Coraline

Author: Neil Gaiman
Read: December 2008

I saw the trailer for Tim Burton's Coraline, so I pulled this old "kid's" story out for a re-read. Chilly, creepy, spooky, charming, and altogether too scary for a typical kid's book. Grimm Fairy Tales stuff, indeed.

Stories of Your Life and Others

Author: Ted Chiang
Read: January 2009

A guy from work dropped this off for me, out of the blue. I think he bought a few from bookcloseouts.com. I'd never heard of the author or the book. Some good S.F. stories on a wide range of topics. One story talks about an actual Tower of Babylon, built over hundreds of years, and what happens when the builders finally reach the top. One is about the limits of the mind, and the possibilities if you could control your own mind, with your mind. Another chronicled the events in a world where Angels, God, Heavan, and Hell made frequent and physical visits.

Good reads. I love short stories.

The Hobbit

Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Read: December 2009

I wonder how many times I've read this book. The first time was my mom's green leather edition, fourth grade.

American Gods

Author: Neil Gaiman

December 2008-January 2009

One of my favorites. The notion of forgotten gods still lingering in the world appeals to me. Gaiman's descriptions of middle America cities, the vignettes describing how certain Gods made their way to the U.S., the modern-day professions and ways of life these ancient Gods choose for themselves - poetry.