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The Pajiba Book Club Announces "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman

By Yossarian | Posted Under Book Reviews | Comments (19)

graveyard.jpg

To everyone who participated in the first meeting of the Pajiba Book Club: Thank you! It was a great discussion of Lolita with a lot of different perspectives and exceeded all of our expectations. To everyone who liked the idea but decided to wait until next time: it’s next time. The Pajiba Book Club will be reading The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman with the official review & discussion to be posted on March 30th (that’s next Tuesday).

The story is loosely based on Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book with the orphaned boy being raised by ghosts and ghouls in a graveyard instead of wild animals in the jungle. And while a superficial consideration of The Graveyard Book might be inclined to think it is just a children’s fantasy book careful readers will notice a lot more going on here. Gaiman has created a novel that is simple enough to be read and understood by young readers but rich and complex enough to sustain serious fiction readers as well. The different characters that populate the story and the portrayals of the human world and the graveyard world are sure to trigger some deep discussions. I think it is one of those books that you get out of it what you put into it, and multiple readings (or book club discussions) will reveal different aspects and prove this a worthy selection for the group. If you’ve never read Neil Gaiman you really should.

You can expect a world rich with allusions to other classic fantasy works and evoking a deep and detailed mythology to support the characters and actions that take place. Familiarity with Gaiman, Kipling, and other sources will be a key to appreciating this book so I encourage readers to make these connections. You should feel free to discuss some of the common themes this shares with other Gaiman novels and his overall style as an author/ artist. And since this should prove to be a relatively easy read, especially after Nabokov, those of you who want to get really ambitious can read The Jungle Book by Kipling as well. I think comparing the two in the book club will benefit the discussion for everyone, even people who only know the Disney version of Kipling (and if you have never read the poetry and prose of Rudyard Kipling you really should do that, too).

One last order of business: I feel guilty for holding things up by not getting to this announcement/ preview earlier. In order to keep the Pajiba Book Club running at a smooth and steady pace I want to set the schedule for the next couple months so you can plan accordingly. In April we will be reading The Blind Assassin by Margret Atwood (with special guest host and winner of Cannonball Read II Jen K) . In May we will be reading A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments by David Foster Wallace. Future selections will be discussed on the Cannonball Read facebook page but I will try to have them scheduled out at least a month or two in advance so people can accommodate their reading & library activity.









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Comments

Hmm, so what you're saying is, I should really finish up the book I'm reading and get my ass to the library. Worthy challenge, sir.

Posted by: Sara at March 23, 2010 1:09 PM

Next tuesday? Seriously?

Posted by: mafalda at March 23, 2010 1:10 PM

It's short and it's a quick read. I think you read it by next Tuesday. It's masquerading as a children's book, after all.

Posted by: BWeaves at March 23, 2010 1:34 PM

Thsi book has been on the back burner for too long. Now I have a motivation to get it and read quickly. Thanks, Yos! I love Gaiman, and I am eager to get into this story.

Posted by: Patty O'Green at March 23, 2010 1:36 PM

This is a great opportunity to say C U Next Tuesday.

(Just sayin'.)

Posted by: MM at March 23, 2010 1:43 PM

Loved this book and was thinking about re-reading it anyway. Very cool. I've kind of fallen off with the Cannonball Read, but if I can get "The Italian Secretary" finished in the next couple days I know I can bang out "The Graveyard Book" pretty quickly and be a more informed participant.

I tried with "Lolita" but I just loathed all 40 some pages I choked down. I wanted to take a flamethrower to that motherfucker's head. Both of them.

But Gaiman I quite like.

Posted by: TylerDFC at March 23, 2010 1:55 PM

Yeah, sorry about the extreme short notice. There was a bit of a hangover after Lolita and then Dustin was in Austin... basically, if you haven't been following along on the Cannonball Read Facebook group (which, you really should be doing) then this might be the first official announcement you've had about this month's book.

We hope to avoid that in the future by announcing them well in advance (see April selection The Blind Assassin, above).

And, hopefully enough people have already read this one in the not-to-distant past and will be able to contribute to the discussion.

Plus, it's not to late to pick up a copy after work. It's a Newbery Medal winner so any local library should have it and most people should be able to manage it with a dedicated weekend of reading.

Posted by: Yossarian at March 23, 2010 2:34 PM

YAY!!! I'm glad I get to participate this time!! :D

Posted by: Jelinas at March 23, 2010 2:39 PM

Miss Smith decided to read it first when we got it at the library, so I'll have to pry it out of her hands. She's also gotten Coraline queued up next, so I guess she's liking Gaiman. Maybe I'll let her post the review on Mrs Smith Reads.

Posted by: Mrs Smith at March 23, 2010 2:54 PM

Cool! Thanks for heading this up, Yossarian. I'll read along and try to contribute to the discussion. Thanks for setting the schedule for the next couple of months as well. I, like many others, have too few hours in the day and need a bit more time to get through books.

Posted by: stardust at March 23, 2010 5:42 PM

Sorry again for the short notice, kids. Last weekend we realized "Hell, March is almost over!" I just finished a couple weeks ago so I'm excited as crazypants.

Posted by: Nicole at March 23, 2010 5:57 PM

It's a Newbery Medal winner so any local library should have it

Yay for libraries!

Posted by: mswas at March 23, 2010 7:10 PM

I feel dumb asking, but where the hell is the Cannonball Read FB page? I looked. Twice. Cannot find.

Posted by: Scully at March 23, 2010 8:19 PM

Scully, I think this link might work:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&gid=87667615382

Posted by: stardust at March 23, 2010 8:47 PM

Thank you stardust I have joined the ranks!

Posted by: Scully at March 23, 2010 10:08 PM

I finished this a couple weeks ago but I think I'll give it another read before next week. I guess I saw it was the next one on Facebook. I just got The Blind Assassin today as well.

Posted by: lainiefig at March 23, 2010 11:38 PM

Will I get in trouble if I mention Amanda Fucking Palmer? Because of the awesome, you know?

I'll be catching up on my Gaiman reading as soon as possible, though, be assured.

Posted by: Baldo at March 24, 2010 8:25 PM

Poop. I have someone visiting me this weekend, so there won't be any time for reading. I'll try and get started on Atwood or Wallace.

Posted by: SaBrina at March 25, 2010 12:28 AM

Halfway through Kipling, Gaiman to go.

I plan on arriving to this one early to tap the first of the keg, then disappear for a few days and come back on the weekend to throw said keg, now empty, down the fire escape.

Posted by: Big Softie at March 25, 2010 1:45 AM