A Couple of Book Recommendations
I recently have been turned on to a couple of cool books, one of which has been on the market since 2001, so you may have read it already, and the other is due out in a couple of weeks in English translation, whereas I own a copy in its original version. Both come with my highest recommendation.
I don't generally read a lot of fiction, but the title of this first book grabbed my eye in the English language bargain bin at the local Hugendubel bookstore in Nürnberg. It is American Gods by Neil Gaiman, and takes the reader on a mythological trip through the American landscape. Without giving away the plot, let's just say that the premise of the book is a coming battle between the old gods brought to America by its immigrants and now mostly forgotten, and the new "gods" such as computer technology, interstate highways and the media. The main protagonist is Shadow, a young man just released from a 3-year stint in prison coming home to nothing, as his wife has just been killed in a car wreck. He is offered a job by a certain Mr. Wednesday, actually the old Norse god, Odin (Wednesday comes from the Old English, Wodenesdag, or Woden's (Odin's) day), and they set off together on a wild trip across America. I was quite impressed with Gaiman's knowledge of mythology, and he has a way of making this "fantasy" novel seem believable. Gaiman also demonstrates a deep feeling for meaning in the American landscape, and I found his hypothesis of American "holy sites" being the roadside attractions like Wisconsin's House on the Rock, which figures prominently into the plot, very thought-provoking.
The second title, soon to be released, is the English translation of Christian Rätsch and Claudia Müller-Ebeling's German title, Weihnachtsbaum und Blütenwunder, to be titled Pagan Christmas, in English. This book is a treasure trove of folklore regarding the plants of Christmas, in which Rätsch and Müller-Ebeling demonstrate that the Christmas festivals of the Western world have more in common with the old heathen Midwinter festivals than with anything concerning Jesus Christ. They demostrate, for example, the connection between the Christmas tree and the world tree, Yggdrasil, how Santa Claus actually is an evolved version of Odin and how the red and white colors associated with St. Nick may have a connection to the red and white of the Amanita muscaria mushroom, used by Eurasian shamans as a method of journeying up the branches of the world tree, the axis of the universe. Very interesting stuff, indeed, and I hope that a lot of the American readers aren't scared away by the title.
So, if you get a chance, pick up these books from your local bookstore or library. And although I have provided informative links to the titles on Amazon.com, please support your local, independent bookseller, if you still have one, by purchasing the titles from them.
I don't generally read a lot of fiction, but the title of this first book grabbed my eye in the English language bargain bin at the local Hugendubel bookstore in Nürnberg. It is American Gods by Neil Gaiman, and takes the reader on a mythological trip through the American landscape. Without giving away the plot, let's just say that the premise of the book is a coming battle between the old gods brought to America by its immigrants and now mostly forgotten, and the new "gods" such as computer technology, interstate highways and the media. The main protagonist is Shadow, a young man just released from a 3-year stint in prison coming home to nothing, as his wife has just been killed in a car wreck. He is offered a job by a certain Mr. Wednesday, actually the old Norse god, Odin (Wednesday comes from the Old English, Wodenesdag, or Woden's (Odin's) day), and they set off together on a wild trip across America. I was quite impressed with Gaiman's knowledge of mythology, and he has a way of making this "fantasy" novel seem believable. Gaiman also demonstrates a deep feeling for meaning in the American landscape, and I found his hypothesis of American "holy sites" being the roadside attractions like Wisconsin's House on the Rock, which figures prominently into the plot, very thought-provoking.
The second title, soon to be released, is the English translation of Christian Rätsch and Claudia Müller-Ebeling's German title, Weihnachtsbaum und Blütenwunder, to be titled Pagan Christmas, in English. This book is a treasure trove of folklore regarding the plants of Christmas, in which Rätsch and Müller-Ebeling demonstrate that the Christmas festivals of the Western world have more in common with the old heathen Midwinter festivals than with anything concerning Jesus Christ. They demostrate, for example, the connection between the Christmas tree and the world tree, Yggdrasil, how Santa Claus actually is an evolved version of Odin and how the red and white colors associated with St. Nick may have a connection to the red and white of the Amanita muscaria mushroom, used by Eurasian shamans as a method of journeying up the branches of the world tree, the axis of the universe. Very interesting stuff, indeed, and I hope that a lot of the American readers aren't scared away by the title.
So, if you get a chance, pick up these books from your local bookstore or library. And although I have provided informative links to the titles on Amazon.com, please support your local, independent bookseller, if you still have one, by purchasing the titles from them.
Comments
I would also recommend Gaiman's American Gods. Got a kick out of it when I read it a few years ago. I've generally enjoyed his work and would heartily recommend his writing on the Sandman series of comics which DC/Vertigo has collected into handy trade paperbacks.