i suspect i should worry a bit

[hackthis_archive]

at some point last week i printed out my friend's page (i don't remember doing this), and on monday it was on my chair as my boss had found it. thankfully, it seems it was a rather tame day by LJ standards, but all day monday i had to fight an urge to hack into his computer and make sure he wasn't accessing my LJ. yikes.

and then yesterday he asked me if i had a web blog and i turned white - neat trick if you know me at all. i made idle conversation as i was want to do and he said that there had a been an article in newsweek about web blogs. guess who was reading all her back issues of newsweek last night to make sure it was all kosher and she wasn't in the shit?

sigh. oh well. no sense worrying about whatever.

question time: as i've never read a neil gaiman book in my lifetime, but am going to barnes and noble this weekend - if i was only going to buy one which one would you lot recc?

Comments

[musesfool.livejournal.com]

American Gods.

I mean, I loved Neverwhere, but if you're only going to buy one, American Gods should be it.

Though I'd rec Sandman over all his novels, and I'm not big on the comics thing. *G*

[poisoninjest.livejournal.com]

Well, that depends.

1) I haven't read American Gods yet, but I hear it's amazing.

2) For comedy goodness? Good Omens, with Terry Pratchett. Fucking hysterical.

3) For fantastical and often comic goodness? Neverwhere. Just... delectable.

4) For a little bit of everything? Smoke and Mirrors, an excellent collection of short stories, with one of the best re-writings of a fairy tale ("Snow White," in this case) that I've ever seen.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

fantastical comedic goodness... amazing... and collaborations with terry pratchett you say? i adore terry pratchett (the earlier stuff moreso than the newer, but still).

thanks darlin.

[plumsnickety.livejournal.com]

Ditto on the rec for Good Omens. I've got American Gods but haven't started it yet, so I can't comment. And I have my copy of Good Omens right here and it's begging to be quoted:

"Good morning, ma'am. We're just a couple of supernatural entities and we were just wondering if you might help us with the whereabouts of the notorious Son of Satan."

*snerk*

[cyclogenesis.livejournal.com]

Oooh, read American Gods. Then when we're both finished I can be all "!!!!" at you and you can reciprocate, as opposed to me raving about it to people who are like "wait it's a what now and why do I care?" Cos that's no fun.

Plus it's the latest one, so you should be able to find a copy anywhere. Seriously, I got my copy at the grocery store.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

babe, your icon - am i *supposed* to be this attracted to it, because really it's a bit unsettling. please tell me it's not kylie. PLEASE!

[cyclogenesis.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'm afraid it is the goddess Kylie. In glasses. And a suit. *swoon*

[kittyfisher.livejournal.com]

Try Coraline first - it's a kids' book, and wonderful!

American Gods

[pandarus.livejournal.com]

I've read several of the Sandman graphic novels (not a comic reader as such) and they do indeed rock like a rocking thing on a rock. Listening to Rock'n'Roll and watching the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Coraline is an excellent kids' book - the sort of headfucking stuff that lingers in the brain long afterwards. Neverwhere was good, but not as good as I'd hoped & not as good as I felt it could have been. Good Omens is an absolute must - it's The Omen meets The Famous Five and it is a thing of hilarity.

But I'm presently reading American Gods , and it's a helluva good book and available all over the place - and probably more resonant if you're Stateside (whereas G.O. and NW are more resonant if you're UK-based).

pebbles in your brain

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

and they do indeed rock like a rocking thing on a rock.

this is truly a sentence that rocks. *g*

Re: pebbles in your brain

[pandarus.livejournal.com]

Anyone would think I was stoned.

the fabulous Neil

[gabzilla.livejournal.com]

I'd suggest Neverwhere first, or perhaps Smoke and Mirrors (the kind of sample pack, short story, tell your friends about Nicholas Was over the holidays)
Coraline would be a good intro to his style, if you're running a bit short on cash (kid's book); Stardust is an interesting not quite kids/not quite adults book.

I do Love American Gods, but it might be a bit much to tackle for the first time N.G. reader. If you know anything about mythology, you can see the immense ammount of detail that is put in the book... I dunno, it might throw you off of reading his books. best build up to that one ;)