"A comedy of ill-mannered gods and bad-hearted mortals..."

Tell us the title:

Anansi Boys
 

Who penned this work?:

Neil Gaiman

How did this piece find it's way to your nightstand?:

Anything with Neil Gaiman's name on it will eventually find its way onto my reading list.  Pretty sure I've read all the adult-aimed novels now.  I was holding on to this one, saving it for a lull in my passion for reading, for I knew it would spark me back up!

Number of pages:

400, if I get to count the excerpt from another book at the end, which I have already read but of course read again. 

Time passed from start to finish?:

Since I had to go to work during the week....about a week.  AKA about a day and a half.

Describe the cover:

Three men's shadows appear against a red-orange sky, with spider web cast about the background.  One man appears to have a lovely umbrella.

In what section of the bookstore would a reader find this?:

For reasons I may never actually understand, science fiction.  I guess since there's not a section called "best stuff ever".

Summary of the basic plot:

From the back: "Far Charlie Nancy's normal life ended the moment his father dropped dead on a Florida karaoke stage.  Charlie didn't know his dad was a god.  And he never knew he had a brother..."

Background information on the story/author:

Neil Gaiman is the best writer ever.  Done.

What did you think of it? (your general response, what you liked or didn't like, what you learned, anything else you want to share about it):

I loved it, just like I love every story by Neil Gaiman.  If you're hoping to fall in love with his stories, I'm not sure I would start with this one, but if you're already convinced of his awesomeness, read on, my friend.  As always, a tale is weaved (woven?) when you're not even looking, and those pesky little life lessons pop out at the end in ridiculously non-obvious-yet-completely-apparent ways.

Which page was your favorite? Share why:

Apparently I didn't mark such a page, so I can't give a number...although that would be a bit of a spoiler for anyone who wanted to read ahead anyway.  My favorite page was when Fat Charlie finally realized the truth about his brother.  And that statement is exactly as cryptic as I wanted it to be.

Share a quote that was worth reading twice. Explain why:
 For once not a funny one:
"Each person who ever was or is or will be has a song.  It isn't a song that anybody else wrote.  It has its own melody, it has its own words.  Very few people get to sing their own song.  Most of us fear that we cannot do it justice with our voices, or that our words are too foolish or too honest, or too odd.  So people live their songs instead."


Choose your rating:

- Changed. My. Life.
- I laughed, I cried, I want you to read it 
- A definite page-turner
 - Good to check out but don't spend the cash.
 - Why did I waste my weekend on this?
 - A disgrace to paper everywhere

Flip to page 2, 22, or 202. Share the 7th sentence on the page:

"Only..."

"The Apocalypse has never been funnier."

~ Tell us the title: GOOD OMENS

~ Who penned this work?: NEIL GAIMAN & TERRY PRATCHETT

~ How did this piece find it's way to your nightstand?: I DISCOVERED IT HIDING IN THE SHELVES AT BARNES & NOBLE AND REALIZED IT WAS ONE OF NEIL GAIMAN'S BOOKS THAT I DIDN'T ALREADY OWN (VERY RARE)

~ Number of pages: 412

~ Time passed from start to finish?: I READ THIS ONE SLOWLY, SIPPING IT LIKE A NICE WINE.  EVEN AT THAT, I'D SAY NO MORE THAN 2 WEEKS

~ Describe the cover: WHITE BACKGROUND WITH RED WRITING, AND A NICE HANDSOME DEMON LOUNGING AROUND.

~ In what section of the bookstore would a reader find this?: SCI-FI, APPARENTLY. 
~ Summary of the basic plot: "ACCORDING TO THE NICE AND ACCURATE PROPHECIES OF AGNES NUTTER, WITCH (THE WORLD'S ONLY COMPLETELY ACCURATE BOOK OF PROPHECIES, WRITTEN IN 1655, BEFORE SHE EXPLODED), THE WORLD WILL END ON A SATURDAY.  NEXT SATURDAY, IN FACT.  JUST BEFORE DINNER.  SO THE ARMIES OF GOOD AND EVIL ARE AMASSING.  ATLANTIS IS RISING, FROGS ARE FALLING, TEMPERS ARE FLARING.  EVERYTHING APPEARS TO BE GOING ACCORDING TO DIVINE PLAN.  EXCEPT A SOMEWHAT FUSSY ANGEL AND A FAST-LIVING DEMON - BOTH OF WHOM HAVE LIVED AMONGST EARTH'S MORTALS SINCE THE BEGINNING AND HAVE GROWN RATHER FOND OF THE LIFESTYLE - ARE NOT ACTUALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE COMING RAPTURE.  AND SOMEONE SEEMS TO HAVE MISPLACED THE ANTICHRIST..."

