My new love for Neil Gaiman

What's the first thing that you think of when you think of Neil Gaiman?

For me, my love of Neil Gaiman did not come from one of his books, directly, it came due to the love of one character that I had seen on a poster on a friend's door when I was in high school.  Who was that, you ask?

Death

From the Sandman series of comics/graphic novels, etc.  To this day, I have yet to read any of the Sandman writings.  Not because I don't really want to, but because I don't really care for comics, graphic or otherwise.  But, I have many friends who have told me about these characters, and from the first moment I laid eyes on that poster that depicted all of the Endless characters, I was enthralled.

However, this post is not really about Death or any of the other Sandman/Endless characters.

This post is really about my new-found love for audio books. I was in the library a few weeks ago when it hit me that I really needed to start reading more.  I am still in the middle of the Camulod Chronicles by Jack Whyte (and believe you me, I looked for those books on audio and couldn't find them), but I also wanted to continue reading other things.

I am not sure why audiobooks stuck out in my mind.  I just recall looking at the shelves of them on the library wall and I found Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.  Well, what's this? I asked myself. I hadn't realized that he'd written anything besides Sandman/Endless, and I was intrigued.  Actually, I had known that he had written Coraline, however, I did not realize that was a book.  I thought it was a screenplay.  Go figure.

So, I checked it out and was pleasantly surprised when I heard Neil's voice coming from my car speakers.  I was not sure what to expect.  Would I be able to follow a story that was being read to me?  Would I be able to imagine the characters and the settings the same way as if I were reading the words to myself?  The answer to both questions was yes, I could.

I will admit to having to rewind the discs a few times because I missed a passage here or there, but I have never experienced something so amazing before.  The storytelling, the imagery, and simply just the imaginative story were compelling and amazing.  It was enough to seek out other works written by Gaiman.

Since then I have listened to The Graveyard Book and The Sleeper and the Spindle (both with a full cast).  And I don't care if they can be found in the teen fiction section of the library.  I think that The Graveyard Book would make a great live action movie.  And, I enjoyed the tie between that and The Ocean at the End of the Lane.  I hope that Mr. Gaiman continues to write novels set in those realms.  Perhaps he already has. I need to research further.  If you know, please leave a comment below.

I am currently listening to Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerry Maniscalco.  A tale of a young lady who studies autopsies when her uncle, etc.  I won't give too much away as I'm just beginning the second disc, but I just read that there are more books in this series, and depending on how much I enjoy this one, I'll be sure to check them out.

To be sure, though, I will be looking for other Neil Gaiman books on audio.

You never forget your first.

Catching Up

It's been a while since I wrote about random books I've picked up from the library.  Honestly, I haven't read that much since then.  I am, however, still reading the Camulod chronicles. I am on The Saxon Shore and it is excellent!  Just in case you were wondering, yes, you should totally pick up this series of books by Jack Whyte. 

Also, if you are into the legends of King Arthur and haven't done so already, pick up The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley.  An excellent story as told from the viewpoints of the women of Camelot. 

Jack Whyte - Camulod Chronicles

I realize that I haven't written anything in this particular blog for quite some time.  I haven't been reading as much as I previously have although I am in the middle of a 9-book series, The Camulod Chronicles, by Jack Whyte. 

A friend from Baltimore highly suggested these books and I can say without a doubt that these are some of the most brilliantly detailed, imaginative, amazing stories about the Arthurian legend that I have ever read in my life.  So far I have finished The Skystone, The Singing Sword, and The Eagle's Brood.  I am currently reading Uther, which is technically a later book, but as it is the story of Uther that takes place at the same time as The Eagle's Brood, my friend recommended I read that before I read The Saxon Shore. 

We're not only talking about detailed accounts of Uther and Merlyn, but detailed accounts of the Roman Empire and Uther's and Merlyn's parents and grandparents.  These books lay the foundation for the legend that is Excalibur and King Arthur.  I refuse to give any spoilers because I want you all to pick up these books and read.  They are fairly lengthy books with Uther being the longest one so far at over 900 pages, but it is so well worth the time to read. 

I am giving this collective series:

Even though I haven't read the rest of the series yet.  I own them all and will be reading them in due course!  Happy reading.  Please feel free to leave comments below.

My Soul to Take - Movie

I thought as an extra bonus, I would give my ordinary opinions on a movie that I recently had the chance to see via Netflix.  Yes, I know.  It isn't a "library find", but I couldn't help myself on this one.

"Now I lay me down to sleep. I beg the Lord my soul to keep...."

