Soon it will be the Independence Day holiday, and, in addition to celebrating our country’s freedom and liberty, you might want to take some time in between the day’s picnic, the night’s fireworks, and whatever other plans you have, such as Whitewater’s festival, to do some leisure reading.
On that topic, The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman just debuted at number two on the New York Times Combined Print and eBook Fiction Best Sellers list and number three on the Publishers Weekly Bestsellers list, so you may have heard some buzz surrounding it. This short fantasy novel, Gaiman’s first in about 10 years, is about a middle-aged artist who returns to the English countryside where he grew up to revive memories of his lonely boyhood, a disruptive housekeeper, and a young friend. Perhaps it is the book for you.
Gaiman is a multitalented writer, one who has done wonderful graphic novels, children’s books, adult novels, novellas, short stories, plays, poetry, and nonfiction. His repertoire covers fantasy, horror, humorous works, and more. He’s been nominated for and won many awards, including the Nebula, Hugo, Newbery, and Carnegie. And, very importantly, he is Wisconsin’s adopted son, having lived near Menomonie, WI since the early ’90’s.
If you’d like to get a regional take on The Ocean at the End of the Lane, check out these midwesteren reviews in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Minneapolis StarTribune, and the Chicago Tribune.
If, instead of an out and out review, you’d rather listen to the author himself discuss his book and other things, check out Wisconsin Public Radio where Anne Strainchamps interviews him on 45 North.
The Andersen Library copy of The Ocean at the End of the Lane is currently checked out according to Research@UWW, but UW-Whitewater students, faculty, and staff can try borrowing one of the three other copies in the UW system (for free) using UW Request in Research@UWW. One copy is currently available. Alternatively, since our copy is unavailable at the moment, you can also use the Get It option to put a “Hold” on our copy so it will be saved for you when it is returned. Using UW Request though is usually faster than waiting for a book to be returned.
I’m not sure whether anyone read the review of or the book I wrote about last, as the blog entry didn’t get any comments. On that note, if you’ve read, intend to read, or thought about this book please drop us a comment to tell everyone your opinion. I look forward to hearing from you.
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But if you’re taking a break from studies, you can celebrate the holiday!