Dear Reader,

 

Our Communications Director, Courtney McCarroll forced me to read the new Neil Gaiman book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane this week. She didn't have to twist my arm too much since, like most readers, I've always been fascinated by the enigma of Neil Gaiman.

 

But my curiosity piqued when she said it was the most hauntingly beautiful book she's read this year.

 

Thank you, Courtney; because in ways that are indescribable, this book immediately reminds me of that quote in The Art of Possibility: "Art, after all, is about rearranging us, creating surprising juxtapositions, emotional openings, startling presences, flight paths to the eternal." - and that's just what this book does. It rearranges your brain in ways that I can't quite fathom just yet. This is a book that you feel; not just in your hands, but in your heart and deep within the confines of your memory.  

 

If you forced me to tell you what it does, Ocean makes you think about how to retain the qualities of childhood - unconstrained by the heavy hand of adulthood - being iconoclastic, imaginative, and without guile. It also reminded me that allowing the fear of failure to restrict your actions might, in fact, guarantee another form of failure altogether - preventing you from ever realizing your full potential in life.

 

All that said, I urge you to read it. If we're able to generate enough enthusiasm and interest in his book, we might even be able to get Neil to come by our store... which would be phenomenal, of course. If you're unfamiliar, to get a flavor of Neil Gaiman, be sure to check out his inspirational graduation speech at the University of the Arts here.

 

And, if you need any more convincing that Ocean at the End of the Lane is the book of the season (if not the year), I'll give you a $5 gift certificate when you buy it. I'm hoping we can sell 1,000 copies and clinch his arrival - a win, most assuredly, for us all.

 

Let everyone know and let me know what you think,