Now, I hadn't heard anything about this one.  I knew that it was a horror movie.  I had no clue who was in it or who directed it or any of those types of things. (I don't watch tv, read the paper or anything else like that.  It's too depressing.)  But, I happen to love most things horror, so I thought I would give it a chance.

Again, I'm not great with plot summaries, so I am borrowing this from Wikipedia... just the first paragraph.  "In the town of Riverton, Abel (Raul Esparza) is working on some toys for his daughter and a soon-to-be-born child. A story on the news announces that the town is being gripped by a serial killer known as the Riverton Ripper. After his wife calls him to bed, it is revealed that Abel is in fact the serial killer, and appears to have multiple personality disorder. He kills his wife and is arrested and shot by police, but the ambulance he is in explodes on the way to the hospital"........  

Given that this is a high school horror movie it reminds me of how out of touch I am with the younger generation, but I found this movie very fun.  It wasn't too predictable and there were enough twists to keep me interested.  Pretty much what I would expect from a Wes Craven film.

Would I recommend it?  Definitely.  I will admit to not the greatest acting in the world, but when are horror actors ever truly wonderful?  Not bad, though, not bad at all.....

The First Commandment - Brad Thor (Possible Spoilers)

As promised, Brad Thor's The First Commandment.

    

     Once again I chose a book in this series that was out of order as I didn't know any better, really.  This book could stand alone if I didn't know that it was part of a series.  So, instead of getting into the fact that as a reader, I am somewhat lame with regards to reading books in order, I will simply give my opinions on the book itself.  (I have since read Lions of Lucerne, the first book in the series, and it is a MUST read book.  It was THAT good!)  We also know that I suck for plot summaries, but I'll do my best.

     Plot:  Five terrorists are released from Guantánamo Bay .  Four go on their merry way and one is left to his own devices to seek his revenge on Agent Scot Harvath by targeting his family and friends.  It is up to Scot to track down this mysterious killer and forces the help of The Troll, a nemesis from previous novels.  (I can't wait to read the book where he is introduced!)  

     The First Commandment has all the elements of a really great novel.  Action, suspense, great characters (a lot of which were from previous books that I haven't read yet), revenge, and loads of great description.  I really felt like I was there, at the island or in the hospital room or on the plane with the terrorists who were being released.

     Knowing that there are more books to come has given me a predisposed fear of a cliffhanger, which Thor, thankfully, has not used as of yet.  The story definitely has elements from previous books, but as with The Last Patriot, he manages to be descriptive enough without dragging out fodder from former stories.  If that makes sense to you, you are doing really good!

     There is nothing really bad that I have to say about The First Commandment.  I can't wait to read the rest of the books, then reread these last two books in the order that they were supposed to be read in.  I've said it before, but I'll say it again... READ THESE BOOKS!

The Last Patriot ~ Review Possible spoilers..you've been warned.

The most recent book I picked up from the library was The Last Patriot by Brad Thor.  Little did I know when I chose it that it was a book in a several novel series.  That fact will not sway my opinion of this book.

Ok, I'm no good at plot summaries.  I don't want to ruin anything for you anyway, but suffice it to say that I found this book very intriguing.  Thor takes ideas and concepts from current events and weaves them into a story so believable that it really made me stop and wonder.  This book was banned in Saudi Arabia, most likely for it's talk about the Koran.  I can totally see why.  Actually, this story revolves around the Koran and the supposed lost  section.

I have never read a book quite like this before, one that talks about homeland security or other countries, things like that. The chapters were quite small, no more than five pages each and some as few as one, but even still, Thor does a tremendous job in keeping the story's continuity.  I had mentioned that this was one of several books in a series, and even though he makes several references to what I can only assume are previous books, there is enough information about what is going on that I didn't feel lost.  What I felt was that I will have to get the rest of the books to see what the whole story is.

Thor's characters are believable without being over the top.  There is depth to each character, weaknesses, strengths, and background information.  I really feel like I know these characters.

This book has been compared to National Treasure, but I think that it hold its own against any story out there.  There are clues, explosions, references to Thomas Jefferson, and evil doers.

There is a section in the back of the book where Thor explains what is true and what is his own creation.  I really liked that part.

A book doesn't get much better than this.  I have picked up The First Commandment and am about halfway through it already.  I don't usually read that fast.  I will review that one when I'm done.  Read it with me and leave comments, won't you?

and, no, I don't usually give 5 stars to anything, but this was really THAT great for me!

Next up:

After this one, I'll pick a different author. I just couldn't help myself.

Current Book

I do believe I forgot to post what book I am currently reading that I found at the library last time I went.

The Last Patriot by Brad Thor

So far, it is very interesting....

Stay tuned for full review.  I'm about a third of the way through........