50 Book Challenge Books 1 and 2

So like I said, here are the first two books that I've already read this year.

1. Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman



Last year I started reading novels by Neil Gaiman and discovered I really liked his writing. I read American Gods, Neverwhere and Coraline and loved them all. My friend recommended Anansi Boys, stating that it was her favorite Gaiman novel. Not that I doubted her and thought it would be awful, I just never got around to reading it until now. It might've been my favorite Gaiman novel too. The plot is simple enough: a man hears that his estranged father has passed away and after the funeral he finds out that his father was a God (Anansi the Spider from African folklore to be specific) and that he's got a brother. He meets said brother and hijinks ensue. That's kind of a poor summary, but I don't really want to give away any details should anyone stumbled upon this blog and read it. Either way, it was a very entertaining read and much more light-hearted than American Gods (generally praised as Gaiman's best work, as well as a semi-related novel to Anansi Boys; if only that the character of Anansi appears in both). Anyone remotely interested in fantasy or adventure should check it out.


2. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett



Another Gaiman novel, although this one was done alongside Terry Pratchett, best known for his Discworld series. This one is about the apocalypse and its postponement due to a number of things including an angel and demon rather liking life on Earth as well as the misplacement of the anti-Christ. Hilarity ensues and a good time is had by all (well... most). After reading this, I definitely want to read some of the Discworld novels.



And that's that. I did the math and I should be trying to aim for at least 4-5 books a month if I want to reach 50 (assuming I go at a steady, even pace). I should get on that.