Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Part 4 Questions

Section of book: 76-100% (5:47-7:45 for the audio)

Notes:
- Each member is asked to end with a question for the next member.
- If the person above you forgets to pose a question then just pick a different one from above (make sure you indicate which one you're answering!)
- If some other question from above moves you then feel free to answer as many as you want. It is a discussion after all! ;)


1. If you had the power to talk to ghosts, which time period would you like to learn more about?

2. Which part did you enjoy the most? Was there one that surprised you?

3. How did you like the book? Would you recommend it?

4. Are you planning on reading more books by Gaiman?

5. Answer the question posed by the person above you!

1. If you had the power to talk to ghosts, which time period would you like to learn more about?
I would like to learn more about what it was like during the world wars.

2. Which part did you enjoy the most? Was there one that surprised you? I really enjoyed the ending - I like how the story was bought together and all the pieces fell into place. I was kind of surprised that Jay Frost was the man Jack, but then not really as he had come to the graveyard out of the blue.

3. How did you like the book? Would you recommend it?
I enjoyed the book and would recommend it. I liked how seemingly unrelated snippets all joined together at the end.

4. Are you planning on reading more books by Gaiman?
Sure. I'm not going to rush out and read one straight away but would definitely consider Gaiman in the future.

5. My question - what do you think happens to Bod after he leaves the graveyard (The Graveyard book 2 :P )

1. If you had the power to talk to ghosts, which time period would you like to learn more about?

I'm most interested in the mid-20th century.

2. Which part did you enjoy the most? Was there one that surprised you?

My favorite part was journey to Goulheim. One of the longer sub-stories, it introduced and featured prominently Miss Lupescu. The part that surprised me the most was likely the epilogue (chapter 8) as it wasn't necessarily a happy ending -> more hopeful and realistic.

3. How did you like the book? Would you recommend it?

This is the best of the Neil Gaiman books that I've read and I've read all of Sandman (volumes 1-12), Neverwhere, American Gods, and Stardust. I would certainly recommend it, especially for readers 11-14.

4. Are you planning on reading more books by Gaiman?

I have read quite a few, and I've always liked his writing style though I feel he's weak at endings. I will certainly read more books by him in the future.

5. What do you think happens to Bod after he leaves the graveyard (The Graveyard book 2 :P )

I think that he spends a while (10-20 years) just wandering about the world, city to city, making money to enjoy himself and continue on to the next place. At some point, he probably does track down Scarlett, hoping to renew a relationship with her, but it won't work out as he can never tell her the truth and if he does, that would certainly end it.

Though eventually, he'll meet back up with Silas and join the Honour Guard. I was a bit disappointed that he hadn't left with Silas to apprentice under him, but I do think that there is no rush and he should have the opportunity to experience life (and perhaps learn how to recognize when a girl has a crush on you).

My Question: Which character or characters would you have liked to see more of / had feature more prominently?

1. If you had the power to talk to ghosts, which time period would you like to learn more about?
I would have liked to talk with the great explorers – Marco Polo for instance.

2. Which part did you enjoy the most? Was there one that surprised you?
I liked the interaction of Bod with Silas and also with his friends Liza and Scarlett.
I was surprised by who Jack was.

3. How did you like the book? Would you recommend it?
I liked it very much and would recommend it.

4. Are you planning on reading more books by Gaiman?
I am planning on reading Stardust and Trigger Warning.

5. What do you think happens to Bod after he leaves the graveyard (The Graveyard book 2 :P )
I hope that he sees the world, travels places and has grand adventures.

6. Which character or characters would you have liked to see more of / had feature more prominently?
I would have liked more scenes with Miss Lupescu, there was a lot of potential there, not explored fully in my opinion.

My question: Do you think wiping Scarlett’s memory was the only way to solve the problem? What alternative would you have liked?

1. If you had the power to talk to ghosts, which time period would you like to learn more about?
Probably something from the ancient world, although I'm not sure which country specifically.

2. Which part did you enjoy the most? Was there one that surprised you?
I loved the first couple of chapters, because I thought they really set the atmosphere for the whole book. There was a perfect blend of humour, dark scenes, and just great storytelling. I also really enjoyed when Bod first met Scarlett. I really loved the ending because I thought it tied things together really well, and the closing line was amazing.

3. How did you like the book? Would you recommend it?
I really enjoyed this book, although I wish I had read a text copy instead of the audiobook. I thought Neil Gaiman made an amazing narrator, but as I've commented in other threads, I have a lot of trouble focusing on audiobooks. I need to somehow find the delicate balance between keeping my hands/mind occupied enough to keep my mind from wandering, but not too much that it takes me away from the book. There were several plot points that I think I completely missed (ie. what happened to Madame Lupescu) because I didn't listen properly. I would definitely recommend the book, and would probably even read it again at some point in the future.

4. Are you planning on reading more books by Gaiman?
Maybe, but I'm not in any rush. I also read Coraline this year, but I wasn't that impressed with it. I liked it, but didn't love it.

5. Do you think wiping Scarlett's memory was the only way to solve the problem? What alternative would you have liked?
I'm not necessarily sure if it was the only way to solve it, but I can't really think of what else would have worked. It's pretty hard to accept that your childhood friend may have just killed people, even when those people were trying to attack him. I would have loved if, even with her memory wiped, Scarlett would have stayed nearby and they could have tried to rebuild their friendship somehow.

New question: Were you satisfied with the explanation for why Jack killed Bod's family? Why or why not?