~ Background information on the story/author: THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THESE TWO WROTE A BOOK TOGETHER.  TERRY PRATCHETT I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH, BUT HE APPEARS TO BE A MORE HUMOR-INCLINED AUTHOR.  I'M CERTAIN HE BROUGHT MANY OF THE LAUGH OUT LOUD MOMENTS TO THE BOOK.  COMBINED WITH GAIMAN'S MASTERY OF WORDS, IT WAS AWESOME!

 
~ What did you think of it? (your general response, what you liked or didn't like, what you learned, anything else you want to share about it): I LOVED IT!!  I HAVE YET TO DISLIKE A NEIL GAIMAN BOOK, BUT THIS IS ONE OF THE TOP THREE EASILY (IF YOU CAN COUNT THE INTRODUCTION TO 'FRAGILE THINGS' A BOOK).  A PERFECT BALANCE OF HUMOR, WHIMSY, DRAMA, AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING IDEAS.

~ Which page was your favorite? Share why: THIS IS SO HARD!  WHEN I READ, IF I FIND A PAGE I LOVE, I EARMARK THE BOTTOM PAGE OF THE BOOK.  I CAN HARDLY CLOSE THIS ONE ANYMORE, SINCE NEARLY EVERY PAGE IS FOLDED OVER.  I'M GOING TO PICK ONE, AND GO WITH PAGE 56, WHERE CROWLEY IS REMINDING AZIRAPHALE JUST HOW LONG ETERNITY IS IN HEAVEN, (HAVING TO WATCH 'THE SOUND OF MUSIC' FOR ALL OF IT)

~ If the story was made into a movie, who would you cast as the main characters? CROWLEY IS GEORGE CLOONEY.  OR MAYBE HUGH LAURIE.  AZIRAPHALE IS MATT DAMON? MAYBE (THINKING OF HIM IN THE INFORMANT).  ANATHEMA IS BRITTANY MURPHY (SAD, SORRY, BUT SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN GREAT IN THAT ROLE).  AND... ADAM I HAVE NO IDEA. NEWT IS SOMEONE LIKE OWEN WILSON PERHAPS.

~ Share a quote that was worth reading twice. Explain why: I'M JUST GOING TO SHARE A FEW I LOVED... AND FOR YOUR SAKE, I'LL GET RID OF THE CAPS (SORRY, IT WAS A BAD IDEA, BUT ONCE I WAS HALFWAY THROUGH THIS REVIEW, I WASN'T GOING TO GO BACK AND CHANGE IT) 

"Anathema tried every method of search she could think of.  There was the methodical quartering of the ground.  There was the slapdash poking at the bracken by the roadside.  There was the nonchalant sidling up to it and looking out of the side of her eye.  She even tried the one which every romantic nerve in  her body insisted should work, which consisted of theatrically giving up, sitting down, and letting her glance fall naturally on a patch of earth which, if she had been in any decent narrative, should have contained the book."

(On Newt Pulsifer's crazy Japanese car, the Wasabi):

    "Newt had never actually seen another one on the road, despite his best efforts.  For years, and without much conviction, he'd enthused to his friends about its economy and efficiency in the desperate hope that one of them might buy one, because misery loves company.

    In vain did he point out its 823cc engine, its three-speed gearbox, its incredible safety devices like the balloons which inflated on dangerous occasions such as when you were doing 45 mph on a straight dry road but were about to crash because a huge safety balloon had just obscured the view.  He'd also wax slightly lyrical about the Korean-made radio, which picked up Radio Pyongyang incredibly well, and the simulated electronic voice which warned you about not wearing a seatbelt even when you were; it had been programmed by someone who not only didn't understand English, but didn't understand Japanese either.  It was state of the art, he said.  

