Today I Have Mostly Been Reading...

This was a book which Mum was anxious for me to read. She handed it to me and I put it on my huge slush pile of 'books to be read'. A week later, she was back, 'Have you had chance to read it?' It had affected her pretty profoundly. It effected me that way too, once I'd finally given in and moved it up the pile to read it.

I didn't have to read the blarb to know what it was going to be about. The white cover and arty picture of a child on the front, there are whole displays at them down the supermarkets. In a cynical moment once, I wondered if 'they' peddled these books to harassed parents out on their weekly shop, because, in reading them, these parents would know that however angry they get, however much they think they've failed, their families are not as dysfunctional as these families. Even though they have the guilt of telling their child that they can't afford the latest brand £200,000 trainers, their kids aren't as harmed as these kids. These books are all about child abuse or some other childhood trauma. You know what you're going to get.

I remember the first that I read. 'A Boy Called It' by Dave Pelzer was read by one of the women in our office, then moved to the next, then the next. Each of us ended up reading the book in one or two sittings, bringing it back generally the next day. By the time the week was out, we'd ALL read all three of his books. I was shocked at the contents. It played in my mind. But I also felt helpless. Usually when I'm reading about such horrors, it's because I'm about to write a letter to someone's president in an attempt to get them out of that situation. I couldn't help Dave Pelzer.

So to 'The Kid' by Kevin Lewis. This too really got to me. I read it so quickly. I don't know if it was because he was British, a Virgo, only two years older than me... the culture he described is my culture. I grew up during the same years. I have a cousin called Kevin who is the same age. But as the story unfolded, I thought more of my cousin Lee (Kevin's brother) who wasn't abused, but who shares so many of Kevin Lewis's personality traits. As it unfolded further, there were three lads called Lee who I thought on, quite deeply; questioning my own actions in the case of one, missing terribly the other.

I guess that what I'm trying to say is that, despite not having been abused myself, I could identify so strongly with so many elements within this story and that led to a lot of soul-searching. Unpicking old wounds. But you can only do your best in any given situation, with the information that you had at the time.

Kevin's story is compelling. It's not just about child abuse. It's about surviving and learning how to live. Not just survive. Live. He deserves to have his story heard, not least because it raises some strong issues which need addressing about what we choose to ignore because it's 'none of our business', but also because it's his story. Too many people didn't listen when he was young, simple as that.

I've learned, via Amazon, that there is a sequel called 'Moving On'. I'm definitely going to read it.

This time it was Dad with a talking book that he wanted me to hear. I didn't get much choice in the matter. I had my two nephews in the back and I was dropping Dad at the club on the way. He arrived at my car via a trip to his van, opened the door, put the tape in and said, 'You really want to listen to this.' By the time we'd got to the club, we'd heard about two boys, aged 11 and 8, (mine in the back of the car, listening rapt, are 13 and 8) who had gone into the woods to smoke cigarettes and got into serious trouble. They'd found a bloke trying to commit suicide and ended up nearly killed themselves. (My 8 year old nephew asked me how the story ended, when I saw him a week later, so I know that one went in....)

The story was gripping. I did end up sitting in carparks or on our driveway, because my journey had finished before the latest cliff-hanger of the plot. I enjoyed listening to it so much so that I've now asked Dad for another talking book to fill my journeys to and from work. My enjoyment might also have something to do with Blair Brown, who read the book. Her accent was not-quite-Georgia-but-close-enough and I could listen to Georgia speak all day.

A don't go out of your way to get it, but if it falls into your tape-player, then go for it, sort of book.

Can you imagine what it was like? I didn't know! I honestly didn't know that another 'Sandman' had come out! I knew about all the spin-offs, which Neil has read and sanctioned, but which he didn't write. I had them on a vague 'to be bought when I'm richer' list, but there I was, innocently perusing the display stands in Another World, in Wolverhampton, and this was there. Released in 2003 and it took two years for the news to reach me...

Let's put the 'Sandman' in context. A thread on Witchgrove resulted in me strongly suspecting that my own spirituality, philosophy and religion owe slightly less to the Church of England, Methodism or Alexandrian Wicca (the main contenders) than they do to my reading, in 1994, all of the 'Sandman' graphic novels. I've gone back via Hy Bender's book recently and nodded sagely in such a way that if Neil Gaiman was a mindreader, he'd be staring at the wall for a very long time.

I sniffed it, pawed it, almost scared to read it. Then devoured it. Each story is about a different Endless sibling. For those who live and breathe 'Sandman', there is a little to add to the story insofar as you find out what precisely started the feud between Dream and Desire. You see a much lighter Morpheus, before the millennia wore him down. You also get to see Delirium when she was Delight.

