Neil Gaiman Books for National Library Week

Neil Gaiman has been named the 2010 honorary chair of National Library Week by the American Libraries Association and will be appearing in print ads, radio public service announcements, podcasts and much more. National Library week starts on April 11 and ends on April 17^th. To celebrate Neil Gaiman being named Honorary Chair and National Library Week, head to your local library and check out one of these 5 Neil Gaiman books. There are plenty more but these six are my personal favorites.

National Library Week Neil Gaiman Book Picks

Neverwhere-this dark tale was Gaiman's debut novel where we meet a man named Richard Mayhew who is just a regular guy with a dull job and a rather demanding fiancée whose world gets turned upside down after he helps a girl who is bleeding on the sidewalk. Suddenly, life as he knows it vanishes and he is brought into the mysterious world in which Door, the girl he rescued, is from. Neverwhere is a book worth reading and checking out for National Library Week.

American Gods- this is my favorite Neil Gaiman work to date. Shadow is a man recently released from prison whose life has been altered irrevocably when he finds his wife has been killed and a stranger shows up to offer him a job. Mr. Wednesday, the stranger, warns Shadow that the job is dangerous and a storm is on its way. There is a battle going on and it is for the souls of the American people. American Gods has won several awards including the Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel, the Bram Stoker Award for Best Horror Novel and the Nebula Award for Best Novel.

Anansi Boys- read this book after reading American Gods. Gaiman explores the world of myth he created in American Gods where he touches on the Anansi Boys briefly with the character Mr. Nancy. In this story we meet Fat Charlie who just happens to be the son of Anansi, the spider-god better known as the trickster god.

Smoke and Mirrors- is a collection of short stories written by Neil Gaiman and worthy of reading during National Library Month. The stories are fantastical, shocking, intriguing and whimsical. Some of the characters you will meet in these short stories include a young married couple, a frightened young boy, an elderly woman, a troll, a cat and many more.

The Graveyard Book- I'm recommending this book based on previously enjoying the novels of Neil Gaiman. I have not read it yet but am planning to get it during National Library Week. The Graveyard Book is Gaiman's most recent novel which recently won the Newbery Medal, an honor bestowed upon the author by the Association for Library Service to Children.