    The art in this case was probably pottery."

"As he stared over the top of his map, a door in the saucer slid aside with a satisfying whoosh, revealing a gleaming walkway which extended automatically down to the road.  Brilliant blue light shone out, outlining three alien shapes.  They walked down the ramp.  At least, two of them walked.  The one that looked like a pepper pot just skidded down it, and fell over at the bottom."

~ Choose your rating:
          - Changed. My. Life.
          - I laughed, I cried, I want you to read it
          - A definite page-turner
          - Good to check out but don't spend the cash.
          - Why did I waste my weekend on this?
          - A disgrace to paper everywhere

~ Flip to page 2, 22, or 202. Share the 7th sentence on the page."The crowd drew nearer, one or two of its members a little uncertain as to whether they'd done the right thing, now they came to think about it."

Of All Time

~ Tell us the title:  

Stardust

~ Who penned this work?:

The astounding Neil Gaiman

~ How did this piece find it's way to your nightstand?:

It was a recommended book on the B&N table, and I bought it on a whim.  I'm not sure it ever made it to my nightstand, however, once I cracked the cover.

~ Number of pages:

248

~ Time passed from start to finish?:

8 hours at the most

~ Describe the cover:

A whimsical swirl of blue vines accented with some gold scroll-like text boxes

~ In what section of the bookstore would a reader find this?:

Is 'amazing' a section?  No?  Well them I would tend to say Fantasy or Fiction perhaps, but I know that B&N always puts Neil in the Sci-Fi section, for reasons I don't entirely understand.

~ Summary of the basic plot:

From the cover: Young Tristan Thorn will do anything to win the cold heart of beautiful Victoria -- even fetch her the star they watch fall from the night sky.  But to do so, he must enter the unexplored lands on the other side of the ancient wall that gives their tiny village its name.  Beyond that old stone wall, Tristan learns, lies Faerie -- where nothing, not even a fallen star, is what he imagined.

~ Background information on the story/author:

From the cover: Neil Gaiman is the critically acclaimed, award-winning creator of the Sandman series of graphic novels; author of the novels Anansi Boys, American Gods, Neverwhere, and Coraline; the short fiction collections Smoke and Mirros and the upcoming [it's released now] Fragile Things; and the bestselling children's books The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish and The Wolves in the Walls. 

From my mind: My favorite author of all time.  Greatly under-appreciated in the greater public awareness of literature.  Creator of my greatest verbal intoxication.

~ What did you think of it? (your general response, what you liked or didn't like, what you learned, anything else you want to share about it):

I can't say enough.  This is my favorite story and favorite author...ever?  I can't really say that because I certainly haven't read every book there is on the planet, but for my first twenty-five years this certainly wins the prize.  I LOVE THIS BOOK!  The story is so simple, yet the most utterly romantic concept EVER, with of course a beautifully unexpected twist and ending.  His style of writing mesmerizes me... it's at once stunningly simple (I hate when writers think an excess of adjectives creates beautiful writing), yet flows and melds and twists and twirls (much like the visual on the cover of the book) to create a delicious collection of text.  It just blows me away, and my own writing skills simply can't do it justice. 

~ Which page was your favorite? Share why:

Page 68-69, whereupon a star falls from the sky. You simply have to read it to understand :)

~ If the story was made into a movie, who would you cast as the main characters?

Don't even get me started on the movie.  It already was made into a movie, and though the movie was pretty good, it did very little justice to the story.  Claire Danes should NOT have been the star.

~ Share a quote that was worth reading twice. Explain why:

"He stared up at the stars: and it seemed to him then that they were dancers, stately and graceful, performing a dance almost infinite in its complexity.  He imagined he could see the very faces of the stars; pale, they were, and smiling gently, as if they had spent so much time above the world, watching the scrambling and the joy and the pain of the people below them, that they could not help being amused every time another little human believed itself the center of its world, as each of us does."  (I don't feel I need to explain why)

Choose your rating:

- Changed. My. Life.

