New books... thanks, Boulder Bookstore!

Last night a few of us attended the bookclub event at the Boulder Bookstore last night after dinner together at Chipotle. We had a pretty good time; it was cool to hear what other clubs were reading and how they ran things. It was a little disappointing to not see other teens there, but we still had a great time. Best of all, we all left with two new books, courtesy of the bookstore. (Woohoo!!). In my goodie bag was a copy of Margaret Coel's Killing Raven, and at the end of the night, we were all able to choose books that had been set out on a table, and I chose The Emotional Lives of Animals by Marc Bekoff. It's been a long time since I've read a mystery novel, so having the opportunity to read Coel will be fun, and the Bekoff book is something I'm definitely interested in, and I'm planning to read it shortly before or after I read my copy of Animals Matter, so that will be a nice pairing of concepts, particularly since Bekoff wrote both of them.

Our next bookclub meeting is (tentatively) scheduled for Wednesday, December 3rd. If that changes, I'll post it up, but that is the day for us to give further thoughts and reflections on The Graveyard Book and we'll be talking about our choice(s) for our next book.

I've noticed that quite a lot of Gaiman's work focuses on the theme of the outsider trying to fit in, or at least get by, in a society they don't necessarily understand, and The Graveyard Book is no exception. I would like to make that a part of the discussion, which we can start here, of course.

Finished!

I finished with The Graveyard Book on Tuesday. A very enjoyable read, for sure. My favorite Gaiman books are still Good Omens and American Gods, but this was a good, fun book and worth picking up and adding to anyone's collection.

Almost done

Once again I find myself in the paradoxically unenviable position of nearly being done with a Neil Gaiman book. Though it's considered a "young adult" book (who makes up these labels?), it's one I've found quite enjoyable. Gaiman's wry sense of humor pervades the book and keeps it on an even keel.

The students I've spoken with have raved about it, which of course, makes me fairly happy since it was my recommendation for our first book.

More favorite quotes, this one occurs when Bod is talking with Nehemiah Trot about revenge (Trot chose to write only for himself and not publish his work, instead having his work buried with him over 200 years ago and then to later be dug up and have his work published after posterity had realized its mistake):

"And after you died, they dug you up, and they printed the poems?" (Bod)
"Not yet, no. But there is still plenty of time. Posterity is vast."

Heh.

More thoughts on The Graveyard

Okay, now that I've gotten over the initial fanboy gushing about a new Neil Gaiman book, I can perhaps give more rational and reasoned reflection about the book so far.

I'm up to page 77, which puts me in the midst of Chapter 3. One thing I've always enjoyed about Gaiman books is that I've often found some reference to some other piece of literature or other form of art that sends me off on a search, and The Graveyard Book is no exception. The appearance of The Lady on the Grey and the deference the ghosts paid her sent me on a search, which led me to a story by John Collier. Whether the lady in Collier's story bears a connection to the one in Gaiman's book remains to be seen, so stay tuned for more on that.

There are a few more questions, especially regarding Silas. I'm curious to discover what, exactly, he is. Being Gaiman, I'm sure I will not be disappointed.

Best quote from The Graveyard Book so far

Once again, Neil Gaiman hits a home run. I'm only 25 pages into The Graveyard Book, and I am really enjoying it. Favorite quote so far:

"'It is going to take more than just a couple of good-hearted souls to raise this child. It will,' said Silas, 'take a graveyard.'"

Best spoof of "it takes a village" I've heard yet. The man is brilliant... brilliant I tell you!

1st meeting and 1st book

We had our first meeting on the 15th, and we have a good-sized club, including three members who will be participating online for a while since they are involved in the drama club and will have to be going to rehearsals instead of being able to attend book club meetings... one more advantage of the internet!

So we've decided to read a book together, and we've decided on Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, which is perfect for an October read.

Our next meeting is set for October 29, which is when we'll start reading the book. Check back here for questions and discussions about it.

1st meeting

Our first meeting is scheduled for after school on October 15. We already have one partner for the club, too! The Boulder Bookstore has signed up to help us out, and we'll be meeting with them next week to figure out what that partnership will look like. Can't wait!