Coraline

Coraline
by Neil Gaiman
read: 2019

Coraline wound up being the first non-picture book my son read. Well, there are occasional pictures, and I read probably every other page, but it counts.

I just watched the movie and while I think the visual feel was a great fit for the story, there were some changes I disliked. It seemed like they minimized Coraline's cleverness and resourcefulness at several points. In the novel, she finds most of the "ghost's eyes" through thoroughness and a keen eye; in the movie, it's more serendipity. In the book, she lays a shrewd trap for the Beldam's hand; in the movie, her neighbor Wybie (a character not found in the book) saves her.

Sandman

American Gods
by Neil Gaiman
read: 2019

I had a very Neil-Gaiman-y stretch in 2019 where I was reading Coraline with my son and Sandman on my own.  Sandman is interesting in that several of the story arcs barely involve the titular Sandman/Morpheus/Dream. Perhaps my favorite volume was A Game of You, where he appears only briefly. His diminished presence works in part because the character of Dream is tough to like: consumed by duty, grudge-bearing, moody, aloof no fun at parties. He's better when softened by his relationships with his sisters Delirium and Death or even his rare mortal friend like Hob Gadling.

American Gods

American Gods
by Neil Gaiman
read: circa 2008
Guardian 1000 Novels, Hugo Award, Nebula Award

My uncle lent me this book and I read it a decade back or so. I don't remember too much, other than the general setup: main character released from prison, wife died after (/during) having an affair, "old gods" in modern America.