Monday, January 19, 2009

Lots of little goal updates

Goal 92: Read 52 books and journal about them.

1. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
2. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
3. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
4. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
5. Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
6. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
When I was a teenager I used to read a graphic novel series called Sandman. I loved it. I found the story lines interesting, I found the graphics amazing, in short it was the only comic I ever collected with any sort of enthusiasm. I don't know why it's taken me almost 10 years to discover that the author of those graphic novels is also an author of books. Better late then never, I suppose. I picked up a copy of his "Neverwhere" from the library and if I'm reading the reviews right, it was his first novel and was compared to a modern darker Alice in Wonderland. It's a fair comparison I think. In the first couple of chapters the main character, Richard comes across a girl covered in blood who has just fallen out of a doorway. He takes her home because she begs him not to take her to a hospital. It turns out that this girl is from "London Below" instead of "London above" and the interactions with her make him as though he didn't exist in his former life anymore. London Below is where the people who fall through the cracks live - the homeless that people don't see, the useless to society that people don't even notice anymore - and once you get there, there's no going back. Richard falls from his comfortable boring life working in the insurance industry to a world where people speak to rats, markets never take place in the same place twice and people you used to know look right through you and cannot remember who you are. He ends up following around Door, the girl he helped, and joins her in trying to figure out who killed her family. It's a tale full of beasts, sewer people, rats, a man coming back from the dead, something akin to vampires and an entire world that takes place right in front of, but not seen, by normal Londoners.
I really enjoyed the book. I didn't expect who the bad guy was until it was revealed (although maybe I should have) and the author weaved a world that was surreal but almost believable. I will defiantely be picking up one of his books again.

53. Reduce debt load by 25%
Up to 10% off my original debt so 1% down on my goal. 24% left. Sigh.

87. Get a library card
Got it.

I think that's all for now!

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