52. The Book of Dragons

The Book of Dragons - Edith Nesbit

A book of classic dragon tales.

Too immature for me to enjoy.

Too mature for my little girls to enjoy.

Probably well suited to 10-12 year old boys who really like to read.

26. The Odyssey

The Odyssey - Homer


EPIC!

22. American Gods

American Gods - Neil Gaiman

This is another of those books that I added to the list because it got tremendous reviews. Many of those reviews said things such as "the greatest book ever" or "my all-time favorite". As far as my own experience with American Gods...it fell well short of the expectations.

Maybe I just don't get Neil Gaiman? That could be. I enjoyed Good Omens (a collaboration with Terry Pratchett). I have heard that Neverwhere was outstanding. Maybe I will try it out some day.

I did find something interesting early on in the story. When Shadow met a bunch of folks with what sounded like Slavic names. I know some Russian and recognized that the names meant more than just being a name. Well, I thought Mr. Gaiman had a little fun when naming the characters. I did a quick search on the names and found that he did not make it up. They were actual names of "gods" from old Slavic beliefs. So, I didn't find out that Neil Gaiman was a multi-lingual practical joker, but I did find out that the names and what I thought were actual Russian words was dead on. I understand Russian better than I thought. Woohoooo!

Examples:
Russian word for for black: cherny
Russian for god: bog
Man's name: Czernobog (guy just happens to be a bad fellow) (found this Czernobog)

Czernobog has a brother Bielebog
Russian word for white: biele
Bielebog happens to be a good guy (found this Bielebog)

These guys had sisters they called Utrennyaya, Vechernyaya and Polunochnaya. Shadow had some "thoughts" about Zorya Utrennyaya. She just happened to be the youngest and prettiest. Explanation to follow.
Russian words:
Morning: Utra (the youngest sister)
Evening: Vecher (the older sister)
Polunoch: Midnight (the oldest sister)

And then I looked up Zorya, which I thought had something to do with stars. I found this: Zorya. It explains the Slavic mythology associated with the morning star, evening star and midnight star.

So, Gaiman has written a book about "gods" that exist because people believe in them. When immigrants came to America they brought the gods with them. Over time the belief in these gods faded and the gods were no longer gods in the way they were in the past.

There is a buildup to a battle between the new gods and the old gods for supremacy in America. Shadow thwarts the war by explaining to them all that America is not a good place for gods and they should all return to the old countries. Blah blah blah.

It is very interesting in concept. The capabilities of such stories are endless. But, the book seemed to drag on and on and on. It was slow. It took so much time to build in the old mythology into a current American world that it lost excitement and, well, fun.

I didn't hate it. I didn't "like" it either. Fun at times. Boring as all heck at others. I read it because it helps me with two challenge goals this year. This book counts towards the Chunkster Challenge because it is 588 pages. it also counts for the Orbis Terrarum Challenge because Neil Gaiman is from England (not American).

58. Fablehaven

Fablehaven - Brandon Mull

This was a book written for people younger than me, but I still found it to be a fun story.

Kendra and her brother Seth have to go stay at their Grandma and Grandpa's home for about three weeks. They find that this is no ordinary home. It is actually a snctuary for mystical creatures and has been there for centuries. Their grand parents are the current caretakers of "Fablehaven".

Needless to say, the kids get into a lot of mischief and run across many magical beings. Fairies, witches, golems, satyrs, oges, nyads, imps, a giant cow that makes magical milk, and many many more.

It was a lot of fun, but probably not something for many adults. I think I will give this one to my kids now. They will like it.

17. The Penelopiad

The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus - Margaret Atwood

What an interesting book. This book centers around the events of The Odyssey, but is told from the point of view of Penelope. What makes it more interesting is that the story is told by Penelope 4,000 years after the fact and from her place in Hades.

Penelope had a different take on many of the stories told in the Odyssey and had a some opinions on the people in the story.

I found it hilarous how she would be waiting and waiting for Odysseus to come back to Ithaca. Sailors would come and go with stories of his battles and adventures. Some would say he fought the Cyclops. Others would say, No, it was just a bartender with one eye. Some would say his men were turned into pigs and he was being held captive by Atena and was forced to have sex with her every night. Others would say, No, he was hanging out at a high class brothel with the madam and his men were "acting" like pigs. She had no idea what to believe. It was hilarious.

I also liked the chorus parts. Much like the ancient greek stories, there were interjections from a chorus who spun rhytmic tunes that tell a tale. The chorus in this book was the maids. The very maids whom Odysseus had hanged. Needless to say, they were a little pissed about it and were seriously disgruntled.

The one thing I do wish is that I had read The Odyssey some time within the last 30 years so I would have a better recollection of the story. There were so many off hand comments made about random things that I am sure were relating back to the Odyssey. I missed some of them.

Penelope was really jealous of Helen. The two of them spat again and again for thousands of years. :-)

This book made me chuckle a lot.

I am going to read The Odyssey again. Maybe this year. Then I will reread this book and probably enjoy it even more.

1. The Learned Arts of Witches & Wizards

The Learned Arts of Witches and Wizards: History and Traditions of White Magic - Anton and Mina Adams

Stupid!

The Night Church - Whitley Strieber

This book is one of the few I have read twice in my life.

The first time I was in my 20s. I remembered it for the rest of my life because it scared me. It involved so much satanic ritual and demonic activity that I could not sleep. What if this stuff is true? Not so much this story, but the demons and stuff that it speaks about. It really scared me a lot.

Since I never forgot that feeling this book gave me I was destined to read it again. I waited until I only had the memories of what the book was about and not the details of the story. So, last year (2007) I read it again.

Well, it really wasn't that scary. Infact, it is kind of stupid. I guess I have grown up and learned a few things in life. It was not scary. It was not well written. It was supposed to be suspenseful, but tried too hard to build that suspense.

I will not waste my time reading it again. LOL