Some stories are weaker than others - Destiny's isn't actually a story, but it's very pretty. I've since read reviews which seem to universally dislike Despair's story, or series of snapshots, but I think that that's the point. You aren't supposed to enjoy despair. There were some mental images in there which lingered long afterwards. It captured despair in the way that Draig Athar did. Destruction's story was enjoyable, but I had to go back to remember precisely what it was. The re-read was more meaningful. I think it's going to be a bit like 'The Empire Strikes Back', insofar as everyone puts it down as weak, then realize years afterwards that it's always 'TESB' that they quote, so it moves up to the best of the films. A slow-burner.

The others were very strong from the start. Death met a tall, red-headed, blue-eyed man. No prizes to where my mind went as my heart stopped there. There's a page as I want to scan in and send to folk. Oh WOW! Oh WOW! The sample page from the website is the PRECISE page I wanted to show them! Go here to see it. The Goddess loves me...!! It reassured me in a way that Gaiman possibly didn't know about... There's also one of the famous in-jokes in there, between Gaiman and Pratchett, when the doves take off. If you've read Pratchett's 'The Thief of Time', you'd have known what was coming.

Dream's story was not only very pretty, but added to the overarching 'Sandman' epic. It filled the need to know more and more and more and more and more. It was clever too.

Desire's story was just brilliant. I understood a side to Desire which had been missing throughout the epic. Because the novels have been told mostly through the eyes of Dream, then Desire has seemed the dark one. You're used to being suspicious of him/her and hating what (s)he's doing. In this, for the first time ever, I was cheering Desire on. In some ways, Desire's might be the best story of them all.

Then Delirium's. *grin* I don't know how accessible this would be to most readers. I think that you would have had to have been there in some way, shape or form. It captured the darkness of Delirium where, in the other novels, it's usually the lightness of her at the fore.

Me liked. :-D

This is the first spin-off graphic novel I've read. There were several to choose from in Another World, but the Hy Bender book had shown how close Bill Willingham had been to the originals, so I trusted him. Neil Gaiman was consultant on it, but Willingham wrote all the stories.

And yes, I enjoyed them immensely. I consciously made the decision not to compare him to Gaiman before I read it, but I ended up forgetting that it wasn't Gaiman anyway. Merv Pumpkinhead as a James Bond character eased me into the book. It was fun and I laughed aloud at times. I then ended up dreaming about Lam, which was great - me dreaming about the Dreaming. Yes! Free stories! LOL

The Danny Nod story was enjoyable. I drifted through the world, but it didn't grab me in context. Naturally as it's Sandman, it's amazing, because anything which fills me with the Sandman world is amazing, but relatively it was just ok.

I loved the Thessaly story. Thessaly AND Morrighan all in the same story. *grin* But more than that, it's clever. I should hate Thessaly, because it's not a positive portrayal of witches... blah... blah... murdered people... eyeballs... etc etc. But I don't know. I think anyone with half a brain knows that me and my lot don't cut people's faces off and bring them back to life with spells, not every day anyway; other than that, I think she IS a positive portrayal. She's serious about it for a start and intelligent. It's the sort of witchcraft... oh! I don't know. I think some witches will get what I'm trying very badly to say, while others will be frowning at me about now. To them, I just smile sweetly.

And the explanations/FAQ about Dreams at the end was pure genius and a really enjoyable read.

Neverwhere is like an adult's 'Alice in Wonderland', retold for the 21st century in darkness and grime. Richard is our Alice, an ordinary bloke who works in an office; his desk looks like my desk, complete with toys. The 'Wonderland' of the book is an underside of London, but it could be any big city, and is populated with just as many strange creatures as any Carroll story. Richard has to believe a lot of impossible things before breakfast.

This is the second time I've read it, but it's been so long since I read it the first time that I'd forgotten most of the twists and turns of the story. I devoured the book. Day one, I picked it up and decided to read a couple of pages before going to sleep. By half 3 in the morning, I forced myself to put it down again after having read half of the book. I took it with me to Dorset and ended up having a 'Wonderland' adventure of my own. This book was the perfect thing to read as I lay very still recovering from it.

It's dark and violent, but there is also a lot to say in it on the subject of trust and compassion. It will alter your view of London forever... any city really. I even entered Dorset wondering where the door was actually set. (Incidentally, it was in Wareham Forest.)

I have two copies of this book, if anyone wants one of them.