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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
I am not much of one for introductions in books, but that's because most introductions are not by Neil Gaiman. So, the fact that a decent chunk of the book is made up of introductions to other books does nothing to impact it's overall quality. You'll also find articles and essays and little bits and pieces of this and that and the other. I do wonder if some of it would not be as effective or interesting if I were not listening to the audio book and having Gaiman himself read them with genuine feeling in the way he does so well. He's a great storyteller, and he helps make even the articles about people and things I might be unfamiliar with intriguing.
3.5 ⭐
Since this book is a collection of essays, I didn't read this cover to cover; rather, I read what sparked my interest. I don't necessarily agree with everything he says. But, even though he has different opinions and his literary content may not my style, I enjoyed reading what he had to say about books and storytelling in general. His dry, British wit is highly entertaining and I found some other titles to check out.
Since this book is a collection of essays, I didn't read this cover to cover; rather, I read what sparked my interest. I don't necessarily agree with everything he says. But, even though he has different opinions and his literary content may not my style, I enjoyed reading what he had to say about books and storytelling in general. His dry, British wit is highly entertaining and I found some other titles to check out.
This is basically a collection of previously published essays written by Neil Gaiman talking about a myriad of topics, from comics, to books, films, music etc. It took me a long time to read this since I was listening to it on audiobook, which I really recommend because it's narrated by Neil Gaiman himself.
All of the essays were really interesting, there were just some of them in which he talked about people or things that I didn't know so it took a little bit of my enjoyment from the book.
All of the essays were really interesting, there were just some of them in which he talked about people or things that I didn't know so it took a little bit of my enjoyment from the book.
informative
reflective
The good thing about collections like this one is you can choose what you want to read and what you don't and Neil gives us that permission from the start.
I loved the first essays and speeches that were all about libraries and books, being a library assistant myself and book addict.
I skipped some in the middle but also enjoyed the music related essays.
It is clear how passionate he is about writing and reading, as any touching on those subjects were the best to read.
I found it very inspiring and does make me want to write more.
Worth a look either as a Neil gaiman fan or as a writer or reader.
I loved the first essays and speeches that were all about libraries and books, being a library assistant myself and book addict.
I skipped some in the middle but also enjoyed the music related essays.
It is clear how passionate he is about writing and reading, as any touching on those subjects were the best to read.
I found it very inspiring and does make me want to write more.
Worth a look either as a Neil gaiman fan or as a writer or reader.
This was a weird read for me; I really like Neil Gaiman's voice. I think if you didn't this collections of essays wouldn't work for you. Truthfully since I don't now three quarters of the people he is speaking about it was a stretch for me too. Worth the read if you're into science fiction; or basically Neil Gaiman himself. 3.5 Stars
Some of these are stronger than others, but all worth reading. Great content by a great writer as he reflects on literacy, libraries, comics and other writers (and more).
This book is a collection of speeches, essays, and introductions. For me, that was a difficult thing to read 500+ pages of, because it put me in a mood to want to get on with it - to read the story, or see the movie, or whatever. The constant sense of "almost there!" nagged at me a bit, even though this is Neil Gaiman and I love his writing and each of these pieces is worthwhile. So that was a bit of a thing. I don't want to imply that this was a slog, though, exactly - it was just a little bit frustrating and it took me some time. But the ideas here, the values and the love of story - those are wonderful. And Gaiman's enthusiasm is contagious, and even when I was reading about a person or book I didn't know anything about - he does make you care, like the blurb on the back suggests. And for the things I already know and love, it is a very lovely thing to have Neil write about them. So, I think this is a good book, but perhaps one to read interspersed with other things. Not all at once, but slowly, over time. And have a pen and paper or a goodreads account handy!~ There will be things you want to read and see and listen to after reading this book.
Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite writers - I can't think of anything I've read of his that I haven't loved. He's also one of my favorite audiobook narrators, which is why I tend to elect to consume his materials primarily through audio, as I did with "The View from the Cheap Seats." The book is a selection of various non-fiction pieces written throughout his career and admittedly, some of them held my attention better than others. This is primarily because while I am a fan of Neil Gaiman, I'm not necessarily the intended audience for all of these works, like the introductions for books I have no intention of reading. Introductions tend to be written for people already "in the know" about something - even Gaiman directs his readers to wait to read an introduction until they've read the book first, since spoilers abound. I'm not "in the know" about most of the subject matter of these various essays, and yet the book still for the most part held my attention because of the passion Neil conveys through his writing. I'm not a particular fan of Lou Reed, for example, but loved the Lou Reed interview because you can tell how big a Lou Reed nerd Neil Gaiman is and that was a delight to listen to.
Also, the introduction to Terry Pratchett's "A Slip of the Keyboard" is the most beautiful punch in the gut and worth reading even if that's the only thing you take from this book.
Also, the introduction to Terry Pratchett's "A Slip of the Keyboard" is the most beautiful punch in the gut and worth reading even if that's the only thing you take from this book.
I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would... I’ve always enjoyed Gaiman’s stories, but was skeptical about reading a book of introductions, essays and speeches. Reading this 1. Gave me more titles to add to my to-read list, 2. Left me wanting to know more about comics and 3. Made me want to be friends with Neil Gaiman (he just seems so damn interesting).