A Link to Another "Woman in Black" Review

http://thevaultofhorror.blogspot.com/2012/02/hammer-is-back-with-woman-in-black.html

Well put, Vaulty! And it is almost four in the morning here. I should get some sleep.... Or better yet, some reading!

Tata.

- Lewis

Abbey Road - The Beatles

My first album review must be brief; I have school in a bit. This might be my favorite Beatles album of the ones I have on iTunes--all the songs are great. I especially liked "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight," and "The End," all of which run together as one larger piece. Just beautiful. My friend Hannah saw Paul McCartney perform when she was younger, and my sisters and mother saw Ringo Starr last summer. I really want to, and I was not happy they didn't ask if I wanted to come see him. I tell myself I will someday, but they are both up there in years.... Even so, I hear Paul is getting married. That's really awesome. I'm happy for him and hope it ends up well. But this album was great; maybe I'll even go to the title road someday. Fingers crossed, eh?

Brief it was; I must depart the computer. Oh yes, this album gets a big A.

Farewell,

Winter

American Gods

I believe this is my first Blogger book review. The title of the novel is in the title of the post: American Gods by Neil Gaiman. It is by far the best novel I've read so far by Mr. Gaiman, the other two being Stardust and Coraline. He is a great writer, says I, and this would make a great film. It begins with Shadow Moon (funny name, eh?) being released from prison after a three-year sentence. On the day of his release, he learns that his wife, Laura, has been killed in a car crash. On the plane ride home, he meets a man man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday. Wednesday offers Shadow a job: to protect Wednesday and act as a bodyguard, and not to ask questions. A storm rocks the plane, but Wednesday says that a far bigger storm is coming. And one does, toward the end, both literally and metaphorically.

Actually, I won't tell the entire plot here for two reasons: I don't want to spoil it, and I don't remember every little detail. The only flaw I could think of was that it had a few coincidences for plot convenience, but no book is perfect. I will say that many gods from many cultures are featured in the book (but not Greek!), and that it is what I call an R-rated book: a lot of cursing, sex, violence, etc.

If you want to know how it ends, read it. But I'll say this: It had more elaboration than Coraline and more "plants and payoffs" than Stardust. All in all, a very good book. It took me a short while once I really began to read intensely, which gave me an idea: I should have a weekly "reading night" in which I try to finish or at least get really far into a book. For some reason, I automatically thought of Tuesday as a night for this.

I suppose I should grade the book. Final grade: B+/A-