-I laughed, I cried, I want you to read it

-A definite page-turner
  - Good to check out but don't spend the cash.
- Why did I waste my weekend on this?
- A disgrace to paper everywhere

~ Flip to page 2, 22, or 202. Share the 7th sentence on the page.

"The snowdrop chimed in his hand."

Impacting Everywhere Soon

~ Tell us the title: Blonde Bombshell (A comedy of intergalactic proportions)
~ Who penned this work?: Tom Holt
~ How did this piece find it's way to your nightstand?: It came from the lovely library convention
~ Number of pages: 378
~ Time passed from start to finish?: About a week?
~ Describe the cover: A pretty bright blue with bold black and white writing. Plus a giant bomb heading towards Earth.
~ In what section of the bookstore would a reader find this?: Fiction, comedy, science fiction
~ Summary of the basic plot: A bomb equipped with artificial intelligence is on a mission from the planet Ostar (inhabited by dogs) to destroy planet Earth. Apparently the musical emissions the Earth sends into space are driving the dogs insane.
~ Background information on the story/author: Tom Holt is from London, England. His biography in the back of the book says that "At Oxford he studied bar billiards, ancient Greek agriculture and the care and feeding of small, temperamental Japanese motorcycle engines...", among other silly things.
~ What did you think of it? (your general response, what you liked or didn't like, what you learned, anything else you want to share about it): I thought it was rather hilarious. The plot line was innovative and fun, and the dialogue was witty and engaging. Books that are considered 'comedy' rarely make me laugh more than a few times, but I was amused throughout pretty much the entire story.
~ Which page was your favorite? Share why: Page 25-26. One of the main characters takes a walk in the woods and sees a unicorn. The ensuing internal dialogue is hilarious.
~ If the story was made into a movie, who would you cast as the main characters? Cameron Diaz would definitely be Lucy Pavlov. And Aaron Eckhart would be a smashing Mark Twain. Beyond that I'm not sure.
~ Share a quote that was worth reading twice. Explain why: There are several quotes that I read twice. I enjoyed the sheer randomness and humor of them.

"Not every day you hallucinate members of the medieval bestiary. But it wasn't a hallucination. Figments of the imagination don't shit in the woods. And if they do, their shit doesn't smell so confoundedly realistic. therefore, it was a unicorn."

"There's a lot of things it could be, she said. Amnesia, incipient dementia, mercury poisoning, exposure to high levels of epsilon radiation. Or it could just mean you've been married for longer than eighteen months."

""Sometimes, she said, we choose to blot out whole chunks of our past, simply because they bother us, and we decide we don't want to carry that stuff around with us any more. It's a choice, not a medical condition. For example, I can't recall a single detail of the first time I met my future brother-in-law. Judging by the fact that it was also the last time I met him, and every time my husband suggests we get together my brother-in-law says, 'Keep that crazy bitch the hell away from me,' I gather that we didn't get on."

"She spent the afternoon fixing a small problem with the PavSoft grammar-and-spelling elf -- the poor thing had reacted badly to the latest compatibility upgrades, with the result that it'd taken to wandering forlornly across spreadsheets, curling up in a corner and sobbing uncontrollably..."

(referring to Earth) "On a planet still mostly powered by flammable goo derived from the crushed corpses of long-dead krill..."

"She had a suspicion that she was falling in love. If true, that could prove to be a real nuisance, given that the man (to use the term loosely) constituted the biggest threat that humanity and the Earth had ever faced. It was a bit like getting romantically involved with the Black Death, or having a crush on George Bush."

~ Choose your rating:

- Changed. My. Life.
- I laughed, I cried, I want you to read it
- A definite page-turner
- Good to check out but don't spend the cash.
- Why did I waste my weekend on this?
- A disgrace to paper everywhere

~ Flip to page 2, 22, or 202. Share the 7th sentence on the page. "And, since she'd had no part in putting the clever brains inside the pretty body, but was merely the beneficiary of the result, she saw nothing she could justifiably take credit for."