Hello, blog readers!

You won't have seen my name on here before, as this is my first post to this blog. I came up with the topic of this entry about oh... ten minutes ago. So when you're done reading, please leave a comment to let me know how I did.

Neil Gaiman has just finished teaching a week at Clarion, a superb science fiction and fantasy writers' workshop held in San Diego. So he's been on my mind lately. He's primarily a fantasy writer, but you can find things he's written in practically every department of the library.

Fantasy: He is perhaps best known for American Gods. It won best novel in the Hugos, the Nebulas, and the Bram Stoker Award for 2002. You can find this in the library's fiction section.

Graphic Novel: Unless of course he's best known for Sandman, a series of graphic novels about Morpheus, The Lord of Dreams. The first collection is titled Preludes and Nocturnes. These are located in the Music, Art and Media department downstairs. Except that some lucky person already has the first volume checked out, so you'd better put a hold request on it before someone else beats you to it.

Fantasy: You might be interested in his Anansi Boys, the story of the son of the trickster spider god Anansi. It won the Mythopoeic Award for best novel in 2006. I had the privilege of hearing Gaiman read a bit of this before it was published when he spoke at the National Book Festival in Washington, DC. This book is not only in the fiction section, but the library also has it in Large Print or as downloadable audio.

Children's Fantasy: But maybe you're looking for something a little younger? No problem. Gaiman has written Coraline, about a girl who's moved into a new apartment and discovers an alternate world. It also won a Hugo, a Nebula, and a Bram Stoker Award. You can find this one in the children's room in the older fiction section.

Movie: Take a break from all that Neil Gaiman reading and watch Stardust, a movie based on his book of the same name. A very different sort of fairy tale and love story. The DVD can of course be found in Music, Art, and Media. The book is located in the Science Fiction and Fantasy alcove in the back of the library. (My favorite alcove.)

Nonfiction: For the nonfiction inclined, here's Hanging Out With the Dream King: Conversations with Neil Gaiman and his Collaborators.

If you still haven't had enough of Neil Gaiman, you can read Good Omens, a collaboration with none other than Terry Pratchett. Or read his short fiction in Fragile Things. Or search the library catalog for Neil Gaiman. Lots of good stuff there.

You can read more about Neil Gaiman on Wikipedia or check out his blog at http://journal.neilgaiman.com/.

And remember to leave me that comment!