Intro To The Graveyard Book. Arie Recommends!

Hey guys!

So I have found my new addiction.  Audible!  It's completely fantastic!  I get to have stories being told to me during my long commutes to and from school, between classes, and as I drift off to sleep.  As wonderful as audible is, this post is not about audible.  This post is about Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book and how I just listened to that awesomness.  (You can see my reviews for the book at both Audible (review done as Arielle on 11-27-12 Sherman, TX) and Goodreads.)

I know I said the next post would be the second half of The Exorcist vocabulary, but I was so excited about The Graveyard Book, that I wanted to do a little introductory blog.  You will most likely see another, but more in-depth blog in a few months when I've gone through the book, but reading it this time.  For now, here's a little taste...after the jump :)

Mini Summary

The Graveyard Book is about a little boy, Nobody Owens (Bod), who's parents are killed.  Bod is adopted by the ghosts and a not living, yet, not dead man who inhabit the graveyard.  Bod has many adventures and meets all sorts of creatures and ghosts as he ages from infancy to adolescence--and as the man who killed his parents continue to look for him, thus ensuring Bod is never truly safe.

Historical Aspects

This book is rich with history, and they are mentioned in a clever way--though none of the historical points are belabored.  They are just briefly mentioned in most cases, but it opens the door for some interesting topics to be researched.

The Crusades, European witch trials, the Duke of Westminster, The Bishop of Bath and Wells, The Emperor of China, Harry S. Truman, Victor Hugo, the Romans and when they first came to Britain, the Egyptians and their history, 100 Years War, when New York was once New Amsterdam, the mythology of ghouls and what they really are, what is juju, and what is a jack of all trades?

All of these topics were mentioned.  I will touch on some of these when I do the full blog in this book.

Brief First Impressions

The writing is clever.  The ideas are clever and complex, but written in a way that is simplified to the point where the reader is most definitely not overwhelmed.  The main character is clever, likable, and relatable.  Gaiman pays great attention to detail.

Themes Present

*again, I will touch on these in the full blog.  This is just a starting point.
-Relationships and how they change as time passes
-Love
-Death and how it affects life
-Inner fight and believing in oneself and how the support of friends and family can exemplify the desire        to survive.
-Adventure
-Courage
-Life v.s. Death
-Survival and how it can make one act in a less than savory manner
-Nature v.s Nurture
-Friendship
-Time
-Life and how living is not always living.

Vocabulary

By the time I realized I might want to do a blog on this book and really started paying attention to the vocabulary it was too late.  But here are a couple of gems I picked up :)

Brogue-  Scarlett Perkins (a character in the book) spoke with a hint of brogue.  This was a word found in the first The Exorcist word list.  If you have forgotten what it means, you can find it here.

Avarice- (noun) extreme greed for wealth or material gain.
                Synonyms:  greed, miserliness, avidity
He was driven by avarice and a desire to change the values of society.

Other Books You Might Like:

-Any of the Harry Potter books
-The Golden Compass (See my past blog on it here)
-Coraline
-Any of the Narnia books

Resources

Here are some interesting websites on the book
-Almost better than sparknotes, shmoop is a pretty cool site.  You can go directly to The Graveyard Book's analysis and such here.
-Mouse Circus is Neil Gaiman's official site.  The link I will provide will take you directly to a Q&A on the author, some of his books, and writing tips.  It's a fun site.  You can visit it here.

Wellp!  I belivieve that is all.  I hope this is helpful and you decide to read the book.  Next time we will pick back up and finish The Exorcist.  Until then :)