Americans: We Like Books
27 Sep
No, really, we do, and I’ve seen the evidence today!
That’s right, time for an inane post, because I’ve just come back from the Library of Congress National Book Festival, which was lovely in spite of the Mall being sodden and squishy and the weather being grey and sticky. We wandered a bit, and made it just in time to catch Neil Gaiman reading from The Graveyard Book, a very funny bit about revenge. (Imagine that, the guy who wrote half of Good Omens and the whole of Anansi Boys is funny!) Then he answered questions and admitted to stealing book ideas from his children and waking up 3/4 of the way through every book he’s ever written and going, “Maybe I should really go and get a proper job.”
I’m not sure if it makes me feel better or worse, knowing that even when you’re that good, and been doing it for that long, you still have those moments. But since I’m so happy today, I’ll go with much, much better! (If you didn’t have those moments, you’d be taking it for granted, you jerk!)
Sadly I was about five minutes late to get one of the advance copies of The Graveyard Book that Harper allowed to be sold there. So upsetting, seeing a bunch of people clutching it in the checkout line. My husband offered to tackle someone and get me one, but I thought it best to avoid an incident. Though that might make for a good story, some day.
(Yes, he was kidding. Anyhow, I’m scrappier than him.)
Three days and it’s out though! How exciting! So I thought I’d link here to this month’s interview with him on that very subject from GoodReads. Also thought, just in case people don’t stalk Gaiman’s blog like some others I know (starts with the letter “K”…), I might mention that Harper Collins has Neverwhere online for free– you can read it there or download the whole thing. It explodes after 30 days though. Or you’re supposed to burn it. Something like that, it’s all very Inspector Gadget.
While I’m fangirling, also wanted to point out the GoodReads interview from this month with the horribly awesome Neal Stephenson. I really need to get my hands on Anathem, but I’m not quite as twitchy about it because I’ve got to finish the Baroque Cycle first.
Yay, October is for Reading! (This is me, trying not to start writing anything else huge until November. Oh please, please, please don’t let me start anything else huge until November…)
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Now playing: The Charlatans – Acid In the Tea
posted with FoxyTunes
How cool that Neil Gaiman still worries about his writing?
And argh!The Graveyard Book, isn’t out in the UK until about the 20th October.
I know right? He also used the old one about feeling like he’d jumped out of a plane and was trying to knit a parachute before he hit the ground, in reference to writing this one. Somehow makes the world seem right.
Blech Oct 20! That’s completely unfair!
And extra unfair because I’m going to the UK *THIS WEEKEND* and it would save me on a frickload of international shipping costs. I want my Gaiman!
But then I’m also pissy about the exact situation with the Iron Man DVD – out in September in the US, late October in the UK. Stupid timing :/
Argh that IS lame :/ You know it’s bad when the shipping is almost as bad as the cost of the item itself…