6/19/2008 5:14 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
pay per click I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and ... -
6/30/2008 8:15 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
pay per click I love reading. I love books. I love sharing my thoughts on what I have read. It should come was no surprise to anyone who knows me that the most populated category of posts for this blog is "Books." My goal for 2008 is to blog every book I read. In an effort not to miss a book, I am also starting a list. For what interest it may hold for readers and for my own use, I humbly present my reading list for the year to be updated as I read and ... -
11/19/2009 10:11 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
Do you think any current author is of the same caliber as Dickens, Austen, Bronte, or any of the classic authors? If so, who, and why do you think so? If not, why not? What books from this era might be read 100 years from now?Everyone has heard how Shakespeare was considered lowbrow entertainment for the unwashed masses. In the end, the totality of his work had, arguably, the largest impact on literature and the English language of any single person. I always think of the Bard when considering the potential impact of the passage of ...
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