1. If you had the power to talk to ghosts, which time period would you like to learn more about?
I think I could listen for hours things about Romans, so I’ll ask about that :D

2. Which part did you enjoy the most? Was there one that surprised you?
The parts with the Sleer were really fun, especially with Gaiman doing the voices. I also enjoyed a lot when Scarlett was around, she was nice and refreshing, adding normality to Bod's life.
I absolutely didn’t see Jack’s return, even if he was just before my eyes.

3. How did you like the book? Would you recommend it?
It’s my 2nd time reading/listening it and I loved it as much, I’d more time to look at how it was written and it was interesting to see the mix of horror, paranormal, mystery and coming of age. Totally recommended :)

4. Are you planning on reading more books by Gaiman?
Yes, I’ve several on my TBR, so I hope to read at least one before the end of the year. It's probably be Neverwhere that I read years ago in translation and didn't remember at all.

5. Were you satisfied with the explanation for why Jack killed Bod's family? Why or why not?
Yes, the explanation was enough to understand why the Jacks were so much involved and why they were crazy. The use of the prophecy was interesting because usually it's used in a reverse way (someone becoming the chosen one, while here it's someone becoming the to-kill one). It's an interesting change in perspective, taking in account the "evil side" rather than the "good side".

My question: Several Jacks were confined rather than killed. What did you think of this choice?

1. If you had the power to talk to ghosts, which time period would you like to learn more about?
Undecided. I think I'd like to explore a topic rather than time, namely women in science throughout history. What can we do better today? What questions should we ask? How should we learn more about women of the past who have made contributions (and who are they too?)?

2. Which part did you enjoy the most? Was there one that surprised you?
It's the realism that made me appreciate the book the most. Of course living in a graveyard isn't realistic at all, but the dialogues and relationships as well as ending made it believable somehow. I think Miss Lupescu's influence on Bod was significant, because after the ghoul-gate situation he somehow understood that education has its perks. Scarlett's return surprised me.

3. How did you like the book? Would you recommend it?
I really liked it! And yes, most certainly to both kids and adults. It's well paced yet manages to bring up a lot of difficult topics in an engaging way.

4. Are you planning on reading more books by Gaiman?
Yes.

5. Several Jacks were confined rather than killed. What did you think of this choice?
The book couldn't be too brutal of course, but it still seems like not optimal. Ominous is the word. Can we be sure they don't evolve into something even nastier? This is problematic in today's societies too, because while we should rise above evil, what the heck do we do when evil keeps being evil? Just accept it and see innocent people die?

Q: What did you think of what the Sleer did, was it logical/expected/satisfactory?

1. If you had the power to talk to ghosts, which time period would you like to learn more about? - I am more about learning personal stories than about time periods so any ghost (friendly!) would be good for a chat

2. Which part did you enjoy the most? Was there one that surprised you? - I don't think I had a truly favorite part. There were lots of parts that I would have liked more info about. There was too much jumping around to too many characters for me. I don't mind that when it all flows but this felt like jumping around for the sake of jumping around, not for the actual sake of the story line.

3. How did you like the book? Would you recommend it?
It wasn't my favorite. My step-son enjoyed it more than I did thankfully. I might recommend it if I thought the person liked Gaiman.

4. Are you planning on reading more books by Gaiman?
No

5. What did you think of what the Sleer did, was it logical/expected/satisfactory? - It made sense I suppose, as much as anything in the book did really.

Q. I am going to borrow Aglaea's question: What did you think of what the Sleer did, was it logical/expected/satisfactory?

1. If you had the power to talk to ghosts, which time period would you like to learn more about?
They would be nice and not scary- right? I would want to talk to a ghost who could solve a mystery, one of those things which was not written down so it died with those who knew about it. As a historian there are certain walls you hit because you can not know what happened cause it was not recorded.

2. Which part did you enjoy the most? Was there one that surprised you?
I liked how he created the world of the graveyard and the people who created it.
The reason Bod's family was killed surprised me. I did not think it was something supernatural. I would like to know more about this Order of Jacks.

3. How did you like the book? Would you recommend it?
I did but then I'm a cemetery nut. It was clearly a YA book, it wasn't super complex or anything, but it was a nice read. I would recommend it to most people.

4. Are you planning on reading more books by Gaiman?
I've read quite a few. I have Trigger Warning on hold for the short story week at the end of the year. I do in general find him uneven but interesting.

What did you think of what the Sleer did, was it logical/expected/satisfactory?
It is what he was trained to do, but it seemed an easy solution, I was also curious what happened to the Master he was so faithfully fighting for just a few years later,

My question: It made me really sad that when Bod grew up he not only left the graveyard, but could no longer see the people in it. Do you think as he travels and sees the world, does he ever come back and visit although he can see noone?

1. If you had the power to talk to ghosts, which time period would you like to learn more about?

I would love to learn more about Biblical times.

2. Which part did you enjoy the most? Was there one that surprised you?

I liked the part when Bod freaked out the bullies and when Silas came to rescue Bod from the police. I was most surprised to read the council of the Jack of all trades scene.

3. How did you like the book? Would you recommend it?

I liked it. I think I'd recommend Nevewhere over this book as a better Neil Gaiman pick.

4. Are you planning on reading more books by Gaiman?

I've already read a lot but I would pick up a new book if he comes out with one soon.

5. Do you think as he travels and sees the world, does he ever come back and visit although he can see noone?

I hope he goes back to visit even if he won't be able to see them.

My question: Do you think Bod will come across another group of men similar to the Jacks of all Trades during his travels?